Yesterday had the first decent weather in a while so I decided I would make the maiden flight of the Quickie.
Due to the unconventional wing configuration of the aircraft I wanted to make a rolling take-off from a hard surface rather than a hand launch. The site I would usually use, a disused airfield just south-west of London, is currently earmarked for housing and it would seem that the developer has decided top employ a security guard on the site to make sure people stick to the public footpaths. As such I decided to go plan B and hand launch the aircraft elsewhere.
My fears for hand launching on the maiden proved well founded. My plan on a rolling take-off would have been to start with a nose down input and gradually pitch the nose up. from a hand launch there isn't really enough time to find this neutral pitch position.
And so it was that the aircraft survived the first launch with too much nose up pitch, but didn't survive the second launch after I had over corrected and put in too much nose down.
The canards survived the crash but the fuselage needs reprinting.
Usually after a crash it is important to analyse what happened and learn from it. In this case the thing I have learnt is that I need to find a new site for flying! If anyone is a member at a RC flying club near SW London, let me know.
Stay tuned for more updates!