We have now (I think) mastered the art of starting the engine without flooding it, and keep it going (GENTLE throttle movements :D ) The first flight was rather comical as the engine stalled when starting to taxi, at threshhold or the runway and while lining up, every time requiring the instructor to unstrap himself, unplug the intercom, get out and pull the start rope (repeat about 10X). We've got to see if we can get an electric start for this baby.
Anyway, teething problems out of the way and we take off at a little more than walking pace. This plane doesn't fly, it just waffles and flutters through the air
. I was surprised at how sensitive the stick is, I used to fly gliders with a control stick and used to really have to 'roer die pap behoorlik'. We just did a half an hour flying around and getting used to the plane. We noticed that thanks to the fairing and the slow flying speed its not cold in this aircraft at all. In fact if I had a cold one in my hand, I would be lulled into believing that I'm sitting in a lounge chair with my feet up. We fitted a kind of 'floor' (actually just a plastic lid) for me to put my feet on and this also keeps the grass, bugs, sand etc from clogging your teeth on take-off. Why didn't the manufacturers think of this?
The plane actually flies itself (much like the trike) when trimmed correctly. The only tricky part is taxiing, this I think will be the biggest challenge of learning to fly this microlight! Its wheels don't steer and while its fine when you've got a bit of air over the elevator and rudder, manouevring around hangars, etc is a bit tricky. Oh, and is it thirsty!
Can't wait for my next flight! This cold front is really messing things up.
