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Charge the Batteries
Follow the battery charging instructions that came with your
radio control system to charge the batteries. You should always
charge your transmitter battery 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 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.
Range Check
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. (Consult your radio manual for range checking 2.4
GHz systems.) 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 motor 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.
MOTOR SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Failure to follow these safety precautions may result
in severe injury to yourself and others.
Get help from an experienced pilot when learning to operate
electric motors.
Use safety glasses when running electric motors.
Do not operate the 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 operate the motor.
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.
The motor gets hot! Do not touch it during or right after
operation.
LITHIUM BATTERY HANdLINg & USAgE
WARNING!! Read the entire instruction sheet included
with your battery. Failure to follow all instructions
could cause permanent damage to the battery and its
surroundings, and cause bodily harm!
• ONLY use a LiPo approved charger. NEVER use a NiCd/
NiMH peak charger!
• NEVER charge in excess of 4.20V per cell.
• ONLY charge through the "charge" lead. NEVER charge
through the "discharge" lead.
• NEVER charge at currents greater than 1C.
• ALWAYS set charger's output volts to match battery volts.
• ALWAYS charge in a fireproof location.
• NEVER trickle charge.
• NEVER allow the battery temperature to exceed 150° F
[65° C].
• NEVER disassemble or modify pack wiring in any way or
puncture cells.
• NEVER discharge below 3.0V per cell.
• NEVER place on combustible materials or leave unattended
during charge or discharge.
• ALWAYS KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.
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