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CT-2K characteristics


sandpiper

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An acquaintance has acquired a CT-2K and he wants me to check him out in it which I am inclined to do.

Having never flown a 2K I thought I would ask those who own one, or have experience in one, to point out how it handles differently compared to the rest of the CT family.

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Mike,

Thank you for the link. It will be a while before I can share thoughts on comparison. The plane is not flyable at this point. It needs a parachute repack and rocket plus a hose change as a minimum. Then, when his mechanic has it ready, it needs an airworthiness certificate. I have talked with the DAR who I know very well and he says it shouldn't be a problem.

Apparently this plane was imported from somewhere in the EU, was registered but never got the certificate. It may have never had an annual since arrival here 7 years ago. New owner got a very good deal on it or so I have heard.

Maybe I should have run, not walked, away from this?:tut_tut-3315:

Edited by sandpiper
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Josh,

 

From what I noticed with my CT2k, there are a few differences. The major one to me was the touchdown, not the landing, the touchdown precisely. You handle your plane just over the ground and all works fine, but the touchdown moment can be a bit "virile". Indeed, it behaves as if it collapses those remaining few centimeters all of the sudden. I tried several ways to deal with this behavior until I got an exchange with Marc Benoit from Burgundy, Fr (Marc is a member of this forum) and he tipped me with the way he does it and it worked wonders. You may want to drop Marc a quick message, he has a very clever description of how to succeed a soft touchdown with CT2k.

 

Other differences may be imperceptible or are really very minor. One of them is the feel of thermals when they raise but we are not there yet given the moment of the year.

When I got mine second hand, it was not equipped with a chute and I flew it for a while as it was.

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22 hours ago, CT2K said:

Josh,

 

From what I noticed with my CT2k, there are a few differences. The major one to me was the touchdown, not the landing, the touchdown precisely. You handle your plane just over the ground and all works fine, but the touchdown moment can be a bit "virile". Indeed, it behaves as if it collapses those remaining few centimeters all of the sudden.

That does not sound too different form a CTSW, depending the landing technique applied.  I did quite a few "virile" landings in my CTSW until I figured it out.

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  • 4 months later...

I started training this person last week. We have two flights so far, 1.7 hours and 1.3 hours. I think I blew it with the longer flight. Even the second, 1.3 hour, flight pushed him to the point that his deterioration was obvious. I fly with him again in the morning and will try to keep it at about 1.0 hours. At the end of the first flight he was ready to sell the plane. I felt bad about that because I should have known better than to allow that lenght of 1st flight. He hasn't flown much lately, has never been in a CT and has mostly been a Cherokee person. The second flight went way better and he no longer wants to sell.

About my first time CT2k take aways. It likes to float and is way more rudder sensitive than my CTSW. During the first flight my student frequently had the ball centered but only briefly as it sped to the far stop then back again!:bad_day-3329:    If all goes well, during the first part of tomorrows flight, I will introduce flaps 30 for landing. So far I have stuck to flaps 15.

 

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Hey John,

Thanks for your take always. I haven't flown a SW to compare to my 2k, which makes your comments most interesting.

More float is not surprising. That's to be expected with a longer wing in ground effect. In fact, I heard that is specifically the issue the short wing was designed to address.

But the more sensitive rudder is surprising. I don't think my boom is longer or rudder itself larger. I would have expected the increased rotational inertia around the yaw axis, due to the longer wing, would deaden the rudder response a bit, though the delayed reaction could lead to pilot induced oscillations such as you described.

What about holding the nose off? was that any different than with the SW?

Mike Koerner

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I didn't notice much difference holding the nose off. I would have to spend some time with it by myself. Right now I am letting him do most of the flying.

Monday we flew 1.0 hours and I introduced flaps 30 to him. He didn't have a problem with that. He's starting to settle down and doing surprisingly well not having flown for 8 years. I think it may be easier to land smoother more consistently than the SW. Those longer wings I'm sure.

As for rudder, part of my perception might just be him over controlling, working himself to death, then tiring himself out more quickly. Doesn't help that constant right aileron pressure is required. He is having his mechanic look at the rigging before our next flight on Thursday. I guess some 2k's have 3 axis trim. This one doesn't.

And, as with most new CT pilots he is having trouble keeping the nose straight on landing.

Given the 2 bladed prop, and way less empty weight than my SW, it sure is a spirited little puppy!

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