Repairs and Reconditioning

#939 Shell Creek Airpark

50 minutes clear skies .... Light breezes

This flight was the first after several modifications.

1) I raised the back of the seat and lowered the front.  I also put 2 inches of memory foam under the seat cover.  I'm trying to reposition my body so that the helmet will not contact with the cross brace (above the motor) and make it easer to reach the wing tip toggles.  

It worked but I'm not sure that it is the final solution.  The new seat position is a few inches forward of where I had it, putting more bend in my legs.  It's not a problem when taxiing but it feels strange when I'm flying.  It has also reduced the size of the seat and its configuration.  Where the original seemed to wrap around me, this one feel likes I'm sitting on top.  I suspect it's more perception than reality because I was just as exposed before this change..... it just feels like I'm, "hanging it out there".  I think that I'm going to try it no pad and with the pad cut into two parts, seat and lumbar.

Never the less.... It worked.  My head was plenty clear of the crossbar and it was easy to reach the toggles.  Its definitely a step in the right direction.

To get a perspective, the back of the seat was touching the air intake pipes behind and below.

2)  I made was a new set of line keepers.  Over the last couple of months I've been having problems with lines being chopped.  In one instance for sure it was an outside wingtip line that was sucked in through the cage.  The other prop strikes ... I saw lines below the keepers as the wing was inflating.  I don't understand how slack lines were getting kicked out.  Even when I took care to position the lines in the keepers, in the same order that they would  leave, lines were being kicked out prematurely.  

The double loop is a bit artsy but the second loop puts a bit more pressure against the lines.  Hopefully this will keep slack outside lines under control until they are tensioned.  Aluminum tape covers the parts of the frame that the lines slide against including below the keeper in case one does go stray. There is electrical tape in the portion that hold the lines prior to inflation, it's  slightly tacky and should protect against lines going slack between the hang-point and the keepers.

3) Belt has been replaced.  It was still serviceable but after 600+ hours, but what the heck?  I didn't think it was slipping much ... I could hear it squeal during take off and climb out occasionally but it never lasted long and the belt was never hot.....  I was wrong.  There is a noticeable increase in thrust and it is certainly quieter.

The flight was great.  I think the new configuration has moved enough weight forward that the front wheel is lower and the thrust line is more horizontal.  I will have to test it but my climb rate seems better and cruise RPM is lower.  This could be a huge improvement in efficiency.  It makes sense that a more horizontal thrust pushes me farther forward under the wing, increasing the angle of attack.  To think all these years I've been doing with a mediocre climb just so I could have my nose wheel a few inches higher.

Back in the Air ... Flight 938

I layed out the Apco and launched.  The new belt is noticeably better.  It might need to be tightened a little more but it is not slipping at all.  When you start the engine there is a noticeable jolt as the prop starts turning.  There was no wind at the surface but I launched into where I thought it was and was rewarded with tremendous climb as soon as I left the surface.  The wind was pulling hard to the left because I had not set the trimmers correctly.  No Excuse....  I noticed that the wingtip steering was not threaded through the loop at the tip.  It still operated fine but it was not cupping the wing in the same way.  The seat needs to be changed.  I'm leaning too far back and my helmet is touching the cage frame.  It's very uncomfortable.

When I got home, I lowered the front of the seat and fixed the wing.  I'm farther forward in this configuration.  My knees are more bent and it might have changed the balance so that the front wheel is lower than I like.  I don't think it is likely to wheelbarrow but I'm going to have be careful.  A nose wheel landing isn't a disaster but it would be tricky.

Bill & Joe's Excellent Adventure Day 5

0200 hours What a night! I was sitting on one of the director chairs trying to read but the seas were so active that my chair I was sliding all over the deck.

At some point I slid over by the starboard wheel and wedged my foot into the helmsman seat to hold position and noticed that there was a strange clicking noise coming from the wheel. The auto helm was working hard to keep the boat on course, it was constantly in motion, turning the wheel 90 degrees and more and while I was watching, it failed. I could hear the electric motor trying but the wheel wasn't moving. I disengaged the clutch and took over to prevent a crash jib.

