...a most alarming propensity to climb
The modest success of the initial flight of the Phoenix 2000 was followed by a brief flight, ending sadly in an abrupt near-vertical collision with the sports oval. Why? Well, it turns out the Phoenix, with its conventional propellor-in-front layout has a very (and I mean very) high climb rate when the power exceeds a modest threshold. With the first flight having followed a very flat circuit of the field, I had thought a little more power would provide a more comfortably elevated flight path. Wrong.
With more than a whiff of throttle, the Phoenix rises like a veritable Saturn rocket. On video clips this seems behaviour seems most impressive however, for a novice's second flight, having a large aircraft suddenly head for the heavens is absolutely alarming. One doesn't know exactly what will happen - will it suddenly stall and crash onto the lady with the maltese poodle, or will it suffer incipient spin and veer off into the clubhouse?
Without an answer to either of these questions, the safest option is to cut power. Unfortunately, the response from the moderately-heavy Phoenix to a sudden loss of power is ugly. A sudden stall followed by an inelegant descent nose-first into the turf. Not cool...
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