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#4392762 - 12/02/17 09:10 PM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: wheelsup_cavu]  
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Originally Posted by wheelsup_cavu
Your taxi speed looked just about as fast as your high speed flyby. winkngrin


Wheels


I think the throttle control just regulates the noise. wink

Just kidding, Dart. Nice to see her in action again.

Inline advert (2nd and 3rd post)

#4392803 - 12/02/17 11:38 PM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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Dart Offline
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Lifer

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smile

Weather was kind of shaky today, but I managed a short flight.

No video evidence (though there was a witness), but I greased the wheel landing in a cross wind.


The opinions of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

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#4393295 - 12/05/17 09:40 AM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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Love the flying vid, it does look remarkably like an airplane after all! And sounds proper, too.

#4393349 - 12/05/17 06:17 PM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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Lifer

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I don't trust two cycle "screaming meanie" engines. There's a reason why the ultralight guys are experts at engine out landings.

For the pilots, a bit of a flying report:

Transitioning to this aircraft from the sedate Champ wasn't as straight forward as I'd thought, obviously.

With all that elevator, it's easy to pick up the tail before it has any authority, which means one is just along for the ride until it does. The upside of this is that it's actually a very small window of speed where it's an issue - around 20 miles an hour or so it starts to bite. To avoid this, I've been keeping her tail down with the tiniest bit of back pressure on the stick and letting her just lift off in a three point attitude and bringing the nose down once she's flying.

Ailerons:

The ailerons are weak, but once at flying speed the free flying rudder makes up for it's silliness at lower than stall speed. All turns are lead and ended with the rudder. Throwing the stick side to side without it is just pissing around. Adverse yaw is very mild.

It also means "wing wagging" is pitiful. In the "flying" video, the little wiggles were me trying to rock the wings to wave. I thought I was really doing something there, but it just looks like it was gusty winds.

With weak ailerons, slipping isn't as aggressive as one would like. One can pretty much make a Champ fly sideways, but the Nieuport sort of muddles into a slip and tries to get out of it, rolling the wings level against the ailerons in favor of the rudder.

This is a dangerous place to be, obviously, as one is cross controlled.

The good news is that the aircraft is nothing but drag, and slips aren't really required. Pull the throttle and the down elevator button has been started.

I know I just typed a big bunch of stuff saying the ailerons are crap, but in fact she's a surprisingly nimble aircraft. Low weight, decent thrust with a responsive engine, and high lift wings means she can do incredibly tight turns. A proper Immelman is easy as punch.

So, the roll rate is pretty good, provided one leads with the rudder.

Controls:

Controls are very light. I actually put some resistance into the elevator control rod, as it was floppy; as it is, one can fly and maneuver with forefinger and thumb on the stick. Likewise, the rudder requires very little pressure to move. One has only to look in the direction they want to go and think it through and it's done.

I'm going to throw the engine in here as well. It's crisp response to the throttle in all ranges and without a hiccup. Indeed, the challenge is to find the sweet spot for level cruise, as she likes to climb.

Stick movements are large side to side and small front and back, as the elevator is overly large. The only time the stick is all the way back is during taxi, and all the way forward during control checks. Moving it halfway from center forward during wheel landings is more than enough to stick the wheels.

Rudder:

A free flying rudder has it's advantages. When one moves the pedal, one is getting all of it working for the pilot. Coordinating turns is easy as pie - just use a little less than one thinks they need. It doesn't take but a minute to figure this out, and the pressures are very light.

The disadvantage is that without a vertical stabilizer, the aircraft tends to roll on it's own accord, so a little left rudder input is required at all times. Some guys with rudder bars came up with a light bungee cord system to do it for them. I just use my foot. The inherent problem with this is that the pilot can try and fix the roll with the ailerons. And, if they're not careful, wind up cross controlled without realizing it.

It is an article of faith in the Nieuport community that the slip ball is the most important instrument on the panel, and I concur. It's subtle enough to defy the "butt test;" one just doesn't feel it.

I put springs on the cables that go to the tail wheel, as the pedals give a bit too much authority. The tailwheel cables and the rudder cables actually join and merge a bit behind the seat.

Speeds:

The stall speed is about 35 mph. She breaks straight ahead in a power off stall, and slightly to the right in a powered one; a little anticipation of this and it's straight ahead. There is little warning to the stall in the traditional sense - no buffeting, for example. One can feel her ending flight, though, as she'll get mushy and then stop flying. In any case, it's very gentle. The aircraft doesn't "brake" into a stall, she eases into it. Stall recovery is immediate and without issue. Again, this makes sense, as stall is 35 miles per hour - it's not hard to get that back.

