30
The descent should be gentle so let the nose drop
about 10 to 20 degrees. Keep the wing level unless a
turn is required. If you must turn, bank as usual to
start the turn but only hold about half of the normal
amount of up elevator you usually hold to maintain a
turn. In doing so, you will not slow the airplane too
much. When you've reached your desired altitude,
level the wings and add throttle as you add some up
elevator to level the plane.
The final maneuver will be landing. For your
first landing, the goal should be to get the plane down
anywhere on the field without hitting anything. Land-
ings should always be made into the wind. Usually,
it is easiest to set up for a landing by making a land-
ing approach. The first part of the landing approach
is the descent. Descend going with the wind (oppo-
site of the direction you will be landing). Once you've
descended to an altitude of 30-50 feet, turn into the
wind. At this point level the wings, throttle back to
idle and allow the nose to drop to descend to the
ground without getting too slow. When the plane is
10 feet off the ground (just above eye level), apply
small amounts of up elevator to slow the descent and
to slow the plane. Remember to keep the wings level.
Now the plane should descend but will seem like the
nose has not dropped much. If the plane doesn't de-
scend, allow the nose to drop a little. Just before the
plane touches down, apply some up elevator to the
level the plane with the ground. Because the engine
is at idle (or off completely) the plane will still drop
and touch down.
Things to avoid
1) Stalling. Stalling is when the air stops flow-
ing over the wing properly. For the Right Flyer 40T
Mk.II, this only happens when the airplane is flying
very slow. A stall normally results in the nose drop-
ping uncontrollably. If a stall does occur, allow the
nose to drop, which will increase the airspeed, then
apply up elevator to level the plane. Remember to not
pull too much up elevator or the stall may occur again.
2) Radical Turns. Keeping the wings level or
making standard turns are big steps in preventing the
plane from getting gout of control. If the plane seems
too fast or is getting into too steep a turn, try letting
all the controls go to neutral, then reduce the throttle
and make corrections to level the wings and then level
the plane.
3) Overcontrolling. Most new pilots try to fly
like they are playing a video game. Most likely, you
will never need full stick movement for any
correction. Typically, you will need very little down
elevator as well. Remember to move the stick only
small amounts at a time. The radio control system
you are using is proportional meaning the amount you
move the stick is in direct proportion to the amount
the control surface moves. Full deflection of the con-
trol surfaces is typically reserved for correcting a
major mistake or trying an aerobatic maneuver.
Planning the first flight
After reading through the maneuvers, you need
to plan your first flight. For your first flight, pick a
day that is clear and not windy. Too much wind will
complicate your first flight. Take the time to envi-
sion the flight path. The flight will, of course, begin
with take off and climb-out. Once a safe altitude has
been reached, make a turn down wind and continue
to climb. Level off at about 100 feet of altitude. Try
to perform a basic figure 8 pattern. Learn to make
small corrections to keep your plane pointed in the
direction you want it to fly. After 8 to 10 minutes,
begin your descent to land. Try to turn into the wind
to land. If you're first landing gets the plane down in
one piece and is located somewhere on the flying field,
that's pretty good!
Picture yourself flying the plane before trying to
actually fly it. It may seem silly, but even profes-
sional pilots still review their maneuvers in their head
before flying. Military pilots use small hand held
models to help them picture the plane's movements.
Leave the plane's radio and engine off. Hold the
transmitter in your hand and set the airplane on the
ground, facing into the wind. Apply throttle and imag-
ine steering the model straight down the runway.
Continue to imagine each one of the flight maneu-
vers and what you have to do on the sticks to keep the
plane flying. Remember to pull back on the stick for
up elevator and turning the plane right or left in rela-
tion to the airplane, not to your right or left. It helps
to imagine yourself actually in the cockpit while you're
flying.
Before trying the first flight, check that the en-
gine is running properly. Perform a range check as
described in your radio system manual and make sure
the batteries have a full charge.
We hope this information will help you make those
first few flights successful.
Happy Landings!
