15
14
PRE-FLIGHT CHECKS
BALANCE
With the radio system still on, move the throttle trim
lever up the middle. This should open the carburetor
barrel up slightly(1/32"-1/16") and allow the engine to
idle satisfactorily. To shut the engine off from the
transmitter, simply move the throttle stick and trim lever
all the way down. Now move the throttle stick up and
watch the carburetor barrel. It should reach full open at
the same time the stick reaches it end point. If it does
not follow the instructions below. If the barrel does not
open all the way, move the pushrod in one hole in the
carburetor throttle arm. If the carburetor barrel reaches
full open and makes the servo " hum" very early in the
t r a n s m i t t e r s t i c k s m o v e m e n t , m o v e t h e p u s h r o d
connector in on the servo horn( to a hole that is closer to
the center of horn).
Grasp the throttle pushrod, and while looking at the
opening in the top of the carburetor, adjust the pushrod
until the throttle barrel( inside ) is all the way closed.
Tighten the setscrew in the pushrod connector to secure
the pushrod in that postion. Cut off the excess throttle
pushrod approximately 1/2" past the EZ connector.
Barrel Closed
Open Slightly
Barrel Open
N60TT
Tig
er
IMPORTANT- Do not attempt to fly your model before
completing this every important section. A model that is
not properly balanced will be unstable and could cause
serious damage and /or injury.
The balance point for this model is 3” behind the leading
edge of the wing. Measure this distance and mark it on
both sides of the fuselage right under the wing. With
your model fully assembled but without fuel, pick it up
with your index fingers at each of the two balance marks
you made earlier. If balanced properly, the plane will
hang horizontally. If the plane hangs with the tail down,
then you need to add (or redistribute) some weight in the
nose. Usually the plane will either balance or hang
slightly tail heavy. The easiest cure for a tail-heavy plane
is to move the receiver and battery forward as far as
possible. If the plane hangs nose down, then you need to
add some weight to the tail. Stick-on lead weights are
available from your hobby dealer that will make adding
weight a simple task. Once you have everything
positioned as necessary, wrap your receiver and battery
pack in 1/4'' or 1/2'' thick foam for protection.
BALANCING YOUR PLANE
If you are an experienced pilot, some of the following
text will not apply to you. Simply disregard references
to “your first flights”.
LOCATE A GOOD FLYING SITE
Generally, the best place to fly your model is at
AMA
(Academy of Model Aeronautics) charactered club field.
Your local hobby dealer can tell you if there is such a
club a club in your area or write the AMA for information.
It is also a good idea to join this organization before
flying your model since they offer liability insurance that
can protect you if your model causes damage or injury
to others.
If there is not a chartered club field in your community,
you will need to find a large area free of obstructions,
which has a smooth grass or asphalt surface to be used
as a runway. For safety's sake, it should be located well
away from houses, building schools, power lines and
airport. If you will be flying within 6 mile of an airport,
you should check with the airport manager before flying
your model.
PRE-FLIGHT
Academy of Model Aeronautics
5151 East Memorial Dr.
Muncie, In 47302-9252
The batteries are the heart of your radio system. Make
s u r e y o u h a v e f u l l y c h a r g e d b a t t e r i e s ! W i t h
rechargeable batteries, follow the manufacturers
instructions to make sure the batteries are fully charged,
especially the first time the radio is used.
If your radio uses dry cells, make sure your batteries are
in new condition. You have a lot of money invested in
this project so it is not worth the risk of using old
batteries.
A NOTE ON BATTERIES
You should perform these checks before each flying
session.
1. Check all control surfaces for possible looseness or
deterioration.
2. Check all screws, rubber band, clevises, nuts and all
other connectors to make sure they are securely
fastened.
3. Check which radio frequencies are being used. Do not
turn your radio until absolutely sure you are the only one
operating on that frequency.
4. Check for proper operation of all control surfaces.
5. Check the level of charge in both the transmitter and
receiver batteries before flying.
6. Range check the radio both with and without the
engine running! Follow the radio manufacturer's
instructions for this.
PRE-FLIGHT CHECKS
Learning to fly a radio control aircraft can be very exiting,
but it is important that you thoroughly understand the
basics of flight and controls before you attempt your first
flights. Therefore, we highly recommend that you seek
the expertise of an experienced instructor pilot for the
first few flights. He (or she ) can get you in the air much
more smoothly than trying everything yourself for the
first time.
FLYING
GETTING ORIENTED
We recommend that you find a large smooth and clear
surface to practice taxing your airplane around in before
you try to take off. To taxi, you only need to use the
rudder stick. At the slow speeds encountered during
taxing, the elevator and ailerons will not be effective.
The first and most important thing to remember when
controlling model aircraft is: the model controls are set
up to operate as if you were sitting in the cockpit of the
model. This means that when you pull back (down) on
the elevator stick the nose of the plane will go up.
Moving the rudder stick to the right will “yaw” the plane
to the right and moving the aileron stick to the right will
“roll” the plane to the right. Pretty simple right? Well, not
quite. Since you are really standing on the ground and
not sitting in the plane, this is how the controls work
when you are facing the same direction the plane is
flying. The problem is that when the plane is flying
towards you, the rudder and aileron controls seem
reversed to the inexperienced pilot. This is the reason
we recommend that you practice taxing around in a large
open area to try and get used to the control reversal.
During your first few flights, try to face the direction that
the plane is flying and looking over your shoulder as
needed. This makes it a little easier to pretend that your
sitting in the cockpit.
FIRST FLIGHT
When you are comfortable with the controls, you should
be ready for your first flight. Go over the Pre-Flight
Check List one more time for good measure and taxi out
the runway (hopefully with an experienced pilot by your
side). Point the model directly into the wind and
gradually increase the throttle to full throttle. As the
model starts rolling forward it may try to turn to the left
due to the engine torque. Apply enough right rudder to
keep the plane rolling relatively straight into the wind. If
you built the model with right thrust, this tendency may
not be noticeable. As the plane picks up speed, the right
rudder input can be reduced.
Once the plane reaches flying speed, it will probably try
to fly by itself. If the grass seems to be impeding take off ,
a very slight amount of “up” elevator can be applied, but
it is very important that you do not apply too much up
elevator too early or the plane will stall and roll over into
the ground.
As the plane becomes airborne, reduce the “up” elevator
and allow the plane to pick up flying speed while gently
gaining altitude. Once a safe flying speed and altitude
has been obtained, feel free to turn the airplane back
toward the flying field. Make all control inputs smoothly
and gradually so you can see the effect they have on the
plane. A small amount of “up” elevator will need to be
applied to keep plane level during turns. You should be
able to reduce the throttle to about ½ throttle for normal
cruising flight which will reduce the flying speed and
give you more time to think about what is going on. You
will find that once airborne, you can fly the plane with
only the aileron and elevator sticks. This is perfectly fine
and will make it much easier for you to learn.
If the plane has a tendency to turn, roll, climb, or dive,
you can adjust the transmitter trims to correct this. On
your first flights, it might be a good idea to have an
experienced pilot make the adjustments for you while
you fly the plane.
3”
