37
Balance Propellers
Carefully balance your propeller and spare propellers before
you fl y. An unbalanced prop can be the single most signifi cant
cause of vibration that can damage your model. Not only
will engine mounting screws and bolts loosen, possibly with
disastrous effect, but vibration may also damage your radio
receiver and battery. Vibration can also cause your fuel to
foam, which will, in turn, cause your engine to run hot or quit.
We use a Top Flite Precision Magnetic Prop Balancer
(TOPQ5700) in the workshop and keep a Great Planes
Fingertip Prop Balancer (GPMQ5000) in our fl ight box.
Ground Check
If the engine is new, follow the engine manufacturer’s
instructions to break-in the engine.
After break-in, confi rm
that the engine idles reliably, transitions smoothly and rapidly
to full power and maintains full power—indefi nitely. After you
run the engine on the model, inspect the model closely to
make sure all screws remained tight, the hinges are secure,
the prop is secure and all pushrods and connectors are secure.
Range Check
Ground check the operational range of your radio before the
fi rst fl ight of the day. With the transmitter antenna collapsed
and the receiver and transmitter on, you should be able to walk
at least 100 feet away from the model and still have control (if
using a 2.4GHz radio system, refer to the radio manual for the
range checking procedure). Have an assistant stand by your
model and, while you work the controls, tell you what the control
surfaces are doing. Repeat this test
with the engine running
at various speeds with an assistant holding the model, using
hand signals to show you what is happening. If the control
surfaces do not respond correctly,
do not fl y!
Find and correct
the problem fi rst. Look for loose servo connections or broken
wires, corroded wires on old servo connectors, poor solder
joints in your battery pack or a defective cell, or a damaged
receiver crystal from a previous crash.
ENGINE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Failure to follow these safety precautions may result
in severe injury to yourself and others.
Keep all engine fuel in a safe place, away from high heat,
sparks or fl ames, as fuel is very fl ammable. Do not smoke
near the engine or fuel; and remember that engine exhaust
gives off a great deal of deadly carbon monoxide. Therefore
do not run the engine in a closed room or garage
.
Get help from an experienced pilot when learning to operate
engines.
Use safety glasses when starting or running engines.
Do not run the engine in an area of loose gravel or sand; the
propeller may throw such material in your face or eyes.
Keep your face and body as well as all spectators away from
the plane of rotation of the propeller as you start and run the
engine.
Keep these items away from the prop: loose clothing, shirt
sleeves, ties, scarves, long hair or loose objects such as
pencils or screwdrivers that may fall out of shirt or jacket
pockets into the prop.
Use a “chicken stick” or electric starter to start the engine.
Do not use your fi ngers to fl ip the propeller. Make certain the
glow plug clip or connector is secure so that it will not pop off
or otherwise get into the running propeller.
Make all engine adjustments from behind the rotating propeller.
The engine gets hot! Do not touch it during or right after
operation. Make sure fuel lines are in good condition so fuel
will not leak onto a hot engine, causing a fi re.
To stop a glow engine, cut off the fuel supply by closing
off the fuel line or following the engine manufacturer’s
recommendations. Do not use hands, fi ngers or any other
body part to try to stop the engine. Do not throw anything into
the propeller of a running engine.
AMA SAFETY CODE (excerpts)
Read and abide by the following excerpts from the Academy
of Model Aeronautics Safety Code. For the complete Safety
Code refer to
Model Aviation
magazine, the AMA web site or
the Code that came with your AMA license.
General
1) I will not fl y my model aircraft in sanctioned events, air shows,
or model fl ying demonstrations until it has been proven to be
airworthy by having been previously, successfully fl ight tested.
2) I will not fl y my model aircraft higher than approximately
400 feet within 3 miles of an airport without notifying the
airport operator. I will give right-of-way and avoid fl ying in the
proximity of full-scale aircraft. Where necessary, an observer
shall be utilized to supervise fl ying to avoid having models fl y
in the proximity of full-scale aircraft.
3) Where established, I will abide by the safety rules for the
fl ying site I use, and I will not willfully and deliberately fl y my
models in a careless, reckless and/or dangerous manner.
