Charge The Radio Batteries; Balance Propellers; Ground Check & Range Check; Engine & Motor Safety Precautions - GREAT PLANES Z-526 ZLIN Akrobat User Manual

Charge the Radio Batteries

Follow the battery charging instructions that came with your
radio control system to charge the batteries . 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 .
CAUTION: Unless the instructions that came with your
radio system state differently, the initial charge on new
transmitter and receiver batteries should be done for
15 hours using the slow-charger that came with the
radio system . This will "condition" the batteries so that
the next charge may be done using the fast-charger
of your choice . If the initial charge is done with a fast-
charger the batteries may not reach their full capacity
and you may be flying with batteries that are only
partially charged .

Balance Propellers

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 .
Ground Check and Range Check
Run the engine for a few minutes to make sure it idles reliably,
transitions smoothly and maintains full power continuously .
Afterward, shut the engine off and inspect the model closely,
making sure all fasteners, pushrods and connections have
remained tight and the hinges are secure . Always ground
check the operational range of your radio before the first
flight of the day following the manufacturer's instructions that
came with your radio . This should be done once with the
engine / motor off and once with the engine / motor running
at various speeds . 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 .
ENGINE & MOTOR SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS
Failure to follow these safety precautions may result
in severe injury to yourself and others.
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
and motors .
Do not run the engine or motor 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 or motor .
Keep these items away from the prop: loose clothing, shirt
sleeves, sweater strings, ties, scarves, long hair or loose
objects such as pencils or screwdrivers that may fall out of
shirt or jacket pockets into the prop .
Use a "chicken stick" or electric starter to start the engine .
Do not use your fingers to flip the propeller . Make certain the
glow plug clip or connector is secure so that it will not pop off
or otherwise get into the running propeller .
Make all engine adjustments from behind the rotating propeller .
The engine gets hot! Do not touch it during or right after
operation . Make sure fuel lines are in good condition so fuel
will not leak onto a hot engine, causing a fire .
To stop a glow engine, cut off the fuel supply by closing
off the fuel line or following the engine manufacturer's
recommendations . Do not use hands, fingers or any other
body part to try to stop the engine . To stop a gasoline powered
engine an on/off switch should be connected to the engine
coil or igniter unit . Do not throw anything into the propeller of
a running engine or motor .
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