2BFlying

I have flown most of the kit planes, from Ringmasters to Noblers. Some have flaps and some don't. Which is the preferred method for a stunter? I thought the non-flapped planes responded quicker to elevator inputs. I used the same engine on two planes and it seemed like the flapped plane responded slower. Maybe I should have used a larger engine on it. I just wanted some thoughts on this from those of you that have more experience than me on this. Which is best?

cltom

Flaps are always recommended if you want to fly like a stunter. They actually help the plane "groove" and fly maneuvers much smoother, and minimize control input. This may seem contradictory, but a perfectly trimmed stunter has a feeling of being nailed to the end of a long post, and changes in pitch perfectly rotate on that nail. At the same time, flight minus any control input (regardless of attitude) has an "on rails" feeling. Flaps contribute to both of these by forcing the symmetrical airfoil to be a strong participant in the rotation input. They also contribute to the "on rails" feeling by correcting for pitch with small movement at the wings, without a similar effect at the tail. This allows small altitude changes without attitude changes.

There is a balance between flap area vs. tail area, or in angle of deflection ratios between flaps and tail. Typically, full span flaps result in a very smooth flying plane, but can contribute to overall "roundness," even in the square maneuvers. Smaller flaps will corner much tighter, but at the expense of some of the smoothness.

A well-trimmed stunter will feel totally stable while traveling in any direction, but changes in direction have an almost "dial-it-in" quality. It's a singular feeling - emphasis on feeling - that is lacking in some of the more popular forms of model aviation.

As far as your specific comment, the flapped plane may very well have responded slower, but there are a multitude of other things that can affect that as well. You mentioned one - the engine. The same engine will not have the same performance on a different plane. Also, quicker doesn't mean better. I have several combat planes that can turn several loops before a stunt plane does one. Yet, it's almost impossible to get a combat plane to square up without rounding out a loop. It doesn't feel or look as good doing it, either.

Don't get me wrong, I love my combat planes, but it's two different things. To paraphrase another flyer I read recently, "A stunt plane will fy stunt really well" - that includes things like squares, triangles, and hourglasses.