SE-5A aircraft
Hello at scale Model. I am new to the modelling business but I wnated to make a comment about how well the SE-5A flys. Some years ago I was asked to test fly an SE-5A replica which had an All Up Weight of close to 750lbs. The aircraft was powered by a Lycoming 2351C. 115 h.p.The aeroplane was 75% Scale and fitting were very real. Having done a lot of time in a DH82A Tiger Moth I was interested to see how well the SE5A flew and handled especially with the narrow motor bike wheel landing gear. The test flying was very enjoyable. What a great aeroplane. Far better to fly in many areas of flight then the Tiger Moth. The SE5A rate of climb was excellent but the pitch trim stability just great. Here is an aeroplane you could tour in as long as the gas range and still feel great. The SE5 never had the old stick and rudder problem the tiger had. The rudder was trimmed hands off. The aircraft was quite and take-off and landing are very easy. You may be interested in the fact that the Centre of Gravity is caculated from the leading edg of the upper wing not the lower wing. On the plans for this aeroplane it showed the CG caculated from the lower wing. The CAA department at the time were stickers for the fact that the CG should be where the drawings say!!! So with large pieces of lead I flew the aeroplane with a huge aft CG. So far aft was it one needed a lot of forward stick to fly it. However the aeroplane coped very well. What I am saying is it had a HUGE CG range something like 11 inches of travel. Of course we went to CAA and said this is stupid. They weren't keen on this and so I located an aero design engineer who,s father was a far dinkum SE-5A fighter pilot. Pat had all the origional drawings and was able to prove to the CAA that the replica drawings were wrong and we shiffed the CG back to the first position. But here was an aeroplane that could handle 30kt winds, very good in a cross wind and in general a great aeroplane to fly. One of the best bi-planes I have flown. I had the great fun one day flying this aircraft close to a nudist coloney and above the place was a chap in a Cameron hot air baloon (bright red). He was leaning out of the basket looking down at the ground I think hoping to see some nudies. I came in from the other side of the ballon with the Se-5A and with my lewis gun up top of the wing and copper exagust pipe and camouflage the SE-5A looked great. I came around the side of the ballon straight passed this chap. He got such a fright he almost fell out of the ballon with fright. The last I saw of him, he was shaking his fist at me!!!
One other great moment I had in the SE5-A I was flying along a lonely beach about 40 ft above the sand and came across some fishing kits used for launching fishing lines. They are a real hazzard to an aeroplane. I climb up to 500ft and then saw a single figure further up along the beach and so I decided to land the SE-5A on the beach. That was all fine and I taxied to a halt. I left the engine running and got out. This chap was a very old native man and the beach was close to a military bombing range. I said hello and he said to me "The wars still on"!!!!. I really was stuck for words and I said Ya its still on!!!!. I talked a bit and then got back in the SE-5A and flew away!!!
Hello at scale Model. I am new to the modelling business but I wnated to make a comment about how well the SE-5A flys. Some years ago I was asked to test fly an SE-5A replica which had an All Up Weight of close to 750lbs. The aircraft was powered by a Lycoming 2351C. 115 h.p.The aeroplane was 75% Scale and fitting were very real. Having done a lot of time in a DH82A Tiger Moth I was interested to see how well the SE5A flew and handled especially with the narrow motor bike wheel landing gear. The test flying was very enjoyable. What a great aeroplane. Far better to fly in many areas of flight then the Tiger Moth. The SE5A rate of climb was excellent but the pitch trim stability just great. Here is an aeroplane you could tour in as long as the gas range and still feel great. The SE5 never had the old stick and rudder problem the tiger had. The rudder was trimmed hands off. The aircraft was quite and take-off and landing are very easy. You may be interested in the fact that the Centre of Gravity is caculated from the leading edg of the upper wing not the lower wing. On the plans for this aeroplane it showed the CG caculated from the lower wing. The CAA department at the time were stickers for the fact that the CG should be where the drawings say!!! So with large pieces of lead I flew the aeroplane with a huge aft CG. So far aft was it one needed a lot of forward stick to fly it. However the aeroplane coped very well. What I am saying is it had a HUGE CG range something like 11 inches of travel. Of course we went to CAA and said this is stupid. They weren't keen on this and so I located an aero design engineer who,s father was a far dinkum SE-5A fighter pilot. Pat had all the origional drawings and was able to prove to the CAA that the replica drawings were wrong and we shiffed the CG back to the first position. But here was an aeroplane that could handle 30kt winds, very good in a cross wind and in general a great aeroplane to fly. One of the best bi-planes I have flown. I had the great fun one day flying this aircraft close to a nudist coloney and above the place was a chap in a Cameron hot air baloon (bright red). He was leaning out of the basket looking down at the ground I think hoping to see some nudies. I came in from the other side of the ballon with the Se-5A and with my lewis gun up top of the wing and copper exagust pipe and camouflage the SE-5A looked great. I came around the side of the ballon straight passed this chap. He got such a fright he almost fell out of the ballon with fright. The last I saw of him, he was shaking his fist at me!!!
One other great moment I had in the SE5-A I was flying along a lonely beach about 40 ft above the sand and came across some fishing kits used for launching fishing lines. They are a real hazzard to an aeroplane. I climb up to 500ft and then saw a single figure further up along the beach and so I decided to land the SE-5A on the beach. That was all fine and I taxied to a halt. I left the engine running and got out. This chap was a very old native man and the beach was close to a military bombing range. I said hello and he said to me "The wars still on"!!!!. I really was stuck for words and I said Ya its still on!!!!. I talked a bit and then got back in the SE-5A and flew away!!!
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