by rayjb60 » Mon Apr 25, 2005 10:31 am
Shorter tail, how much shorter?
That certainly would result in less leverage and less control power,
I suppose it should feel more twitchy, if that was the problem.
The large amount of forward stick after liftoff is normal and is explained in the "Learning to fly Lazair" guide as a pecularity of the inverted V tail behavior, due to ground effect.
Ineffective tail control is normally due to, to small control surface or nose heavy.
Tail heavyness will result in a very sensitive pitch control, as it is more pitch divergent......which means it will be trying to change pitch on you constantly and would be hard to fly hands off level.
It sounds like you have the opposite problem, nose heavy and/or to small control surfaces.
A fairing/windshield that goes all the way to the wing, may also cause a similar problem, by creating turbulence for the tail at low speed.
Have you got a fairing? If so try it without the windshield portion.
Congrats on the first flight, it makes all the tinkering worth while, soon you will be up with the big birds, and Im sure we would all love to see pictures and movies......and an account of your adrenaline filled adventure into the sky.
Chris and I will be doing our first flight/hops next weekend most likely, at El Mirage in California.
I'd love to get all 11 of us Lazairs based there into the air at once, that would be an absolutely incredible event to behold.
Ray
<H5>Nothing is impossible...Even the word tells you Im-Possible!!!</ H5>