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 needed to verify the Center of Gravity (CG) limits of his homebuilt four-seater plane, *Melmoth 2*, for carrying four people, especially after a new software (Digital Wind Tunnel) predicted a surprisingly far aft neutral point (60% of MAC) compared to his older calculations (40% of MAC).
- He conducted flight tests using an electronic load cell to measure stick force at varying CG positions, which empirically confirmed the Digital Wind Tunnel's prediction of the neutral point at 60% of the Mean Aerodynamic Chord (MAC).
- This verification proved *Melmoth 2* had a much wider safe aft CG range than initially thought, allowing it to comfortably carry four passengers and significant baggage with a healthy static margin.
- Despite confirming the plane's capacity, practical challenges (e.g., taxiing, trim limitations) and a friend's claustrophobia ultimately prevented the author from taking the planned trip with four people.
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