My extra has finally taken to the skies, albeit using a slightly unorthodox launch technique for this type of aircraft. It seemed that no matter how hard I tried, I simply could not keep in going in a straight line on the ground for long enough to get it into the air.
So, after three attempts, one propeller and one set of repairs, I tried hand launching it…
which, after one heart stopping moment of involving a close encounter with a bush, worked very well. The aircraft required some fairly substantial trimming and it flies really fast.
After the first flight, I trimmed the center positions of all the controls and the second flight was a significant improvement. Unfortunately the landings still need work and I broke the propeller on my second landing but there was no other damage. During the second flight I also tried some loops and rolls which worked although the roll rate is quite slow. I think that this model will be good fun and that the performance will be good once I learn to fly it properly.
Janita did a great job as the photographer.