When Bill came up he knew right away that the problem was the belt drive had failed and the only fix was to tear down the mechanism and replace the belt. He was sure there was a replacement onboard but it took an hour of digging through every locker and lazerette on the port hull to find it. I was hanging upside down with a flashlight in my mouth looking for something I'd never actually seen. Eventually I found it on my second sweep of the lockers. Bill took off the wheel and thirty minutes later we were back in business. Bill stayed on deck and I went below. This time I dreamed one that would have made Federico Fellini proud, featuring George W and the entire cast of the Nutcracker Suite with lots of kids all running around the Governor's mansion. Got to love those trip dreams!

1000 hours It's all good ...Bill and I are listening to the Beatles White Album and I was marveling at our skill repairing in the auto helm after dark in a rocking boat. Bill pulled two watches letting me sleep so I was feeling rested and ready. He suggested we watch the new Star Trek Move and we were just getting into it when the 4th equipment failure happened. Captain Kirk had just ordered up a full salvo of Photon Torpedoes when, CRACK... the main traveler car exploded.

The large triple sheave block went flying to port and we were lucky not to be sitting at the helm or one was could have been injured. Bill jumped up and grabbed the block and secured the main keeping it from getting caught up in the stays.

We first tried to attach the block to the car using 5000 lb. test spectra but it didn't take long to see that the steel straps we tied into were perfect for handling a vertical load but not the horizontal load from the main sail. After rummaging through all the hardware we could find and scratching and thinking, Bill came up with a working fix. There were two heavy duty eyepads used to lift the hull during transport located 12 inches on either side of the traveler track. Using the spinnaker sheet, the old main sheet, and several large single blocks we fashioned a way to trim the main that also served as a vang and preventer when going downwind. It added a couple of steps while tacking but it worked perfectly. Another triumph for the dynamic duo!

While we were working on the rigging a U.S. Coast Guard plane did a fly-bye from the south east, 40 minutes later he returned on the way back to Puerto Rico and hailed us on channel 16. He wanted to know... who we were? ... where we had come from and where we were going? Did we have any firearms on board and what was the reason for our trip? Now we were in the system ... Homeland Security had plugged us into their computer and they had a pretty good idea when we should arrive in Key West.

1900 hours Both of us took long naps during the afternoon. I'm feeling a little beat up with sore muscles but thats a good thing. No Pain No Gain ... Right?

Day #4 Friday #379 #380 #381 #382

Home Sweet Home

It was a beautiful Day, light cloud cover and almost no wind. I got two flights in the morning and two in the afternoon all on the PPS. The 1st mechanical problem of the trip was at the beginning of the third flight when the prop started clipping. I cut power and landed out …very close to the place where I had destroyed the Simonini trike buggy last year. Southern California had received a large amount of rainfall just prior to the event and much of the "beach was a muddy mess…So... it was a real chore to push …pull and fight the Falcon back to solid ground. When I got to the campsite, I was able to determine that the prop was hitting the lower pulley but I couldn’t see how it could flex that far. I started it up and wasn’t able to get it to repeat until I went to 1/2 power. Then the pulley started to drift back on the shaft and I took a few more splinters out of the GSC triple. The prop wan’t flexing the lower pulley was floating on the shaft. Totally bummed, I pushed the Falcon back to the field hoping that Leon Wacker might be able to help me out. Leon scratched his head and went to look for a bolt that might secure the pulley. It wasn’t going to fix the problem but it would have stopped the pulley from flying off. While he did that John Fetz came by and after looking over the situation determined that we needed to bush the shaft with something. I went to get my tool bag and discovered it was not behind the wall where I had left it.

HAD SOMEBODY HAD STOLEN MY TOOL BAG ? !

I looked everywhere around the campsite and resolved that it was gone forever. In total dismay I walked back to the field and announced to John that my bag had been lifted. He smiled at me and said, “Maybe it’s like that camera you lost last year”. Well… after staggering around for a bit, looked at the Falcon and there it was sitting on the seat. This does not speak well for my current frame of mind.
I searched out a pop can and we cut a rectangular strip that would go around the shaft and bush the collar. In twenty minutes John and Ron had repaired my ride. I re-tensioned the belt took it out to the field for a test. It’s all good.

Pulley bites prop

For the next several flights I checked the bolts on the lower pulley and each time, I got slightly less turn. This was also true of the prop bolts. It is also important to check the collar and confirm there is a gap between the pulley and the shaft…this also goes for the GSC hub. Next time I visit Vince I'll ask him to re-secure the pulley using a copper bushing.

