What a beautiful aircraft, I'm so envious (in a nice way) it is something I can never do now but it is a pleasure to see someone enjoying the freedom of the sky. All the best from the UK 🇬🇧
Another great day, Flight no.4, each time it's getting better and better, of course there's still things to address, from each test flight, but the as a whole, the big picture couldn't be clearer. Elliot is doing an amazing job, and with the help of a key person, Eric Ritter, my dad's made a lot of key improvements to the plane. Can't wait for Elliot to fly the Mustang again, after all the corrections are made, I think he's gonna be real happy with the results. Video doesn't do this plane justice, it's amazing how similar it looks and sounds like a real Mustang. The plane climbs like a bat out of hell, Elliot is still babying the motor too, can't wait till we've got all the bugs worked out of it, and he can really get after it! Until then, well keep burning fuel, and creating memories! :)
@@utopiasnow Oh lordy ME TOO, My love for the Thunder type Mustangs, The Powerplant, ( My daughter runs a Blown Alky funny car) qst yr MISSING Reno RAR in the blood I grabbed a Pratt.hat from Sanders last yr, building a backcountry now, Next yr. I'll spend more time in your pit, SO STOKED !!! & Im Really enjoying your Channel, Are you considering maybe a live broadcast? W/ Q&A ?
Can you explain what you're doing with the flight controls as you incrementally increase the A/S? It looks like you're banging the stick side to side and fore and aft as well as the rudder pedals.
How rare is the S-51? I presume there are only a finite amount of kits that were produced and far, far less that may ever actually fly. I’ve lusted after them since the 80s and I’d figure it’s a heck of a good investment!
@@OlesonMD There is, it just wasn't up to the task. Friction is dramatically affected by vibration, and as you can imagine the vibration in this airplane is intense.
Love your videos and your explanations, Elliot. As a retired aviator (50 years in aviation) I'm still learning and never tire of it. What kind of motor powers that gorgeous little airplane?
My avgeek friends always freak out whenever you post a video on Thai plane because they love it so much. I wonder if it'll ever race at Reno, I hope it doesn't, it's too beautiful to race.
Question: Visalia airport elevation is 295' MSL. You said 3000' MSL was not enough for a High Key. That means ~2700' AGL is still not enough. The T-6 Texan II (which weighs ~6300 lbs gross) could do SFOs with a High Key of 2500-3000' AGL. In your SFO tests the power is near idle and the prop is as close to feather as you can get it, right? (Tex II uses 4-6% N1 for SFOs.) I'm just surprised 2700' AGL is still not sufficient. S-51 must have the glide ratio of a brick!
Thank you for the question!! Short answer, yes glide ratio of a brick. Long answer. Not uncommon for this class of airplane. For the super legacy I use 2500' minimum, and the Stewart is lower L/D than the Super Legacy. That being said, this is with the prop forward and the swinging the flaps at low key. The prop is probably the biggest contributor. So there is pad there. On the first two flights, both of which I would consider emergency landings, I didn't extend the flaps. I am also limiting the bank angle to 30°, which is conservative. There are lots of reasons to fly SFO approaches. At this early stage it's less about quantifying the approach and more about getting a gut feel for the L/D of the airplane in the different configurations.
Definitely, DEFINITELY agree that in a high-performance, single-engine plane, finding accurate SFO numbers is massively important, for obvious reasons. And single-engine owners should practice them frequently, too. At some point I would recommend trying SFOs with a higher bank angle and maybe (?) delaying flaps. Overall intent would be to find "bare min" numbers and then add some slop to those numbers.
Thank you for the note. During the stall? I was reporting that there was buffet in the elevator during the dirty configuration stall. Does that answer your question?
in this video th-cam.com/video/BBpqvPujZgM/w-d-xo.html because the engine cuts off and recording equipments are high quality the engine sound contrasts with other sounds and we (people who see p51 only in clips!) could better feel how loud the engine is.
Short answer is no. The oxygen/mask is there for emergencies. 1. Smoke in the cockpit 2. Crash Protection 3. Better Comms More here: th-cam.com/video/a-lceaOL2E8/w-d-xo.html
Stall characteristics clean (68) and dirty (64): very nice; noticeable wing drop but not so aggressive of a snap as to shock the crap out of you. That's a nice sign. Question: What is the purpose of the "stick raps", the ones done in 5MPH increments? I can see the purpose in checking flight control feel/freedom like in your earlier video (#2?) but why just a quick burp on the stick to only ONE side on this video? Keep up the good work. Those of us in the S-51 community are all rootin' for ya!
Thank you!!! The stick wraps. The goal is to find the aero elasticity while it’s still damped. It’s the old, low tech way to do it. There is risk to doing it this way, but only to me and the airplane, as opposed to not doing it and leaving that risk to surprise a later pilot. More here: th-cam.com/video/a3wVpPSlkgc/w-d-xo.html
The stick raps are a way to establish VNE for the airplane. He is increasing the dive airspeed in 5 mph increments and hitting the stick sharply in one direction to see if the resulting oscillation motion is damped or undamped. At some airspeed, a bump of the flight control will lead to runaway (or undamped) oscillations that will eventually shake the airplane apart. This is called aeroelastic flutter, or usually just flutter. Elliot is trying to find the airspeed at which these oscillations take a long time to damp (which suggests that he is pretty close to the flutter speed) and then they will multiply that speed by 0.9 and call that new airspeed VNE.
