Flying a Quicksilver MX Sprint

Hello All,
Some background: I'm a 140 hour Sport Pilot, who has flown the CTLS, Tecnam Eaglet and Aeronca Champ. In May, I received 7 hours of transition training to a Quicksilver Sport 2S and purchased a factory demo of the new QS MX-103 Sprint (http://quicksilveraircraft.com/mx-103.php). I have no problems with take offs, straight flight and landings, including power-off landings. (in fact, I LOVE landing this plane!) But, seem to not have the kind of control I am used to in the other planes I have flown. I have similar issues with the Sport 2S, but they don't feel as excessive.

Basically, I took off in a no wind situation to 277° and leveled off at 300 feet where there was a 6-7 knot wind coming from 290°, according to the current winds aloft predictions. This runway has a right hand pattern requirement, so I started a turn with both aileron and rudder. Well, I thought I was gonna roll over. It was a very small control input. I found myself having to use left aileron to keep it under control. If let up on the right rudder I could not turn. When making left turns (into the 290° wind), I had the opposite problem of having to shove the aileron all the way to the left to get any sort of turn. I added rudder which helped. I was just totally frustrated and a more that a little concerned because obviously I was not doing the right thing.

I get (intellectually) that between the short coupling, huge rudder and push prop blast, that this is a rudder dominant plane. In the Sport 2S, I've actually done rudder only turns. I have not tried that on the MX-103 yet.

Before I go back up, I was wondering if there was any guidance other MX Sprint pilots might provide on performing turns with that plane.
Cheers,
Joe

Maybe your control wouldl be satisfactory if you used lots of rudder and didn't expect too much from the ailerons. Some of the Quicksilvers are known for weakness in the direct roll controls, and are steered almost completely with the rudder.

Converting to rudder control was a little weird for me, but not for lack of response, mainly just because of the side forces.


I fly an ultralight with twice as much wing and half as much engine, steering only with the rudder, so my control response is pretty consistent, but power on and power off are still different. Could these control issues be partly a matter of engine power settings? You have a much higher power to weight ratio you had in the trainer.


I like the new Quicksilver approach of promoting a true ultralight and a two place trainer (though not an ultralight) to support it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Flyboy1956

Before I go back up, I was wondering if there was any guidance other MX Sprint pilots might provide on performing turns with that plane.
Cheers,
Joe

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You probably have figured this out by now but I'll share my experience of 400+ hrs in a Sprint II.

In most airplanes one rolls into the turn with the aileron and coordinates the turn with the rudder. In the Sprint, roll into the turn with the rudder and coordinate it with the aileron. Have had dozens of fellow GA pilots up in my Sprint II. My advice is always "Fly it with your feet".

You'll also find that getting use to flying it with your feet will help you in any kind of turbulence where you might get a wing lifted. You'll be leveling the wings more with your feet than the ailerons. It's a combination of all that dihedral, a pusher prop, that big rudder, p-factor, etc. Very, very rudder dominant. [But a LOT of fun to fly.]

-Buzz