Here's some information from John on his Sky Scout and how it flies:

"...the prop is actually a 72X40. I started off with a 72X42 and it was too much pitch. The pitch along with the thicker profile of the wood prop makes for a lot of load for the A65. A metal prop would probably be a better choice but it wouldn't look as good as the semi scimitar profile. The clearance is actually about 9 inches. The only problem with that is that if you get it up on the mains while very slow, you have a lot of weight in front of the wheels and you risk dropping it on the nose. However, since the CG is just barely forward of aft limits, and with current location of mains, it is not easy to get it up on the mains unless you have some speed or a lot of power. With this much weight out in front, it is not a plane to be playing around with raising the tail unless moving pretty good.

"The engine downthrust is there but also a little bit of optical illusion too. The cowling tapers down from the firewall bulkhead and makes it look more drastic. I feel it could probably use a very little less downthrust and would raise cruising speed some but I have decided not to change it unless I find a problem with the mount someday.

"Forget about needing some dihedral. There is enough weight below the center line that it just hangs there on the cabanes in a very stable manner. 'Pietey' demands attention throughout takeoff and landing, especially during turns in departure. It is not a plane to be messing around with in tight turns without having the nose pointed down or at least level.

"Gap seals made a very significant improvement in aileron authority. Vertical stabilizer is offset but a little too far as I had to add a rudder trim tab to trim. I may make new vert stab hardware someday to eliminate the tab but not a priority. The elevator has a trim tab with control but it is not really needed much in the single place Skyscout. The enlarged rudder spar, and tail wheel makes the tail a little heavy. The engine could be a couple of inches further out but I don't think I would like the looks that way. As a result of the tail heavy configuration, there is 12 pounds of lead on the motor mount, and the wing is back 6 inches to get the CG acceptable.

"The best part is that it is a hands off flyer after reaching altitude. I have flown 20 miles before without touching the stick and only occasionally a touch of rudder to raise a wing and keep things in order. The best advice I can give is to not fight it in turbulence; just ride with it and if a dropped wing doesn't come back within a fraction of a second, then pick the wing up with a touch of rudder or a small aileron tickle. I very seldom have to make major aileron inputs. Turning is a bank and climb to balance the vertical and horizontal lift affair. Much easier than trying to play with maintaining coordination throughout the turn. I think added dihedral would upset the feel of the Piet."