Co-Pilot™ user’s guide
– 20 –
FMA Direct
Flying a conventional airplane
Flying with Co-Pilot™
If you are a beginner, obtain help from an experienced
modeler. Co-Pilot™ makes it easier to learn to fly, but it
cannot teach you how to fly—only an experienced flyer can
do that.
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
correctly 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.
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.
Flying with Co-Pilot™ is different from normal flying. When
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 experienced
pilots will want to tailor performance.
Initial flight tests and sensitivity adjustments should be made
by an experienced pilot.
If you can control Co-Pilot™ with your transmitter, you can
have the best of both worlds: turn Co-Pilot™ on when you
need it, turn it off when you don’t. Or use Co-Pilot™ as a
“panic button” to quickly recover the aircraft from an unusual
attitude.
If you notice the aircraft shaking or oscillating while it is
airborne, Co-Pilot’s sensitivity is set too high. Take action as
follows:
If you have proportional control of Co-Pilot™ (versus on/
off control), reduce sensitivity using the knob on your
transmitter. If necessary, turn the knob to the full off
position and land the aircraft.
If you have on/off control of Co-Pilot™, switch Co-Pilot™
off and land.
If you don’t have remote control of Co-Pilot™, land the
aircraft.
After landing, decrease Throw on the Computer by 1/8th turn
(counterclockwise). Continue flight testing and reducing
sensitivity until the aircraft flies smoothly.
Increase sensitivity on windy days. The aircraft will fly more
smoothly.
If you notice a small difference in trim when turning Co-
Pilot™ on and off, re-trim with Co-Pilot™ off. If you still
have trim differences between Co-Pilot™ on and off,
compensate by raising or lowering the nose a little in the
leveling step of the infrared calibration.
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. Co-Pilot™
makes landing much easier by keeping the plane level during
the approach.
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.
To take off with tail-dragger landing gear (see
explanation below):
1. Apply full up elevator when taxiing and at the
beginning of take-off.
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.
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 to return to level flight.
To fly straight and level:
Center the stick. You may
need to adjust elevator trim to maintain level flight.
Pitch angle changes with speed, so adjust elevator
trim when you vary the throttle.
To recover from errors such as dives and unintended
rolls:
Center the stick. Co-Pilot™ takes over and
levels the plane.
Apply a little down elevator if the engine dies.
Don’t attempt inverted flight with Co-Pilot™ until
you gain experience. Co-Pilot™ 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 there is plenty of altitude, the
plane may have an untimely meeting with the
ground. For inverted flight, set the “Throw” control
to the intermediate or expert level (see page 10).
To land:
1. Reduce speed and line up for the approach.
2. Push gently up on the stick (for down elevator) to
reduce altitude.
3. Over the runway, throttle down to idle.
4. Gently pull back on the stick (up elevator) to
raise the nose and slow the plane.
5. Steer the plane with ailerons or rudder as it
touches down.
6. For a tail-dragger, apply full up elevator after
touchdown to keep the tail wheel on the ground.
Why tail-draggers handle differently with Co-Pilot
™
Recall that Co-Pilot™ attempts to keep an aircraft
level. While a tail-dragger’s tail wheel is on the
ground, the airplane isn’t level. Co-Pilot™ tries to
level the plane by feeding in down elevator. If you
don’t counteract this by holding full up elevator dur-
ing ground maneuvers, the tail may come up when it
shouldn’t—causing loss of ground control.
Note:
This section discusses unique aspects of flying
with Co-Pilot™. It is not a substitute for flight instruc-
tion from an experienced pilot.