(The Falcon has great visibility all the way around)

The 4th flight was wonderful. I revisited the sight of my emergency landing and floated along the beach at 2200 RPM. The PPS was great I could put tremendous pressure on the brakes and float along without fearing a stall. A few minutes later I’d climbed to 100 feet and spotted a patch of beach that looked like the perfect place to do a touch and go. I pulled some brake and dove toward the beach. At 10 feet I added power, eased up the brakes and touched down at full speed. It was a good thing too!...The dry looking surface was only a thin skin covering about 10 inches of goo.

"Not really cardboard" ... MUD FLAP & Custom Mirror

As soon as I touched down black clay was flying everywhere! I silently thanked Terry for the, “Not really cardboard” …mud flap. I’d teased him about it looking “cheap” but the darn thing was doing a yeoman’s job of protecting my instruments and face.

Just as I was beginning to feel myself slow down I mashed the throttle and the Generac 32 h.p. 4 stroke clawed us back into space. I smiled… one slog through the muck was enough for the day. Looking back I could see that the Falcon had touched with all three wheels for probably 30 feet and dug in at least 6 inches. It’s hard to say if I could have pulled out with the 23 horse Briggs & Stratton. Possibly not, another trike pilot with a two stroke had tried the same thing and was not so lucky. I saw him at the water truck washing the mud off his rig.
Back at the LZ I spoke with a fellow triker who commented that I was losing the A's to soon, I agreed and he suggested that I lower the line guides on the cage so that they would be closer to my hands. Later flights proved him right. (I never got your name, but thanks!) I also learned that with a bigger cage it’s important to experiment with different ways to hold the A lines during inflation, Today I learned that I can grasp the lines way past the mallons and then slide back to them as the wing inflates.
That evening I shared a wolf camp dinner of frozen chicken and Italian sausage wrapped in Italian flat bread. (Of course I didn’t eat the chicken!) When we heard the fireworks going off we killed the campfire and wandered down to the beach for the bonfire and prop burning.

Bob Armond leads evening prayer service

Bob Armond was in rare form and it was a joy to watch him in action. With all the passion of a traveling preacher he exorcised the demons of poor judgement from we humble and unworthy pilots. Jim King introduced a gent who had just soloed and everybody cheered his achievement.

The moon was full...The dogs were howling... it was all good.

No fly Day

Today I moved the horizontal brace behind the cage and gained an inch of prop clearance. With the help of a bicycle frame bender ( thanks Richard ) it fit.

Tachometers and Rain

Summer ended and the next day it seemed like winter. For the last three or four days the highs have been in the 40s with 7 inches of snow in Evergreen. I hope this isn't an indicator of a cold fall and even colder winter.

Tachometer
I've been having trouble with the SenDec Max Tack ever since I remounted it on the forward tube next to my GPS. It would read half or two thirds of what I knew the motor to be turning. After trying three different gauges of wire and getting bad advise from the manufacturer, I stopped at the local hardware store where a good ol boy listened to my problem. He suggested that I use a heaver gauge of wire and try to avoid running it anywhere near a ground source. Bingo! It's reading true and the heaver gauge of wire is mounting in the receiver on the tach more snugly.

The last thing is get the thrust up. Chad is bringing a set of 62 inch IVO's and a set of GSC's for me to try at the Monument Valley Gathering.

#358 Chatfield Marek breaks a Prop

This was an interesting flight. I didn't plan on flying tonight but I glad I did. The air was smooth and the breeze was light. Marek and I flew south over the open fields. We are both a little wary of the massive group of high Power lines and got plenty high to cross the 5 sets of parallel wires. It was similar to this morning with Greg. I stayed high and shadowed the pilot down low. Both Marek and Greg are pleasure to watch Greg with great wing control.

I moved the hang point rings to a horizontal position attempting to lesson the friction on the trim tab. No Joy...the problem is in the webbing that acts as a back-up in case the ring brakes loose from the bullet bar. I've replaced the heavy webbing with a slightly lighter and longer one which will hang loose over the risers and hopefully I'll be able to use the trim tabs. If I end up hanging from the reserve or the H.P. ring brakes, the hangpoint will spread about two inches but I don't think it will adversely affect how the buggy hangs or the how wing flys. The next flight will tell allot.

