I recently purchased an RV-12iS E-LSA from the builder and am having difficulty keeping straight when taxiing or taking off. Most of the time, but not always, the airplane pulls to the left. I have ensured both main tires are at the same proper air inflation and all three tires look good. Nothing seems out of kilter from eyeing it. The problem doesn't manifest itself nearly as much when landing.
I've flown a couple of different RV-12s and have not had this problem; all I'd have to do to turn or keep straight is to tap the appropriate brake. However, on my airplane I have to at times "ride" the brake. It's especially egregious during takeoff, and is a bit unnerving. If I don't have the airplane perfectly straight when going to full power, I will invariably have to overuse the brake, usually the right side, to keep it straight.
It's hard to get this behavior consistently, though. At times, it pulls to the left instead. At other times, it seems to be perfectly fine going straight only; when turning though, it will usually start all over again pulling to one side or the other when trying to straighten out.
One other data point is that to make it stop pulling to one side and straighten out while taxiing, if I press fairly hard on the appropriate brake, it will overcompensate (as expected) then I can use the other brake to feather it back straight.
What should I be looking for to troubleshoot this issue? I'm not exactly sure where to start just yet so thought I'd ask before randomly, and likely inefficiently, jumping in. Thanks for getting through this rather wordy post!
I've flown a couple of different RV-12s and have not had this problem; all I'd have to do to turn or keep straight is to tap the appropriate brake. However, on my airplane I have to at times "ride" the brake. It's especially egregious during takeoff, and is a bit unnerving. If I don't have the airplane perfectly straight when going to full power, I will invariably have to overuse the brake, usually the right side, to keep it straight.
It's hard to get this behavior consistently, though. At times, it pulls to the left instead. At other times, it seems to be perfectly fine going straight only; when turning though, it will usually start all over again pulling to one side or the other when trying to straighten out.
One other data point is that to make it stop pulling to one side and straighten out while taxiing, if I press fairly hard on the appropriate brake, it will overcompensate (as expected) then I can use the other brake to feather it back straight.
What should I be looking for to troubleshoot this issue? I'm not exactly sure where to start just yet so thought I'd ask before randomly, and likely inefficiently, jumping in. Thanks for getting through this rather wordy post!