Set A Flight Timer; Take Off; Hand-Launch - GREAT PLANES SYNCRO Instruction Manual

Set a Flight Timer

Use a stopwatch, the timer or alarm in your wrist watch or
the timer in your transmitter (if your transmitter has one) to
tell you when it's time to land before the battery gets too low
causing the motor to quit. When the batteries get too low the
ESC will automatically cut power to the motor, but there will
still be power to control your radio so you can operate the
controls to land. Still, if the motor quits unexpectedly you
could end up landing your Syncro far away or you may even
possibly crash.
Before you have fl own your Syncro a few times you can not
know for certain how long it will fl y, so you'll have to take
an educated guess based on our recommendation. There
are too many variables that can determine the fl ight time
such as the size, condition and brand of your batteries,
how much throttle you use and even how windy it is (more
throttle is usually used on windy days). Since it's impossible
to precisely predict, you should err on the side of caution.
Most of the batteries suitable for your Syncro should provide
5 – 8 minutes of fl ight time. Initially then, set your timer to
four minutes. Until you get pretty good at fl ying your Syncro
you should land when the timer goes off. There are a few
ways to fi nd out the maximum fl ight time. For one, you can
simply continue to fl y around until the motor fi nally quits.
With planning, altitude and a little skill you should have no
trouble making a "dead-stick" landing, but you get only one
chance, so dead-stick landings are for experienced pilots
only. Another way is to fl y around until you notice a signifi cant
drop in motor performance. Then, the batteries are getting
low and will probably quit soon, so go ahead and land at
this time. In either case note the fl ight time and subtract a
minute to tell you your overall maximum fl ight time (giving
you approximately an extra minute until the motor quits).
If your LiPo charger permits, note how much capacity it takes
to fully recharge the battery. It should not be any more than
75% to 80% of the total capacity. Otherwise, you are fl ying
too long and draining your batteries too much. Then, you
should shorten your fl ight time even more.

Take Off

Until you are confi dent fl ying your Syncro, do not fl y if
the wind speed is greater than 10 mph [16 kph].
One fi nal check before takeoff; check the control response
to your transmitter inputs—this should be done before
every fl ight! Be certain the ailerons, elevator, rudder and
throttle respond correctly and that none of the controls have
inadvertently become reversed.
Your Sycnro may takeoff from short grass or pavement. For
beginners, short grass is usually best because it stabilizes
the wheels making it easier to keep the plane rolling straight
ahead. But if the grass is too tall or there is no suitable
runway, the Syncro may also be hand-launched. Hand-
launching is easiest with the glider wing because it requires
less air speed to fl y.
Hand Launch
It's easy to hand-launch your Syncro, but it's even easier to
have an assistant launch it—especially for the fi rst time.
Ducted fans don't develop thrust as quickly as propellers,
so the Syncro will require a pretty good toss to give it
enough velocity to remain airborne. But usually, the harder
one throws a model, the less control they have—possibly
resulting in a poor launch with the wings banked or the nose
too high or too low. So ask your assistant to concentrate on
keeping the wings level and make sure he throws it directly
into the wind. Have your assistant hold the fuselage under
the wing. Let him know when you're ready and make sure
he acknowledges, then advance the throttle to full power
before the throws it. The Syncro will initially ascend, then
climb once it gains enough fl ying speed. Hold just enough
"up" elevator to start climbing and use the ailerons to keep
the wings level.
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