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We know that your KADET LT-40 looks done and you’re anxious to
go out and fly it, BUT WAIT A MINUTE - IT’S NOT REALLY DONE
YET! It must be balanced. All airplanes, model or full-size, must
be accurately balanced in order to fly successfully. An airplane
that is not properly balanced will be unstable and will most likely
crash!
PRELIMINARY: To balance your KADET LT-40, all of the parts
and components must be installed in their correct positions on the
model. The battery pack and receiver must be installed in their
correct locations; the propeller, spinner, and muffler must
be installed on the engine; the fuel tank and fuel lines must be
installed and connected; and every other piece of essential
equipment must be installed, ready for flight. ALWAYS BALANCE
THE KADET LT-40 WITH THE FUEL TANK EMPTY!
RECOMMENDED BALANCE POINT:
Between 3-1/2” to 4-1/4” Behind The Leading
Edge Of The Wing
(Anywhere within this range is acceptable.)
Using a ruler, measure back from the leading edge of the wing and
mark the balance range on the bottom of the wing, next to the
fuselage. Make the same marks on both sides of the fuselage.
Place a fingertip on each pencil mark and lift the airplane up in the
air. No part of the model should be touching anything except your
fingertips! If the KADET LT-40 will sit on your fingertips in a level
attitude, then it is properly balanced and ready to fly.
If the airplane sits on your fingertips in an extreme nose down
attitude, then it is nose heavy. You will have to add weight to the
rear of the airplane to get it to balance. NOTE: Before adding
additional weight to the model, try simply moving the battery pack
to a further aft location. The battery pack is relatively heavy and
therefore makes a good balancing tool. You might try switching
places between the battery and receiver; or move the battery right
in front of the servos; or in extreme situations, move it behind the
servos. If you can’t get your model balanced simply by re-locating
the battery pack, then you will have to purchase lead weights from
your hobby dealer and glue them into the tail end of the fuselage.
If the airplane sits on your fingertips with the tail down, it is tail
heavy. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FLY IT! A tail heavy model is very
dangerous and will most likely crash!! Weight will have to be
added to the nose of the model to bring it into balance. The
weights can be glued to the inside of the fuselage “cheeks” in front
of the firewall; or inside the fuselage alongside the fuel tank. There
are also “spinner weights” available for tail heavy models.
Wherever you put the balancing weight, make sure it cannot come
loose in flight!
WHY MODELS MUST BE INDIVIDUALLY BALANCED
It is impossible to produce a model airplane kit that will automatically
have the correct balance point every time. Not everyone uses the
same engine or radio - and all those items can vary in weight! You
might be surprised to know that .40 size 2-stroke R/C model engines
can vary in weight from 11 oz. to 18 oz. - that’s almost a half pound
difference, way out on the nose of your model! There can even be as
much as a 3/4 oz. difference in weight between different brands of
10-6 props! So, that’s why every model must be balanced before
flying. Don’t feel that whatever the balance point your model came out
at is “good enough”. Check carefully and make whatever adjustments
are required. Trying to fly an out of balance model is dangerous!
BALANCE YOUR AIRPLANE!
MAKING A “Z-BEND” (In 5 Easy Steps)
Step 2: With a pliers, bend the wire 90 degrees, as tight
as you can, at the 1/4” mark (the mark nearest the end.
Step 3: Now, put another tight 90 degree bend at the
second mark, perpendicular to the first bend, as shown.
Step 4: Next, grip the end of the wire as shown, and twist
the end into proper alignment with the rest of the wire.
Step 1: Using a pencil or
felt-tip pen, put a mark 1/4”
from the end of the wire
you want the “Z-BEND” in.
Then make another mark
3/16” past the first mark.
Step 5:
Use a needle nose
pliers to "tweek" (fine tune) the
bends, if needed.
