REFLECTOR:N32XL

Dave Dent davedent at comcast.net
Fri Jun 11 16:55:57 CDT 2004


I may do that also but not right now.  I have to take some time and clean
the plane up, for the Marysville Golden West Air show.   Not do any more
testing.  It flys fine except for the trim. I just put an hour and a half on
it.   I am sending for a new servo today.  A MAC.  What reach did you buy?
Dave
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Agnew" <jim_agnew_2 at yahoo.com>
To: <reflector at tvbf.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2004 2:38 PM
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR:N32XL


> Dave,
>
> When I went to top & bottom fences my roll became slower no
> doubt due to the added vertical stablizer effect of the
> fences.  I may go back and try just the uppers again.
>
> Jim
> --- davedent at comcast.net wrote:
> > Well guys I flew N32XL this morning with the fences on
> > and tape on the aileron gap.  I now have a different
> > plane.  The roll feels a little more heavy but no problem
> > on the landing.  I kept a very flat attitude at the
> > runway more then I do with the EZ's and had complete
> > control all the way down.  Able to keep the nose off the
> > ground till the speed bled off.
> >
> > I did some slow flight and at 68 Knots IAS it gave me
> > plenty of warning before the canard stalled.  It was
> > dropping very straight with little control needed to hold
> > the attitude.
> >
> > I just have to get use to the much heavier feeling. It
> > has more then I did in my Piper Navajo.  I am not sure if
> > using the votex generators will help that much more.
> >
> > The only thing that bothered me today was the poor
> > aileron trim control.  In fact it stinks.  I will be
> > putting on a MAC for sure in the near future with a
> > position read out as well.
> >
> > By the way someone asked how long my ailerons were. They
> > 72 inches long.  And Ido not have the elevator cuffs.
> > Dave
> >
> >
> > > Hello and welcome Dave!
> > >
> > > >>and now have encountered the bad landing
> > characteristic problems.<<
> > > <snip>
> > > >>I can't remember ever flying a plane that was so hard
> > to put down on the
> > > ground, <<
> > >
> > > Hmmmm, since you have a lot of Canard experience my
> > story may not be very
> > > relevant but here goes anyway.
> > >
> > > My first four hours in my XL were miserable! It flew
> > very nicely and I enjoyed
> > > my time aloft but I dreaded every landing! All my joy
> > while flying  was tempered
> > > by the growing knot in my belly that sooner or later I
> > was going to have to land
> > > this wicked beast! On every landing I would get down
> > into ground effect and the
> > > ailerons would just stop working! I could slam the
> > stick stop to stop sideways
> > > and have almost no impact on the plane at all. I would
> > mush and float down the
> > > runway with hardly any control. It was scary and
> > therefore miserable! Oh how I
> > > hated landing!
> > >
> > > The weird part was that at altitude I could take it
> > right down to pitch buck (58
> > > Kias) and the ailerons were still quite effective, then
> > in the landing at a
> > > speed above pitch buck the ailerons would go totally
> > dead. Somehow ground effect
> > > works to rearrange the airflow and decrease aileron
> > authority. I'm only smart
> > > enough to make that observation and not smart enough to
> > understand why!
> > >
> > > At the end of my fourth hour Sam DeSilva who is a
> > factory approved CFI and who
> > > had also made the first flights on my bird was back on
> > the airport and watched a
> > > couple of my scary horrible floating landings. When I
> > shut down Sam told me my
> > > problem-  it was obvious to an outside observer used to
> > Velocities...
> > >
> > > I was putting in WAY too much flair! Sam told me my
> > nose wheel was a solid 12 to
> > > 18 inches above the ground when the mains touched. He
> > also added that ideally
> > > the nose wheel should be 2-4 inches off the ground when
> > the mains touch.
> > >
> > > I was stunned! I KNEW all that and I could have swore I
> > was on the verge of a
> > > nose wheel strike and here I was flaring it like a
> > Cessna. That downward sloping
> > > nose was really messing up my sight picture. So since
> > Sam said 2- 4 inches I
> > > went and got a little piece of 2X4 wood put the plane
> > on level ground and placed
> > > the 2x4 tall side up under the nose wheel and then just
> > sat in the plane for 15
> > > minutes getting a good feel of what the world looked
> > like out the windows when
> > > in the proper landing attitude.
> > >
> > > Then I went out and shot touch and goes striving for
> > that same sight picture at
> > > touch down. It worked! It was like night and day!
> > Suddenly I could land, it was
> > > no longer scary and out of control and the world was
> > joyous and good again! From
> > > that day forward my rule was always "If the ailerons
> > are not working lower the
> > > nose!" I never had another problem with control in the
> > landing.
> > >
> > > Thanks again Sam!
> > >
> > > Now since you are used to canards and downward sloping
> > noses this probably is
> > > not your problem but then again...
> > >
> > > Oh, to be clear, the ailerons are still *less*
> > effective in ground effect but
> > > once I got the nose down into the proper Velocity
> > landing attitude I never felt
> > > out of control again like I did when I was mushing
> > along with the nose way too
> > > high.
> > >
> > > DM Rob
> > >
> > >
> > >
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>
> =====
> James F. Agnew
> Jim_Agnew_2 at Yahoo.Com
> Tampa, FL
> Velocity 173 Elite Aircraft Completed & Flying
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