BVM ®2014 50 Printed 9/26/2019
First Flight Profile
Flight Time
The BVM demo model’s transmitter timers are set for 7 min. On the first flight, land several
minutes early to check fuel consumption. Adjust the flight timer accordingly.
Taxi Test/Engine Run Up
A taxi test should include a radio range check with the engine running at various power
levels. Check that the wheel brakes are adequate and the stopping action is without skidding
or pulling left or right. Be sure to shake the aircraft and push fore and aft with the engine at
half power, this will help remove any trapped air bubbles in the fuel system.
Takeoff
Begin the takeoff roll by slowly advancing the throttle. Maintain runway center while holding
about 1/2 stick up elevator; the F-16 will rotate when it is ready. It there is a cross wind, hold
a small amount of aileron into the wind, be prepared with opposite rudder. The aircraft does
not need flaperons, we suggest making your first flights “clean wing”.
Trim
Once in the air, find a nice cruise speed to set the trims. The aircraft should fly straight and
level when “hands off”. When the landing gear come down, a few clicks of up trim will be
needed. This can be mixed in, or use flight modes to trim automatically.
Practice Approaches
Save several minutes at the end of your
first flight to practice approaches and go arounds. It
is beneficial to become familiar with the low speed handing of the aircraft.
Landing
Landing is like most jets, “power on” during the approach. The F-16 does not stall easily, it is
best to land nose high, touching on the main wheels first.
The majority of the first flight should be spent trimming and practicing for the first landing.
Save the aerobatics and air show stuff for later flights.
RX Battery Consumption
The average flight using the lights the entire flight consumes 500 mAh. We recommend two
flights and recharge. Use this data to calculate how many flights you can achieve from your
system. The use of the smoke pump will consume more mAh per flight. 3000 mAh combined
capacity is the minimum BVM recommends.