I have not, and will not, spin the aircraft, but I suspect recovery would be immediate and straight forward.

The difference between climb speeds is minor. 55 mph gets one a climb rate of 300 feet per minute; 60 gets one 350. I've been aggressive on the stick and cranked it up to 450 at 60, but the aircraft can't sustain it. While that seems anemic, the take off distance itself from the halt is less than 500 feet. Since most short fields are 1,500 feet long it's not an issue.

She'll cruise all day long at around 2700 RPM's at an indicated airspeed of 70 mph. She's ground trimmed for level flight at around 60 mph, though, turning about 2500 RPM's. This suits me fine, as my flight goal is to look at cows and fields and the pretty sun on the waters of Lake Martin and the Coosa River.

Best glide is around 50 mph with a 5 degree nose down; but she has the glide angle of a rock. One must always be cognizant of the terrain ahead, to the sides, and what one has just crossed over in the event of an engine out.

In all cases, there is so much drag due to wings, wires, and wheels that a little power is a good thing. Pulling power to idle causes a feeling of a brake being applied. One moves forward against the straps - gently, but it's really something the first time one feels it.

Engine:

I'm flying along behind a direct drive 1915cc VW engine throwing a 60x27 propellor (which is going to get changed out to a 62x27, as Culver goofed up the replacement). The engine is single electronic ignition, with a single carb that has the heat applied continuously. It is responsive through all throttle inputs with a steady power band. On takeoff I'm turning around 3300 RPM's, and at cruise around 2500 - so no real stresses on it.

Half throttle and she's tooling along beautifully.

Cooling of the cylinders is by a baffle that divides the engine horizontally, creating a high pressure system above in the cowling and pushing the air around them to the open bottom portion. The oil is cooled by a massive cooler underneath the engine positioned in the prop wash directly. In fact, I have a cooling problem, not a heating problem, with the engine failing to reach full operating temperatures in flight - even in the hottest part of an Alabama summer. I'm going to start blocking off portions of it with cardboard and tape for winter flying.

I have not CHT's attached to the engine itself, so I can only go by oil temps.

Comfort/visibility:

On taxi, there is no visibility over the nose, so S turns are the order of the day. In flight it isn't so bad - she is pretty much straight as an arrow, neither nose down or up. But one of the reasons I went to a half circle approach is to get better visibility of the runway. Since all landings are wheel landings, it's not really an issue - but one uses all of their vision, working the peripheral vision to track the sides of the runway. Focusing on the center usually works out to something goofy.

The windscreen does a very good job of protecting the pilot, but goggles are still a must, as looking left and right around the nose puts one in the wash. This last weekend I went up in temps in the mid 50's and my sweatshirt was the lower limit of comfort. Next time it's leather jacket or wool coat and scarf.

The seat cushion is three inches of foam on a board that is on aluminum, and after an hour or so one can regret keeping one's wallet in the back pocket. My extra back cushion (ones they make for driving) is a must.

The harness is three points - a lap belt and two shoulder straps hooked into a quick release. Even cinched, they allow movement to lean in the cockpit left and right enough to look around the nose. And they have been tested for inversion of the aircraft under duress with glowing results. wink

Overall visibility is very good. What we miss in flight sims is the brain filling in the blank spots and peripheral vision. It's rare that the lower wings get in the way of inspecting points of interest on the ground while in flight.

Being very light with a lot of wing area, she gets pushed around a lot in thermals. She responds well to corrections to them, but on a hot, sunny day one is going to get tossed around a little...something one just has to get used to.


The opinions of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

More dumb stuff at http://www.darts-page.com

From Laser:
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#4393360 - 12/05/17 07:32 PM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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wheelsup_cavu Offline
Lifer
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Wow, thanks for that detailed write up Dart. thumbsup
Any place that you can attach a zippered pouch that won't get in your way when flying to keep your wallet out of your pocket? Zippered so the wallet won't fly out of it during your Immelman manoeuvres. biggrin


Wheels


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Wheelsup_cavu

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#4393426 - 12/06/17 05:34 AM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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Dart Offline
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Lifer

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Wheels, it's called a chest pocket, and I sometimes get so focused on the aircraft during pre-flight that I forget to move it. smile

I failed to mention that with single ignition and continuous carb heat, there's no run-up before flight, as there is nothing to check. I do a control check and adjust the altimeter at start up, and check controls again during taxi (which is why a mirror is a must). So it's slow down to check for traffic and go!

