Swallow vs. Quest - Parts 1

Tue Jul 1 16:11:14 AKDT 2003

 I have received several e-mails saying that they never saw this note - so forgive me for re-posting what you may have already seen. (Since I wrote the note a YS1.40 was added (Still no 1.10's available and I did not have a 1.20 DZ)

I am very confident that this plane can take the power and that it is a bunch of fun with unlimited vertical. One item that impressed me was that this ARF actually required a bandage on et center of the wing with epoxy - remember that technique??? Made me feel much happier in the long vertical pull outs and power snaps.

>From post of 6/25/2003

Plane came in at around 8.5 lb. with YS 91, YS muffler, JR 8231's R & E, 9411 on ailerons, 638 for throttle. 
Variations from ARF were,
Canopy moved up to cowl rear. - personal taste for roll transition
Rudder cable abandoned - elevator bay used for rudder servo
New opening cut for elevator servo on other side under stab - balanced the weight of the YS 91 exactly!
3/4" cut from nose. The hardwood engine bearers were discarded and replaced with a non-nose ring(A) Hydemount. Fitted new firewall for Hyde. [Now it is 1-3/4" removed in total to accommodate 4.2 oz increase of YS 1.40L]
Spare Bolly gear used from deceased Focus - had bigger wheels for long grass at local field. Not necessary to do but was quicker for me. 
Because engine bearers looked "structural" I braced fuselage with 1/8" ply fore and aft of wing/fuse former. Instinctive move - better safe than stress-cracked :-)
Pipe tunnel glued to wing because no pipe access required - worked well. [will take old 1.20 Hatori and CD header]
Added pocket in cockpit to allow 16 oz MK tank. - ARF tanks tend to burst when used with YS engines  
Added 1/2 a degree of side-thrust - a guess that proved to be right.
Had to remove some wing seat to get perfect stab alignment about 1/32" on left side.
Basically the plane was otherwise built to incidence and alignment  spec. (Just stop that laughing right now!!!!!)

The flying field was hot today - 95F in the shade -The covering took the heat and cool down very well...At first the engine would not start. The YS 91 is hard to guess at where the idle is supposed to be. A removal of the one-piece cowl was necessary to eyeball the correct throws. A 14 x 11 was fitted and the 91 was turning around 8,500 rpm with 30% Powermaster.

All throws were set to the recommend minimums. The control hinge lines are double beveled for FG1 - Artistic aerobatics throws. My intention was to test the QUEST as a $250.00 pattern plane. My changes were not really necessary but that's what I do! "-)

The flying  .

Take off was a non event as was landing - It flew somewhere in the Focus/Hydeout "arena" - A little light when the wind got turbulent - Nothing really bad though. The low-throws were perfect for a pattern flight. I tried the three rates per channel and went back to the low rates.

The big and most pleasant surprise was that it required no mixes for Knife edge or verticals. Hmmm I thought. KE loop on first pass...OK. I was not to be disappointed. (It also did a vertical KE 8 from the bottom on the 4 th. flight.) The canopy experiment seemed to help the KE rudder power and did not hurt the roll-transition. A roll with no input dived a bit. With corrective input it could be rolled for ever or, for grins, at high idle.

The acid test is the 8 point. It was easy with the QUEST. Then I just had to try the Masters 4 of 8. After two attempts I was ready to move back to Masters just to be allowed to fly that maneuver with this plane. (Starting to rave I know - forgive me but it was a great experience - somebody knew how to design this plane...)

By now I had an audience. A pattern flier from the 60's. I had him counting the 16 point while I kept it on the "wire". We spent a tank just stringing out long rolls and point rolls "like the old days".

Next flight was a serious attempt at P-03. Not quite as powerful as the 1.60-1.70 experience but very respectable. By now I had returned to the more tractable 14x10 (9,100 plus). The plane did every maneuver with good scoring potential. Horizontal snaps were strong and it stayed in the air afterwards! Of course the 4 of 8 opposite was not an issue. The only time I got a surprise was the 2 turn reversed spin. First two spins were rudder elevator to the right. Then when I reversed it kicked out of the spin. Subsequent tests showed that it needed some aileron to be held in for left (inverted) spins.. Later more rudder was added to the left side and 10% more down elevator than up. Still needed some aileron to hold the spin reversal but it could be removed. So far this has been the only quirk.

The side-thrust mod was chosen because all my ARF's with 4-c's as power plants seemed to need it retro-fitted. It worked, and the rudder trim stayed at zero. BTW - I balanced the fuselage, without the wing, on the recommended CG point and it flew very well with great up and down lines.

I can't write everything that I did in six flights but I am a happy camper with either engine. 
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