HobbyZone Firebird Commander 2 Instruction Manual page 9

Flying (continued)
Anti-Crash Technology (ACT)
Your Firebird Commander ® 2 comes
equipped with exclusive Anti-Crash
™
Technology. This software helps to prevent
crashes due to over-control of pilots. The
sensors included in the fuselage "see" the
horizon. One sensor is above the canopy
and faces forward. The other is at the bottom
of the fuselage and faces backward.
These sensors "look" to see the sky and the
horizon, and the electronic system that is
16
connected to them knows that the airplane
should not be allowed to enter a steep dive.
If you give transmitter input that causes the
plane to enter into a spiral dive that may
threaten your aircraft, the ACT software will
override your input to help prevent the
aircraft from crashing to the ground. The
ACT will intervene for you when the aircraft
is in jeopardy by reducing throttle and
changing the directional control as well.
The ACT software will only interrupt flight in
extreme situations, allowing you to enjoy as
much control of the airplane as you need.
Your Firebird Commander 2 comes with the
ACT on as the default setting. If you enter a
severe dive while flying, you will notice the
following things take place:
• You will hear the motor speed reduce as
the ACT programming overrides your
input. This slows the decent of the aircraft
to help prevent a crash.
• The ACT software will give reverse steering
input to the aircraft's electronics to help
pull the plane out of a dive.
Flying (continued)
• There will be a noticeable change in
the movement of the aircraft if you give
it extreme input, and the diameter of
turns will be larger.
• The nose of the airplane will only be
allowed to reach a limited angle, and
then will rise up in order to prevent too
much speed from being generated.
• Once the ACT software has taken over,
you will not be able to give control input
until you have released the steering stick,
allowing it to return to neutral. In most
cases, you will want to release both
sticks in order to allow the plane to
recover completely.
When you experience your Firebird
Commander 2 doing any of the above
actions, the exclusive ACT system is warning
you that you have made some transmitter
inputs that could put your plane in jeopardy.
You can work to correct it by reducing throt-
tle and putting the right stick back toward
neutral (or reversing the last input).
Once you have gained more experience,
and feel more comfortable flying, you can
turn the ACT software off to enter "Expert
Mode." To do this:
• Turn on your transmitter
• Place the flight battery into the fuselage
and plug it into the battery connector
• Pull down on the left (throttle) stick for
approximately 3 seconds. You will hear
two beeps that signal that you have
turned off the ACT software and now have
full control at all times.
• To reenter the default mode, where ACT
is "on", repeat the steps listed above in
this section. You will hear one beep when
you repeat these steps, which indicates
that the ACT software has been turned
back on.
• It is possible to change flight modes in
the air, but sufficient altitude is required!
17