Dynaflite GPMA0090 Butterfly - Manual (Page 40)

40
Flight
Allow the Butterfl y to climb as gently or steeply as
required and you are comfortable with, then execute
your fi rst turn. Make a right or a left 180-degree turn
(whichever direction will keep you from fl ying over
head or over obstacles). Initiate the 180-degree turn
by applying a little rudder in the direction you wish to
turn, then apply a little up elevator to keep the nose
level . You will fi nd that once the turn is initiated, no
more rudder is required to hold the turn but opposite
rudder may be required to stop the turn and return
the Butterfl y to a straight and level attitude.
At this time the Butterfl y is fl ying “down wind” so it will
gain speed and perhaps loose a little altitude. Just
apply a little up elevator to maintain altitude or gain
altitude if you prefer. Also, be aware that at this point
the Butterfl y will be “facing you” (not facing
away
from you as it was when you took off) so to make the
model move to your right (the Butterfl ies’ left) you will
have to move the rudder stick to the left. Nothing has
changed except your perspective. Some beginners
fi nd it helpful to turn slightly away from the model and
fl y it “over their shoulder” so they are facing almost
the same direction as the model. Some instructors
tell their students to “put the stick under the low wing
when the model is fl ying toward you.” Luckily, the
Butterfl y will react slowly enough so you should be
able to fi gure it out if you have enough altitude.
Your next turn will be into the wind so it will be a
little easier to maintain altitude and complete the
turn. Apply rudder in the direction required to initiate
the turn. Keep fl ying a “racetrack pattern” while you
maintain altitude and make small corrections (as small
as possible) to keep the desired heading.
Due to the nature of the design (a powered sailplane)
the Butterfl y should gently climb at all times but, if it
seems to climb too rapidly, apply a little “down trim” to
decrease the rate of climb. If your Butterfl y requires
you to hold up elevator all the time to get it to climb,
apply a little “up trim” to resume a gentle climbing
tendency. Once you have become comfortable with
the rate of climb and altitude of your Butterfl y, throttle
back to about 2/3 or 1/2 throttle to keep from climbing
out of sight. Actually, the purpose of the engine on
your Butterfl y is not to get it from “point A to point B”
or for “zipping around” (like traditional models), but
the engine is for gaining altitude to get your Butterfl y
high enough to let you fl y it, react and learn how to
correct mistakes and guide it through the air. Continue
fl ying the “race track pattern” making adjustments to
altitude, heading and speed.
Landing
Landing your Butterfl y is the easy part because by
now you have had a few minutes of fl ying time under
your belt and the “butterfl ies” (sorry, we couldn’t resist)
should be all gone. Make a pass over the landing area
(remember – always land into the wind) and reduce the
throttle to about 1/4. Allow your Butterfl y to descend
as it approaches the fl ying fi eld. Hold the throttle at
1/4, then slowly advance the throttle as the Butterfl y
passes by at an altitude of approximately 10 to 30
feet. Make a few more practice landing approaches
adjusting the heading and altitude as you pass by.
Finally, decrease the throttle to idle (with the throttle
trim adjusted per the control throws) and allow the
Butterfl y to descend. As the Butterfl y reaches an
altitude of approximately 10’ to 20’ gradually apply
enough up elevator to maintain a gradual, slow
descent (but not enough to climb) until it almost
reaches the slowest fl ying speed possible. At this point
the Butterfl y should be only about 1 foot off the ground.
Allow the Butterfl y to continue down the fl ying fi eld
until it looses speed and fi nally touches the ground.
You should attempt your fi rst landings with just a few
“clicks” of extra power on the throttle trim to make
sure you do not stall the model too early at too high
of an altitude. You do not have to land the Butterfl y
upon the fi rst attempt. If for some reason (you have
not “scrubbed off” enough speed, you are too far
away, there is a sudden wind gust) you have trouble
with your landing approach, just add power, climb
out and try it again.
Remember, your Butterfl y is a motor glider so it is
going to react slowly (ideal for beginners) and requires
lots of space to maneuver.
We hope you have fun with your Butterfl y and that
your fi rst attempt at R/C airplanes is successful!