11
To avoid an unexpected dead-stick landing on your fi rst fl ight,
set your alarm or timer to a conservative 4 minutes. When
the alarm sounds you can either land your model or, if you
are an experienced pilot, you may continue to fl y–planning
for a dead-stick landing to see just how long the motor will
run. Circle the plane upwind of the landing area until the
motor quits. Note the run time, then land.
When you learn how much fl ight time you are getting you
can adjust your timer accordingly. Always be conservative so
the motor won’t quit unexpectedly and you will have enough
battery to land under power.
Takeoff
Until you have become comfortable with fl ying your
Cessna 350 Corvalis, do not fl y if the wind speed is
greater than 10 mph [16 km/hr].
One fi
nal check before takeoff:
always double-check
the fl ight control response to your inputs from the
transmitter before every fl ight
. Be certain the ailerons,
elevator and rudder respond correctly and that none of the
controls have inadvertently become reversed.
Place the model on your “runway” with the nose pointing into
the wind—this will reduce the ground speed that must be
reached and automatically provide “heading assist,” making
steering and takeoff easier. Slowly advance the throttle,
adding rudder correction as needed to keep the model rolling
straight. When the plane becomes “light” continue to apply
throttle until you are at full-power—all this will happen in a
few seconds. When suffi cient liftoff speed has been reached
gradually apply “up” elevator, allowing the model to leave the
ground. Do not “yank” up on the stick—rather, be smooth
and allow the plane to establish a gentle climb.
Once you have reached a safe fl ying speed at a comfortable
altitude (approximately 50’ [15m]), work the controls as
necessary to establish a gentle turn away from the runway.
Flying
One thing to remember is that, when the plane is fl ying away
from you, moving the aileron stick to the right will make
the plane bank to
your
right. However, when the model is
fl ying toward you, moving the aileron stick to the right will
make the plane move to
your
left. Of course, the plane is
still responding the same way; it’s just that your orientation
has reversed. This must be kept in mind while learning to
fl y (and is also a good reason to take fl ight lessons from an
experienced pilot!).
To establish a turn, “up” elevator (pulling back on the stick) is
usually required along with aileron input to get the model into a
bank. To stop the turn, apply a small amount of opposite aileron.
Once you get the plane into the air and have climbed to a
comfortable altitude, the fi rst “order of business” will be to “trim”
the model for straight-and-level fl ight. The model fl ies best at
approximately 3/4-throttle. Adjust the trims on the transmitter
to make minor control surface adjustments as necessary until
the plane will fl y straight without any control inputs. Often,
your assistant can reach over and adjust the trims for you.
Remember to keep the model high enough to give yourself
time to make corrections, but don’t let it get too far away.
Otherwise, it will be diffi cult to see its attitude and which
way it is going. Also, be sure to attempt your fi rst roll with
adequate altitude. The long wingspan of the Cessna will
cause it to roll slowly in a scale-like manner and you should
be prepared for this.
One fi nal check before landing: see how the model will react
when it’s time to land and you cut the power. To do this,
while still at altitude, cut the motor power. The model should
establish a gentle, downward glide path. This is how the
model will react when it’s actually time to land. Add power
and climb back up to your original altitude.
Practice a few of these “climb and glides” to judge how far
out you will need to be when it’s time to land.
Landing
To land, fl y down-wind past the landing area. Gently turn into
the wind and reduce the throttle so that the airplane initiates
a descending glide path. If necessary, add power to extend
the glide path to reach the runway. As the model approaches
and loses altitude, gradually and proportionally, add “up”
elevator to control the glide path and altitude. Continue to
apply elevator until the model touches down at which time
you should be holding full, or nearly full up elevator. This will
cause the airplane to slow and settle to the ground.
Caution: If, during a rough landing, the propeller
becomes jammed and cannot rotate, the battery and
speed control will become very hot. Immediately
move the throttle down to stop the motor. If you fail
to do this, the motor, speed control and/or battery will
be damaged.
Flaps
Full fl aps make the Cessna very steady in the landing
pattern, but just carry a little extra power to make up for the
extra drag. The extra drag of the fl aps also allows you to
make shorter, steeper approaches. Touch-and-go’s and go-
arounds can be accomplished with full fl aps. Just use the
elevator to establish a shallow climb. It is preferred to have
the fl aps up or at “half” setting for takeoffs and climb-out
because the plane will accelerate and climb much better.
After Flight
Disconnect the battery and remove it from the airplane,
then turn off the transmitter. Allow the battery to cool before
recharging, or allow the motor to cool before installing
another battery for the next fl ight. Inspect the airplane to
make sure nothing has become loose or damaged.
Summary of Contents for cessna corvalis
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