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Carden Aircraft 35% Extra 330
Test flight/Review by Frank Noll Jr.
photos by Darlene Cline
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When
Dennis and Caroline said that they were going to Produce a 35%
version of the Extra 330, and already having had the 40%
version, I couldn't help but think that this could be the plane
that fills the needs for the guy that wants the 330, but didn't
have a vehicle or trailer to haul the 40% to the flying field.
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The
prototype was shipped to and built by Terry Boston, with
the paintwork done by Bill Cline, and in their usual manner,
they produced another masterpiece virtually
overnight. These two are a very rare breed, and I'm
lucky to have them as friends. Having flown
the 40% I hoped that the fight characteristics would carry
themselves into the 35%. They did, I'm very happy to
say! |
When
we set up the radio in it, rather than start from scratch and do a
complete program, I copied the 40% program to another position in the transmitter,
and used it to set up the 35%. It only took a couple of twists on
1 aileron and a little sub-trim adjustments and we were ready to go.
We did a CG check, and checked the weight, which came in at 28lbs. (this
is an unmodified kit weight) and off to the field we
went. The engine (DA-100) was brand new, so I did my
ususal minor tweeks of the carb and fired it up. It was like
it had 50 gallons through it. It is so nice to be able to have an
engine that you don't have to think about. You just fuel, flip,
and fly!
I did my usual throw direction check on the surfaces (I'd recommend
doing this to anybody, as it's so easy to select the wrong plane if you
have multiple ones in the transmitter) and taxied out.
It became airborne before I got to 1/2 throttle, and then I got that
feeling you get every once in a while, when you know you've got hold of
an "animal", and can't wait to get it trimmed out! I put
3 beeps of right aileron trim in it, (that was it!) and made another
pass. It took a few more beeps of trim, and then I realized I took
out the trim that I had just put in. " !@$#$@ Terry,
you did it again" I thought to myself. I'd just like
for him once to make a crooked plane, so I'd have something to harass
him about!! Now keep in mind, this is the exact program that
I use on my 40%.
Next came the fun part. Checking out how it flies. I did
some snaps (vertical and horizontal, rolling circles, and spins.
The plane flies EXACTLY like the 40%!!!! It felt like I had
been flying it for a year. Ok... I GOT
THIS!!! What about some 3D stuff? I
did everything imaginable that I could with it, and it flew and felt
like it was about 15lbs.
What really caught my attention was the waterfalls. I
grabbed some altitude, and did a series of them, and in a sequence of 6,
I estimate that I lost about 25'. Unbelievable!
I started thinking that with a bit of throttle and elevator management,
this could be done at about 15' off the ground without loosing any
altitude! (I'm going to have to work on that!)
With the light weight of the plane, I did notice that using (2) Futaba
9206's on the ailerons, at full deflection, it's a real struggle to keep
up with the roll rate. I did a series of them across the sky and I
found that I couldn't keep up with the elevator. It's really
fast!!! We put to 5050's on the rudder with a pull-pull system,
and the 330 will do Knife-Edge (square) loops without any effort at
all. That's how effective the rudder is, and with the power of the
5050's there is no "blow-back".
In conclusion........ Get on the list for one of these
now, as they're going to be a hot ticket, and like I told Dennis and
Caroline, "You didn't build a big enough shop, for the amount of
these you're going to need to produce!"
I can't wait to get to the field again. This freakin'
thing's a blast!!
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