@ bureaucracy - Question....in order to see if the flight controls are "undamped" after a quick smack on the stick, wouldn't he need to NOT hold on to the stick after smacking it? I mean, if he continues to hold on to the stick during and AFTER he sharply hits it, his own hand, still on the stick, dampens out any potential future movement of the stick. Am I missing something?
Elliot - Watched your dive speed explanation. The 2 short clips of actual flutter in your video make a pilot start squeezing diamonds. Nasty stuff. Question....in order to see if the flight controls are "undamped" after a quick smack on the stick, wouldn't you need to NOT hold on to the stick after smacking it? I mean, if you continue to hold on to the stick during and AFTER you sharply hit it, your own hand, still on the stick, dampens out any potential future movement of the stick. Am I missing something?
It depends. I like my hands on the controls to feel the response. Once again this is the old way of doing it. As it says in the dive video it is qualitative and low tech. That being said the "right way" takes a control room and a million dollars in equipment.
What a beautiful aircraft, I'm so envious (in a nice way) it is something I can never do now but it is a pleasure to see someone enjoying the freedom of the sky. All the best from the UK 🇬🇧
Another great day, Flight no.4, each time it's getting better and better, of course there's still things to address, from each test flight, but the as a whole, the big picture couldn't be clearer. Elliot is doing an amazing job, and with the help of a key person, Eric Ritter, my dad's made a lot of key improvements to the plane. Can't wait for Elliot to fly the Mustang again, after all the corrections are made, I think he's gonna be real happy with the results. Video doesn't do this plane justice, it's amazing how similar it looks and sounds like a real Mustang. The plane climbs like a bat out of hell, Elliot is still babying the motor too, can't wait till we've got all the bugs worked out of it, and he can really get after it! Until then, well keep burning fuel, and creating memories! :)
Thank you Shannon!!!
Wow what a beautiful plane. Great flying and love that sound. P-51's are the best looking planes real or kit.
I race cars for a living and I thought I was living the dream😲 you might actually have the best job in the entire WORLD🦾😎
That was a fun day!
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen! Blast from the pass. This is a great video, Elliot. Love to see, how it's done.
Thank you!!
Absolutely love you videos Elliot. Thanks for posting. Keep up the great work.
thank you
DANG. I was just here for the landing!
Great vid Elliot. That thing looks and sounds so cool...
Thank you Garrett!!
Beautiful plane!
How is this Beautiful Bird doing these days & is the KB & PRSU still holding up?
The guys are working hard on the engine and hydraulics. I am stoked to fly it again soon.
@@utopiasnow Oh lordy ME TOO, My love for the Thunder type Mustangs, The Powerplant, ( My daughter runs a Blown Alky funny car) qst yr MISSING Reno RAR in the blood I grabbed a Pratt.hat from Sanders last yr, building a backcountry now, Next yr. I'll spend more time in your pit, SO STOKED !!! & Im Really enjoying your Channel, Are you considering maybe a live broadcast? W/ Q&A ?
@@bernardc2553 Thanks man. Its sounds like you have a good time. It would be good to see you at Reno 2021!!
Bravo! good plane. How much?
I believe it is for sale, but I don’t have a number.
Can you explain what you're doing with the flight controls as you incrementally increase the A/S? It looks like you're banging the stick side to side and fore and aft as well as the rudder pedals.
Stick raps. The idea is to excite the dynamic modes of the airplane to understand airframe damping as the envelope is expanded.
Thanks.
You have the coolest job in the world Elliot.
Thanks for saying that, this airplane is so rad.
How rare is the S-51? I presume there are only a finite amount of kits that were produced and far, far less that may ever actually fly. I’ve lusted after them since the 80s and I’d figure it’s a heck of a good investment!
Great Video Elliot
Thank you Steve!
Is there no friction lock on the throttle ?
That was my question also...
@@OlesonMD There is, it just wasn't up to the task. Friction is dramatically affected by vibration, and as you can imagine the vibration in this airplane is intense.
Love your videos and your explanations, Elliot. As a retired aviator (50 years in aviation) I'm still learning and never tire of it. What kind of motor powers that gorgeous little airplane?
thank you
The engine is a 540CI big block chevy V8
My avgeek friends always freak out whenever you post a video on Thai plane because they love it so much. I wonder if it'll ever race at Reno, I hope it doesn't, it's too beautiful to race.
I appreciate the kind words!!
Next time I’m at the airport working and your there I’d love to check it out. I do work for ams all the time
Stop by!!
