Dynaflite GPMA0090 Butterfly - Manual (Page 39)

39
fi eld. Ask your hobby dealer or the AMA if there
is a club in your area and join it (the address and
telephone number for the AMA is listed on page 3
of this instruction book). Club fi elds exist to make
your R/C fl ying safe and enjoyable. We recommend
that you join the AMA and a local club so you may
have a safe place to fl y and insurance in case of
a fl ying accident.
If a club fl ying site is not available, fi nd a large,
grassy area at least 6 miles away from houses,
buildings, streets and other R/C activity like boats
and cars. Avoid fl ying R/C models near traffi c or
areas such as parks, school yards, offi ce building
lawns, etc. that may attract unrestrained observers
(wild kids). If you are a beginner, you are busy
enough concentrating on your model without having
to answer lots of questions and performing crowd
control.
We highly recommend that you get an experienced
modeler to assist you with your fl ight training. An
experienced modeler can take your Butterfl y up for
the fi rst time and make sure it performs correctly,
then give you valuable fl ight instruction. He can hand
you the transmitter when the Butterfl y has climbed
to a safe altitude or connect your transmitter to his
if both of your systems have trainer cord or “buddy
box” capability. Assistance from an experienced
modeler will make your modeling “career” progress
faster (and cheaper). We do, however realize that
some modelers are determined to learn on their
own or are not in a location where an instructor or
fl ying club is available. Therefore, we have provided
the following information to give you an idea of
what to expect on your fi rst fl ight with your Butterfl y.
Both fl yers who plan to set out on their own
and
fl iers who will have the help of an instructor should
carefully read the following information.
Takeoff
First fl ight attempts should be reserved for calm
days when the wind is less than fi ve to seven mph.
Although the Butterfl y does have landing gear, it is
really intended only for landing so you should hand
launch the Butterfl y. Actually, this makes takeoff a
little easier since you do not have to “stay on the
runway” or worry if the wind is prevailing down the
runway or not. Just hand launch the Butterfl y into
the wind. If you are at a model fl ying fi eld check
with veteran club members to see if this is an
acceptable practice – some clubs specify a fl ight
path no matter the crosswinds.
Always launch (takeoff) and land into the wind. Start
the engine and have your assistant hold the model
over head. Check the operation of all controls just
before takeoff. This will eliminate the possibility of
forgetting to turn on the receiver switch (it happens)
or overlooking reversed or disconnected controls.
Advance the throttle. When you are ready for launch
give an affi rmative nod to your helper. You should
stand behind or to the side and behind the model
when your assistant launches it. He should carefully
run at a fast pace but only needs to take a few
strides, then fi rmly launch the model in an overhead
motion (like a javelin throw). He should throw the
model at a level or slightly nose-up attitude so the
model can climb gently under its own power. The
Butterfl y can only fl y and climb so fast so if your
helper throws the model too hard or at too great
of an angle, it may stall (stop fl ying) requiring time
to gain airspeed before it can resume a climb. Just
a little help on the hand launch is all your Butterfl y
needs – just remember it’s named the “Butterfl y.”
There is no exact way to tell you how much “up”
elevator to apply when your assistant launches
your Butterfl y. It’s rather a balancing act so be
ready to “give it what it needs” to start
a gentle
climb . As long as your Butterfl y is gaining altitude
you’re O.K. (unless you are at a small fl ying site
with obstacles to clear). If the Butterfl y appears to
climb too steeply and looks as though it is going
to stall, momentarily apply a
little down elevator to
point the nose down and regain air speed . Once
airspeed has returned, resume a gentle climb. The
most common mistake of all modelers beginner
and expert alike is not controlling the urge to “get
away from the ground” and “horsing” the model into
the sky. As explained earlier, this only results in a
stall, if not a terrible looking (and risky) departure.
The idea is not to put the Butterfl y into orbit but to
reach a safe altitude where you can execute your
fi rst turn. All of this is going to happen quickly so
try to keep your mind clear and react.