Great Planes Tracer 46 Kit - GPMA0400 - Manual (Page 40)

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4. Once you have achieved your desired C.G.,
permanently secure your battery pack and receiver in their
current location. We recommend securing your receiver and
battery pack to pieces of leftover ply, using Velcro
® strap so
that the battery and receiver can be easily accessed for
maintenance.
Follow the battery charging procedures in your radio
instruction manual. 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.
Balance your propellers carefully before flying. An
unbalanced prop is the single most significant cause of
vibration. Not only may engine mounting screws vibrate out,
possibly with disastrous effect, but vibration may also
damage your radio receiver and battery. Vibration may
cause your fuel to foam, which will, in turn, cause your
engine to run lean or quit.
We use a Top Flite Precision Magnetic Prop Balancer ™
(TOPQ5700) in the workshop and keep a Great Planes
Fingertip Balancer (GPMQ5000) in our flight box.
Since you have chosen the Tracer we assume that you are
an experienced modeler. Therefore, you should already
know about AMA chartered flying fields and other safe
places to fly. If, for some reason you are a relatively
inexperienced modeler and have not been informed, we
strongly suggest that the best place to fly is an AMA
chartered club field. Ask the AMA or your local hobby shop
dealer if there is a club in your area and join. Club fields are
set up for R/C flying and that makes your outing safer and
more enjoyable. The AMA address and telephone number
is in the front of this manual.
If a club and flying site are not available, find a large, grassy
area at least 6 miles away from houses, buildings and
streets and any other R/C radio operation like R/C boats
and R/C cars. A schoolyard may look inviting but is too close
to people, power lines and possible radio interference.
If you are not thoroughly familiar with the operation of R/C
models, ask an experienced modeler to inspect your radio
installation and confirm that all the control surfaces respond
correctly to transmitter inputs. The engine operation must
also be checked by confirming that the engine idles reliably
and transitions smoothly and rapidly to full power and
maintains full power indefinitely. The engine must be “broken-
in” on the ground by running it for at least two tanks of fuel.
Follow the engine manufacturer's recommendations for
break-in. Make sure all screws remain tight, that the hinges
are secure and that the prop is on tight.
Whenever you go to the flying field, check the operational
range of the radio before the first flight of the day. First,
make sure no one else is on your frequency (channel). With
your 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. While you work
the controls have a helper stand by your model and tell you
what the control surfaces are doing.
Repeat this test with the engine running at various speeds
with a helper holding the model. If the control surfaces are
not always responding correctly, do not fly! Find and correct
the problem first. Look for loose servo connections or
corrosion, loose bolts that may cause vibration, a defective
on/off switch, low battery voltage or a defective cell, a
damaged receiver antenna, or a receiver crystal that may
have been damaged from a previous crash.
Range Check Your Radio
Ground Check the Model
Find a Safe Place to Fly
Balance the Propeller
Charge the Batteries
At this time check all connections including servo arm
screws, Faslinks, clevises and servo cords. Make sure you
have installed the nylon retainer on the Screw-Lock
Pushrod Connector on the throttle pushrod at the servo arm
and the silicone retainers on all the clevises.
PRE-FLIGHT
40