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Fat Avid weight and balance

95 posts in this topic

Posted

at -5 the stick forces get a lot heavier.  I hate flying mine with the flaperons reflexed, I like the light stick forces and sporty feel.  You may try strapping a 5 pound divers weight to the tail spring and see if that helps.  I really like mine at the rear edge of the CG range, and actually fly behind the published range 99% of the time.  When I am at 18" I fly with the elevator trim pretty much neutral but fore or aft of that I use appropriate trim.  I rarely look at the indicator on the dash as part of my preflight is walking around the elevator and noting the trim position.  The tab does not make it real heavy stick forces one way or the other that would cause loss of control on take off if the tab was at either extreme.

 

:BC:

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Posted

I disagree with adding a fixed trim tab.  This is only a bandaid.  There is an underlying problem that needs to be rectified.  Putting a tab on the rudder is one thing, but a fixed tab on the elevator is not a solution.

 

I like the Rans trim system as a "simple" add on.  They have a tab that can be mounted on the trailing edge of the elevator which is cable controlled from the cabin.

 

Where are you in weight and balance?  Is it time to put some (more) weight in the tail?

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Posted

Weight came in at 766 LBs the forward CG was 11.73 and the rear was 13.66. I have 20 lbs of weight in rear baggage  but I notice Randy is packing 50 lbs so maybe I should try that first.

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Posted

That CG range seems fairly forward to me...

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Posted

I think I would rather try 5-10 pounds on the tail spring versus another 30 pounds in the baggage.  For sure you need to get that CG around 15-16" and you should see a marked improvement in the way she flys!

 

If you can add 30 useful pounds (survival gear etc) then it would probly be worth while going that route.  But if you survival gear is 20 pounds, then adding 30 more is just a waste of useful load.

 

:BC:

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Posted

Absolutely don't add 30 lbs of unuseable ballast, use it to pack your survival gear in the rear most baggage area.  I don't have any lead weight in the plane and I am always trying to figure out what weight I can get rid of.

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Posted (edited)

I got a text from my buddy saying they were going flying so I had to play hookie from work and catch up to them, I didn't have a chance to mess around with some weight on the tail but got a good two hours of lake hoping in. What I seem to notice is that it seems to fly tail low and still heavy on the nose, alls I can put in for flaps is two notches other wise im running out of elevator when I land. I'm kinda thinking it still may have something to do with the angle of my cowl along with more weight in the back, anyways got a few pics. We had 5 planes on skis on the one lake ,pretty cool

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Edited by Marshawk
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Posted

Got a couple more pics , was a great way to get outa work, They had four rainbows oon the ice ,going to have to remember to add the fishing rod to the survial gear

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Posted

Great pictures!! Flying on skis is something I've always wanted to do. Where I grew up I probably would only be able to do it one or two days a year most years. The other times when there is snow it's -30 and wouldn't be any fun just due to the cold.

 

Sure looks like a good reason to play hooky to me!

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Posted (edited)

Yes Willis! You can't beat a day like that can you.  Great pictures.  A couple of weeks ago I flew out to a "friend of a friends" parent's cabin (how is that for inviting yourself in).  They have a spring fly in pot luck that is becoming an anual thing now.  26 planes on skis, 21 on the lake at once when I got there.  My plane was the smallest; most were cubs, mauls, 1 aronca chief, 180's and 185's, a helio.  Yeh, I know I am the redheaded stepchild of the bunch; but they always want to know what the plane is and what engine it has, then the subject gets to fuel use.  It is funny to see their faces when I tell them what it burns per hour.

 

Leni, they are right across the lake from the lodge.  Probably those "crazy people across the lake" as Joey would say.

Edited by SuberAvid

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Posted

Willis,

     If that is your W/B, it sounds like you need some Leading Edge extensions instead of more weight.

EDMO

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Posted

Ed , I think your right , it already feels low in the tail already when flying level so adding more weight probably isn't going to help, was thinking of trying to lower the HS but that also will probably sink the tail more down.What is invovled in leading edge extensions sounds like some major work.

  Ken if you ever start sky flying you'll be head north :BC: ,it opens up alot of country in the winter,

Thanks Randy, hope to get a couple more trips in before the snow dissapears, 26 planes on skis sounds cool

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Posted (edited)

Mine turned into a good amount of work, and then I am modifying the ribs too - If mine had already been covered, I would have looked at aluminum extensions or slats.

EDMO

Edited by Ed In Missouri

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Posted

 Im happy to report we got the avid flying hands off without adding any lead, I lower the front of the horizontal stab by drilling a new hole and that took care of the pressure on the stick.We threw the wheels on and went for a trip out to Quesnel Lake, heres a few pics

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Posted

that's great to hear ,between the paint and the cowl that's one good looking plane

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Posted

Glad to hear you got it tuned upand flying good now Willis.  Looks like your having a ball.  Great pictures and neat place to fly. 

 

Your plane is just nice looking too.  You and Mike designed a couple great paint schemes!

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Posted

Now that it is all said and done, how hard was it to adapt the KF cowl to the Fat Avid?

I'm thinking seriously of buying one and putting it on mine. I did not have the Fad Avid when I sent you the cowl so I do not know what is involved.

Funny how life works! :-)

 

Chris

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Posted

Thanks Guys, Chris it is a crazy world for as many avid + that are out there and you ended up getting one also, I ended up making the firewall to fit the cowl,it is diffenently wider than what was intended for the avid plus but the upper half of the cowl was pretty close to the right width, the bottom half near the lower door area was a bit wider but it bends in enough to  get sucked in and not be to noticable. The toughest part was the windshield flange, I cut off that area on the kitfox cowl and fiber glassed in a new flange to fit my windsheild. I kinda wish I would of raised the nose a bit more but it does give better visabilty being  lower.

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Posted (edited)

Is that a Left-turning prop that is sticking way forward of where my right turner is?  Do you have an air filter?

Are those strait pipes kinda loud?

EDMO

Edited by Ed In Missouri

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Posted

Yep its a left turner,im happy as long as it keeps turning,im using the same air filter as the lycombings I think, its sitting right on top of the TBI. I have some baffles inside the straight pipes and its not to bad at all,they say it doesnt sound louder than any other aircraft when im flying over

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