Friends,
I want to say, "thank you" for all of the very helpful contacts I have received as a result of my pitch trim problem on first flight.  I have been involved with homebuilt airplanes for 25 years but I have never received responses of such high quality from any other group.  Some of you even went to the trouble of finding my phone number and calling me.

I wanted to let you know some additional information that I have learned.  First of all, the airplane is a 235 airframe with top hinged flaps and small tail.  The airplane has a O-320 and hartzell prop.  The airplane was modified by one of the builders by eliminating the spring trim system and replacing it with a tab cut out of the left elevator.  The tab is driven by a mac servo installed in the elevator.  Some of you have asked the dimensions of the tab.  The tab is 3 inches deep at the root end, 2 inches deep at the  tip end and it is 18 3/4" in length.

We reweighed the airplane yesterday and recomputed the CG.  I appears that the airplane is in the center of the envelope in the condition it was during the flight.

To review the problem that we had, the airplane had sufficient elevator power to rotate and fly level but it required a significant nose-up pull on the stick throughout the flight.

Now, the bad news.  We measured, figured and refigured.  As near as I can tell, the stab is installed on the airplane with about 1 1/2 degrees nose up incidence.  According to the manual, it should be 1/2 degree nose down inicidence.  I think this explains the problem that we had.  Cutting the tail off the airplane and redoing it is the obvious solution but will probably have to wait until spring.

Any other ideas?

Rick Pellicciotti, Chief Pilot
Belle Aire Aviation
Aerial Sightseeing / Biplane Rides
http://www.belleaireaviation.com