Great Planes Spirit 100 Sailplane Kit - GPMA0550 - Manual (Page 50)

Turn on the transmitter first and then the receiver and hold the
SPIRIT 100 under the wing with the nose pointed slightly down
and directly into the wind as shown in the photo. It is very
important you launch the model with the wings level and the nose
pointing at a spot on the ground about 50 feet in front of you. Have
a friend stand off to the side of you and tell you weather the nose
is pointing up or down. Show your friend the picture above so he
will know what to look for. If the sailplane is launched with the
nose up or launched too hard it will climb afew feet, stall and fall
nose first straight down. With the nose pointed down slightly the
sailplane will accelerate down until it picks up enough flying
speed then level off and glide forward. The plane should be
launched with a good push forward. With a little practice you will
be able to launch it at just the right speed so it soars straight ahead
in a long and impressive glide path. Adjust the trims on your
transmitter to get the plane to fly straight ahead in a smooth glide
path.
Once you get the hang of launching it you can try turning the
plane during the trim flights by gently apply ing a "touch" of right
or left rudder or aileron. You can also try "flaring" the landings
by slowly applying a touch of up elevator (pull the stick back) as
the plane nears the ground. The SPIRIT 100 will continue to fly
just a few inches off the ground for a surprisingly long distance.
It is important you don't "over-control" the model. Make any
control inputs slowly and smoothly rather than moving the
transmitter sticks abruptly.
TYPICAL HI-START LAUNCH
Large Open Field
Hold the plane above your head with the wings level and the
nose pointed slightly up and directly into the wind. Give the
plane a healthy push forward to get it flying and it will climb up
like a kite. You should not have to touch the elevator during the
launch but use the rudder stick to keep it going straight up. You
will find the ailerons arc not very responsive during the first part
of the launch. As the rubber relaxes the plane will fly off the hi-
start and the parachute will bring the end of the string back
towards you.
YOUR FIRST HI-START LAUNCH
A hi-start is the most popular way to launch your SPIRIT 100.
It consists of 25'- 100' of rubber tubing and 200' - 400' of string
with a parachute or streamer at the end. One end of the rubber is
staked down directly upwind of the launch point. One end of the
string is attached to the other end of the rubber and the end of the
siring with the parachute has a loop or ring and is attached to the
towhook on the sailplane. Because of the SPIRIT 100's larger
size you will need a heavy duty type hi-start. Do not attempt to
launch the SPIRIT 100 with a light-weight hi-start designed
for smaller sailplanes.
Follow the directions that came with the hi-start and lay it out
directly into the wind. Place the slake at the far upwind edge of
the flying field so the parachute will blow back onto the flying
field.
Turn on your transmitter and then your receiver and hook the
parachute up to your plane's towhook. Pull the plane back
approximately twice as far as the rubber is long (ie. 100' of rubber
= pull back 200') or whatever the hi-start instructions slate. A
"fish scale" is handy for determining the correct amount of pull.
For your first flights pull the plane back until there is approxi-
mately 10-12 lbs. of tension. More tension can be used after you
get acquainted with the launching procedure.
FIRST FLIGHTS
Find a BIG OPEN field for your first nights. The bigger the
better as you won't have to worry about where you need to land.
Ground based objects (trees, poles, buildings, etc.) seem to attract
model airplanes like a magnet. Again, we would like to recom-
mend you find an experienced pilot to help you with these first
flights.
NOTE: You need to remember your radio control
responds as if you were sitting in the cockpit. When
you push the transmitter stick to the right, the rudder
moves to the plane's right!. This means when the
plane is flying towards you it may seem like the
rudder controls are reversed (when you give "right"
rudder the plane turns to your left-which is the
plane's "right") I t i s sometimes easier to learn to fly the
plane if you always face your body in the direction the
plane is flying and look over your shoulder to watch the
model.
Don't worry about accomplishing very much on your first
flights. Use these flights to get the "feel" of the controls and the
SPIRIT 100's flying characteristics. Try to keep the plane
upwind and just perform some gentle "S" turns (always turning
into the wind) until it is time to set up for landing. Have a helper
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