Right now I've got two things to work on:

1) I bought a proper cork for my fuel gauge, and applied spar varnish to it. The synthetic ones I have on the aircraft right now got saturated and no longer float. I cut my last flight short at an hour as I was confident I had a full two hours worth of fuel, but wasn't certain of it. A check on the ground showed I had loads of gas, and could have gone another hour and a half with reserve! But I'm the bravest sort of chicken....if in doubt, I either return and land or, most likely, scrub a flight entirely before it even begins.

2) I've got a huge squeal when I transmit on my handheld radio. I've tracked it down to the headset side of the radio, rather than the antenna one. Disconnect the headset connector entirely and she'll transmit over the built in mic no problem. Either the press-to-talk switch is goofy, or it's not playing well with my headset. I'm going to change out the headset and see if that's it. With the headset mic disconnected, no squeal (though the press to talk side still works and I get the TX light on the radio. At any rate, I can receive fine. Heck, at 2,000 feet AGL I can hear planes from far, far away clearly. Moving the antenna (just a cable extension for the rubber duck one) aft of the seat worked a real treat.

On a weirder note, flying eliminates my tinnitus for three days. Before flying I've got the Emergency Broadcast System Test tone in my left ear blasting away, but give me an hour in the air and it's totally gone for two solid days. The third day it starts coming back about lunchtime, and by bed time is gaining volume. I've just learned to live with it, but it's nice to get a break now and then.


The opinions of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

More dumb stuff at http://www.darts-page.com

From Laser:
"The forum is the place where combat (real time) flight simulator fans come to play turn based strategy combat."
#4393429 - 12/06/17 07:26 AM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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wheelsup_cavu Offline
Lifer
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Lifer

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Only thing I can come up with the tinnitus is air pressure variations? Once you go higher there is less pressure on the eardrum relieving the symptoms temporarily.

Of course the only link I can find says that you should be experiencing the opposite effects.
Tinnitus and high elevation: https://drnagler.supporttopics.com/post/tinnitus-and-high-elevation-7527267
You always did go against the norm. winkngrin


Wheels


Cheers wave
Wheelsup_cavu

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#4393463 - 12/06/17 03:16 PM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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Originally Posted by Dart

On a weirder note, flying eliminates my tinnitus for three days. Before flying I've got the Emergency Broadcast System Test tone in my left ear blasting away, but give me an hour in the air and it's totally gone for two solid days. The third day it starts coming back about lunchtime, and by bed time is gaining volume. I've just learned to live with it, but it's nice to get a break now and then.



Cool, I need to get my PPL! I wonder if my health insurance would pay for it since it's for medical purposes??? wink


"In the vast library of socialist books, there’s not a single volume on how to create wealth, only how to take and “redistribute” it.” - David Horowitz
#4393476 - 12/06/17 04:09 PM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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Lifer
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Lifer

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Originally Posted by F4UDash4
Cool, I need to get my PPL! I wonder if my health insurance would pay for it since it's for medical purposes??? wink

Lol, that's one way to work the system but be careful what you wish for because you might not experience the same positive effects as Dart. After doing a little more searching on the subject last night it seems the effect of altitude on tinnitus can be good or bad depending on the person and for those that it gets worse it tends to get a whole lot worse.


Wheels


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Wheelsup_cavu

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#4394036 - 12/09/17 05:19 PM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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Carefree Offline
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I've done some flying in light aircraft and have bad tinnitus ... damn now its been mentioned again I noticed it once more!

Mostly it blends away, but you always know its there. Have had several ear tests, 58 years young now so not expecting my hearing to be at its best ... but yes, in those light aircraft flights in Cessna 172 and Piper Warriors, un-pressurised aircraft, I came away worse, so guess it can effect folk differently and is not an exact science, maybe the open cockpit experience is the trick, no idea.

This is a fascinating thread from a simmer to flyer, love to fly the WW1 sims like RoF and WOFF too.

Probably OT for thread, but Dart, and since you like a replica gun on top of wing, have you ever thought of fun bombing practise WW1 style as in those simulators, just basic dropping a practise shaped and weighted bomb or similar object over side of cockpit onto a mock target on ground just to see if you could hit it, not sure even if such mock bombing would be allowed but would be fun to try once you have ironed out the main and important flying stuff.

Stay safe, but it looks like you know what you are doing.

