GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG D-73230 KIRCHHEIM/TECK GERMANY
Modifications reserved. No liability for printing errors
12/2010
0062196
20
Repeated hand-glides at a flat-field site should be avoided at all costs. The most dangerous
time for any model is when it is close to the ground, and hand launches are therefore by their
nature extremely hazardous. There is hardly any time to correct the controls, and a hard
landing can easily damage the model.
Range testing (even for experts)
Ensure that your transmitter and receiver batteries are freshly charged according to the
battery manufacturer’s recommendations. Before switching on your transmitter make certain
that your channel is vacant. The channel pennant on your transmitter aerial is obligatory, and
shows other pilots which frequency you are using. If there are other pilots present, tell them
loud and clear which channel you are on, and find out which frequencies they are using.
Before the first flight you should carry out a range check, and we strongly recommend that
you repeat the test before the start of every day’s flying. Hold the model in such a way that
your body cannot influence the receiver aerial, i.e. hold it by the fuselage nose. Your
assistant should collapse the transmitter aerial fully (but leave it attached), then walk away
from you carrying the transmitter.
As the range increases your assistant should operate one transmitter function constantly
while you watch the model’s control surfaces. The servos not being moved should remain
motionless up to a range of about 80 m, and the moving servo should follow the stick
deflections immediately and smoothly. If this is not the case, check first that your channel
really is vacant. If so, pack up your entire RC system (complete with batteries, switch
harness and servos) and send it back to the equipment manufacturer for checking.
Faults don't cure themselves!
This test can only work effectively if the radio band is not suffering interference, and if no
other RC transmitters are switched on - even if they are on other channels. In high mountains
such tests are not useful due to extreme the field strengths and excessive range of other
transmitters. If you are not sure of anything, please don’t risk a flight, even though your
fingers can’t wait to move the sticks, and your friends are egging you on.
The first flight
The first flight can be carried out in any of several ways - at the slope from a hand-launch, at
a flat field.
At the slope
you should wait for a period of reliable lift and launch the model with the wings
level and the nose down. Don’t worry if the model dives at first - speed is half the battle!
If necessary adjust the trims to achieve straight flight and a reasonable cruising speed.
The next step is to fly turns alternately to left and right to check the model's turning charac-
teristics, the harmonisation (balance) between ailerons, elevator and rudder, and the aileron
differential. Be sure also to deploy the brakes (butterfly / crow) so that you have a chance to
see the change in pitch trim.
If you still have plenty of height you should check the Centre of Gravity right at this early
stage. The procedure for CG testing described here is a method of fine-tuning the model’s
balance. It can only work when air movements are slight, and when the initial CG position is
