FMA Direct
– 5 –
Co-Pilot™ user’s guide
Co-Pilot™ can be controlled in three different ways. The
methods available to you depend on the capabilities of your ra-
dio control system.
Proportional control.
If your radio system has an unused
proportional control channel (usually a knob or lever on the
transmitter), it can be assigned to turn Co-Pilot™ on and off,
and to adjust sensitivity during flight. You’ll be able to set
sensitivity between minimum and maximum—based on
flight conditions or desired performance—at any time.
Examples of proportional control:
Adjust Co-Pilot™ sensitivity while the model is airborne
to match a student’s skills. As the student gains
confidence, for instance, set Co-Pilot™ to provide less
stabilization.
Turn Co-Pilot™ off for aerobatics, then turn it on for
landing.
If a strong crosswind builds up after the aircraft takes off,
dial in more stabilization for better control during landing.
When configured according to instructions in “Setting up
Co-Pilot™,” the transmitter knob works like this:
On/off control.
If your radio system has an on/off channel
(usually a switch on the transmitter), you can turn Co-
Pilot™ on and off during flights. When Co-Pilot™ is on, its
flight stabilization characteristics are set by the Throw
adjustment on the Computer (you can only change this
setting when the aircraft is on the ground). When Co-
Pilot™ is off, the aircraft functions as it would without a
flight stabilization system (although Co-Pilot™ still trims
the aircraft).
With on/off control, it’s much easier and quicker to move a
switch (versus rotating a knob to the right spot with
proportional control). This makes it easier to move between
aerobatics (without Co-Pilot™) and straight/level flight
(with Co-Pilot™).
Examples of on/off control:
An instructor can take off and trim an airplane with Co-
Pilot™ off, then turn it on when giving control to a
student.
You might use stabilization for most flying, then turn it
off for aerobatics or inverted flight, and turn it back on
again for landing.
continued
Options for controlling Co-Pilot™
Co-Pilot™ can be used with virtually any radio controlled model
aircraft. This manual describes Co-Pilot™ installation, set up,
calibration, pre-flight checking and flying for three common
types of radio controlled models:
An engine-powered fixed-wing airplane.
An electric-powered flying wing.
A helicopter.
There are small differences in the way Co-Pilot™ works with
each type of aircraft. The manual provides general instructions
that apply to all three types, and offers specific instructions and
photos for each type of model. A typical page from the manual is
shown below.
How to use this manual
Start with the general
instructions here...
Minimum
sensitivity
Maximum
sensitivity
Co-Pilot off
Co-Pilot on
then look over the photos
and comments that apply to
your type of model here.
Conventional airplane
Flying wing
Helicopter
Manual control.
If your radio system doesn’t have any
unused channels, Co-Pilot™ is always on during a flight. Its
flight stabilization characteristics are fixed by the Throw con-
trol on the Computer. To change sensitivity, you must land the
aircraft and manually adjust the Throw control.
Regardless of the option you select, your experience and skill
will determine how to best use Co-Pilot™. It is recommended
that you turn off Co-Pilot™ before attempting unusual attitudes
(for example, inverted flight).
FMA Direct welcomes your suggestions about flying
techniques, experiments and applications. Early feed-
back from Co-Pilot™ users shows great creativity.
One pilot, for example, is using Co-Pilot™ to stabilize
aircraft carrying still and video cameras.
Note:
When Co-Pilot™ is turned off remotely, it still
trims the control surfaces.
Transmitter
proportional
control