Carl Goldberg Senior Falcon ARF

  • ARF purchased on 5-30-2010; assembly completed 6-4-2010
  • New OS 46 AX installed
  • Excellent quality kit; no complaints at all
  • The OS 46 AX is a snug fit, but not particularly difficult to install; had to relieve some nose to allow throttle arm movement full forward and enlarged inner diameter of nose ring by maybe 1/16" 
  • Added 12 ounces of weight in nose to balance; makes sense since the OS 46 AX is probably 10 ounces or more lighter than the old 60 sized engines this was designed around
  • Built as tail dragger with Goldberg glass-filled nylon gear and Sullivan 10+ lb model tail gear; no other modifications; initially tried the Sullivan tail gear for 2-6 lb models; it was clearly too light and was bending to the side slightly just sitting on the bench
  • Plane maiden flight on 6-6-2010
  • Needed 80% of the down elevator trim available and a few clicks of right aileron from the seeming neutral positions from the workbench
  • Low rate elevator was not nearly enough to rotate and establish a decent takeoff angle
  • The pronounced dihedral makes itself felt in stronger crosswinds as you would expect, but easily corrected