Bug HLG

Awesome! Background: I added 5 inches total to the wingspan (two extra #3 ribs) and kept the old dihedral angle. I created a Taboo like tail setup and used heavier wire to eliminate all but 1/32" of slop. My vertical and horizontal are approximately 50% control surface and 50% stabilizer. A 1/8" boom at 13.5 inches long drives the CG aft, necessitating two nickels of nose weight. After working out the launch preset (right rudder and down elevator), I started using full discus launches using my wing peg. Immediately, I noticed launches are equivilently high to college baseball field light poles (80 ft?). Working on the preset a little, a few launches were higher. Granted, it was 5:30pm and the sun was almost set, I caught a thermal without meaning to, stuck with it, and pulled off a two minute flight. A few other flights were over 1:30. My dead air times are around 45 seconds, around 1:00 with a good launch. Control is good. The rudder doesn't bank the plane like my old Bug (also a whopping 6" dihedral), but it is sufficient. Rudder authority is not a problem with low winds, however. A few small wind gusts did give my rudder trouble, but a touch of down and rudder banked the plane without a problem. Elevator is more than plenty. Perhaps too much elevator even - I did four consecutive loops off of a shallow dive. I was expiromenting with thermal circling when my radio battery died. I had been programming in the mixes for so long while building that my battery ran down. My verdict is an emphatic "Try the extended wing!" The ex-Bug may not be mosquito class legal, but launches with $400 composite DHLG height with a much nicer price tag. I will post pictures this evening when I have access to a camera. Dan PS I have a feeling that a launch preset should be right rudder and up elevator. Is my CG too far aft? With no preset, the plane climbs and rolls to the left. Thanks for the feedback.