Imprecise snaps?

[Eury]

Maybe someone could help me out. I've got 2 planes, an 80" Cap 232 and a 65" Ultimate. The Cap snaps beautifully (duh, it's a Cap), starts and stops instantly, and rotates very fast and holds the heading, the Ultimate kind of wallows, over rotates, and the nose always ends up off the entry heading by 20 degrees or so.

What can be done to improve it? I know it's not the Ultimate design, as my previous 60" Ultimates snapped perfectly, and I'm using the same technique with all of them. Is it a function of the CG? I've got the Cap and my previous Ultimates set up with a forward CG for more precise flying, while this Ultimate is set up for 3d, with teh CG back to where upright or inverted, the trim is almost the same.

Any suggestions? I'm going to try moving my ignition battery forward on the Ulti tonight and fly it tomorrow.

[Biff]

You might try using very little rudder. The Double Vision snaps much more cleanly with just a touch of rudder if any. I've not flown the Ultimate you are talking about, but biplanes can be touchy about rudder. Got that advice from Chip. He has more Ultimate time than anyone on the planet! Let us know how that works.

[Eury]

I'll give it a shot before I start moving the CG. Thanks for the advice.

[Biff]

You bet. Hope it helps. I would try a snap with no rudder at all. Not going to score well at a contest, but if it makes you look good at the field, run with it!

[Mithrandir]

I had a big 42% Ulti.. I could get 2 snaps on a vertical if I cheated... pretty standard cheat actually... you can actually see a lot of pilots do this....

Say you wanna do 2 snaps on a vertical...
pull to vertical, establish the vertical line, then very quickly, bang the up elevator so that the nose CLEARLY departs from the flight path and then simultaneously, neutralize the elevator and go to right (or left) rudder and aileron.
The full size guys (especially Pitts drivers) try to figure out all kinds of ways to minimize the energy lost thru snaps... If the snap is still sloppy, try a lower rate rudder.
Try this... do a normal spin... and just transition from up elevator to center to down elevator... chances are... the spin will speed up.....
Point is... the elevator can efectively be used to control spin/snap rates.
(I have heard that the full size guys will actually get'r started with a pull... but once departed... will go to down elevator... for an inside/positive snap)

Hope this helps!

[Eury]

That was it, I was getting it too deep in the snap. Coming off the rudder almost immediately
when it departs makes it snap nice and crisp.

[Biff]

Sweet! Glad it helped.