N45FT First Flight (s)

[SuperFly]

I flew SuperSTOL N45FT on her maiden voyage today. Actually about 6 times. I put a total of 3 hours and 40 minutes on it today. All went very well, with only a couple of minor squawks.

https://youtu.be/rwZfFlaxDPM

https://youtu.be/IHx4AfeoDn0


We got started early so as to get the flight in before the winds came up. It ended up very nice all day, so I flew most of the day. I would make a flight, then we would open it up and inspect. And repeat.

Put 3 hours and 40 minutes on the hobbs.

If you're still building, keep at it, its worth it!
If you're flying, hope to see you on a flight line somewhere (or better yet a backcountry or grass strip)

[SheepdogRD]

Congratulations, Ben.

... and thanks for the encouragement.

[AV8R Paul]

Congratulations on your first flight.

[scubarider2]

Now comes the fun after the work.

[bluemax]

Great landing, Ben! Like you've done it a hundred times.

Congratulations!

[av8rps]

Yes, those videos look like you have been flying it for years. Congrats on your new Super STOL. It's a good looking machine!

Paul S.

[SuperFly]

Thanks guys! Just between us, there are a couple of subsequent landings that are not quite as pretty. But don't tell any one.

I just put the airplane away, I have 7.6 hours since yesterday. I am very happy with how it flies. I don't seem to have the "elevator up" issue that some have reported. It is nearly level. That said, I think I set mine at 1.8* up which is a touch more than they now recommend. It also flies straight and true. I trimmed it up and flew nearly 4 minutes with out touching the stick or rudders. Now, Normally I dont do that, and certainly dont recommend it for normal operations, but it was part of my flight test. Pretty happy with the results. Just shows that everyone gets lucky sometimes. I figured Id be tweaking and adjusting to correct a heavy wing, but not the case. I get a 86 to 87 mph cruise at 5200 rpm trimmed out nice and level. That is with a Prince 80x40. Better than I expected for that big prop.

Overall, going very well, but the weather looks to be pretty crummy for the next week. So flight test progress going to drop off for a bit.

[orenjr]

Congratulations, Ben
How do you like the feel or control of the spoilers? I am just installing in my wings.
Are you landing and taking off in 45ft yet.
Thanks! for all your input.Sounds like you have a great flying plane.
Thanks! Oren

[gkremers]

Ben,
Congrats on the first flight, the plane looks great!! You'll be finished phase one before you know it.

Be safe and have fun
Gary

[moving2time]

Ben, congratulations. I was there at the factory when you loaded up your SS wings and parts. It's awesome seeing your bird in the air. Enjoy! Joe B

[SuperFly]

Thank you guys,

Oren, Id say I like the spoilers, but in truth, since I havent flown one without them in so long, its pretty tough to compare. I will say, I love the way it handles. It is very light in roll pitch. The stick force doesnt really increase as you go further with the stick. Which is really nice. I dont know that I would not like it without them, but I do like it as is.

Joe, I remember you. We got quite a bit of time to talk. Did you ever get a kit ordered? Last I remember, you were still in the planning stage.

[SuperFly]

Thank you guys,

Oren, Id say I like the spoilers, but in truth, since I havent flown one without them in so long, its pretty tough to compare. I will say, I love the way it handles. It is very light in roll pitch. The stick force doesnt really increase as you go further with the stick. Which is really nice. I dont know that I would not like it without them, but I do like it as is.

Joe, I remember you. We got quite a bit of time to talk. Did you ever get a kit ordered? Last I remember, you were still in the planning stage.

[moving2time]

Ben, I struggled with the question of "Do I take the money I have been saving and buy the kit and start working or do I by a CUB ready to fly and start building my hours and start on the kit in a couple of years." I ended up purchasing a CUB last July and put more than 40 hours on it before I put it away for the winter. I don't exactly regret the decision because I love my time in the air. Starting this Spring I will be flying as much as possible but I do wish I had gone with the Highlander outright because the Cub is so slow. I love the low and slow but I hate seeing the cars pass me below when I am trying to get somewhere. I will be starting a build but it may be two more years for me and I haven't made the choice yet. It will probably be the Highlander because I can get it going sooner than saving for the SS. Yours looks great by the way. Do you have any idea why you are not riding nose high like others have reported? You mentioned adjusting the angle of the horizontal stab. There has been a lot of discussion on this site over how effective that may or may not be. Hopefully I will run into you sometime. I am going to try to fly into Fun Days and I also plan to go to Oshkosh. We are not all that far apart by air. Take care and enjoy! The kids will love flying in the SS with you. What an awesome way to spend time with your kids. Joe B

[av8rps]

Ben,

I too am interested to hear how you moved your horizontal stab to cure the ills of the SS riding nose high. You mentioned you moved it 1.8 inches up. Does that mean leading edge of the horizontal stab was moved "Up"? We had quite a bit of discussion on that subject earlier, so it would be nice to know what the real cure is. And it sounds like you have the real cure

I don't seem to have the "elevator up" issue that some have reported. It is nearly level. That said, I think I set mine at 1.8* up which is a touch more than they now recommend. It also flies straight and true. I trimmed it up and flew nearly 4 minutes with out touching the stick or rudders.

[SuperFly]

Not 1.8 Inches up, 1.8 DEGREES down at the front. (I dont know how to make the degree symbol so I used the asterisk, might have caused unintended confusion)
The process is, level the fuselage at the doors, then set the horizontal stabilizer at 1.8 degrees down at the front end. (the rear is fixed) So you would then drill the holes through the post for the mount bracket there. See my website entry about how I did it, scroll down to entry dated 2-24-13

http://www.stolairplane.com/4.html

Hope that helps clear it up. BTW, Troy made that recommendation to me while they were still experimenting with the final location in testing at the factory. I dont know what they recommend now, but it might be worth a call to them to check before deviating from the plans.

Also, I have trimmed the airplane for level flight at several different speeds, and the level of the elevator seems to stay pretty consistent. However, I have not experimented with different weight in the airplane yet. ie, a passenger, cargo, and completely full fuel. So I assume that will change the elevator position in flight fairly dramatically. I just pointed out the elevator position as a point of reference, of things that I have noted so far in my flight tests. I do have the "flap wont latch in to the 3rd notch" issue as many people do. I have a mod in mind to try, I'll report after I try it out. Might just be flooby dust.