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take your Super Decathlon up for the first time and
make sure it performs correctly, then give you
valuable flight instruction. He can hand you the
transmitter when the Super Decathlon has climbed
to a safe altitude or connect your transmitter to his
if both of your systems have a trainer cord or
“buddy box” capability. Assistance from an
experienced modeler will make your modeling
“career” progress faster (and cheaper).
FLIGHT
TAKEOFF
First flight attempts should be reserved for calm
days when the wind speed is less than five mph.
Always takeoff (and land) into the wind. Check the
operation of all controls just before takeoff. This will
eliminate the possibility of overlooking reversed or
disconnected controls (it happens).
As you apply power on takeoff, you will need to
apply a slight amount of right rudder to compensate
for engine torque and propeller “P” effect. The tail will
rise almost immediately, indicating that the tail
surfaces have gained effectiveness. Allow the model
to continue to accelerate until it has reached flying
speed. Use as much of the available runway as you
can. Then, gently apply some up elevator. Your
Super Decathlon should slowly lift from the runway.
Continue straight ahead until you have accelerated
to a safe flying speed.
FLYING
As an aerobatic trainer, the full-scale Decathlon is
used to teach takeoffs, landings, turns, stalls,
spins and gentle aerobatics. Being relatively low-
powered, it does not have a high rate of climb and
has poor vertical performance. To gain speed for a
loop, it is necessary to dive for a brief period.
Barrel rolls are slow, teaching rudder/elevator
coordination. While the Super Decathlon is a more
powerful and advanced model, it still has most of
the same basic flying characteristics. Your Dynaflite
Super Decathlon faithfully duplicates these same
characteristics.
To fly your Super Decathlon in a scale-like manner,
you should work on coordinating your turns by
using a little rudder in addition to the ailerons. You
can do this manually or use a computer radio to
mix-in some rudder with ailerons.
LANDING
Before attempting your first landing you should first
try some slow flight and stalls at higher altitudes to
become familiar with the Super Decathlon's slow
speed characteristics. You will probably find the
model slows down quicker and requires more
power than you are used to. Remember that
aircraft of the Super Decathlon's era had high drag
and limited low speed control effectiveness,
especially for the ailerons. The rudder is very
effective, however. Continue to carry approximately
1/4 power and speed until you initiate the flare,
then reduce power and allow the model to gently
settle to the ground. If you must go around, add
power and accelerate straight ahead. Do not
attempt to climb or turn until you have accelerated
to a safe flying speed.
We hope you enjoy the realistic looks and
performance of your Super Decathlon.
