Ama Safety Code; Flying; Engine Out; Pitch Trim Changes - Top Flite Douglas DC-3 User Manual

Use a chicken stick or electric starter and follow the
instructions to start your engines.
Make certain the glow plug clip or connector is secure
so that it will not pop off or get into the running propeller.
Ask an assistant to hold the model from the rear while
you start the engines and operate the controls.
Make all engine adjustments from behind the rotating
propeller.
The engines gets hot! Do not touch the engines during
or immediately after you operate it. Make sure fuel lines
are in good condition so fuel will not leak onto a hot
engine and cause a fire.
To stop the engines, close the carburetor barrel (rotor) or
pinch the fuel line to discontinue the fuel flow. Do not use
your hands, fingers or any body part to stop the engine.
Never throw anything into the prop of a running engine.

AMA SAFETY CODE

(EXCERPTS)
Read and abide by the following Academy of Model
Aeronautics Official Safety Code:
GENERAL
1. I will not fly my model aircraft in sanctioned events,
air shows, or model flying demonstrations until it has
been proven to be airworthy by having been previously
successfully flight tested.
2. I will not fly my model aircraft higher than
approximately 400 feet within 3 miles of an airport
without notifying the airport operator. I will give right of
way to and avoid flying in the proximity of full scale
aircraft. Where necessary an observer shall be used to
supervise flying to avoid having models fly in the
proximity of full scale aircraft.
3. Where established, I will abide by the safety rules
for the flying site I use and I will not willfully and
deliberately fly my models in a careless, reckless and/or
dangerous manner.
7. I will not fly my model unless it is identified with my
name and address or AMA number, on or in the model.
9. I will not operate models with pyrotechnics (any
device that explodes, burns, or propels a projectile of
any kind).
RADIO CONTROL
1. I will have completed a successful radio equipment
ground check before the first flight of a new or repaired
model.
2. I will not fly my model aircraft in the presence of
spectators until I become a qualified flier, unless
assisted by an experienced helper.
3. I will perform my initial turn after takeoff away from
the pit or spectator areas and I will not thereafter fly over
pit or spectator areas, unless beyond my control.
4. I will operate my model using only radio control
frequencies currently allowed by the Federal
Communications Commission...

FLYING

ENGINE OUT

One thing that comes to mind when thinking of a twin
engine model is "what do you do when one engine
quits?" We all know that on some twins, if one engine
quits, the offset thrust caused by the remaining running
engine can cause the plane to bank suddenly, spiral, or
worst of all, stall one wing and snap roll. On the Gold
Edition DC-3, the only time these tendencies become
evident is when the model is flying slowly. If you are
flying slowly (say, performing a slow inspection pass or
taking off) and an engine quits, just think of your DC-3 as
a single engine plane. When one engine quits on your
sport models, you don't (shouldn't) panic do you? All you
do is point the nose down slightly to maintain airspeed
and bring 'er in. You can do the same with your DC-3,
only you have to cut the "good" engine first. When you
are flying slowly and an engine quits, cutting the
throttle immediately is your first priority. This will
eliminate the offset thrust caused by the lone running
engine. After you've cut your engine, point the nose
- 65 -
down slightly and land just the same as you would with
any other model. Be careful in your decision to use flaps
on a dead stick landing. When you extend the flaps you
will lose much airspeed. Without power it is difficult to
recover lost airspeed. Therefore, you may extend your
flaps halfway to shorten your landing approach, but do
so only when you are on your final leg and are lined up
with the runway. Basically, during a dead stick landing
flaps should be used only to avoid an overshoot .
The good news is, if you are flying at normal speed and
you lose an engine, all you need to do is continue flying
your DC-3 using only elevator and aileron. In all
situations refrain from using the rudder when an engine
quits. Otherwise, you may induce a spin. Though you
may want to get your model down on the ground quickly,
you don't have to panic while doing it. You'll have plenty
of time to get into your landing pattern, make sure the
runway is clear and land. However, with one engine out,
you'll only have one chance to land since you won't be
able to power up and make another go-around. As you
may have already concluded, during your first few flights
we recommend maintaining higher throttle settings as
much as possible. This will help avoid the low speed
engine out situation until your engines are broken-in and
you are confident in their performance.
Let's review:
Flying slowly: engine quits cut throttle, don't use
rudder, land.
Flying at normal speed: engine quits
rudder, get into landing pattern, land.

TAKEOFF

With most tail draggers, engine torque will cause the
nose to turn to the left as you initially accelerate and roll
down the runway for takeoff. With a twin, what
determines the direction of yaw as you roll down the
runway is uneven thrust between the two engines. If
your engines are in sync, your DC-3 will roll straight
down the runway! But, just because both engines idle at
the same RPM and run wide open at the same RPM,
doesn't mean they will accelerate at the same RPM.
Use your throttle curves (if your transmitter has them) or
make sure your throttle linkages are identical so your
engines will accelerate as uniformly as possible. If
necessary (nobody's going to get it perfect), use rudder
to keep your DC-3 on the centerline of the runway as
don't use