Ok, running a DA50 on the Extra Special. I bought the Fuberglass gear, and ran a CF tube in the tail because I KNEW weight was an issue. So, I go to balance it tonight and I am at the back end of the cg...do you think this will be ok? I just hate to add weight. I moved the receiver battery to the front and it made no difference....nothing else to move either!!!

Tom, what do you think?

I've got the same set up, but with stock landing gear. I set the CG at 3 1/2" back from leading edge at the wing tip for the first flights. It was just a tad nose heavy for my tastes. So I moved a 5 cell 1100 mah nicad pack(4 oz) from just in front of the fuel tank, to just behind the wing tube. Made it just right for me. Just a tad of push on the elevator stick for inverted flight. I can't tell you what the measurement is now, but I think if you use plenty of expo, and keep your throws down, you'll be ok.

3 1/2 from the tip for the Extra? The recommended is 2 1/2 to 3"... Are you sure??

It all depends on how much experiance you have. to be safe add some balast to the nose in such a manner that it is easy to remove a little at a time tell you find the sweet spot.

Yeah, what he said. The specified CG range is conservative, if you're at 3" it will be fine.

TF

I'm flying mine at 3-3/4" aft of the wing tip and it's still a puddycat.

BTW, the all up weight is 18lbs. and it flys as good as I could ask for. I've had one down to 17lbs. 5oz. but there was no flight differences of any importance.

Pat

The edit was because the censorship standards wouldn't permit me to type in a common, non-vulgar, name for a cat. That's why there are now two D's in puddycat instead of two esses. That's taking things to extremes, I think.

Word...

Thanks for the reassurance guys, appreciate it. Now, if I could only find the time to fly it...

Silversurfer what engine are you using Brison 3.2 , that is what i got on mine , havent had a chance to fly it yet , to cold here in Iowa now. Will have to wait until next March.

I'm still running my three year old Brison 3.2. I truly believe it runs stronger now that it did when I first picked it up! I still have another new one that I don't know what I'm going to do with unless Tom comes out next year with that plane noted in another thread. For now I've got to get around to completing the B-6.4 powered Giles.

I hope you get enough of a break in the weather to get in a flight or two!!

Your love your 6.4, i have one that is 5 years old now , still breaking in with over 75 flights on it, swinging a NX 28/10 prop at 5900 rpms. Not bad for a 6.4 i also run a 27/10 , depending on wind conditions.

Bas,

Thanks for the prop info. I was wondering about usable prop sizes. That helped!

Ok keep in mind the28/10 works good after some time on the motor, not for a break in prop. I would opt for the 27/10 for break . The NX props are a full 27 inch measurement not 26and 1/2 like the menz , and 3w props.

Novaflier,

I double checked my wings on the Extra Special today, and I told you wrong.[:@] My marks were still on the wing tips and they are 3" back from the leading edge. Sorry about that. I'll guess that I'm at about 3 1/4" now since I moved my battery pack back. I personally wouldn't want to go back much more than that.

Silversurfer, i was wondering if you had to add any nose weight with your 3.2 on the special. I havent got to check balance yet , my wood 1/4 ply standoff for engine weighs in at 12 ozs so i am hoping this will work. I have 2 1650 metal packs about right under canopy fromt he rear edge of canopy.two digitals for rudder in rear and 2 for elevators in rear. Ign pack 2100 metal is right in back of firewall. Using the stock gear.

Bas,

I tail mounted the rudder servo in mine, an 8611, and I have a Haigh style tail gear. That put a little "extra" weight in the tail that had to be offset somewhat.

The motor mounts for the Brison are 3/4" by 2-1/2" or so hardwood that I drilled to accept the through bolts. I am running an 1,800 mAh nicad battery mounted inside the engine box, with a 4,400 mAh Duralite li-on mounted on the inside wall immediately ahead of the landing gear plate. So I guess you could say I have a little nose weight, but it was done by shifting batteries as far forward as possible. I'm getting ready to replace the ignition battery with one that's a little lighter. Somewhere back in page two there is a picture or two that kinda shows what I did. I can't seem to post a pic lately to save my backside.

Receiver is in the middle, and the 24oz fuel tank has been moved as far back as it can go by bumping it back against the radio tray. Currently, I don't have a spinner on the plane until I cut a new one for a diferent prop. I'm using the TBM carbon fiber wing tube and the stock tail tube.

I also have the throttle servo mounted on the side of the engine box to the side and immediately behind the engine. Currently I am also using the stock gear, since I tested the demo fiberglass gear to destruction.

As a side note, that gear took an awful lot of deliberate and accidental abuse before it took a beating it couldn't survive. I'm glad it was glass!, metal gear would have ripped out the bottom of the plane had it encountered what the glass gear did. I hooked a 2" asphalt lip at the side of the runway with one gear leg during a crabbed landing at about 25mph and still airborne. What a side load!! 18lb airplane at 25mph travelling partially sideways and hooking a leg, pulling to the outside of the gear. You should have heard the POP! The upwind wing was banked down and lower than the downwind wing, but the downwind gear leg caught anyway, rolling the plane sharply enough to the side the gear got caught on and drug the tip a little. It cracked one leg, but still held well enough to handle the landing without damaging anything else! I was lucky, but it was pretty darn good gear!

Ok sounds like i should be right in the ballpark Silversurfer, soundsl like you were lucky on the gear problem for sure.

Actually, the gear wasn't the problem. It likely saved the plane!

The problem was that I didn't maintain enough airspeed to compensate for the 12 plus mph crosswind and I let the plane become a little unstable. With a little more speed I would have maintained better control in a very low altitude slip/crab.

Silversurfer, i sent you a PM but i dont know if it went thru, I have a question, with your cg set at 3/34 back is your elevator real sensitive? had a couple other comments to on PM. Thanks Bruce