Top Flite TOPA1020 - Manual (Page 18)

T
o
climb
, the pilot will slo
wly r
aise his ar
m.
T
o
descend, the pilot will slo
wly lo
w
er his ar
m.
T
o
maintain le
v
el flight the pilot will hold his ar
m
hor
iz
ontally
.B
eginning pilots should control the model
b
y
k
eeping their ar
m str
aight and bending at the
elbo
w with little or no wr
ist mo
v
ement.
Later
, when
the
y become more e
xper
ienced, wr
ist mo
v
ement ma
y
be increased to increase control response
.
A
ll control
inputs should be smooth.
Contin
ue flying the model in
a le
v
el attitude
, getting used to ho
w the controls react
and ho
w the model
“f
eels
.”
Do this until the engine
runs out of fuel.
Actual flight time depends on se
v
e
ra
l
factors
, such as the engine siz
e
and br
and, needle
v
a
lv
e setting, propeller siz
e
, fuel, atmospher
ic
conditions
, etc.
Landing When the engine star
ts to sputter and/or speed up
, this
is an indication that the tank is near
ly empty
.Contin
ue to
fly the model in a le
vel attitude until the engine finally
quits
.
The same as an
y time the model slo
ws
, the pilot
should step bac
k to k
eep the lines taut and maintain
control.
Allo
w the model to descend until it is about tw
o
feet off the g
round.
When the model has lost near
ly all
flying speed and is a f
oot or tw
o from the g
round the pilot
should r
aise his ar
m to k
eep the lines taut and apply full
up ele
vator
, allo
wing the model to gently touch do
wn.
After the model has come to a stop the assistant ma
y
retr
ie
v
e
the model and retur
n
it to the star
ting area.
In doing so the lines should be k
ept taut so the
y do
not become twisted or entangled. Clean the model using paper to
w
els and household
cleaner to wipe off e
xhaust residue
.
Inspect the
model thoroughly
, looking f
or loose f
asteners and
signs of damage or f
a
tigue
.
Also mak
e sure the prop
has not been damaged.
P
erf
or
m an
y maintenance
necessar
y to prepare the model f
o
r the ne
xt flight.
At the end of the flying session an
y residual fuel
should be dr
ained from the tank.
After y
ou ha
v
e
become f
amiliar with the w
a
y y
our
Score flies and y
ou are ready to begin perf
or
ming
stunts
, seek the assistance of an e
xper
ienced stunt
pilot bef
ore attempting to lear
n ne
w maneuv
ers on
y
our o
wn.
Almost an
y control line stunt maneuv
ers
are star
ted with the model do
wnwind from the pilot,
i.e
.
wind on the pilot’
s bac
k.
Consult the AMA Control
Line section f
or stunt maneuv
ers
.
One final note about flying y
our model.
Ha
v
e
a goal or
flight plan in mind f
or
e
ver
y
flight.
This can be lear
ning
a ne
w maneuv
er(s), impro
ving a maneuv
er(s) y
o
u
already kno
w
, or lear
ning ho
w the model beha
v
es in
cer
tain conditions (such as when testing diff
erent
propellers or fuel).
This is not necessar
ily to impro
v
e
y
our skills
(though it is ne
ve
r a bad idea!)
, b
ut more
impor
tantly so y
ou do not sur
pr
ise y
ourself b
y
impulsiv
ely attempting a maneuv
er and suddenly
finding that y
ou’v
e r
un out of time
, altitude or airspeed.
Ev
er
y maneuv
er should be deliber
ate
, not impulsiv
e
.
F
or e
xample
, if y
ou’
re going to do a loop
, chec
k y
our
altitude and mind the wind direction.
A flight plan
g
reatly reduces the chances of cr
ashing y
our model
just because of poor planning and impulsiv
e mo
v
e
s
.
Remember to think!
Ha
ve a ball,
keep the lines taut
and al
wa
ys fl
y in a saf
e manner
.
GOOD LUCK,
GREA
T FL
YING,
AND HA
VE FUN!
- 18
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