Final Hookups And Checks; Control Surface Throws; Preflight; Identify Your Model - Top Flite Contender User Manual

3. With the wing attached to the fuselage and an
empty fuel tank, lift the model at the balance point or
™
place it on your C.G. Machine (shown in the sketch).
If the tail drops, the model is tail heavy and you must
relocate your battery pack or other components
forward or add weight to the nose. If the nose drops, it
is nose heavy and you must relocate your battery
pack or other components aft or add weight to the tail.
In order to save weight, relocate your battery pack
and/or receiver or other components before you add
additional weight to arrive at the correct C.G. Nose
weight may be easily added by using a Great Planes
spinner weight or gluing lead weight to the back of the
firewall. Tail weight may be added by using Great
Planes (GPMQ4485) "stick-on" lead weights. Later if
the balance proves to be OK, you can open the fuse
bottom and glue these in permanently.
Note: The amount of weight required will depend on
the engine, density of the wood provided and how
heavily or lightly the tail was built.

Final hookups and checks

1. Take the servo arms off the servos, turn on the
transmitter and center all the trims. Reinstall all the
servo arms and secure them with the screws.
2. Double-check all the servos and make sure the
servo arms are secure and all the clevises have a
silicone retainer.
3. Make sure the control surfaces move in the
proper direction as illustrated in the following sketch.
4. Adjust your pushrod hookups and set up your
radio to provide the control surface movements as
follows. Use a ruler or a Great Planes AccuThrow
Control Surface Deflection Meter (GPMR2405) to
measure the throws.
The balance point and control surface throws listed
in this manual are the ones at which the Contender
flies best. Set up your aircraft to those specifications.
If, after a few flights, you would like to adjust the
throws or C.G. to suit your tastes, that is fine.
Too much control surface throw can make your
model difficult to control or force it into a stall, so
remember... More is not better.
30

Control Surface Throws

This is what we recommend starting with when
setting up your airplane. After you have flown it a few
times feel free to make adjustments to fit your
personal flying style.
Low Rate
Aileron 3/8" up
3/8" down
[9.5mm]
(Aileron rate should be measured at the inboard
end of the aileron)
Elevator 3/16" up
3/16" down
[4.8mm]
Rudder 5/8" left
5/8" right
[15.9mm]
Flap 1-3/4" down
[44mm]

PREFLIGHT

Identify your model

Regardless 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 procedures in the radio
instruction manual. Always charge your transmitter
and receiver batteries the night before you go flying
and at other times as recommended by the
radio manufacturer.
High Rate
5/8" up
5/8" down
[15.9mm]
5/16" up
5/16" down
[7.9mm]
1" left
1" right
[25.4mm]