turns !!!

I have a question for all I am going to compare two airplanes a profile cardinal and a buccainer 740 the cardinal turns easier and quicker the (control system is from the brodak kit) but its easy to over control. The Buccaner 740 on the other hand turns slow its hard to(bang) a corner the controls in this airplane are from RSM horns and bellcrank but the airplane is harder to over control and is smooth. Both planes are balancing in the right place. Does anyone have a expalnation for this???:

Each airplane will have its own characteristics, but could some of the difference be in handle spacing. The one (Cardinal) may be set up for the controls to turn quicker with the same amount of input and the other may have the controls turning less with the same amount of input. Varying the handle spacing could move one towards the other.

Also, what is the weight of the two planes. A light plane, in proportion to the wing area, can be easilyu over controled by the flaps and may need to have the flap ratio reduced.

Are the controls free on both planes?

And even though you say the CG is properly spaced on both planes, a little movement in either direction can make a big difference. You might add a little bit of weight to the nose or the tail and find that balances "approximately" the same, but the control response might be far different.

LAST EDITED ON Sep-27-04 AT 02:11 PM (CDT)
 
Now you're getting into the fine points of tuning a plane. It can take quite a bit of test flying to get the control response and feel exactly where you like it and where the plane will perform best. Since both these planes are flying you just have to get into adjusting the balance point, control surface travel, and handle spacing to get what you want. They are proven designs and you should be able to get the control feel you want with trimming.

Nose weight, less control travel, narrower line spacing at the handle will slow the controls down and make the plane less jumpy.

Tail weight, more control travel, wider line spacing will make the plane respond faster.

As Len says, don't be afraid to experiment with reduced flap travel if you want. The Cardinal esp. has way more flap than it needs if it is built light. But it doesn't sound like you are having this problem.

One last tuning point- fly a lot. More flying can speed up your reflexes enough that planes that were once "twitchy" suddenly get easier to fly.