[NSRCA-discussion] New Prestige Flight

[Ed Alt]

I thought you might like the Prestige Frank.  Now wipe that silly grin off your face!

Ed
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: RCSkyraidr at aol.com 
  To: nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org 
  Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 5:10 PM
  Subject: [NSRCA-discussion] New Prestige Flight


  Hi All,

  I don't usually do this, but I thought, with everyone out at the NATS and I can't go, this would be a good time to talk about my first 10 flights on my new Prestige. Ken Velez built and painted it, looks good and he should get the credit for this but this airplane's flight characteristics are very special. Power is the OS 140 through the ES pipe. Top rpms so far are 8,400 with 8,100 operating. Idle is at 1,900 rpm and dropping to 1,700 soon. Propeller is the Dave Lockhart 10" pitch 3-blade.

  Right now, it weighs 9.5 pounds. I have 4 ounces of nose weight in it for the first few flights that will be soon disappearing. The all up weight should be 9.25 pounds. Its aerobatic flight speed is about 15 mph slower than my 10.25-pound Temptation's best operating speed. The climb is so much better as to be on the silly side. The aircraft tracks straight and true at the lower airspeeds yet the rolls seem to need as little rudder as does the Temptation. 

  One big difference is fuel mileage. When flying the Pattern, the Temptation's best flight time is 12.5 minutes, with reserve, on a 20 ounce tank . That is 1.5 Master's Patterns. The Prestige flies 16 minutes, with reserve, on the same 20-ounce tank. Why the difference? Level aerobatic speed is at 40% throttle, all climbs at between 50-75% throttle and no full power ever. The Prestige will fly 2 full Master Patterns and still do a couple of landings. 

  Airspeed stays the same pointed vertically up or down. The airplane accelerates in the downline until about 50 mph then hits a stone wall and stays there. With a 1,700 rpm idle, the stonewall should appear around 45 mph. Wind handling is excellent as the first 5 flights were in heavy crosswinds.

  Most importantly, the airplane seems to fit my style of flying better than anything I have ever flown since my own design in the late 70's. The first few practice flights were better than any patterns I have ever flown. It just seems to fit well with its pilot. 

  I wonder if anyone else has experience with a glow Prestige? If so, please let me know. For my own 2 cents, I am glad that I didn't opt to go electric and make the airplane weigh 11 pounds. I don't think it would have been as happy at that weight as it now seems to be at 9.5. Still, there are many e-Prestiges out there doing well but do they also float through the pattern as my glow does. Would like to know for future decisions.

  Thanks all and the best to everyone out there competing in the Muncie wind. Wish I was there.

  Frank G. 





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