Finally had a chance to get this airborne. After a couple unsuccessful one man launches and a couple minor repairs I engaged the services of my oldest grandson (9). He has done many other perfect launches for me so the following isn't due to pilot or launcher error but oversights on the builder.
I laid out the lines, connected and triple checked the controls. Inserted the battery and double checked with the ground crew all protocols for launch. With the handle in my hand, the signal was given to start the motor. All is good and the motor revs to max rpm. The gesture is made to launch and away it goes. No lines tangle in the grass, a perfect release and I watch as the plane begins to roll to the inside of the circle. As speed increases the bend or arc of the planes path lessens as it flies 15 or so feet above my head and begins to descend, still banked to the left. What a thing of beauty, right up to the moment of impact. Kind of a large horizontal figure 9.
So, why so different from the old beat up log I copied??
Torque, as best as I can figure. First of all my prop was a tad heavier than the one I used on the balsa log and second, the battery was mid ship, none of it on the outboard wing like the balsa log. Oh, and tip weight? whats that??
Live an learn and break out the epoxy.