Carl Goldberg GPMA1960 Gentle Lady Glider ARF - Manual (Page 13)

13
TRIM FLIGHTS
It is a good idea to do a couple of trim fl ights before each
fl ying session to make sure the plane is still in trim and the
radio is working properly. The model will survive a hard
landing from 5 feet much better than it will one from several
hundred feet. The fi rst few trim fl ights should be done over a
grass fi eld. The longer the grass the better (more cushion).
Turn on the transmitter fi rst and then the receiver. Hold the
fuselage of the Gentle Lady ARF under the wing with the
nose pointed slightly down and directly into the wind. It is
very important that you launch the model with the wings
level and the nose pointing at a spot on the ground about
50 feet in front of you. Have a friend stand off to the side of
you and tell you whether the nose is pointing up or down. If
the sailplane is launched with the nose up or launched too
hard it will climb a few feet, stall and fall nose-fi rst straight
down. With the nose pointed down slightly, the sailplane
will accelerate down until it picks up enough fl ying speed
and then level off and glide forward. The plane should be
launched with a gentle push forward. With a little practice
you will be able to launch it at just the right speed so it soars
straight ahead in a long and impressive glide path. Adjust the
trims on your transmitter to get the plane to fl y straight ahead
in a smooth glide path.
Once you get the hang of launching it you can try turning the
plane during the trim fl ights by gently applying a “touch” of right
or left rudder. You can also try “fl aring” the landings by slowly
applying a touch of up elevator (pull the stick back) as the
plane nears the ground. The Gentle Lady ARF will continue
to fl y just a few inches off the ground for a surprisingly long
distance. It is important you don’t “over-control” the model.
Make any control inputs slowly and smoothly rather than
moving the transmitter sticks abruptly.
YOUR FIRST HI-START LAUNCH
A hi-start is the most popular way to launch your Gentle Lady
ARF. It consists of 25' – 100' of rubber tubing and 200' – 400'
of string with a parachute or streamer at the end. One end of
the rubber is staked down directly upwind of the launch point.
One end of the string is attached to the other end of the
rubber and the end of the string with the parachute has a loop
or ring and is attached to the tow hook on the sailplane.
Follow the directions that came with the hi-start and lay it
out directly into the wind. Place the stake at the far upwind
edge of the fl ying fi eld so the parachute will blow back onto
the fl ying fi eld.
Turn on your transmitter and then your receiver and hook the
parachute onto your plane’s tow hook. Pull the plane back
approximately twice as far as the rubber is long (i.e., 100' of
rubber = pull back 200') or whatever the hi-start instructions
state. A “fi sh scale” is handy for determining the correct
amount of pull. For your fi rst fl ights pull the plane back until
there is approximately 8 lbs. of tension. More tension can be
used after you get acquainted with the launching procedure.
Hold the plane above your head with the wings level and
the nose pointed slightly up and directly into the wind.
Give the plane a healthy push forward to get it fl ying and
it will climb up like a kite. You should not have to touch the
elevator during the launch but use the rudder stick to keep it
going straight up. As the rubber relaxes the plane will fl y off
the hi-start and the parachute will bring the end of the string
back towards you.
FIRST FLIGHTS
Find a BIG, OPEN fi eld for your fi rst fl ights – the bigger the
better, as you won’t have to worry about where you need
to land. Ground based objects (trees, poles, buildings, etc.)
seem to attract model airplanes like a magnet. Again, we
would like to recommend that you fi nd an experienced
pilot to help you with these fi rst fl ights.
Note: You need to remember that your radio control
responds as if you were sitting in the cockpit. When
you push the transmitter stick to the right, the rudder
moves to the plane’s right! This means that when the
plane is fl ying towards you it may seem like the rudder
controls are reversed (when you give “right” rudder the
plane turns to your left–which is the plane’s “right”). It is
sometimes easier to learn to fl y the plane if you always face
your body in the direction the plane is fl ying and look over
your shoulder to watch the model.
Don’t worry about accomplishing very much on your fi rst
fl ights. Use these fl ights to get the “feel” of the controls and
the Gentle Lady ARF’s fl ying characteristics. Try to keep
the plane upwind and just perform some gentle “S-turns”
(always turning into the wind) until it is time to set up for
landing. Have a helper adjust the trims on your transmitter
(a little at a time) until the plane will fl y straight and level with
the transmitter sticks in their neutral positions. It can be very
hard for a beginner to fl y a plane straight towards him as
he would have to do if the plane were downwind and every
mistake takes the plane a little farther downwind. When it is
time to land, just continue performing the gentle “S-turns”
upwind and let the plane glide onto the ground. Don’t worry
about where the plane lands–just miss any trees, etc.
Practice fl ying directly into the wind (upwind of yourself)
without letting the plane get off course, and then turn and
come downwind until the plane is even with you and try it
again. When you are comfortable with fl ying directly into
the wind, start letting the plane go behind you (downwind)
a little before you start back upwind. Continue this until
you can fl y directly towards you from downwind without
getting disoriented. At this point you can start to establish
a “landing pattern” and bring the sailplane in for a landing
from downwind. This enables the plane to be fl own as slowly
(ground speed) as possible for accurate landings.