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BEFORE YOU FLY
Well, you're almost there; you've built and prepared your
model and you've found a great place to fly it close to
home. Is there anything left to do before that first flight?
Yes; you should be aware of a few details that can make
the difference between your having a great flight and
a bad one. Let's see what's left.
• Balance. Did you balance your
model? Did you check to see whether the model's center of
gravity (CG) is in the proper location? Every airplane kit
instruction booklet should explain where the balance point
should be. For a straight wing, this point will usually
fall somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of the chord back from
the leading edge (LE). With a sweptback wing, the CG will
be farther rearward; again, check the instructions.
To check the model's balance point, install the receiver
(RX) and the battery pack and attach the wing to the fuselage.
Support the wing with your fingertips—near the fuselage
sides—and test the model's balance; move the receiver and
battery until it balances level or slightly nose down. This
is the balance point, and it should match that specified
on the instructions. If it doesn't, try moving the RX and
battery again; if that doesn't work, add a little weight
to the nose or the tail until the model balances where it
should. This is vital. A nose-heavy model will probably
fly satisfactorily, but a tail-heavy one might not be controllable.
• Control direction. One of the most common
causes of a first-flight crash is that a model has its
controls hooked up backward. Test your controls to make
sure that they don't bind and that they move the control
surfaces (rudder, ailerons, etc.) in the proper directions.
Turn the transmitter (TX) on first and then turn on your
model's RX. Make sure the TX's trim levers are centered,
and check the control surfaces to make sure that they
are straight and in their neutral positions. While facing
in the same direction as your model, move the control
stick to the right; the rudder should also move to the
right. If your plane has ailerons, when you move the stick
to the right, the right aileron should move up and the
left aileron should move down. When you pull the elevator
stick back toward you, the elevator should move upward;
it should move downward when you push the stick away from
you.
This is also a good time to check the throttle and to
make sure that the motor is turning in the correct direction.
When the throttle is pulled all the way back, the prop
should not move. As you push the throttle stick forward,
the prop should respond proportionally and should blow
air back over the model. If your airplane has only an
arming switch (no throttle), make sure the prop spins
in the right direction (counterclockwise when looked at
from the nose of the plane).
• Warping. Having assembled the model, make sure that
the wing panels are straight—no twisting or warping. Look
at each wing panel from the tip to the root (toward the
fuselage), and make sure their angles match. If one tip
has more positive or negative angle than the other does,
your model will try to turn in one direction or the other.
To fix a warped wing panel, gently twist it into the
opposite position, and then have a helper use a heat gun
or a high-wattage hair dryer to remove the wrinkles in
the covering. When the covering has cooled and the wrinkles
have disappeared, release the panel, and it should be
straight.
Check to make sure that the tail surfaces are also free
of warps and that the wing and horizontal stabilizer are
properly aligned.
That's about it. Make sure your RX and drive batteries
are fully charged and that the TX batteries are also in
peak condition. Check the little light indicator or the
meter on the TX face and make sure your radio system is
working properly. Have fun.
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