Four of us were invited to a friend’s house in Northern California, a 10-hour drive from Los Angeles. “Could we all go up in your plane?” Carl asked. Two hours and 15 minutes sounded a lot better.
I had to say no.
In Search of the Neutral Point
Key Takeaways:
- The author investigated the safe Center of Gravity (CG) limits for his four-seater homebuilt aircraft, Melmoth 2, to determine if it could carry a full load, encountering conflicting theoretical calculations for its neutral point.
- He conducted experimental flight tests using a loaned electronic load cell to measure stick forces at varying ballast loads and speeds, aiming to empirically determine the aircraft's neutral point.
- The flight tests surprisingly confirmed the advanced software's calculation, placing the neutral point at an unusually far aft 60% of the Mean Aerodynamic Chord (MAC), allowing the author to establish a safe aft CG limit for carrying four passengers and baggage.
- Despite successfully proving the plane's capability, minor practical issues like trim limitations arose, and ironically, his partner's claustrophobia ultimately prevented the original plan of flying four people.
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