Great Planes Venus II 60 ARF - GPMA1027 - Manual (Page 25)

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3. If the tail drops, the model is “tail heavy” and weight
must be added to the nose to balance. If the nose drops, the
model is “nose heavy” and weight must be added to the tail
to balance. If possible, relocate the battery pack and
receiver to minimize or eliminate any additional ballast
required. If additional weight is still required and you are
using a glow engine, nose weight may be easily added by
using a “spinner weight” (GPMQ4645 for the 1 oz. [28g]
weight, or GPMQ4646 for the 2 oz. [57g] weight). If spinner
weight cannot be used or is not enough, use Great Planes
(GPMQ4485) “stick-on” lead. To find out how much weight is
needed, begin by placing incrementally increasing amounts
of weight on the fuselage where needed until the model
balances. Once you have determined the amount of weight
required, it can be permanently attached. A good place to
add stick-on nose weight is to the firewall or inside the fuel
tank compartment as close to the firewall as possible.
Note: If attaching weight to the firewall, 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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4. IMPORTANT: If you found it necessary to add any
weight, recheck the C.G. after the weight has been installed.
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1. Turn the model upright and set it on your workbench.
With the wing level, have an assistant help you lift the model
by the engine propeller shaft and the bottom of the fuselage
under the trailing edge of the fin. Do this several times.
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2. If one wing always drops when you lift the model, it
means that side is heavy. Balance the airplane by adding
weight to the other wing tip—it may be stuck directly to the
covering or permanently glued inside the wing. An airplane
that has been laterally balanced will track better in
loops and other maneuvers.
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. Fill out the identification tag
on page 29 and place it on or inside your model.
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.
We use a Top Flite Precision Magnetic Prop Balancer ™
(TOPQ5700) in the workshop and keep a Great Planes
Fingertip Prop Balancer (GPMQ5000) in our flight box.
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
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
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