Strato and Angel's Shadow V20

SE Texas Autumn weather is perfect for getting a jump start on next year's pattern season. Conditions on 11/19 were ideal for testing and continuing the trimming process for two of the newest planes in the fleet.

BJ Craft Strato

I wrote in an earlier post that the BJ Craft Strato has been a challenge for me to trim to my preferences.  Even though, to my surprise, I've already logged 60 flights on the Strato, I'm still testing and changing setups.  Most recently, I've added wing fences to improve the spin entry.  Before the fences were added, when slowing and increasing the angle of attack, an unexpected wing would drop in a direction that wasn't planned.  Adding the fences, along with mixing flaperons in the spin conditions, has made spin entries more predictable. The fences also improved the overall tracking throughout the flight, especially when executing radii. The trimming process continues.  Following the 11/19 flying session, I decided to recheck wing incidence and CG. Using the Sky RC Gauge, I reset the balance point to the midpoint of the suggested CG range (160mm-220mm), measured from the wing's trailing edge. I'm also considering changing out the PCK 4-bld drive for a PAP Precision Low KV 2-bld drive.

Angel's Shadow Bipe V20

This was the 2nd outing for the V20. Flying a biplane is going to take some getting used to. First, the positives.  It's very stable but responsive.  Rolls and pitch feel are good.  No real coupling is detectable with rudder. The size of the silhouette, combined with the color scheme, makes it very visible.

Adjustments and or change. 

• Very draggy, with the reduction of power, there's a rapid loss of airspeed. 
• Much slower snap-roll rate compared to mono designs.
• Excessive braking with the current power system. Will change from 22x13 to a 21.5x13 next outing, plus some throttle curve fine-tuning.
• Considering swapping out the Hacker C54 for a Contra system