Earthstar Forums

Does anyone know if the Gull 2000 needs more weight in the stabilator than the J model? I was just flying
with my buddy and noticed that his stabilator normally sits with the trailing edge down and it seems to have almost no weight in it. Mine seems to have alot.

Mike S

That is affected by the tension on the stabilator line. That has to be
considered. Correct tension is when a 5-lb weight on the back edge will
move the back edge 1/2". That is, of course, with the stick placed in full
back position and locked, and the aircraft at W&B horizontal level. Once
you have that done, then that will tell you if your weight is correct. Mark
generally recommends the weight being enough that the tail end of the
stabilator is "up" at rest.

Hi Alan, I understand what you are talking about. Both our stabs move very freely, and the tension is adjusted correctly. His comes to rest with the tail end down and his J was built by Mark. We both have had our stabs off and mine has alot more weight in it than his. My understanding was all the weight was necessary to keep the stab from fluttering but he has no problem with his. With all that extra weight in mine I have to have alot of extra weight in the nose for proper W & B.

Mike S

I'd contact Mark (Earthstar) and ask him. I don't know if you are the
original owner but if not the previous owner/configuration may have
required more tail weight for W&B. I don't know what the minimum is.

I’m on board with that too. Unless you are the original builder, the plane may have been weight adjust for his weight during the original weight and balance. The stabilator of my Gull 2000 sits with it’s front edge slightly down (more counterweight). When in doubt, ask Mark.

Since I covered my stab with Oratex, saving close to 2 pounds of weight, I
drilled out a lot of the lead in the nose of the stab. Mark wants the stab
to be a little nose-heavy, but not by much.

My eGull is supposed to be an Ultralight, and every ounce counts. If
necessary, I'll move something else around to get into the W&B sweet spot.

Hi Mike
Over the years we have noticed that people were not paying attention to the amount of paint that they put on the horizontal stabilizer. And that adds more weight to the rear most part of the stabilizer. I think that the resin that your friends stab feels like there is no led in it is because there was less led in that year model and that it is older and has more paint.
Some older Earthstar planes need to have led added but the best solution
Is to remove the fabric and paint, thus reducing the weight on the tail and taking ballast out of the nose.
Happy Flying
Mark
Sent from my iPhone

Martin I redid mine on Oratex too so I will have to remove some lead.
MikeS

Hi Mark, Thanks for the reply. I recovered my stab with Oratex so it has no paint on it at all. I guess I can drill out some of the lead and then take some out of the nose.
Is the stab just suppose to be a little nose heavy sitting on the eye bolts where it normally swivels?

Mike S

Hi Mark, Thanks for the reply. I redid my stab in Oratex so there is no paint. It looks like I will need to drill out
some lead. The stab should just be a little nose heavy, correct?
Mike S