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Besides, you should always be able to land safely in case of engine malfunction, so it’s better not to take unnecessary risk and always
fly with a safe margin of speed and height
Depending on the power unit geometry, it is possible that after take-off you will notice a propeller torque (known as P-factor), which may
induce a turn, which increases with the amount of power, this can be countered with steering, and asymmetric trimmer settings.
When climbing steeply with closed trimmers and high power, beware of the possibility of stall – avoid using deep brakes in this attitude.
Due to considerable vertical distance between thrust axis and wing chord - the range of safe power operation is closely connected to
your skills and equipment.
Power-unit induced oscillations
:
Certain configurations of engine weight, output and propeller diameter can cause roll oscillations, during which the pilot is being lifted to
one side by the torque effect, swings down due to his weight, and then is lifted again and so on.
To avoid this, you can:
•
Change the amount of throttle,
•
Adjust the cross bracing to counteract the torque (if present),
•
Shift yourself to the other side of the harness and/or
•
Change the trimmer setting.
The best method is to apply some weight-shift.
Such oscillations usually occur at high power - the greater the engine output and propeller diameter, the bigger the swings.
In
addition, pilot reactions can often be wrong or come too late, increasing
the problem instead of solving it.
In this case the safest way to deal with this question is to close the throttle and release the brakes.
Less-experienced pilots especially tend to overreact.
This is called a pilot-induced oscillation, and
the
proven solution is to
leave the brakes alone
.
LEVEL FLIGHT
If you have a vario meter or altimeter – check it regularly.
In level flight it is very easy to start climbing unintentionally.
The
instrument
will help you optimize speed and fuel economy.
Every flight is affected by the configuration of your gear, but due to F3's ability to fly safely without constant piloting, it will let you adjust
everything to the best effect.
Good knowledge of weather conditions (e.g. wind at different altitudes) and knowledgeable use of thermals, convergence or other kinds
of lift will help you greatly reduce fuel consumption and increase flight range.
Do not hesitate to thermal with the F3 in order to win some altitude and spare fuel - you will be surprised how efficient it is.
Closing the trimmers will make the climb ratio even better.
