Preflight
(continued)
properly balanced to fly. Move equipment
and or battery within fuselage to obtain proper
balance.
☐
Check Weather
- The
Sky Scout’s
first flight
should be in zero wind conditions. The
Sky
Scout
is capable of flying in winds up to 8-10
mph so long as the pilot is capable.
☐
Inspect airframe
for warps and obvious
signs of wear or damage. Do not fly a
damaged or warped model.
☐
Inspect control surfaces
for center, proper
direction of travel, rate of throw, secure
pushrod connections, hinges, and servo
mounting hardware.
☐
Check wing attach points
and struts for
sound attachment, damage and/or wear.
☐
Check landing gear
repair or replace
wheels. Check that tires are properly
retained.
☐
Inspect battery for full charge.
Never begin
a flight with a partially charged battery.
☐
Clear prop!
Before applying power to the
model, clear and keep clear of the prop arc.
As electric motors are capable of inflicting
severe damage (more so than their internal
combustion counterparts) and may turn on
unexpectedly anytime power is applied to the
system. Respect the business end of the
model (the prop and prop arc) treating every
electric model and propeller as if it were a
loaded gun.
☐
Range check radio.
Follow the radio makers
guidelines for performing a proper range
check.
☐
Check for traffic.
Proceed to the flight line
(With your mentor/instructor if you are a
novice pilot) and observe other RC traffic. If
the runway is clear, and no one is in the
pattern to land, loudly announce your
intentions to take off. Remember all aircraft
on ground must yield the runway to those
landing.
☐
Go flying.
Point model into wind (if present)
and steadily advance throttle to full. Use
rudder to correct track while on ground roll.
Within several feet the model should be
airborne. Fly model to comfortable 1-2
mistake high altitude, reduce throttle to stop
climb, then trim model for straight and level
flight at a comfortable cruise speed
(Depending on speed control responsiveness
Sky Scout
typically cruise at just over 1/2
throttle).
☐
Setup for landing.
Clearly announce your
intention to land. Make landings into the
wind. With rudder/elevator control and no
ailerons setting up landings in cross-winds
should be avoided until you are comfortable
with the model’s in-flight behavior.
☐
You’ve completed your first flight(s).
Sky
Scout
should have only required a click or
two of trim to obtain level flight and should
perform smoothy in both pitch and roll.
By now you’ll have noticed that the
Sky
Scout
is a very stable airplane. When built
straight, and trimmed for level flight, the
Sky
Scout
should gently return to wings level from
any attitude. We’ve found the
Sky Scout
to
capture the imagination of prospective pilots
both young and old.
If your first flight was a bit more exciting than
you’d have liked and are having problems
with erratic flight performance; please inspect
your equipment and airframe for damage,
improper installation, and/or twists and warps.
The most common mistake is to try and fly
with a warped or twisted wing. Make certain
that your wing is straight before you fly.
Have fun learning the ins and outs of the
Sky
Scout
in-flight performance and feel free to
share your thoughts and experiences with our
staff. We are committed to improving your
build and flying experience and are constantly
refining our processes, designs, and manuals
to reflect customer feedback. You may
correspond with Stevens AeroModel staff
using any of the following methods:
email: [email protected]
Phone: 719-387-4187
Build Instructions
SkyScout 480
- Build Instructions © 2010 Stevens AeroModel, all rights reserved.
!
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