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PREFLIGHT
IDENTIFY YOUR MODEL
No matter if you fly at an AMA sanctioned R/C club
site or if you fly somewhere on your own, you
should always have your name, address, telephone
number and AMA number on or inside your model.
It is required at all AMA R/C club flying sites and
AMA sanctioned flying events.
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 and receiver
batteries the night before you go flying, and at other
times as recommended by the radio manufacturer.
NOTE: Checking the condition of your receiver
battery pack is highly recommended. All battery
packs, whether it's a trusty pack you've just taken out
of another model, or a new battery pack you just
purchased, should be cycled, noting the discharge
capacity. Oftentimes, a weak battery pack can be
identified (and a valuable model saved!) by
comparing its actual capacity to its rated capacity.
Refer to the instructions and recommendations that
come with your cycler. If you don't own a battery
cycler, perhaps you can have a friend cycle your
pack and note the capacity for you.
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
If the engine is new, follow the engine
manufacturer's instructions to break-in the engine.
After break-in, confirm that the engine idles reliably,
transitions smoothly and rapidly to full power and
maintains full power—indefinitely. After you run the
engine on the model, inspect the model closely to
make sure all screws remained tight, the hinges are
secure, the prop is secure and all pushrods and
connectors are secure.
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. 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 engine 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.
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