Re-Kitting Your Airplane
- Changing your finished model
back into a kit, as a result of “stuffing it in.”
Receiver
(Rx) - The radio unit in the airplane which receives
the transmitter signal and relays the control to the servos. This
is somewhat similar to the radio you may have in your family
automobile, except the radio in the airplane perceives
commands from the transmitter, while the radio in your car
perceives music from the radio station.
Roll Axis
- The airplane axis controlled by the ailerons. Roll is
illustrated by holding the airplane by the nose and tail.
Dropping either wingtip is the roll movement. This is used to
bank or turn the airplane. Many aircraft are not equipped with
ailerons and the Roll and Yaw motions are controlled by the
rudder. This is one reason why most trainer aircraft have a
larger amount of dihedral.
Rudder
- Hinged control surface located at the trailing edge of
the vertical stabilizer, which provides control of the airplane
about the Yaw axis and causes the airplane to Yaw left or right.
Left rudder movement causes the airplane to Yaw left, and
right rudder movement causes it to Yaw right.
Servo
- The electro-mechanical device which moves the
control surfaces or throttle of the airplane according to
commands from the receiver. The radio device which does the
physical work inside the airplane.
Servo Output Arm
- The removable arm or wheel which bolts
to the output shaft of a servo and connects to the pushrod.
Shot Down
- A “hit” that results in a crash landing. Sometimes
caused by radios miles away.
Slop
- Unwanted, excessive free movement in a control
system. Often caused by a hole in a servo arm or control horn
that is too big for the pushrod wire or clevis pin. This condition
allows the control surface to move without transmitter stick
movement. (See Flutter.)
Solo
- Your first totally unassisted flight that results in a
controlled landing.
Spinner
- The nose cone which covers the hub of the propeller.
Sport Airplane
- A model which possesses some attributes of
many of the specialty airplanes and are best for general flying
as they are the most versatile and durable.
Stall
- What happens when the angle of attack is too great to
generate lift regardless of airspeed. (Every airfoil has an angle
of attack at which it generates maximum lift — the airfoil will
stall beyond this angle).
Tachometer
- An optical sensor designed specifically to count
light impulses through a turning propeller and read out the
engine RPM.
Tip Stall
- The outboard end of one wing (the tip) stops
developing lift, causing the plane to roll suddenly in the
direction of the stalled wing. This situation is not fun when you
are only a few feet off the runway trying to land.
Trainer Airplane
- A model designed to be inherently stable
and fly at low speeds, to give first-time modelers time to think
and react as they learn to fly.
Trailing Edge
(TE) - The rearmost edge of the wing or stabilizer.
Transmitter
(Tx) - The hand-held radio controller. This is the
unit that sends out the commands that you input.
Touch-And-Go
- Landing and taking off without a pause.
Often confused with a good bounce.
Vertical Fin
- The non-moving surface that is perpendicular to
the horizontal stabilizer and provides yaw stability. This is the
surface to which the rudder attaches.
Washout
- An intentional twist in the wing, causing the wing
tips to have a lower angle of attack than the wing root. In other
words, the trailing edge is higher than the leading edge at the
wing tips. Washout helps prevent tip stalls.
Wheel Collar
- A small, round retaining device used to keep
wheels from sliding off an axle.
Wing
- The main lifting surface of an airplane.
Wing Loading
- This is the amount of weight per square foot
that has to be overcome to provide lift. It is normally expressed
in ounces per square foot. This specification can be easily
calculated as follows: If you know the square inches of the
wing, simply divide by 144 to obtain square feet. Divide the
total weight (in ounces) of the airplane by the wing area (in
square feet). This information is valuable when deciding on
which airplane to build next. Planes with high wing loading
numbers must fly faster to stay in the air. These are generally
“performance” airplanes. Conversely, planes with lower
numbers do not need as much air flowing around the wing to
keep it flying. Gliders and trainer airplanes fall into this
category because slow, efficient flight is desirable.
Wing Root
- The centerline of the wing, where the left and
right wing panels are joined.
Yaw Axis
- The airplane axis controlled by the rudder. Yaw is
illustrated by hanging the airplane level by a wire located at the
center of gravity. Left or right movement of the nose is the Yaw
movement.
Z-Bend
- A simple Z-shaped bend in the wire end of a pushrod,
which is used to attach the pushrod to a servo output arm.
Z-Bend Pliers
- An inexpensive plier type tool used for easily
making perfect Z-bends.
Printed in USA
