Series 7 flying question.
Since i'm new to flying a kitfox aircraft, has anyone experienced when your flying the left wing feels heavy? I don't know if this is normal when you fly alone due to pilot weight or if something is out of alignment. Any insight would be helpful and appreciated.
Re: Series 7 flying question.
Hi Les,
Real common to have a heavy wing on a newly assembled Kitfox. It's a matter of adjusting the washout.
You should find all the the info you might want by searching the forum with the term "heavy wing".
FWIW - the old aviation book titled "Stick & Rudder" explains this phenomena somewhere in the middle of the book.
Easy fix....:)
Re: Series 7 flying question.
I spoke with John McBean about my heavy left wing when I started flying. It is very subtle. He thought maybe if it was as subtle as I described then I might leave the washout alone. I didn't touch anything and notice that its gone when I have a passenger.
Re: Series 7 flying question.
I noticed a little of the same thing Eddie, but since I fly 95% of the time without a passenger, I went ahead and tweaked the washout to get level wings when solo.
Re: Series 7 flying question.
Jim expressed exactly my thoughts on the matter.
It’s been 15 years since I did the adjustment on my model four’s wings for a slightly right wing heavy condition. I know it’s been covered here before but if someone has recently done this very simple adjustment, feel free to post it again. This is a timely thread for many about to fly their first flights.
Re: Series 7 flying question.
Thanks for all of the reply’s on this. I am still amazed with the wealth of knowledge and experience that is shared on this forum. Glad to be a part of it. I am going to check everything and make any adjustments this weekend, thanks again.
Re: Series 7 flying question.
FWIW, on the HEAVY wing, adjust the FRONT lift strut rod end OUT and/or the REAR rod end IN (this decreases washout which increases AOA to get more lift on that wing). You can also do just the opposite on the HIGH wing or a combination of both. If the heavy wing is quite pronounced, I would adjust one turn on both front and rear of the heavy wing; if that isn't enough do one turn on both front and rear of the opposite wing. John McBean told me you really shouldn't go more than two turns maximum on any one adjustment. As you close in on hands-off wings level, you will find only 1/2 turn is needed maybe in only one spot. You really don't want to change the washout on any one wing any more than necessary and as evenly side to side as possible because washout is what causes the wingtip to stall later than the wing root, a good thing. Going crazy with these adjustments can really affect your stall characteristics in a bad way. Personally, I prefer to increase the washout (decrease AOA) rather than decrease it if a lot of adjustment is necessary. If you have done a careful job of rigging the wings during your build, it really should not take much adjustment to correct for a somewhat heavy wing.
Re: Series 7 flying question.
This could be totally off base but...
I would think that the wing that is climbing is the wing that I would expect to stall first. In my plane that is what seems to be in play. If I get any roll upon stalling it is to the right, which is the wing that likes to climb. I would think that this is where you would begin to make adjustments. In my case I had planned on turning my right wings forward rod end in about a half turn to remove a bit of the pitch. Would that make sense?
Re: Series 7 flying question.
It makes sense to me Eddie. Yes, add a little more washout to the high wing (this decreases AOA and lift). In straight, level flight, the wing with the least washout (most AOA) should stall first. I am still of the opinion that if a small adjustment on both forward and rear struts is not enough, then you should go to the opposite wing and adjust there, so one wing is not changed too much compared to the other. Of course if a person gets worried about too much non-symetrical washout, you can always go back to the build manual instructions on wing rigging and get out your level and straight edge and actually measure it again and let the results guide you in any further washout adjustments.
Re: Series 7 flying question.
Most guys that build a Kitfox seem to have a somewhat heavy left wing when the first fly it, from what I hear on this forum. I guess it makes sense because if you build a perfectly rigged, symmetrical airplane, you still have the built-in left turning tendency due to engine torque and other reasons we all learn about in our pilot training. I think the Kitfox build manual should recognize this fact and suggest that after you have finished rigging the wings symmetrically in the normal manner, THEN go and tweak each strut rod end say 1/2 turn to increase AOA on the left wing and decrease it on the right wing. By doing this when everything is exposed before covering it is a lot easier and many folks may not need to touch it when they start flying.