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I am back from taking Bonnie Mauldin's Flight Design CTLS to a practice area. The capsule summary is: a nice airplane except for center console ergonomics. Vizibility is much better than out from Remos GX, thanks to sensible door frames. I do not have to remain bent like a question mark in CT. The lower edge of the dash mushroom is high enough, and the seats are far enough from the ruddger pedals that I can put my feet down naturally.

People always write about the flaps in CT. I do not think they are a problem. The basics are simple: take off and land with flaps down ("15"), fly around an airport with flaps neutral ("0"), and cruise with flaps up ("-6"). That's all there is to it.

The handling is ordinary. The only thing to watch out is how it likes to sink in turns, so bump that power up and pull. The spring-loaded control surfaces feel a bit weird, but on the upside all 3 axii are trimmable. Although, this includes the first snag: ridiculously stiff elevator trim, and the wheel being inadequate. I imagine putting one's thumb to it gets old fast (GX has a convenient electric trim).

The center console in general is where the designers messed up. The throttle lever gives the setup an upscale, airliner look, but I have to put my fist around the stem, or else I cannot set the right power. It's ridiculously inconvenient, especially compared to dual button throttle on GX. In flight, the handle obscures the flap switch. On the ground, I bumped the throttle out of idle every time I reached for the brake lever (which has to be pulled). There's a definite control interference problem. Some of it is intentionally designed in: the fuel shut-off blocks the ignition key. That's going to be an epic fail when the time comes to fumble the key during an engine fire. Oh, an the carb heat is at the top of panel, because an extra challenge during go-arounds is good for you.

BTW, Bonnie's airplane is noticeably faster than Michael's: it goes 100 knots at 4800 RPMs with the two of us. Book values are about the same on both. It may be the prop, or perhaps the flaps.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at 11:54 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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