FS8 Co-Pilot™ user guide
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FMA Direct
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If you notice a small difference in trim when turning FS8 Co-
Pilot™ on and off, re-trim with FS8 Co-Pilot™ off. If you
still have trim differences between FS8 Co-Pilot™ on and off,
compensate by raising or lowering the nose a little in the lev-
eling step of the infrared calibration.
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It’s always a good idea to find out how your airplane handles
at low speed (do this at high altitude). This will help you get
a feel for how the plane will behave during landing. FS8 Co-
Pilot™ makes landing much easier by keeping the plane level
during the approach.
Flying a conventional airplane
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To take off with tricycle landing gear:
1. Increase throttle to begin roll-out.
2. Keep the plane moving straight with rudder.
3. Pull back on the stick (up elevator) to lift off.
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To take off with taildragger landing gear (see explanation be-
low):
1. Apply full up elevator when taxiing and at the beginning of
takeoff.
2. Increase throttle to begin roll-out.
3. Keep the plane moving straight with rudder.
4. As the plane gains speed, ease off the elevator, but keep
enough for lift off.
Why tail-draggers handle differently with flight
stabilization
Recall that flight stabilization attempts to keep an
aircraft level. While a tail-dragger’s tail wheel is on
the ground, the airplane isn’t level. Flight stabiliza-
tion tries to level the plane by feeding in down el-
evator. If you don’t counteract this by holding full up
elevator during ground maneuvers, the tail may
come up when it shouldn’t—causing loss of ground
control.
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To make a turn:
1. Hold aileron in the direction of the turn.
2. Apply a little up elevator to maintain altitude.
3. Center the stick (but don’t let go of the stick!) to return to
level flight.
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To fly straight and level:
Center the stick (but don’t let go of
the stick!). You may need to adjust elevator trim to maintain
level flight. Pitch angle changes with speed, so adjust eleva-
tor trim when you vary the throttle.
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To recover from errors such as dives and unintended rolls:
Center the aileron/elevator stick (but don’t let go of the
stick!). FS8 Co-Pilot™ takes over and levels the plane.
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If the engine dies, apply a little down elevator to maintain air-
speed. This is especially important for sport planes.
Flying with FS8 Co-Pilot™
General flying information
Note:
This section discusses unique aspects of fly-
ing with FS8 Co-Pilot™. It is not a substitute for
flight instruction from an experienced pilot.
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If you are a beginner, obtain help from an experienced mod-
eler. FS8 Co-Pilot™ makes it easier to learn to fly, but it can-
not teach you how to fly—only an experienced flyer can do
that.
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FS8 Co-Pilot™ cannot correct for reversed controls, binding
linkages, a balky engine or any other problems. Make certain
your entire radio system is properly installed and working cor-
rectly before flying. Be sure your aircraft is airworthy. If the
airplane hasn’t been flown before, have a qualified pilot check
it out—on the ground and in the air.
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Always perform an infrared calibration at the field before
each flying session. Recalibrate after significant changes in
the weather, or if you go to another field.
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Flying with FS8 Co-Pilot™ is different from normal flying.
When FS8 Co-Pilot™ is on, it is always attempting to keep
the aircraft level. You’ll need to provide more stick motion to
override this tendency. This is great for beginners, but experi-
enced pilots will want to tailor performance.
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Initial flight tests and throw adjustments should be made by
an experienced pilot.
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If you can control FS8 Co-Pilot™ with your transmitter, you
can have the best of both worlds: turn FS8 Co-Pilot™ on
when you need it, turn it off when you don’t. Or use FS8 Co-
Pilot™ as a “panic button” to quickly recover the aircraft
from an unusual attitude.
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If you notice the aircraft shaking or oscillating while it is air-
borne, Co-Pilot’s throw is set too high. Take action as fol-
lows:
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If you have proportional control of FS8 Co-Pilot™ (versus
on/off control), reduce throw using the knob on your trans-
mitter. If necessary, turn the knob to the full off position
and land the aircraft.
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If you have on/off control of FS8 Co-Pilot™, switch FS8
Co-Pilot™ off and land.
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If you don’t have remote control of FS8 Co-Pilot™, land
the aircraft.
After landing, decrease throw by 1/8th turn. Continue
flight testing and reducing throw until the aircraft flies
smoothly.
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Increase throw on windy days. The aircraft will fly more
smoothly.
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Don’t attempt intentional inverted or knife edge flight until
you gain experience. Without the Vertical Sensor, FS8 Co-Pi-
lot™ reacts to inverted flight by applying full roll and full up
elevator, which can put the plane into a descending loop until
it is upright. Unless the plane is very high, it may crash. For
aerobatic maneuvers, set Throw to the intermediate or expert
level, or turn off flight stabilization.
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