You should always charge your transmitter and receiver
batteries the night before you go flying and at other times as
recommended by the radio manufacturer.
Carefully balance your propeller and spare propellers before
you fly. An unbalanced prop can be the single most significant
cause of vibration that can damage your model. Not only will
engine mounting screws and bolts loosen, possibly with
disastrous effect, but vibration may also damage your radio
receiver and battery. Vibration can also cause your fuel to
foam, which will, in turn, cause your engine to run hot or quit.
We use a Top Flite Precision Magnetic Prop Balancer
™
(TOPQ5700) in the workshop and keep a Great Planes
Fingertip Prop Balancer (GPMQ5000) in our flight box.
Don’t forget to ream out your props to fit your engine before
putting spares in your field box!
If the engine is new, follow the engine manufacturer’s
instructions to break-in the engine. After break-in, confirm
that the engine idles reliably, transitions smoothly and rapidly
to full power and maintains full power—indefinitely. After you
run the engine on the model, inspect the model closely to
make sure all screws remained tight, the hinges are secure,
the prop is secure and all pushrods and connectors are
secure. It may be a good idea to do initial engine runs without
the cowl in place. For most installations, this will allow for
easier needle valve adjustment and facilitate trouble-
shooting if necessary. The plane could even be flown without
the cowl until satisfied with engine performance. (But if test
flying without the cowl, make sure your model still balances
at the recommended C.G.)
Ground check the operational range of your radio before the
first flight of the day. With the transmitter antenna collapsed
and the receiver and transmitter on, you should be able to walk
at least 100 feet away from the model and still have control—
but always refer to the manufacturer’s instructions that came
with your radio. Have an assistant stand by your model and,
while you work the controls, tell you what the control surfaces
are doing. Repeat this test with the engine running at various
speeds with an assistant holding the model, using hand
signals to show you what is happening. If the control surfaces
do not respond correctly, do not fly! Find and correct the
problem first. Look for loose servo connections or broken
wires, corroded wires on old servo connectors, poor solder
joints in your battery pack or a defective cell, or a damaged
receiver crystal from a previous crash.
Keep all engine fuel in a safe place, away from high heat,
sparks or flames, as fuel is very flammable. Do not smoke
near the engine or fuel; and remember that engine exhaust
gives off a great deal of deadly carbon monoxide. Therefore
do not run the engine in a closed room or garage.
Get help from an experienced pilot when learning to
operate engines.
Use safety glasses when starting or running engines.
Do not run the engine in an area of loose gravel or sand; the
propeller may throw such material in your face or eyes.
Keep your face and body as well as all spectators away from the
plane of rotation of the propeller as you start and run the engine.
Keep these items away from the prop: loose clothing, shirt
sleeves, ties, scarfs, long hair or loose objects such as
pencils or screwdrivers that may fall out of shirt or jacket
pockets into the prop.
Failure to follow these safety precautions may result
in severe injury to yourself and others.
ENGINE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Range Check
Ground Check
Balance Propellers
NOTE: Checking the condition of your receiver battery
pack is highly recommended. All battery packs, whether
it’s a trusty pack taken out of another model, or a new
battery pack recently purchased, should be cycled, noting
the discharge capacity. Oftentimes, a weak battery pack
can be identified (and a valuable model saved!) by
comparing its actual capacity to its rated capacity. Refer to
the instructions and recommendations that come with your
cycler. If you don’t own a battery cycler, perhaps you can
have a friend cycle your pack and note the capacity for you.
Should you wish to purchase a battery cycler, the Great
Planes
Triton
™
(GPMM3150) charger/discharger/cycler is
highly recommended as it will work with just about any type
of battery used in your model.
Charge the Batteries
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