beautypg.com

Flying find a safe place to fly, Flight takeoff – Great Planes Tutor Park Flyer Kit- GPMA0002 User Manual

Page 23

background image

Though the Tutor 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. You should NEVER fly over people no matter where
you fly. R/C models tend to attract onlookers whose
numbers can soon multiply to form 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 of 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 Tutor is, attempting to learn to fly on your own
is dangerous and may result in the 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 Tutor when the wind is no greater
than five miles per hour. Less experienced flyers should fly
the Tutor only in calm (less than one mile per hour)
conditions. Frequently, winds are calm in the early morning
and early evening. These are the most enjoyable times to fly
anyway!

Until you have the Tutor properly trimmed for level flight, we
recommend having an assistant hand-launch the model
instead of taking off from the ground. Of course, experienced
modelers can hand-launch the model themselves.

Turn on the transmitter and plug the battery into the speed
control. Turn on the receiver by following the instructions
that came with your speed control.

IMPORTANT: Confirm that the transmitter operates the
controls by moving the sticks and watching the surfaces
respond. Occasionally, electric models have been launched
with the transmitter turned off or the battery disconnected
from the speed control!

When ready to launch, the assistant should hold the bottom
of the fuselage behind the landing gear, then raise the
model high above his head and point it into the wind. With
the pilot (that would be you!) standing behind the plane, fully
advance the throttle to start the motor. As soon as the motor
is at full power, the hand launcher should gently toss the
plane into the air at a level or slightly nose-up attitude. Be
certain the model is being launched into the wind and be
immediately ready to make corrections to keep the airplane
flying straight, level and into the wind.

When the model has gained adequate flying speed under its
own power, gently pull the elevator stick back until the
airplane starts a gradual climb. Many beginners tend to pull
too hard causing the model to stall, so be gentle on the
elevator and don’t panic. If you do pull too hard and you
notice the model losing speed, release the elevator stick
and allow the model to regain airspeed.

Continue a gradual climb and establish a gentle turn (away
from yourself) until the airplane reaches an altitude of 75 to
100 feet.

The main purpose of the first few flights is to learn how the
model behaves and to adjust the trims for level flight. After
the model has climbed to a safe altitude, reduce the throttle
slightly to slow the model, yet maintain altitude. The Tutor
should fly well and maintain adequate airspeed at about 1/2
to 3/4 throttle.

Adjust the elevator trim so the model flies level at the throttle
setting you are using. Adjust the aileron trim (if used) and
rudder trim to level the wings. It may take a few passes to
get the trims adjusted, but this should be your first priority
once at a comfortable altitude. Continue to fly around,
executing turns and making mental notes (or having your
assistant take notes for you) of what additional adjustments
or C.G. changes may be required to fine tune the model so
it flies the way you like.

If the Tutor reaches a high enough altitude, you may
periodically cut off the motor power and glide. This may

Flight

Takeoff

FLYING

FIND A SAFE PLACE TO FLY

23