Maidened my new to me Fred Sage Addiction at Torrey Pines Gliderport this evening. Purchased from another RCG member ARF. Had to retape the rudder and one aileron hinge, re-set a couple servos, install a Spectrum 7100 with satellite, a pair of A123 cells I had laying around and program my JR. CG was about 5 inches from LE with 1 oz of lead.
AUW for this flight was 57 oz. Wing area is 950 in^2 (6.6 ft^) so the wing loading is light at 8.64 oz/ft^2. Compared to my Espada R with a wingloading of 9.55 oz/ft^2
Wing chord is wide with a WS of 118 inches/3M carbon bagged wings, bare fg rudder and full flying elevator. Rudder seems huge. FG fuse with slip on nose cone. There is a hook for launching and this "Skeg" under the nose for landing.
Wind was a bit south and light, one or two Paragliders were scratching to stay up.
Plane flew great, seemed to respond well to camber and rudder turns. Elevator is close, maybe a bit more to get ludicrist loops. Very stable and easy to fly. Slows down nicely for landing, in fact the first landing was a hand catch
.
I've heard this plane was a "landing machine" and I agree.
Three changes:
1. Remove some nose weight. At least 1/2 or all of it. Time will tell.
2. Increase Aileron Throws by 50%.
3. Maybe add a ballast tube.
Looks like a plane I'll keep since its one of the last great bagged wing TD planes and its got history with Torrey Pines Gliderport and the Torrey Pines Gulls.
Incidently,
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