Great Planes Edge 540 1.60-43cc Performance Series ARF - GPMA1414 - Manual (Page 46)

46
Balance the Model Laterally
o 1. With the wing level, have an assistant help you lift the
model by the engine propeller shaft and the bottom of the
fuse under the TE of the fin. Do this several times.
o 2. If one wing always drops when you lift the model, it means
that side is heavy. Balance the airplane by adding weight
to the other wing tip.
An airplane that has been laterally
balanced will track better in loops and other maneuvers.
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 55 (or on the decal sheet) and
place it on or inside your model.
Charge the 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
flying 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
If the engine is new, follow the engine manufacturer’s
instructions to break-in the engine. After break-in, confirm
that the engine idles reliably, transitions smoothly and rapidly
to full power and maintains full power—indefinitely. After you
run the engine on the model, inspect the model closely to make
sure all screws remained tight, the hinges are secure, the prop
is secure and all pushrods and connectors are secure.
Range Check
Ground check the operational range of your radio before the
first flight of the day. With the transmitter antenna collapsed
and the receiver and transmitter on, you should be able to
walk at least 100 feet away from the model and still have
control. Have an assistant stand by your model and, while
you work the controls, tell you what the control surfaces are
doing. Repeat this test
with the engine running at various
speeds with an assistant holding the model, using hand
signals to show you what is happening. 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.