can be moved back a little to achieve the right balance. If it is
tail-heavy, the battery pack can be moved forward a little. In the
unlikely event that moving the battery pack will not correct these
conditions, then stick-on lead weights may be needed. These are
available from your local hobby retailer.
Make sure that any
weights you use are very securely attached to the model.
Last, we also suggest that you balance your model laterally. To do
this, use light line or string to suspend the assembled airplane
inverted, from a front center and a rear center point on the
fuselage - typically from the engine's prop shaft in the front and the
tailwheel wire at the rear. Properly balanced laterally, the wings
will remain level. If the airplane is heavier on one side than the
other, the wing on the heavy side will hang lower. This can have a
negative effect on how this or any other model flies and will show
up in certain maneuvers. It should be corrected. The quickest fix
is to add small stick-on weights to the lighter wingtip until the
model hangs level. A neater method is to cut a small hole in the
wingtip, place the lead inside securely and recover the area. No
matter how you do the job, a laterally balanced model always
performs better and is well worth the effort.
FLYING:
As we said earlier, the SOMETHIN' EXTRA
®
ARF is not a
beginner's model! It was designed as an all-out sport aerobatic
aircraft, with all of the inherent attributes of those types of
airplanes.
If this is your first aerobatic model or if you have
relatively little actual flight time, we urge you to seek the
assistance of a qualified R/C pilot to help you through the first few
test flights.
First flights should be made with the control settings at the LOW
RATES specified in this manual. You will find that the SOMETHIN'
EXTRA
®
ARF takes very little space to take off. Line the airplane up
on the runway, headed directly into the wind. Advance the throttle
stick smoothly - do not slam it wide open all at once! Even though
the vertical fin and rudder on this airplane has a lot of area, just a
little right rudder correction for engine torque may be needed to
keep it tracking straight during take off. Once in the air, climb to a
reasonable altitude before making any trim adjustments. Once the
model is trimmed for straight and level flight, begin getting a feel for
the way it flies. At an altitude of about three mistakes high, you can
begin exploring its ability to loop, roll, etc. When you are more
comfortable (usually within minutes), try out the HIGH RATE
settings and begin to enjoy this model as it was meant to be! This
thing will perform maneuvers that are not even named yet. Try some
spins, both upright and inverted and be sure to throw in some snap
rolls. You'll really appreciate how quickly it corrects itself when you
let go of the sticks. Before landing, we always suggest that you
check out the airplane's stall characteristics, while still at a
reasonable altitude.
When you are more familiar with the
SOMETHIN' EXTRA
®
ARF, give the flaperons a try. You will not
believe what you can get this model to do!
Be careful! The SOMETHIN' EXTRA
®
ARF has a tendency to
make you feel very confident and you may wind-up flying too close
to the ground or yourself. This airplane has the ability to recover
quickly from virtually any maneuver but a point might be reached
where you could run out of ideas and altitude at the same time.
You also need to get comfortable with the shape and color of your
model during some of the wilder maneuvers. Knowing which side
is up and the direction of flight is always a good thing. If your
engine quits for any reason, be aware that the SOMETHIN'
EXTRA
®
ARF flies very nicely during a dead-stick glide. However,
the thickness of the wing does not allow it to penetrate very well in
high wind, dead-stick conditions. If your engine quits and you have
some distance to travel back to the field, keep the nose down, the
speed up, and avoid turns.
Landing the SOMETHIN' EXTRA
®
ARF is super easy. The first few
times, without flaperons, keep a little power on the engine to keep
the model moving. It can be flown right down to flare height,
landing on the main wheels with a very short roll-out. With some
experience and using the flaperons, you will find that you can
consistently land this airplane in exactly the same place every
time. As long as we're on the subject, no landing gear system is
bulletproof. Your SOMETHIN' EXTRA
®
ARF has a great landing
gear structure that has proven to be very tough. However, it can
be ripped off during less than desirable landing approaches, poor
field conditions, failure to flare, and just plain "brain fade". If this
happens, simply epoxy the landing gear back in place and learn to
be more careful in the future.
Finally, as we've said before in this manual, there is literally no
substitute for a good running, reliable engine. The SOMETHIN'
EXTRA
®
ARF places a premium on such engines and it's in your
best interest to use a truly good engine to power this truly good
airplane.
17
FLYERS TIP: In flight, do not lower the flaperons above 1/2
throttle. At higher speeds, lowering the flaps will likely cause
sudden pitch changes that may be difficult to correct at low
altitudes.