The wing came up crooked again but, like yesterday, it stabilized quickly. I think I'm not lining up square with the wind. I did notice that when I went from idle to full power the front wheel would dip about 6 inches and return to about 3 inches below the starting position. I expect that it will be even more pronounced when I am able to use the trimmers. I'll move the H.P. Rings forward 3/8ths and see if It helps with the wheelbarrow effect.

The incident of the evening came as we were returning to the field. Marek's hero camera came off it's mount on top of the cage and went through the prop. He landed without issues in the LZ but was a long walk from the car. I knew something was wrong so I landed by the truck and walked out to meet him. We wandered around the field finding parts of the prop and eventually found the camera. Up on top is probably a good position for the camera but the vibration was working the mounting bolts loose...some lock tight would help if it does not have to be changed after every flight. I hope Marek got video all the way back to earth but I'm betting it stopped when it got whacked by the prop.

Pre-Flight

Changed wire on Tach with smaller ga. It seems to be reading much faster and more accurately

Question for Terry
Motor is mounted to the frame with two bolts. There are two other spaces available, is this as you want it?.

IVO Prop is "flexing" about 1 1/2" at Idle. Chad has used a GSC (?) adjustable and likes it.
Terry is looking into the Warp Drive Prop. Maybe at MV I'll get the chance to try a different prop.

Tightened up the Reserve Harness. it was getting sloppy.

No fly day

There have been a few "No Fly Days" lately.

Last Wednesday at Simms when we stood around and watched the grass blow and today when I discovered that two of the trike tires were flat. I picked up some new tubes and after much cussing and found that bicycle tire irons were not going to work getting the tires mounted. So... I stopped at the local tire shop and they were more than happy to do it for 6 bucks a wheel. The tech over inflated them but that was no problem, I'd set the tire pressure when I put them on the trike. Later that afternoon at work we heard a loud bang and one of the guys in the shop saw a black saucer shaped object fly past the second floor window. I'd left the tires stacked in the bed of the truck. Apparently they were inflated correctly for the tire (60lbs.) but the wheels were only rated to 2 bars (about 28 LBS.) The bottom tire had blown after heating up in the truck, and when the bead broke it threw the wheel on top across the parking lot.

Luckily, nobody was injured but I had to go back to little wheels where I learned how to mount my own tires. It's not tools...it's leverage and technique

Strobes and Throttle Leash

The SCUBA style Throttle leash has broken twice...So... New Low Tech Bungee Leash

Fore and Aft Strobes

274 Simms

This was the first morning flight of the season

I left the buggy on the truck last night and so it was easy to hop out of bed and get out to the field. Conditions were great, a light breeze out of the SSW and 45 degrees. Takeoff was noticeably easier with the higher density air. To help the buggy get started I laid the ramps under the back wheels and it worked just fine. I climbed 1500 AGL and did a little exploring.

The only glitch was that the throttle cable tip got caught behind the idle stop and I had to force the lever back to get it to idle. This was fixed by putting a cord stop on the end of the throttle cable...no problem!

Rigging the Reserve Harness

After much fussing and fretting this is the way I have rigged the Reserve Harness

The bridal is on a seperate attachment aft of where the riser's straps attach to the buggy. They run through the saftey straps below the "hang point loops" and on top and outside of anything that could foul during deployment. I selected the right side because I fly with the throttle in the left hand. It will not help with any torque issues but I don't think torque is to much of a problem with the thumper 4 stroke.

Dialing in the Thumper

This evening I worked on getting to know the machine and making it more pilot friendly.

First I set up the foot steering with all new webbing.

Then I remounted the tach at a better angle so that I'll be better able to read it in flight.

Then I lowered the back pad so that I can look over my shoulder. It might be too noisy but it feels good and the additional visibility is great!

Last I mounted another mirror in the crook where the bullet bars come together so that I'll be able to see the wing during the first seconds of inflation. I'm hoping this will be a temporary training device and I won't need it.

No Fly Day...

65 degrees

light and variable turning strong from west

Got to the field by 3. Driving North on C 470 I saw moderately strong air coming from the East by North East. At the Hampden & Simms is was manageable but I soon noticed that it was swinging on a huge ack from south to East To North and back again.

I was a little skittish especially since I had guess that the prevailing wind would be from the East.

