LSA vs Patrol Control Forces

[Craig Van Sickle]

For those that have flown both aircraft; can you comment on how the control surface input/response compares? I remember reading the 2018 article about the South Africa LSA that said something about the elevator requiring a firm grip while taxing on rough ground due to the lack of mass balance. It has me curious about how the two compare in other aspects of control/stick forces.

Thanks
Craig

[jaredyates]

I'm not high-time in either airplane, but have flown both. I found them both to be similarly very light on the controls, though the LSA had more of an overall lightweight feel. Probably not much lighter in terms of pounds of stick force, but lighter in terms of lower stall speed and more graceful floaty buoyancy. It's hard for me to put these kinds of things into words, but I suppose one thing to say would be don't let stick force determine which one to build, because they're too close to make that a factor.

[Mark Goldberg]

Craig - I think that person made that comment about holding the stick back in the LSA while on the ground. With no couterweight in the elevator, the LSA requires MUCH more force to hold the stick back while on the ground. But not in the air. Equally light in the air as a Patrol. Mark

[BTAZ]

Craig - I think that person made that comment about holding the stick back in the LSA while on the ground. With no couterweight in the elevator, the LSA requires MUCH more force to hold the stick back while on the ground. But not in the air. Equally light in the air as a Patrol. Mark

I faintly remember saying something like that(a few years back now) when I first started flying my plans build LSA and Mark is correct, only noticeable when taxiing on the ground.

Once underway, elevator force for my LSA is quite reasonable.

[Craig Van Sickle]

I'm not high-time in either airplane, but have flown both. I found them both to be similarly very light on the controls, though the LSA had more of an overall lightweight feel. Probably not much lighter in terms of pounds of stick force, but lighter in terms of lower stall speed and more graceful floaty buoyancy. It's hard for me to put these kinds of things into words, but I suppose one thing to say would be don't let stick force determine which one to build, because they're too close to make that a factor.

Craig - I think that person made that comment about holding the stick back in the LSA while on the ground. With no couterweight in the elevator, the LSA requires MUCH more force to hold the stick back while on the ground. But not in the air. Equally light in the air as a Patrol. Mark

I faintly remember saying something like that(a few years back now) when I first started flying my plans build LSA and Mark is correct, only noticeable when taxiing on the ground.
Once underway, elevator force for my LSA is quite reasonable.

Thank you guys, really appreciate. My wife Elllie is a pilot with some physical limitations due to an arm injury. That heavy elevator on the ground phrase from the article caught my attention and made me curious. What influenced me towards the LSA was some of her health concerns. I'll get the tail fabricated to get a sense of the elevator feel on the ground. Good to hear the in flight forces are light. We had planned on getting down from AK for a demo flight years back but had to pause for several years to navigate cancer. Will try to come check the LSA out later this year.