Sabre/Pacer GT Trike Update

The new trike has been performing flawlessly. The last extension of the mast put the base tube in the perfect position for comfortable flying. I found the perfect hang position to be 1/8" back of the stock position. It is trimmed to cruise comfortably at about 4100 rpms. So far the Rotax 503 has run without any issues and the trike climbs at over 1000' per minute on full throttle.

Up to now I have been doing a lot of test flying and have been staying within glide distance of the airport. It is about time to do my first cross country in this trike, most likely a short hop from Creswell to Cottage Grove airport and back.

Once again the hangar is getting full. I currently have 3 trikes, a N3 Pup project and a paramotor stuffed in there. Something has got to go...but not the new trike, it is here to stay!

She Flies!

Update:  The mast has been extended by an additional 7" putting the base tube at the perfect control height!

After a lot of work the Sabre/Northwing Pacer GT trike was finally ready for flight testing.  After mounting the new Tennessee prop, breaking in the Rotax 503, making adjustments to brakes, throttle pedals, instruments, etc., it was time to take the airplane out on the runway.

After making four successful crow hops I was convinced that the wing would indeed fly.  Although the Pacer GT definitely flies faster than my last bird, takeoff and landing characteristics seem to be quite straight forward and predictable.

So...it was time to take out it around the pattern.  After several times around it came evident that the wing was flying too fast making me have to push out too much.  In other words I needed to move the hang position back a bit.  I made a 1/2" move back and it seemed to fly much better.  However, another concern was the amount of rake of the mast. It did not seem to be enough making the trike land a little too flat.

I went back to the hangar and adjusted the Sabre chassis geometry to provide more rake.  This however created another problem in that the control bar base tube was now too low.  After a lot of head scratching I finally determined that the only way to resolve this was to make the mast even longer. I had already added 8" to the mast length, and now I am going to have to increase it by another 6-7".

And so the saga continues!

Covid 19 Slowing Down...Super Trike Speeding Up!

It looks like the Covid 19 virus lockdown is finally starting to slow down and various states are starting the slow process of reopening.  Thank goodness for that.  In the mean time my trike build is progessing rapidly.

Here is a short list of the recent work:

2.58:1, B gear box mounted on the engine
New hand throttle installed and foot throttle rebuilt
New throttle mixer installed
New foot brake fabricated and installed
Instruments mounted and wired in
Electrical connections and engine probes installed
New fuel primer installed and fuel lines finalized

There are just a few final details that should be wrapped up in the next week or so and then it will be on to testing!

The Covid-19 Trike Build

I will always remember this trike as the one that I was building during the Covid-19 novel virus outbreak.  What a crazy unprecedented time this is, filled with unpredictability, panic and anxiety.  Hopefully, this will soon pass and we will all move on!  In any case, what better way to reduce the current stress than to work on a new airplane?

So the new Northwing Pacer GT has been setup and mounted on the Sabre trike chassis.  The wing is beautiful, 80% double surfaced and streamlined for performance.  It is going to be great to fly.  However, the mast of the Sabre was too short for the new wing so I had to fabricate a 12" mast extension out of 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" telescoping steel which fit snuggly over the 2" x 2" aluminum mast.

After mounting the wing I turned to the engine mount.  It was necessary to fabricate new mounting bars which I made out of 3/8" x 2", 6061 aluminum that I cut, drilled and painted.  It turned out great and the Rotax 503 is now comfortably sitting on the Sabre trike chassis.
To mount the engine I found it necessary to remove the fuel tank.  I took the opportunity to clean the tank inside and out and it is back on again.

Next, I will be moving on to mounting the fuel pump, carbs and running the fuel lines. Need to keep moving forward!