There were a couple of spectators watching when I set up to launch and reported that the wind shifted from the west just before I started the motor. The wing came up crooked and collapsed quickly. It's probably a good thing I decided to about. It continued to build and when i unhooked and kited the wing... it was strong and twitchy. Both tips collapsed in a sort of complicated pattern. It looked like it was going to continue building and I wanted no part of a spring air that was being filtered by the Rockies.

Mechanical I'm not sure that using shock cord for the A Assists is the best answer. I suspect that I didn't get the tension equal and it was part of the reason for the bad inflation. Next time hook em up but still get on the A's with your hands!

Cage Netting

Critics

During the Salton Sea and at the Flying Circus there were plenty of opportunities to stand around the Thumper Bullet and critique the design.Whenever the topic of cage netting came up I was surprised when the first thing said was, "Your going to lose thrust!" or "Its a trike you don't need it." These comments came from respected pilots.So...How much thrust can it lose?Especially when your not as concerned about keeping hands out of the prop as that rare time when the wing does the unexpected and a line falls near the prop.The thumper cage is new and twice pilots hooked a line at the Salton Sea. PLUS...a four stroke doesn't shut down as fast as a two stroke so there are going to be a couple of revolutions after you hit the kill switch.

You don't need much...

I'm not talking about some of the "hammock netting" I saw stretched over the cages of brand new quads.I've posted pictures of a minimal net meant to protect from Line Strike. Zip ties make it easy to get the lines tight as a tennis racket and 300 pound deep sea braid is thin and easy to tie.

Redundant Zip Ties

( one under tension)

Tweaking the Thumper

A assist with rope ratchet


--- On Wed, 2/18/09, jo3jo2003 wrote:

Terry Chad,
I've been dialing in the "Colorado Bullet Thumper 4stroke".Epoxy Gel and a new longer split fuel hose anchored the motor end of the throttle cable. It was moving around and preventing a true idle.The engine is max at 3800RPMidle at 1800RPMI can probably Pitch the IVOs more...BUT?Chad...how far can you pitch the IVO blades and how do you know when to stop?Can you "over warp" them and damage the system?Maybe I should learn how to measure the pitch just for the "pure research" as you put it Terry.I was glad to read about "belt Flop" on the slack side of the drive system. I've noticed some flop and wanted to ask how to determine correct belt tension. If I understood you right what I'm seeing is about normal.Last...Terry ....what do you think? The local Briggs & Stratton guys say I can install the high altitude carb kit in 15 minutes or less. I'm going to be launching from 8200+ MSL a few times this summer and the rest of the time will be at 5300 MSL. I'm thinking that it might be a good if I used Hi Alt jets here in Denver and the mountains and switched to the stock jets for the coastal stuff. These guys are willing to show me how to install and adjust them for the price of the labor Don't worry....Before I start changing anything I'll see how it does at the home field. But I wanted to run it by you.It's just too damn cold and the best I can do is tweak the machine.
JoeO

Hi Joe, I was thinking of you today.

I think 3800rpm is fine.

Belt 'flop' on the slack side is normal, but I find it's best not to watch it;); BTW, I have never lost a belt or even had the belt jump a groove. Belt tension is not something you need to worry too much about..tension it about like you would your underhood car belt. If the belt 'flops too much to suit you, tighten it a little more, you won't hurt anything (however it's probably just fine right where it's set now)

I don't know about hi elevation carb kit, but I am curious about it..I wonder what the kit includes? Smaller jets? Different air filter?
One thing that might help is to remove all the filters from the intake shell. Please let me know what you learn about the kit.

It's cold here too; I delivered a new unit to Indianapolis on Sunday and I demo'd it for the buyer; a 5 minute flight was plenty for me.

Terry

#233 #234 #235 Marana AZ

Three Flights ...Two blown..Forgot to disengage the choke.

Strike one... I was feeling pretty good about things. The motor was starting on the first pull and I was so busy patting myself on the back that I missed the fact that I was having a hard time getting up to 6000 RPM and I also missed the way it was stuttering when I backed off the throttle. It speaks well for the bing that I could have the choke on and fly so well.

Two of the five attempted launches were aborted the first because the wing overshot and even though I was using brake and rolling forward ...it would not load up. Maybe if I shortened the brake lines a bit I would have a little better control during the launch.

** NEXT FLIGHT **SEE HOW MUCH SLACK THERE IS IN THE BRAKES AT FULL TRIM AND TRIMMERS OUT. See how much pull will bring the brake lines to the point of moving the trailing edge.

