Great Planes Waco YMF-5D Biplane ARF - GPMA1295 - Manual (Page 36)

36
PREFLIGHT
Identify Your Model
No matter 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. Fill out the identification
tag on page 39 and place it on or inside your model.
Charge the Radio Batteries
Follow the battery charging instructions that came with your
radio control system to charge the batteries. 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.
CAUTION: Unless the instructions that came with your
radio system state differently, the initial charge on new
transmitter and receiver batteries should be done for 15
hours using the slow-charger that came with the radio
system. This will "condition" the batteries so that the next
charge may be done using the fast-charger of your choice.
If the initial charge is done with a fast-charger the batteries
may not reach their full capacity and you may be fl ying with
batteries that are only partially charged.
Balance Propellers
Carefully balance your propeller and spare propellers before
you fly. An unbalanced prop can be the single most significant
cause of vibration that can damage your model. Not only
will engine mounting screws and bolts loosen, possibly with
disastrous effect, but vibration may also damage your radio
receiver and battery. Vibration can also cause your fuel to
foam, which will, in turn, cause your engine to run hot or quit.
We use a Top Flite Precision Magnetic Prop Balancer
(TOPQ5700) in the workshop and keep a Great Planes
Fingertip Prop Balancer (GPMQ5000) in our flight box.
Ground Check and Range Check
Run the engine for a few minutes to make sure it idles reliably,
transitions smoothly and maintains full power continuously.
Afterward, shut the engine off and inspect the model closely,
making sure all fasteners, pushrods and connections have
remained tight and the hinges are secure. Always ground
check the operational range of your radio before the first
flight of the day following the manufacturer's instructions that
came with your radio. This should be done once with the
engine / motor off and once with the engine / motor running
at various speeds. If the control surfaces do not respond
correctly, do not fly! Find and correct the problem first. Look
for loose servo connections or broken wires, corroded wires
on old servo connectors, poor solder joints in your battery
pack or a defective cell, or a damaged receiver crystal from
a previous crash.
ENGINE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Failure to follow these safety precautions may result
in severe injury to yourself and others.
• Keep all engine fuel in a safe place, away from high heat,
sparks or flames, as fuel is very flammable. Do not smoke
near the engine or fuel; and remember that engine exhaust
gives off a great deal of deadly carbon monoxide. Therefore
do not run the engine in a closed room or garage.
• Get help from an experienced pilot when learning to
operate engines.
• Use safety glasses when starting or running engines.
• Do not run the engine in an area of loose gravel or sand;
the propeller may throw such material in your face or eyes.
• Keep your face and body as well as all spectators away
from the plane of rotation of the propeller as you start and
run the engine.
• Use a “chicken stick” or electric starter to start the engine.
Do not use your fingers to flip the propeller. Make certain
the glow plug clip or connector is secure so that it will not
pop off or otherwise get into the running propeller.
• Make all engine adjustments from behind the rotating
propeller.
• The engine gets hot! Do not touch it during or right after
operation. Make sure fuel lines are in good condition so fuel
will not leak onto a hot engine, causing a fire.
• To stop a glow engine, cut off the fuel supply by closing
off the fuel line or following the engine manufacturer's
recommendations. Do not use hands, fingers or any other
body part to try to stop the engine. To stop a gasoline
powered engine an on/off switch should be connected to
the engine coil or igniter unit. Do not throw anything into the
propeller of a running engine or motor.