Top Flite TOPA0220 - Manual (Page 48)

PREFLIGHT
Identify your model
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
sticker located at the rear of this manual and place
it on or inside your model.
Charge your batteries
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 balance your propeller before you fly. An
unbalanced prop is 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.
Find a safe place to fly
The best place to fly your model is an AMA
chartered R/C club flying field. Contact the AMA
(their address is on page 2) or your hobby shop
dealer for the club in your area and join it. Club fields
are intended for R/C flying, making your outing safer
and more enjoyable. The AMA also provides
insurance in case of a flying accident. If an R/C
flying field is not available, find a large, grassy area
at least six miles from buildings, streets and other
R/C activities. A schoolyard is usually not an
acceptable area because of people, power lines and
possible radio interference.
Ground check your model
If you are not thoroughly familiar with the operation
of R/C models, ask an experienced modeler to
inspect your radio installation and control surface
set-up.
Follow the engine manufacturer’s
instructions to break-in your engine. After you
run the engine on your model, inspect your model
closely to make sure all screws remain tight and
your pushrods and connectors are secure.
Range check your radio
Ground check the range of your radio before the first
flight of the day. With the transmitter antenna collapsed
and the receiver and transmitter on, you should be able
to walk at least 100 feet [30m] 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 fly!
Find and correct the problem first. 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 in your battery pack, or a
damaged receiver crystal from a previous crash.
CONTROL SURFACE THROWS
We recommend the following control surface throws:
NOTE: Throws are measured at the widest part
of the control surface.
ELEVATOR:
High Rate Low Rate
5/8" [16mm] up 1/2" [13mm] up
5/8" [16mm] down 1/2" [13mm] down
RUDDER:
High Rate Low Rate
1-3/8" [35mm] right 1" [25mm] left
1-3/8" [35mm] left 1" [25mm] right
AILERONS:
High Rate Low Rate
1/2" [13mm] up 5/16" [8mm] up
1/2" [13mm] down 5/16" [8mm] down
FLAPS: Takeoff/half-flap Landing/full-flap
1/2" [13mm] 1" [25mm]
When flaps are lowered there is a moderate
pitch up tendency. If your transmitter has
elevator-to-flap mixing, his can be trimmed out.
The balance point and control surface throws
listed in this manual are the ones at which the
R/C Nobler flies best. Set up your aircraft to
those specifications. If, after a few flights, you
would like to adjust the throws or C.G. to suit
your tastes, that is fine. However, too much
control surface throw can make your model
difficult to control or force it into a stall, so
remember...More is not better.
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