great_gonzo_01.wmv
(837 KB) |
Great Gonzo flying around in a slight,
buffeting wind. The engine noise you hear at the beginning of the
clip is not coming from Great Gonzo. Listen towards the end of the
clip and you can hear how quiet the O.S. .15 CV-A engine is. The
aircraft is flying at approximately 1/4 throttle for the duration of this
clip. |
great_gonzo_02.wmv
(685 KB) |
Great Gonzo on 1/4 throttle fly-by's.
Convincing Mike that Great Gonzo can fly slowly did not turn out to be as
easy as expected. At the speed the aircraft is flying here, she
just wasn't going to lose altitude. |
great_gonzo_03.wmv
(1.3 MB) |
* Recommended *
Great Gonzo has excellent small field
potential. Her slow flight capability coupled with her ability to
make tight turns without losing altitude allow her to be easily and
enjoyably flown in a confined space. |
great_gonzo_04.wmv
(1.7 MB) |
No really, Mike... she'll fly a lot slower
than that. Seriously... just pull back the throttle some more...
umm.... you are not listening to me are you?
These are Mike's first attempts at landing
Great Gonzo. He's beginning to understand that she can stay
airborne at a very low airspeed and the most difficult part of flying
this aircraft is getting the engine idling low enough for her to come
down. In the first fly-by, the engine is at a high idle and the
aircraft is gaining altitude. |
great_gonzo_05.wmv
(878 KB) |
* Recommended *
Mike does a great job landing Great
Gonzo. This is a fast landing for this model and I am still not
sure how he managed to get her down at the speed she was flying.
When I designed this model I did not
expect she would do much more than taxi in a fairly straight line.
I had no reason to believe a V-Tail model couldn't taxi, but I
didn't think it would work that well either. The model also has a
tail-skid which doesn't help much, but she still does a fair job. |
great_gonzo_06.wmv
(673 KB) |
* Recommended *
1/4 throttle take off followed by full-throttle
climb-out. The 1/4 throttle take off is just to prove that she can
do it. A normal full throttle take-off has her airborne in about 5
feet - less on a hard surface.
Someone told me once that using an engine like the
CV-A is wasted on an aircraft like this. I entirely disagree.
I feel it is the perfect engine because
the aircraft can climb to altitude quickly and throttle back to idle and
putt around. The fuel tank is approximately three ounces and I have
had flights of almost an hour using this engine. |
great_gonzo_07.wmv
(1.6 MB) |
* Recommended *
A slow fly-by followed by a slow landing.
This one is my personal favorite.
 |
