I put my first canister on my Inversa33 and I must say I like it a lot. But as you said it does add some weight but I picked up 600 rpm on the motor but the wing still has to carry the weight. But I must say I keep thinking of putting a header and canister in the QQ Yak 54 I am presently building. Maybe I will fly it first and this winter add a canister, the only thing is that I need to cut the cowl to fit the existing stuff.I've been trying to do just that.
It does fly well now. I wish it was three pounds lighter, and I could probably get two of that by getting rid of the canisters, but for some reason I just don't like the sound of stock mufflers at all. I guess it reminds me of the sound of badly tuned Quadra's and Zenoah's back in the day. It's silly I know, but that's how I am.
OMGosh…. I remember those days as if they were yesterday. For me, that is a feat all in itself. LOL. I loved, loved, "LOVED" my Saito's. I just could not see myself flying anything other than those big jugged, (I likes big jugs) Nitro guzzling beasts. Ah but enter my real first and truly flown gas engine. It was an RCG, (not RCGF) 50cc I purchased from HK. I think it was like 234.00 usd to my door. I am being totally honest when I say it ran as good and right up there with "any" of my dubs. Still remember the day it pissed a fellow at my old field off. He flipped until his arm fell off, but that darned DA would never start and run. (My first impression of DA was not good obviously) Made him so mad when I flipped that little RCG three times and I was up and flying. He had been there on the ground 30 minutes flipping. He loaded up and went home. Needless to say, I was hooked on Gas and my Nitro days were rapidly coming to a close. LOL
I totally understand. I was the same way. And yes, it is very true. I was told the same thing. Reason is when they are closer to the ground and "YOU", it is easier to see what you are doing. Plus, you lose the "ground" effect. That weird pocket of air six feet or so off the deck to the surface. I didn't believe it at first. But think about this...when you land your plane, your final and approach changes the closer to the ground you get. That "cushion" changes. You have no weird air currents close to the ground and the "only" air turbulence you will get is the prop wash coming straight down. Speaking of bank accounts, that was also a concern for me. I can not afford to replace any of these birds. So that is why I only get close to the ground with the things I "know" I have mastered. Take "rollers" and inverted harriers for example. I am getting pretty good with them. But you will "NOT" see me do them no less than a margin of at least 20 feet. Hovering, harriers, Harrier stall turns, inverted straight high speed passes...oh yeah baby... gimmie the sticks, I am so there. LOLI am getting closer to the ground every time I go out, but still have not gotten to where I can continue to stay close. I think flying low and close is probably much easier (at least that is what I have been told) yet I am leery to do that especially when there are a lot of people around for safety concerns.
Not long ago I finally got within inches of the ground with the rudder on my Mojo 65 and that was really super cool. One guy said he was sure it touched the grass. Whether it did or not that was fun, yet seemed I had to be much more "in tune" with everything that low and close compared to doing the same thing 20' off the ground. I think not having an unlimited banking account and plenty of time to repair affects how low and close we fly
The mental part is this: Once you're in a hover for example and your just holding there you suddenly realize..."Hey, I can do this"! The very first time you back your plane down from 20, 30, 40 or even 50 feet.... it is sooo sooo cool. And you get such an adrenaline rush you just can't believe it. You're concentrating so hard that you don't even realize where you are at until you suddenly look at your rudder and it is like micro-inches from the deck. Holy smokes Batman...then the pure over the moon excitement sets in. And you pump, pump, pump that throttle until....at....long....last, your rudder touches. I remember the first time I brought Baby in and she was so close I literally could reach out and touch her. One time she was so close I nearly bumped my nose off her turtle deck. My son in fact did reach out and grab the "Fin" of my pride and joy. (Dang I miss her) And then you mash the gas pedal and she goes straight up and then you realize what you have just done. You land immediately...Shaking the whole time, (safely of course). You shut your plane off and you shake your head thinking you are the biggest idiot that ever walked the face of the planet. I mean, risking your pride and joy like that. Dumb.... But then....THEN, you realize you are smiling so big from ear to ear you think your face will freeze that way. And you also realize if you look at your plane just right...."YOU" are not the only one smiling. Trust yourself. That is all I can say. I honestly believe this hobby and the mayhem and antics we perform are so much better than... well, pretty much anything. LOL.
I think that is some excellent advise that I had not really thought of. I seem to think you have to be able to do everything good in order to fly low and close which I can see is a great goal yet not the right mindset.
Hope fully by the end of the summer I get to touch the rudder on the ground once not to hard. If not there is always next year and that will be my goal to achieve. Thanks for the encouragement.
It may be different with others, but I do have my own thoughts or beliefs. First, never set a goal. Maybe a rough time frame, but never push so hard that you make a mistake. And second, listen to your plane. Seriously! She will tell you when it "feels" right. Everything will play in just right, and it will just happen. Kind of like.... never mind. We'll stay the course here. Lol. After the first time, it gets easier. Above all else, never ever allow others to coax you into something you're not ready for. I bring my planes home in tact day after day, month after month, year after year. (Well other than a little runway kiss on the rudder) "Not" because I'm a better pilot than anyone else. I think it is because I don't push myself and I leave nothing to error. That is not to say I haven't had any mishaps. We all do. You kind of expect it with this hobby. I always tell new pilots and my student pilots, "If you can't afford a mishap, you need to find a different hobby". But I do believe we can reduce or minimize our losses/damage with a little common sense.
I will sometimes push to hard and get very irritated with my self and just want to walk away, but I will never let anyone push me so far that I ruin a good aeroplane. You are correct I should just keep working at it and it will come on it’s own. But one thing I have found is that the planes I am building now will be better and easier to fly 3D with. Not only am I learning how fly better 3D but what makes a good 3D plane.
I am getting closer to the ground every time I go out, but still have not gotten to where I can continue to stay close. I think flying low and close is probably much easier (at least that is what I have been told) yet I am leery to do that especially when there are a lot of people around for safety concerns.
Not long ago I finally got within inches of the ground with the rudder on my Mojo 65 and that was really super cool. One guy said he was sure it touched the grass. Whether it did or not that was fun, yet seemed I had to be much more "in tune" with everything that low and close compared to doing the same thing 20' off the ground. I think not having an unlimited banking account and plenty of time to repair affects how low and close we fly
