General CG on the Eflite PT-17

[BCJ]

I have a new PT-17. It's all assembled (yes, there are some tricks you need to know about !) and am now struggling a bit with the CG. Looking at YouTube, everyone seems to say the plane is tail heavy and requires 2 -4 ounces of weight in the nose. Those vids are a couple of years old. My plane seems to be very nose heavy. So my question is this: Does anyone know if Eflite changed things after everyone complained about the tail heaviness a couple of years ago?

What is your experience with balancing a PT-17 purchased in 2020?

 

[RandyDSok]

Set your CG at the balance points shown in the instructions. Then see how it flies to tweak it further.

 

[Tony]

I was going to say the same thing. Since this has a very good user manual for it, set it to 86mm back from the leading edge of the top wing. The CoG according to the manual should only be adjusted about 3mm or so front or back of that location.

Remember, Bi-Planes fly differently and almost always feel tail heavy. If you are worried about it being tail heavy, set the CoG at about 84mm for the first flight.

 

[RandyDSok]

Another reason you go by the balance points at first is that others may build or assemble differently than you by using different parts more or less glue etc. In addition, slight density differences in the construction material ( wood, fiberglass or various foams) can also affect the CG.