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for touchdown. Gradually add more up elevator as the airplane
slows down and settles towards the ground. Flair the airplane as
the ground approaches for a smooth 3-point landing and rollout.
Hard landings are not necessary - sound piloting skills are. After
landing, always remember to hold up elevator when taxiing to keep
the tailwheel firmly to the ground.
Before flying your MAYHEM a second time, double check the
airplane for anything that may have come loose, become
disconnected, etc. during the first flight.
Each flight will be even more fun as you fine tune the trim of your
MAYHEM.
Try a few loops and rolls.
Inverted flight is easy,
requiring little down elevator for hold level flight. Next try some
snap rolls, spins, and knife edge flight.
The MAYHEM should
perform all of these maneuvers with ease. Note any tendencies
that you can trim out when you’re back on the ground.
For
instance, if the MAYHEM has a tendancy to “pull”, or drift, towards
the canopy during knife edge flight, try raising BOTH ailerons 1/2
turn. If it pulls towards the landing gear, lower both ailerons. Fly it
again and note any difference. Always make changes slowly, in
small amounts, and only one change per flight.
As with any
aircraft, getting consistently good results from the MAYHEM is
usually a matter of flight trim and practice.
For those of you interested in 3-D aerobatics, set up your radio to
take advantage of the huge control movements available from this
model. However, we would urge you to "sneak up" on such control
throws, making very sure you have them available to you only on
your high rate switches!
Please operate your airplane in a safe, responsible manner with
constant regard to other flyers, spectators, and property.
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FLYING!
CAUTION: If you notice any unusual sounds while flying, such as
a low pitched buzz, this may be control surface "flutter". Flutter can
happen to any R/C airplane. Designs like the MAYHEM, with light
weight, extra large control surfaces are especially vunerable.
Flutter can quickly destroy your aircraft if left unchecked. It can
break your pushrod linkages, strip gears inside the servo, and
even cause control surfaces or entire wings to come off
the airplane in flight.
Anytime you detect flutter, you must
immediately cut the throttle and land the airplane! Check all servo
mountings and pushrod linkages before flying again. If a control
surface flutttered once, it will flutter again under similar
circumstances. In general, some of the things to look at when
trying to cure flutter are:
Loose servo mounting screws or
deteriorated rubber grommets. Excessive hinge gap. Weak or
loose control horn. Weak or flexible pushrods. Poor fit of R/C link
pin in control horn. Internal servo gears that are weak, stripped, or
have excessive play or backlash.
INCIDENCE & THRUST ANGLES:
The MAYHEM was built at the factory with the following specs:
Wing Incidence:
0
O
Stab Incidence:
0
O
Engine - Side View
0
O
down
Engine - Top View
2
O
right
FLYING:
If you have carefully followed this assembly manual, test flying your
MAYHEM should be a lot of fun. Try to choose a calm day with
little or no wind for the first flight. Good conditions allow you to
better evaluate and more accurately adjust the trim requirements
for your airplane. As we've mentioned before, a good running,
reliable engine is a must for the ultimate success of your airplane.
Take the time to solve any engine problems before you try to fly.
Always make it part of your pre-flight routine to check each control
on the airplane, making sure the surfaces are moving in the
correct directions. Also check each control linkage to be sure they
are secure and that nothing is loose.
After starting and warming up the engine, taxi the MAYHEM out to
the take-off position on the flying field. Hold up elevator during the
taxi to keep the tailwheel firmly to the ground. For take-off, the
airplane should be lined-up with the center of the field with the
nose pointed directly into the wind. Hold a little up elevator and
smoothly advance the throttle - do not slam the throttle full open all
at once. The airplane should roll forward smoothly, tailwheel on the
ground. As speed builds, back off of the up elevator input and use
the rudder as needed to maintain a straight takeoff run. The tail will
come up as flying speed is reached and a little up elevator will lift
the MAYHEM off the ground.
Maintain a straight outbound flight path, climbing at a shallow angle
until a safe maneuvering altitude is reached. Make your control
inputs smooth and avoid jerking the sticks. Once you achieve a
safe altitude, throttle back slightly to a nice "cruising" speed.
THROTTLE MANAGEMENT: The MAYHEM, and similar designs,
are not designed to fly at high airspeeds. The key to their unique
flying characteristics is super light weight construction and extra
large control surfaces. Full throttle is only for takeoff and aerobatic
maneuvers.
For normal level flight, you should throttle back to
cruising speed. Also, never dive the MAYHEM at full throttle (see
CAUTION note about control surface flutter at end of this page).
Once you’ve settled at cruising altitude and speed, adjust the trims
as needed to achieve hands off straight and level flight. Take it
easy with the MAYHEM for the first flight, gradually getting
acquainted with it as you gain confidence. Take the MAYHEM to a
safe altitude and throttle the engine back to idle. This will give you
a good idea of the glide characteristics. While still at idle, steadily
increase up elevator to get a feel for the stall characteristics. Stalls
tend to be very gentle with the nose dropping straight ahead with
little tendency to drop a wing. This is great information to have
when set up for your first landing.
Landing the MAYHEM is typically a pleasure. To begin a landing
approach, lower the throttle partway while on the downwind leg.
This allows the nose of the model to drop slightly. Continue to
bleed off excess altitude, maintaining good airspeed and control,
while you make your final turn to the runway. Keep a little power on
the engine during final approach, down to a few feet off the ground.
The MAYHEM has a very thick wing and slows down quickly when
you completely close the throttle. Once the airplane is 3-4 feet off
the ground, close the throttle completely in preparation