Today I started early, flying the Trojan, the Sopwith, the Stearman, the Cornell, and tried to maiden the Super Cub. They all flew marvelously, except the Super Cub.
She would roll hard right, and nose up in a loop immediately after takeoff. I think its a bad torque roll. Every single time, 'cause you see, if you keep doing the same thing over and over again things don't change... I ended up spending a couple of hours rebuilding the wing and firewall as she isn't very sturdy. She did it one last time, broke her prop. I accidentally throttled up and the motor shook itself free of the airplane. Damn. I'll rebuild the broken parts, including resetting the wing (a cracked spar). I think I'll try a right cant to the thust vector and see if that exorcises this recent voodoo. She is soooo pretty... I know once I solve this problem she will be sweet!
I flew the Trojan several times, on the last flight I flipped her inverse a little low, which would have been fine if she climbed well inverted. She doesn't, and she dips when I roll her back up, this time right into the ground. Cracked wing (the old one, already beat up) and trashed her prop. That was it! Sturdy little bugger. Found her gear down, cockpit ejected, sitting pretty.
I also flew the Sopwith a couple of flights. She is so dainty. She struggles on the ground but once she breaks free she flies so gracefully and with such beauty! She lands like a child doing somersaults as she just can't deal with the terrain. At least she handles it well!
The Stearman flew marvelously! The first flight my heart was pounding and I held my breath in turns as that would be when she would spin the spin of death. But she never even hinted departing stable flight, and I just had a ball after that first nervous flight! She makes a wicked cool sound in the air, and is something else to see flying. I even managed to land perfectly every time! Wicked fun!
It was with a little apprehension, but a heckuva lot of determination that I rolled out the Cornell to the flightline. She kept getting tripped up with the turf. I got her running off and pulled back a bit more on the stick, and she lifted gracefully into the air! On rails! I took her to altitude and trimmed her a bit, and she was like the dream I have had again and again. She flew perfectly with excellent manners, predictable and stable, fast, slow, glides forever and stalls only with difficulty! On landing she comes in sweet to a nice controlled flare, even with a cross wind, and sets right down. I was thrilled! She flew consistently again and again, and finally I set her aside and counted myself very lucky. I need to tighten up her cote on the wing a little, but other than that she is primo. I am glad that Bobby got to see her fly today, after the craziness of Cornell #3.
I'll be away from flying this weekend doin' family stuff! Can't wait until I can get back and fly some more!
