Follow the directions that came with the hi-start and lay it
out directly into the wind. Place the stake at the far upwind
edge of the flying field so the parachute will blow back onto
the flying field.
Turn on your transmitter and then your receiver and hook
the parachute up to your plane's towhook. Pull the plane back
approximately twice as far as the rubber is long (ie. 100' of
rubber = pull back 200') or whatever the hi-start instructions
state. A
"fish
scale" is handy for determining the correct
amount of pull. For your first flights pull the plane back until
there is approximately 8 Ibs. of tension. More tension can be
used after you get acquainted with the launching procedure.
Hold the plane above your head with the wings level and
the nose pointed slightly up and directly into the wind. Give
the plane a healthy push forward to get it flying and it will
climb up like a kite. You should not have to touch the elevator
during the launch but use the rudder stick to keep it going
straight up. As the rubber relaxes the plane will fly off the hi-
start and the parachute will bring the end of the string back
towards you.
Don't worry about accomplishing very much on your first
flights. Use these flights to get the "feel" of the controls and
the SPIRIT'S flying characteristics. Try to keep the plane
upwind and just perform some gentle "S" turns (always
turning into the wind) until it is time to set up for landing.
Have a helper adjust the trims on your transmitter (a little at
a time) until the plane will fly straight and level with the
transmitter sticks in their neutral positions. It can be very
hard for a beginner to fly a plane straight towards him as he
would have to do if the plane were downwind and every
mistake takes the plane a little farther downwind. When it is
time to land just continue performing the gentle S-tums
upwind and let the plane glide onto the ground. Don't worry
about where the plane lands, just miss any trees, etc.
Practice flying directly into the wind (upwind of yourself)
without letting the plane get off course and then turn and
come downwind until the plane is even with you and try it
again. When you are comfortable with flying directly into the
wind, start letting the plane go behind you (downwind) a little
before you start back upwind. Continue this until you can fly
directly towards you from downwind without getting disori-
ented. At this point you can start to establish a "landing
pattern" and bring the sailplane in for a landing from down-
wind. This enables the plane to be flown as slowly (ground
speed) as possible for accurate landings.
FIRST FLIGHTS
Find a BIG OPEN field for your first flights. The bigger
the better as you won't have to worry about where you need
to land. Ground based objects (trees, poles, buildings, etc.)
seem to attract model airplanes like a magnet. Again, we
would like to recommend you find an experienced pilot to
help you with these first flights.
NOTE: You need to remember that your
radio control responds as if you were sitting
in the cockpit. When you push the trans-
mitter stick to the right, the rudder moves
to the plane's right! This means that when
the plane is flying towards you it may seem
like the rudder controls are reversed (when
you give "right" rudder the plane turns to
your left-which is the planes "right") It is
sometimes easier to learn to fly the plane if
you always face your body in the direction the
plane is flying and look over your shoulder to
watch the model.
THERMAL FLYING
Thermal soaring is one of the most intriguing of all
aspects of flying and the SPIRIT was designed to excel at
thermal soaring even in the hands of a novice. It can be hard
for the average person to understand how a plane can fly for
hours and gain altitude without a motor. The following
paragraphs and some flying time should help educate you
about this unique style of flying.
FACTS ABOUT THERMALS
Thermals are a natural phenomenon that happen outside,
by the millions, every single day of the year. Thermals are
responsible for many things including forming several types
of clouds, creating breezes, and distributing plant seeds and
pollen. If you have ever seen a dust devil (which is nothing
more than a thermal that has picked up some dust), you have
seen a thermal in action. Their swirling action is very similar
to that of a tornado's but of course much gentler. Most
thermals have updrafts rising in the 200-700 feet per minute
range but they have been known to produce updrafts of over
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