13
FLYING THE STAGGERWING
Your transmitter controls the altitude, direction and
speed of the airplane. The control stick controls
both the altitude and direction of the airplane.
When the battery power gets too low, the “Auto
Cut-Off” feature of the speed control provides an
extra degree of insurance. It reacts to low power
by pulsing the motor on and off, in effect saving
power for the receiver. That way your airplane goes
into a glide and you stay in control as you land.
1. Extend the antenna on the transmitter and
throttle slider all the way to the left. Then, turn the
power switch to the “ON” position.
2. Plug in the battery in the airplane and turn the
switch to the “on” position.
3. Move the throttle lever all the way to the right,
to arm the motor.
4. Perform a range check with your radio before
each fl ight. Have a helper hold the airplane. With
the transmitter and airplane on, collapse the
transmitter antenna, walk 100 feet away from the
airplane, holding the transmitter with the antenna
pointing up. Move the control stick, checking that
the control surface responds. Also, turn the motor
on and check the range. If you still have control
of the airplane, it is safe to extend the transmitter
antenna and fl y the airplane. If you do not have
control of the plane, make sure the batteries in the
transmitter are fresh and the battery in the plane
is charged. Also, make sure the wire antenna is
extending out the back of the airplane.
5. With the throttle lever moved fully to the right,
hand launch the Staggerwing into the wind, at a
slight upward angle.
Note:
For the fi rst couple
of fl ights, we recommend having a helper hand
launch the airplane. After you become familiar with
the fl ight characteristics of the airplane, it can be
fl own off a hard surface instead of hand launched.
6. Move the control stick down (towards you) so
that the plane climbs at a 20° to 30° angle. Allow the
airplane to climb a few seconds before turning it.
7. When your airplane is moving away from you,
moving the control stick to the left will make your
plane turn to the left. Moving the stick to the right
will make the airplane turn to the right. By adding
a little up elevator (moving the stick down) during
the turn, the airplane will turn much tighter. To
stop the turn, move the stick the opposite direction
until the airplane is fl ying straight.
8. Now that you have gained some altitude, it is
time to trim the plane for straight, level fl ight. If
the airplane wants to climb when the control stick
is released, move the vertical trim lever up away
from you. If the airplane wants to dive, move the
vertical trim lever down away from you. It should
require very little trim. Your goal is to have the
airplane fl y level with the control stick centered.
9. Now, with the airplane fl ying level, check to
see if the airplane is fl ying straight. If it wants to
turn when the control stick is centered, move
the horizontal trim lever opposite the direction
the airplane is turning. The airplane should be
trimmed so that if you take your hands off of the
control stick, the airplane will fl y straight and level
on its own. Having the airplane trimmed properly
makes fl ying much easier and more enjoyable.
10. Don’t let the airplane get too far away from
you. The farther away it is, the harder it is to see
what the airplane is doing.
11. While becoming familiar with the airplane, it
is best to keep the airplane high enough so that if
you make a mistake, you have enough altitude to
correct the mistake.