The next abort was because the wing came up crooked after I had aborted stopped and brought the down it tried to pull me over in a slow roll. **NEXT TIME***TAKE A WRAP ON ONE BRAKE LINE AND HAUL IT IN.

The good launches were a mixed bag, during the highest wind I was pleased that I was able to take my time and kite the wing and taxi for awhile before I committed to the launch. The other two were not noteworthy.

All of the landings were the same, I killed the motor and flared late to bleed off speed. Nice soft touchdowns every time. It's nice to know that I'm finally getting a little of that muscle memory that Brian Smith used to talk about. :)

The wheeley casters work great, but I'm going to have to practice with the trimmers at different positions because at full out the wing comes up too fast to give the buggy time to start tipping.

Tucson #230 #231 Wheeley Casters

The left side is lifting sooner than the right

Marana LZ
Higher winds gave me the excuse to try out the wheeley casters. I put the trimmers out and the wing came up quickly without pulling me back. It probably also helped that the surface was hard and smooth. One thing I noticed from viewing the video was that the left wheel lifted before the front.. I never felt like I was in danger of rolling but it is something to be aware of and possibly corrected before launching with the trimmers out. At the least I should hang the tool bag back on the left side. So while I wasn't able to see how the casters worked on launch I did get the impression that they were touching during the run out. On landing I felt them again but no problem.

First flight was about 30 minutes, I stayed in the general vicinity of the LZ and tried to get the feel of the area. Mostly farm flying but to the west there is a river that goes north. Scott Nicoles took that route and I wish I had gone with him. I was not able to be there when he returned because Mike Levine and I had to get back for dinner with the whole family.

The second flight was a quickie, I had to abort the first launch because the left brake line was twisted and I could feel the pulley wasn't rolling free....landing was sweet with the motor off...I flared at the last second and bled off the energy at just a couple of inches AGL.

#229 Rowdy Air Shortens Flight Simms

Salton Sea campsight 2007

Two days ago it snowed leaving 4 inches on the grass....but...

this afternoon looked beautiful. Even if the field was going little wet I thought it worth going out there to see if I had a shot at flying. I arrived at 3 (1 1/2 hours before sunset). Set-up and launched quickly.


The 3 inches of wet snow slowed the taxi and from the nice way the wing came up and settled overhead ...It got me thinking that I'm a little heavy on the throttle and should practice short bursts of power to keep the speed down before committing to take-off.


Within seconds of leaving the ground I flew into some very powerful lift. and it was also clear that there was a strong breeze just above the surface. I decided to get down immediately, the only problem was that if I was going to land upwind and still be by the truck I would have to do some tricky flying. What I would have to do is fly clockwise around the trees and turn for final with enough room to avoid the wires. With all the bumps and mixing air I opted to come in fast and land downwind. There was almost no wind at the surface and even though I was technically downwind I was able to keep the wing up and taxi for over 150 feet back to the truck. Good thing too because the mud was sticky thick and I was wearing 2 inches of mud on the bottom of my boots by the time I loaded the rig back into the truck.


I think if I'd waited 30 minutes longer to launch it would have been allot better. I thought about it but decided not to because of the mud. I also wish I had launched a pilot balloon... even after landing it would have been instructive. I hope to remember this the next time the opportunity presents itself.


Before leaving the house I did change the jet to 155 and the motor started better and was more responsive. It even sounded better...deeper...more throaty.

#228 Simms

I'm thinking that the motor is running lean.

Still hard to start...

Didn't burn much gas...

Throttle is not as responsive ...

it's not lagging just seems a little slow...

I've been flying a 150 jet all through the summer and fall at this altitude and higher...

The air is a little cooler but not as cool a it was this spring (during the AM flights). I'll change to the 155 if I fly again before leaving to Tucson.

Nice flight ,Nill wind on the surface but mixing at 600 feet. Tracy the RC pilot who is considering getting into PPG was at the field. He took some shots and I hope he has something good enough that he will send me a copy. I pretty much stayed over the field and practiced a few touch and go s. I really like flying the 24 m it comes up easier and because it is loaded heaver its firm and seems more stable I going to consider selling the 26 m and trading for a 24. Marek wanted to have me try the velvet 23 but I declined. Chicken I guess. But I really should see how the smaller wing feels.