Last edited by Carefree; 12/09/17 05:25 PM.
#4394073 - 12/09/17 08:58 PM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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"Probably OT for thread, but Dart, and since you like a replica gun on top of wing, have you ever thought of fun bombing practise WW1 style as in those simulators, just basic dropping a practise shaped and weighted bomb or similar object over side of cockpit onto a mock target on ground just to see if you could hit it, not sure even if such mock bombing would be allowed but would be fun to try once you have ironed out the main and important flying stuff."

Well, when I belonged to a flying club back in Texas, we used to bomb targets that we'd set up for our club meets. We'd have competitions. It was a kitplane and ultra-lite bunch. I had the fastest airplane in the club. A Sonex. I never could compete with those other guys. I couldn't get as slow as they could! We'd come in low and sort of dive bomb the wooden targets. They could see the target better, too. I'd have my son with me and he'd throw the bean filled bag out the little window I had for letting in some cool air on hot days. We never hit anything.


"From our orbital vantage point, we observe an earth without borders, full of peace, beauty and magnificence, and we pray that humanity as a whole can imagine a borderless world as we see it, and strive to live as one in peace."
Astronaut William C. McCool RIP, January 29, 2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia

#4394085 - 12/09/17 11:10 PM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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My best friend got his PPL at about age 20. I was still living with my parents on the farm and I remember him flying over once, he had told me he was going to and for me to watch, and he tossed out a Revell 1/48 scale F-105 biggrin Judging from the way it "glided" it was very tail heavy LOL


"In the vast library of socialist books, there’s not a single volume on how to create wealth, only how to take and “redistribute” it.” - David Horowitz
#4394227 - 12/11/17 12:16 AM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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Lifer

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With snow on the ground, temperature hovering around freezing, and a ten mile an hour wind (though going down the runway), who can resist a bit of flying?

Mike was on hand and, as become something of a hobby, drove down to the runway to catch me bounce or skid on the landing. I don't usually do those things, but when I do it's worth watching.

I couldn't tell if he was happy or disappointed to catch this:



The windscreen does a good job; looking around it was certainly very brisk! I was in full winter garb, though, so no chance of freezing.


The opinions of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

More dumb stuff at http://www.darts-page.com

From Laser:
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#4394229 - 12/11/17 12:33 AM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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Lifer

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USA
Looks like you have worked out your landing procedures. That was just great.


Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

Someday your life will flash in front of your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.
#4394236 - 12/11/17 03:05 AM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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Pooch Offline
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Open cockpit on a cold winter day. You're more of a man than I am!


"From our orbital vantage point, we observe an earth without borders, full of peace, beauty and magnificence, and we pray that humanity as a whole can imagine a borderless world as we see it, and strive to live as one in peace."
Astronaut William C. McCool RIP, January 29, 2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia

#4394239 - 12/11/17 04:46 AM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Pooch]  
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Dart Offline
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Lifer

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Originally Posted by Pooch
Open cockpit on a cold winter day. You're more of a man than I am!


It's just a matter of wearing the proper amount of snivel gear!

[Linked Image]


The opinions of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

More dumb stuff at http://www.darts-page.com

From Laser:
"The forum is the place where combat (real time) flight simulator fans come to play turn based strategy combat."
#4394245 - 12/11/17 06:23 AM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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Snowmobile gloves? I have a pair that looked similar, used to wear them when riding my motorcycle in the winter. My record for cold weather riding was a 20 minute ride to work when it was 9 degrees F.


"In the vast library of socialist books, there’s not a single volume on how to create wealth, only how to take and “redistribute” it.” - David Horowitz
#4394246 - 12/11/17 07:26 AM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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Dart Offline
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Lifer

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Army cold weather trigger mittens, with liner.

The layers are:
t-shirt
Five button wool sweater (US Army issue)
Desert Storm parka (with liner)
Swedish issue wool field pants
Wool socks
Carhart insulated boots.
Tricolor scarf my mother knitted for me. It's not wool, but really long so it doesn't matter.

Of course the leather flying helmet and goggles, not worn here, to keep the rest of my head warm.

The windscreen does a really good job - I didn't realize just how good until I looked around it and got a blast of freezing air.

Last edited by Dart; 12/11/17 07:29 AM.

The opinions of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

More dumb stuff at http://www.darts-page.com

From Laser:
"The forum is the place where combat (real time) flight simulator fans come to play turn based strategy combat."
#4394249 - 12/11/17 08:31 AM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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Lifer
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Replace the concrete with some grass and that pic woukd look properly historic in a good BW conversion 😁

#4394269 - 12/11/17 12:14 PM Re: 7/8 scale Nieuport 11. [Re: Dart]  
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Whale fat on your cheeks, that 's the stuff. Worked in 1916.



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