Great Planes Spirit of St. Louis ARF - GPMA1151 - Manual (Page 22)

Keep your face and body as well as all spectators away from
the path of the propeller as you start and run the motor.
Keep items such as these away from the prop: loose
clothing, shirt sleeves, ties, scarfs, long hair or loose objects
(pencils, screw drivers) that may fall out of shirt or jacket
pockets into the prop.
The electric motor and motor battery used in The Spirit of
St. Louis ARF are very powerful and the spinning propeller
has a lot of momentum; therefore, if you touch the propeller
while it is spinning it may inflict severe injury. Respect the
motor and propeller for the damage they are capable of and
take whatever precautions are necessary to avoid injury.
Always disconnect and remove the motor battery until you
are ready to fly again and always make sure the transmitter
is turned on before connecting the battery.
Read and abide by the following Academy of Model
Aeronautics Official Safety Code:
GENERAL
1. I will not fly my model aircraft in competition or in the
presence of spectators until it has been proven to be airworthy
by having been previously successfully flight tested.
2. I will not fly my model aircraft higher than approximately
400 feet within 3 miles of an airport without notifying the
airport operator. I will give right of way to and avoid flying in
the proximity of full scale aircraft. Where necessary, an
observer shall be utilized to supervise flying to avoid having
models fly in the proximity of full-scale aircraft.
3. Where established, I will abide by the safety rules for the
flying site I use and I will not willfully and deliberately fly my
models in a careless, reckless and/or dangerous manner.
7. I will not fly my model unless it is identified with my name
and address or AMA number, on or in the model.
RADIO CONTROL
1. I will have completed a successful radio equipment ground
check before the first flight of a new or repaired model.
2. I will not fly my model aircraft in the presence of
spectators until I become a qualified flyer, unless assisted
by an experienced helper.
3. I will perform my initial turn after takeoff away from the pit,
spectator and parking areas and I will not thereafter perform
maneuvers, flights of any sort or landing approaches over a
pit, spectator or parking area.
4. I will operate my model using only radio control
frequencies currently allowed by the Federal
Communications Commission.
Though The Spirit of St. Louis ARF is a “Park Flyer,” the best
place to fly any model is at an AMA chartered club field. Club
fields are set up for R/C flying, making your outing safer and
more enjoyable. We recommend that you join the AMA and a
local club so you can have a safe place to fly and have
insurance to cover you in case of a flying accident. The AMA
address and telephone number are in the front of this manual.
If there is no club or R/C flying field in your area, find a suitable
site that is clear of trees, telephone poles, buildings, towers,
busy streets and other obstacles. Since you are not flying at a
sanctioned AMA site, be aware that there may be others like
yourself who could be flying nearby. If both of your models
happen to be on the same frequency, interference will likely
cause one or both of the models to crash. An acceptable
minimum distance between flying models is five miles, so keep
this in mind when searching for a flying site.
In addition to obstacles, it is important to be aware of people
who may wander into the area once you begin flying. At
AMA club flying sites it is a severe rule infraction to fly over
others, and this is a good practice to follow if flying
elsewhere. R/C models tend to attract onlookers whose
numbers can soon multiply, forming small, uncontrolled
crowds. Onlookers pose two main problems. First is the
danger of actually crashing your model into a person,
causing injury. Second is the distraction from those who ask
you questions while you are trying to concentrate on flying.
To minimize or avoid this problem, have an assistant
standing by who can spot people who wander into your
flying site (so you can avoid flying over them) and who can
perform “crowd control” if people start to gather.
IMPORTANT: If you are an inexperienced modeler we strongly
urge you to seek the assistance of a competent, experienced
R/C pilot to check your model for airworthiness AND to teach
you how to fly. No matter how stable or “forgiving” The Spirit of
St. Louis ARF is, attempting to learn to fly on your own is
dangerous and may result in destruction of your model or even
injury to yourself and others. Therefore, find an instructor and fly
only under his or her guidance and supervision until you have
acquired the skills necessary for safe and fully controlled
operation of your model.
We recommend flying The Spirit of St. Louis ARF when the wind
is no greater than five miles per hour. Less experienced flyers
should fly only in calm (less than one mile per hour) conditions.
Frequently, winds are calm in the early morning and early
evening. Often these are the most enjoyable times to fly anyway!
Takeoff
FLYING
FIND A SAFE PLACE TO FLY
AMA Safety Code (excerpts)
22