E-flite Diamante 5e ARF Assembly Manual
Dynamic Balance
Ok, we are happy with our Center of Gravity, so the next thing
is dynamic balance. This is really only relevant with wing tip
weight, most other axes on a model aircraft are not affected too
much by the dynamic effects of high G force loads. Having said
that, your wings are. Just because they both weigh the same,
and don’t carry any aileron trim doesn’t mean you can’t have
a wing weight problem. I have seen a myriad of ways to test
for wing weight trim—loops, pulling to vertical, and so on. My
suggestion is to think about the sequencing argument. If you do
loops, or pull to a vertical up line, the engine thrust can have
an effect, yet we haven’t got to trim our thrust angles yet. Think
about it, what could you do to check your wing tip weight in
flight that will not be affected by thrust. What I do is put the
model into a vertical dive (minimum of 3–4 seconds) and pull a
hard corner at the bottom. No matter where your wings are in
roll, when you pull to level, the wings must be level. Check this
concept with your stick plane. It really doesn’t matter where your
wings are, as you pull to horizontal flight your wings must be
level. If you attempt to pull a hard vertical from horizontal, you
must be absolutely sure your wings are perfectly level. I don’t
know about you guys, but I am not that good. If you go from
vertical to horizontal, not only will the engine thrust have no
effect but your wings can be anywhere as you are on a vertical
down line. Now when you pull the corner, the aircraft may be
pointing in a different direction than you planned, but that is ok,
as long as the wings are level. When I was told this wing weight
checking procedure years ago, it made so much sense. The
only thing I would recommend you pay attention to is making
sure you only use elevator through the corner. Don’t be quick
to make a decision. Have a friend observe the proceedings, do
many pull outs, and make absolutely sure before you move on
to the next step of trimming.
Thrust Angles
OK, guys, it’s time to put aside aesthetics and get that thrust
correct. I sure see a lot of spinners perfectly lining up these
days. One of the biggest deterrents to adjusting for the correct
thrust angles is the spinner won’t line up anymore. That’s true.
Once again, when building your model, pay attention to the
instructions, chances are somebody has figured it out pretty
close. What I like to do , or used to do, is test fly the model
before I paint the cowl. Once I am happy with thrust, I can
make the appropriate cosmetic changes to complete the model
before painting. Setting up the correct thrust angles is fairly
simple. Well, it’s simple to identify, harder to adjust.
Right thrust. Now we know our wing tip weight is correct, we
should be able to confidently perform some accurate vertical
up lines. Number one issue with this is making sure your wings
are level. Don’t guess, be absolutely sure your wings are level
before pulling to a vertical. I have seen people add unnecessary
right thrust as they were not level when pulling corners, leaving
an inside wing down (normal human behavior) and the
model would lean to the left. What I like to do is to fly directly
overhead, into the wind, where I can clearly see my wings, then
pull to a vertical up line. Ok, up we go, first 100’ is good, next
hundred feet is good, moving through 500’, still tracking well,
up over 1000’ now, still straight, coming up on 10,000, arrrrrh,
I see it drifting to the left a little. Ok , Ok, I am being sarcastic,
but I hope you see my point. Most vertical up lines in patterns I
have flown never exceed 1000’, well some do but it’s rare. You
will never get your thrust perfect up to 10,000 feet. If you're
working at it, best you can hope for is around 1000 or so feet.
Speed will have a huge effect of your thrust angle on a vertical
up line. Entry speed, compared to under load after climbing to
100' will be as much as 30–40mph slower. Now a great little
tip I learned for making the adjustments.
