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CX4 Pilot Report!!!
On
Thursday, February 22, 2007
, Dave Thatcher and I went
to the
Milton
,
FL
, airport, 2R4, to pick up the CX4 on a trailer to
bring it back to the
Pensacola
Regional
Airport
(PNS). When we got to the
airport, Dave decided to take a flight in the plane. It cranked easily and ran
very smoothly. He took it around the pattern once and landed very nicely. When
he returned to the hangar, he asked me if I wanted to taxi it some, or maybe
even fly it if I wanted to do so. I definitely wanted to taxi it as I had
previously done this on at least three occasions. My goal was to get thoroughly
comfortable with the tail dragger configuration since I am currently building a
CX4. When I got into the plane, I felt really comfortable as soon as I got into
it. This was because of the previous taxi time I had done in the plane. I also
recalled that one of the reasons I chose to build this airplane was because of
the roominess of the cockpit. I felt right at home. I am about 5' 9" tall
and weight about 203. I have wide shoulders and cannot stand to be crammed into
a small space. This is not a problem with the CX4. There is plenty of room in
this cockpit. Plus, the canopy gives the aircraft a bright, sunny, and spacious
feeling. Anyway, after about ten minutes of taxiing around the tarmac, I decided
to take Dave up on his offer to fly the plane. The plane was full of fuel,
including the auxiliary tank. The airport AWOS reported the wind as coming from
330 at 12 knots. The wind sock showed the wind was gusty and variable from about
330 to 360. I liked the 360 part because the runway in use was 36. I did not
think this was a problem because I had spent an hour before lunch doing take
offs and landings at PNS in a Cessna 172. The same conditions existed at PNS as
at 2R4, except for being a little more gusty than it was in the morning.
The airplane is solid on the ground even during these windy conditions. It is
easily controlled even though it is a tail dragger. It is the easiest of any of
the tail draggers that I have flown. I have some experience in Cubs, Champs, and
Citabrias. I would estimate I have about 35 to 40 hours in these types spread
out over a long period of time (74 to present). The take off roll was very short
even though I would liked to have gained a little more speed than I actually did
before lift off to be sure I did not settle back onto the runway in the gusty
winds. The take off was amazing. When I got about ten feet off the ground the
wind got really squirrelly and blew me from over the runway centerline to over
the edge of the runway. I did not know it was that windy!!! When I corrected
with the left wing low and a little crabbing the airplane immediately came back
to the center of the runway. It responded very solidly and quickly. The airplane
is not overly sensitive. It does what you expect it to do. There is no
sloppiness in the controls. I love flying airplanes with a stick An area of
concern for me prior to this flight was the effect that the prop turning
opposite of what I am used to would have on my ability to handle the plane. This
is not a problem. I took the airplane around the pattern six times before I made
my first landing. I was experimenting with different speeds in the pattern. I
felt real comfortable on downwind with 80 mph showing on the airspeed indicator
with the rpms set at 2100 in level flight. The airplane flew at this speed like
it was on a rail. It was solid and stable in this configuration. I hardly used
the trim control at all. On climb out I was at traffic pattern altitude so
quickly that I did not need to use the trim for such a short period of climbing.
The same occurred on my descent in the pattern because it was of short duration.
One interesting thing I noticed is that when the nose of the aircraft is lowered
the airplane picks up speed very quickly. Therefore, plan on reducing power
quickly as you lower the nose for your descent. Otherwise, the airplane will go
from 80 mph to over 100 miles per hour before you know it. I used to own a Piper
Warrior in which excessive speed build up was never a problem. The quickness of
the CX4 is greatly appreciated after having flown sluggish airplanes for just
about my whole life. After making five low passes and getting familiar with the
airplane (meaning I could track the center line of the runway without wavering)
and flying it at various heights above the runway from about 50 feet down to
about ten feet over the full length of the runway, I decided it was time to try
landing "THE TAIL DRAGGER". This turned out to be the biggest surprise
for me. I was expecting it to be an opportunity to get current with at least
three take offs and landings on one approach to the runway. I set up a stable
final approach at 80 mph with just a little bit of power on. I used a left wing
low to maintain my track. As I began my flare I very slowly reduced the power to
idle and held the airplane off and let it settle in on its own. Because the
airspeed was excessive for this airplane I floated down the runway probably
about 500 to a 1000 feet before touch down, but when the plane touched down it
bounced just a little and slowed very quickly once it was on the runway. I did
not have any feeling at any time of being out of control of the airplane. It was
very responsive to my control inputs. As for visibility from the cockpit, it
just doesn't get any better than this. Because of the roominess of the cockpit
and the stability of the airplane, even in the gusty wind conditions, I did not
feel tired whatsoever after this flight. The vent in the airplane let in plenty
of air in level flight. On this record breaking day in
Pensacola
, the temperature got up to
81 degrees. The noise level in the cockpit was not excessive. I had on a passive
headset as opposed to an active noise reduction headset. An ANR headset would
have made it even quieter. The airplane cranked easily and purred like a kitten
throughout the flight. All of this experience in this airplane further confirms
that I made a great decision to build a CX4. I have sworn all my life that I
would never fly any airplane that I built. I have had no previous experience in
sheet metal work and especially in building airplanes. The beauty, simplicity,
roominess in the cockpit, the cost of getting into the airplane, and having Dave
Thatcher right here in Pensacola was what attracted me to this airplane in the
first place. Now that I have flown the airplane, I am elated with my decision
even more than before. I also know now who will be doing the test flight on my
own CX4 when it is completed.
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