Great Planes Matt Chapman CAP 580 Giant ARF - GPMA1285 - Manual (Page 23)

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4. If possible, relocate the battery pack and receiver to
minimize or eliminate any additional ballast required. If
additional weight is required, nose weight may be easily
added by using Great Planes (GPMQ4485) “stick-on” lead. A
good place to add stick-on nose weight is to the firewall or the
engine box itself (don’t attach weight to the cowl—it is not
intended to support weight). Begin by placing incrementally
increasing amounts of weight on the engine box behind the
engine until the model balances. Once you have determined
the amount of weight required, it can be permanently
attached. If required, tail weight may be added by temporarily
removing the rudder servo hatch, installing the lead inside
well clear of the servos, and reinstalling the hatch.
Note: Do not rely upon the adhesive on the back of the lead
weight to permanently hold it in place. Over time, fuel and
exhaust residue may soften the adhesive and cause the
weight to fall off. Use #2 sheet metal screws, RTV silicone or
epoxy to permanently hold the weight in place.
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5. IMPORTANT: If you found it necessary to add any
weight, recheck the C.G. after the weight has been installed.
NOTE: Lateral balance is far more important to a precision
aerobatic model than to the typical trainer, sport, or scale
aircraft. As such, checking lateral balance is handled far
more precisely for this type of aircraft. This process requires
the assistance of 2 or ideally 3 people.
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1. With the wing level, have an assistant help you lift the
model by the engine propeller shaft and the bottom of the
fuse via the tail gear.
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2. Have your second assistant measure the distance
each tip is above the floor.
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3. Repeat the lift 3 or 4 times, checking the distance each
time, and averaging the distances.
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4. If one wing is more than 1/4" lower than the other on
average, that side is heavy. Balance the airplane by adding
weight to the other wing tip until it balances to within 1/4".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Range Check
Ground Check
Balance Propellers
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.
Charge the Batteries
Identify Your Model
PREFLIGHT
Balance the Model Laterally