AA Senior

Hi All,
After hearing all the local horror stories about the take off characteristics of the AAS, I thought I would come here and see what y'all think.
I am planning on puting my newly finished AAS into the air this coming week end with hopes of flying it in OTS on the week end of the 23rd at the Huntersville meet. A Golden State kit, IIRC. Very light, but haven't weighed it. Fox 35 with the crank having the heavy metal balance treatment, etc., as per Larry Foster's instructions, Top Flite paddle 10-6 to start with, Taff tank, balljoint hook up on the elev horn, 60' eye to eye .015s.
Any hints before the first "release"??
Thanks!
Bill <><

Bill, be prepared to step back quickly to maintain tension. The planes, from this era, were not desingned to fly slowly.

Hi Walter,
I expect to be around, or under, 5 sec lap times. I remember how "fast" the gys used to fly.
My first look at a "stunt ship" was a Stuntwagon with a McCoy 60!
Thanks!
Bill <><

Bill, I don't know if this has any relavence here, but I remember
Bob Gieseke saying that he flew his Fox .35 planes on as short as lines as was comfortable.

>Hi All,
>After hearing all the local horror stories about the take
>off characteristics of the AAS, I thought I would come here
>and see what y'all think.
>I am planning on puting my newly finished AAS into the air
>this coming week end with hopes of flying it in OTS on the
>week end of the 23rd at the Huntersville meet. A Golden
>State kit, IIRC. Very light, but haven't weighed it. Fox
>35 with the crank having the heavy metal balance treatment,
>etc., as per Larry Foster's instructions, Top Flite paddle
>10-6 to start with, Taff tank, balljoint hook up on the elev
>horn, 60' eye to eye .015s.
>Any hints before the first "release"??

Best trick is to have the helper hold the airplane by the tail, and with the fuselage essentially level with the ground, and release from that position. If you let it sit on it's tail and then "pop up" you might be sorry.

Hi Bill, When you practice, give the MAS 9.5 X 6 prop a try. I've found that my trusty Fox.35 really likes this on my El Daiblo. The rest of my 50th Anniversary engine is stock through and through. Best running set up I've ever had for OTS!

>Hi All,
>After hearing all the local horror stories about the take
>off characteristics of the AAS, I thought I would come here
>and see what y'all think.
>I am planning on puting my newly finished AAS into the air
>this coming week end with hopes of flying it in OTS on the
>week end of the 23rd at the Huntersville meet. A Golden
>State kit, IIRC. Very light, but haven't weighed it. Fox
>35 with the crank having the heavy metal balance treatment,
>etc., as per Larry Foster's instructions, Top Flite paddle
>10-6 to start with, Taff tank, balljoint hook up on the elev
>horn, 60' eye to eye .015s.
>Any hints before the first "release"??
>Thanks!
>Bill <><

Dear Bill
I all think you should remove most of your tip weight and send a LEFT HAND CRANK to Larry Foster for his treatment; and save the
right hand crank for another model installation......Really..
AA Seniors fly great this way.
Tony

LAST EDITED ON Oct-12-04 AT 11:47 PM (CDT)
 
Hi Tony,
Well as to the matter of tip weight, there isn't any. Tommy Luper (local who won OTS at the NATS a few years back) actually had to add weight to the inboard wing on the one he was flying several years ago. Unfortunately, he is unavailable at the present time.....
As to the left hand crank, that really sounds like a great idea! Engine torque working for the plane instead of against it.
Is there a good availability of props for this set up??
Thanks!
Bill <><

Why not fly it the correct direction? Later, DOC

Hi Doc!
hahahahahaha...... I have enough trouble flying in the direction that I have been for the past 40 or so years!!
I understand george aldrich could fly either direction, but that would probably assure me a totaled plane.
Bill <><

Any stunt pilot can fly in either direction, no problem. Just turn the handle upside down when you fly clockwise.

>Any stunt pilot can fly in either direction, no problem.
>Just turn the handle upside down when you fly clockwise.

Hmmm. I've often wondered about that, but never had the guts to try it.

>Hi Tony,
>Well as to the matter of tip weight, there isn't any. Tommy
>Luper (local who won OTS at the NATS a few years back)
>actually had to add weight to the inboard wing on the one he
>was flying several years ago. Unfortunately, he is
>unavailable at the present time.....
>As to the left hand crank, that really sounds like a great
>idea! Engine torque working for the plane instead of against
>it.
>Is there a good availability of props for this set up??
>Thanks!
>Bill <><

Hi Bill, I wasn't the first to use a left hand crank, hopefully I
won't be the last...Tornado 10x6's and APC 10x6's are available
out there. I didn't mention flying the AA in a Clockwise direction
because your model is already finished. My AA has a left hand crank
PAW .19bb installed; I use APC 9x6 props(pusher). I tried a Tornado
Black 9x6 but the Paw didn't like it. I guess the availablity of
appropriate pusher prop sizes is limited.
Tony

Bill,

You already have a lot of good advice in this thread.

To the original question: We seem to forget that WE are flying the model from the time the launcher lets go of it. Keep the much longer inboard wing on AA,Sr., clearly in mind. Clear the lines from the grass if that's where you fly -- lift them high enough to be sure they haven't snagged. (Less of a problem over paving.) Take a SLIGHT tension on the lines to keep them clear.

At release, step back smoothly while leading the model -- sorta like whipping to extend a glide -- until it comes up to enough airspeed to lock in for you. From there to the landing glide should be no problem.

Landing can be a pogo stick enduro with the narrow, forward gear. Best advice for such layouts I've heard is to keep the glide smooth and either wheel it on or touch the tailskid first. With AA,Sr., there's so much wing you won't likely get it smooth and slow enough to plant the tailskid first, tho.

When you wheel it on, do so with some airspeed to avoid stall-drop, and a VERY slight rate of descent to reduce likelihood of a bounce. On paving, when the mains touch, lower the handle about 'one finger' to stick it down. On grass, you're more likely to need some UP at that point to reduce the tendency to nose over.

Big, fat, soft wheels help, too.

For several years, I flew an AA,Sr., on a LH shaft Fox 35 -- which runs THE SAME AS its 'normal' cousin! Only new thing is to figure how to flip it wrong way round without punching the ground... Kinda looks funny to start an upright engine waist-high, but that works.

John Wright flew his AA Senior to 2nd place in OT at the Hi Johnson meet two weeks ago. He used a left-hand crank equipped Fox 35.

Of course LH props kind of have limited selection...

Thanks for the info Larry, but I won at Hi Johnson.
I'll have the AAS at GSSC this weekend in Clovis. Competition might be a little stiffer I suspect. I have the floppy Tornado 10-6 pusher prop. Dick Wolsey used to use a Graupner 10-6 pusher. I now have one, thanks to T&A in Burbank. I'll try the Graupner this weekend.
The plane is a little jumpy. I lengthened the control horn and it is now the tail skid, and still to short!