[rebel-builders] RE: [rebel-builders First Flight...has happ

[Keith Leitch]

Congratulations Jesse!!! Always nice to hear another one is flying...maybe one day I'll get my ass in gear again and do some work on my kit.
Keith

--- On Tue, 2/15/11, Jesse Jenks <jessejenks@hotmail.com> wrote:


From: Jesse Jenks <jessejenks@hotmail.com>
Subject: [rebel-builders] RE: [rebel-builders First Flight...has happened!
To: "Builders list" <rebel-builders@dcsol.com>
Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2011, 11:14 PM



It flies really nice, just like everyone says. I did a nice wheel landing with a light crosswind, one wheel at a time. Had a wicked tailwheel shimmey when it touched down and it wouldn't stop until I was at taxi speed, so that was a bummer. Makes me glad I didn't 3 point it though. I also have a nasty oil leak to track down and my airspeed is sluggish, probably like everyone else who put static ports on the forward fuselage. I guess I will try a static mast under the wing. Does that seem to work well?
Looks like I have a few days work before I can fly again. I also have to finish the wing/fuselage fairings as I just had them duck taped on for today's flight, complete with a cardboard section around the LE/windshield. That's OK because it is supposed to rain for a few days, and I new this afternoon would be my window of opportunity, thus the duck tape and cardboard to get me airborne.
I loaded 80 pounds of wood stove pellets and had 20 gal fuel for a CG of 14.5. The handling was just great. Ken I took your advice and just used one notch for takeoff and landing. That seems very adequate for a first time in the airplane, although I think I may have actually taken off with one notch negative by mistake. My flap handle is not labeled yet and when I went to retract the flaps at about 1,000' I seem to remember pulling it back one notch to neutral. Who knows now, and it took off and climbed great either way.