Question: Visalia airport elevation is 295' MSL. You said 3000' MSL was not enough for a High Key. That means ~2700' AGL is still not enough. The T-6 Texan II (which weighs ~6300 lbs gross) could do SFOs with a High Key of 2500-3000' AGL. In your SFO tests the power is near idle and the prop is as close to feather as you can get it, right? (Tex II uses 4-6% N1 for SFOs.) I'm just surprised 2700' AGL is still not sufficient. S-51 must have the glide ratio of a brick!
Thank you for the question!!
Short answer, yes glide ratio of a brick.
Long answer. Not uncommon for this class of airplane. For the super legacy I use 2500' minimum, and the Stewart is lower L/D than the Super Legacy.
That being said, this is with the prop forward and the swinging the flaps at low key. The prop is probably the biggest contributor. So there is pad there. On the first two flights, both of which I would consider emergency landings, I didn't extend the flaps. I am also limiting the bank angle to 30°, which is conservative.
There are lots of reasons to fly SFO approaches. At this early stage it's less about quantifying the approach and more about getting a gut feel for the L/D of the airplane in the different configurations.
Definitely, DEFINITELY agree that in a high-performance, single-engine plane, finding accurate SFO numbers is massively important, for obvious reasons. And single-engine owners should practice them frequently, too. At some point I would recommend trying SFOs with a higher bank angle and maybe (?) delaying flaps. Overall intent would be to find "bare min" numbers and then add some slop to those numbers.
So its 12/12/21, what's up these days with you and the plane ? What kit was this ?
Elliot, what is this being tested for? Just post-build testing or will it be a Sport class racer?
This is the FAA required phase one flight test of a new airplane. I don't think this airplane would race, but anything is possible.
Now I have to get one thanks !
Woot woot!!
It's hard to see what the stick buffet actually translated to. Can you explain?
Thank you for the note.
During the stall? I was reporting that there was buffet in the elevator during the dirty configuration stall.
Does that answer your question?
Or you are talking about the stick wraps?
If so, this explains some of it.
th-cam.com/video/a3wVpPSlkgc/w-d-xo.html
@@utopiasnow Thanks for posting this. I was wondering why you were smacking the controls.
Hot. Rod. Lincoln. great song
Thank you Ethan!!!
Great song
in this video
th-cam.com/video/BBpqvPujZgM/w-d-xo.html
because the engine cuts off and recording equipments are high quality the engine sound contrasts with other sounds and we (people who see p51 only in clips!) could better feel how loud the engine is.
Party on!!
I want one! I thought my RV8 was cool, man this P51 is better than sex?👍
Eric mentioned before it is very loud :))
sure is
Are you on oxygen the whole flight????
Short answer is no. The oxygen/mask is there for emergencies.
1. Smoke in the cockpit
2. Crash Protection
3. Better Comms
More here:
th-cam.com/video/a-lceaOL2E8/w-d-xo.html
Stall characteristics clean (68) and dirty (64): very nice; noticeable wing drop but not so aggressive of a snap as to shock the crap out of you. That's a nice sign.
Question: What is the purpose of the "stick raps", the ones done in 5MPH increments? I can see the purpose in checking flight control feel/freedom like in your earlier video (#2?) but why just a quick burp on the stick to only ONE side on this video?
Keep up the good work. Those of us in the S-51 community are all rootin' for ya!
Thank you!!!
The stick wraps.
The goal is to find the aero elasticity while it’s still damped. It’s the old, low tech way to do it. There is risk to doing it this way, but only to me and the airplane, as opposed to not doing it and leaving that risk to surprise a later pilot.
More here:
th-cam.com/video/a3wVpPSlkgc/w-d-xo.html
The stick raps are a way to establish VNE for the airplane. He is increasing the dive airspeed in 5 mph increments and hitting the stick sharply in one direction to see if the resulting oscillation motion is damped or undamped. At some airspeed, a bump of the flight control will lead to runaway (or undamped) oscillations that will eventually shake the airplane apart. This is called aeroelastic flutter, or usually just flutter. Elliot is trying to find the airspeed at which these oscillations take a long time to damp (which suggests that he is pretty close to the flutter speed) and then they will multiply that speed by 0.9 and call that new airspeed VNE.
@ bureaucracy - Question....in order to see if the flight controls are "undamped" after a quick smack on the stick, wouldn't he need to NOT hold on to the stick after smacking it? I mean, if he continues to hold on to the stick during and AFTER he sharply hits it, his own hand, still on the stick, dampens out any potential future movement of the stick. Am I missing something?
Elliot - Watched your dive speed explanation. The 2 short clips of actual flutter in your video make a pilot start squeezing diamonds. Nasty stuff. Question....in order to see if the flight controls are "undamped" after a quick smack on the stick, wouldn't you need to NOT hold on to the stick after smacking it? I mean, if you continue to hold on to the stick during and AFTER you sharply hit it, your own hand, still on the stick, dampens out any potential future movement of the stick. Am I missing something?
It depends. I like my hands on the controls to feel the response. Once again this is the old way of doing it. As it says in the dive video it is qualitative and low tech. That being said the "right way" takes a control room and a million dollars in equipment.
nice work Elliot! @mahdiakbarim
Thank you!
Epic song!