Top Flite TOPA0950 - Manual (Page 27)

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Planes (GPMQ4485) “stick-on” lead. A good place to
add stick-on nose weight is to the fi rewall (don’t attach
weight to the cowl–it is not intended to support weight).
Begin by placing incrementally increasing amounts of
weight on the bottom of the fuselage over the fi rewall
until the model balances. Once you have determined
the amount of weight required, it can be permanently
attached. If required, tail weight may be added by
cutting open the bottom of the fuselage and gluing it
permanently inside.
Note: 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.
❏
4. IMPORTANT: If you found it necessary to add
any weight, recheck the C.G. after the weight has
been installed.
BALANCE THE MODEL LATERALLY
❏
1. 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 TE of the fi n. Do this
several times.
❏
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. An airplane that
has been laterally balanced will track better in loops
and other maneuvers.
PREFLIGHT
IDENTIFY YOUR MODEL
No matter if you fl y at an AMA sanctioned R/C club
site or if you fl y 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 fl ying sites and AMA
sanctioned fl ying events. Fill out the identifi cation tag
on page 29 (or on the decal sheet) and place it on or
inside your model.
CHARGE THE BATTERIES
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 fl ying, and at other
times as recommended by the radio manufacturer.
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
fl ying with batteries that are only partially charged.
BALANCE PROPELLERS
Carefully balance your propeller and spare propellers
before you fl y. An unbalanced prop can be the single
most signifi cant 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
fl ight box.
GROUND CHECK
If the engine is new, follow the engine
manufacturer’s instructions to break-in the
engine. After break-in, confi rm that the engine idles
reliably, transitions smoothly and rapidly to full power
and maintains full power–indefi nitely. 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.
RANGE CHECK
Ground check the operational range of your radio
before the fi rst fl ight of the day. With the 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. Have an
assistant stand by your model and, while you work
the controls, tell you what the control surfaces are
doing. Repeat this test with the engine running at
various speeds with an assistant holding the model,
using hand signals to show you what is happening.
If the control surfaces do not respond correctly, do
not fl y! Find and correct the problem fi rst. Look for
loose servo connections or broken wires, corroded
wires on old servo connectors, poor solder joints in
your battery pack or a defective cell, or a damaged
receiver crystal from a previous crash.