FMA Direct
25
FS8 Co-Pilot™ user guide
Q:
When my airplane is flying, how do I know FS8 Co-Pilot™
is in Failsafe Mode?
A:
Move the transmitter sticks. If the airplane doesn’t respond,
the receiver is in Failsafe Mode.
Q:
What should I do if FS8 Co-Pilot™ goes into Failsafe Mode?
A:
1.
IMMEDIATELY WARN OTHER PILOTS AND
SPECTATORS.
2. Make sure your transmitter on/off switch is on.
3. Hold the antenna vertical and high to increase signal
strength.
4. Check your transmitter’s battery status.
5. Ask other pilots if anyone turned on a transmitter on your
channel. If someone did, tell them to turn off their trans-
mitter immediately.
6. Attempt to regain control of the aircraft.
7. If you are unable to regain control of the aircraft, keep it
in sight and continue warning everyone in the area.
Q:
What happens if FS8 Co-Pilot™ goes into Failsafe Mode and
I can’t find/fix the problem.
A:
Ideally, your preset failsafe servo positions and flight stabili-
zation will put the airplane into a stable attitude that will al-
low it to circle and descend slowly to the ground. Because
you can’t control the plane, expect a hard landing. That,
however, is much better than the plane drilling itself into the
ground, or flying out of sight.
Q:
My FS8 Co-Pilot™ usually records a dozen or two bad
frames during flights. Is that bad?
A:
No. In fact, it indicates your radio system is performing very
well. Occasional glitches are common. It takes at least 50
consecutive bad frames to cause a failsafe condition. Bad
frames are an indirect measure of signal quality and receiver
performance.
Q:
What happens if the receiver battery dies during a flight?
A:
Sorry, FS8 Co-Pilot™ can’t help with that problem. To
avoid that situation, check the receiver battery with an ex-
tended scale voltmeter before every flight.
Q:
I accidentally turned off FS8 Co-Pilot™ before I “read” the
bad frame count by pressing the button three times. Can I get
that information later?
A:
No. The bad frame and failsafe counts are lost when you
turn off the receiver (unless the Flight Recorder is installed).
With the Flight Recorder, you can “ride” in the aircraft dur-
ing the entire flight.
