Pre-Flight; Charge The Batteries; Find A Safe Place To Fly; Range Check Your Radio - GREAT PLANES Spirit GPMA0530 Instruction Book

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PRE-FLIGHT

CHARGE THE BATTERIES

Follow the battery charging procedures in your radio in-
struction manual. 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.

FIND A SAFE PLACE TO FLY

The best place to fly your R/C model is an AMA (Acad-
emy of Model Aeronautics) chartered club field. Ask your
hobby shop dealer if there is such a club in your area and join.
Club fields arc set up for R/C flying which makes your outing
safer and more enjoyable. The AMA can also tell you the
name of a club in your area. We recommend that you join
AMA and a local club so you can have a safe place to fly and
also have insurance to cover you in case of a flying accident.
(The AMA address is listed on the front cover of this instruc-
tion book).
If a club and its flying site are not available, you need to
find a large, grassy area at least 6 miles away from any other
R/C radio operation and away from houses, buildings and
streets. A schoolyard may look inviting but it is usually too
close to people, power lines and possible radio interference.
If you are not thoroughly familiar with the operation of
R/C models, ask an experienced modeler to check to see that
you have the radio installed correctly and that all the control
surfaces do what they are supposed to.

RANGE CHECK YOUR RADIO

Wherever you do fly, you need to check the operation of
the radio before every time you fly. This means with the
transmitter antenna collapsed and the receiver and transmit-
ter on, you should be able to walk at least 100 feet away from
the model and still have control. Have someone help you.
Have them stand by your model and, while you work the
controls, tell you what the various control surfaces are doing.

INSTALL THE WINGS

If you built a two-piece wing it is a good idea to wrap
the top of the center joint with a strip of vinyl tape. Rubber
band the wing to the fuselage using eight (8) #64 rubber
bands.
If you built a bolt-on wing. Use two 1/4 - 20 nylon
bolts to hold the wing in place. Cut the bolts to the proper
length so they will not interfere with the controls inside the
fuselage. Tighten the bolts so the wing is held firmly in place
but do not over tighten.

AMA SAFETY CODE

Read and abide by the following Academy of Model
Aeronautics Official Safety Code:

GENERAL

1.
I will not fly my model aircraft in competition or in
the presence of spectators 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 approxi-
mately 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 utilized 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 fl

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 flyer, unless assisted by
an experienced helper.
3. I will perform my initial turn after takeoff away from
the pit, spectator and parking areas, and I will not thereafter
perform maneuvers, flights of any sort or landing approaches
over a pit, spectator or parking area.
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