GREAT PLANES avistar elite Instruction Manual - Page 16

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GREAT PLANES avistar elite Instruction Manual

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

fuse 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 16 and place it on or inside your model.

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

Follow the engine manufacturer's instructions to break-in

a new 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. Refer to your radio manual for the range

checking procedure of your radio system. During the check,

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.

ENGINE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Failure to follow these safety precautions may result in

severe injury to yourself and others.

● Keep all engine fuel in a safe place, away from high heat,

sparks or ﬂ ames, as fuel is very ﬂ ammable. Do not smoke

near the engine or fuel; and remember that engine exhaust

gives off a great deal of deadly carbon monoxide. Therefore

do not run the engine in a closed room or garage.

● Get help from an experienced pilot when learning to operate

engines.

● Use safety glasses when starting or running your engine.

● Do not run the engine in an area of loose gravel or sand;

the propeller may throw such material in your face or eyes.

● Keep your face and body as well as all spectators away

from the plane of rotation of the propeller as you start and

run the engine.

● Keep these items away from the prop: loose clothing, shirt

sleeves, ties, scarfs, long hair or loose objects such as

pencils or screwdrivers that may fall out of shirt or jacket

pockets into the prop.

● Use a "chicken stick" or electric starter to start the engine.

Do not use your ﬁ ngers to ﬂ ip the propeller. Make certain

the glow plug clip or connector is secure so that it will not

pop off or otherwise get into the running propeller.

● Make all engine adjustments from behind the rotating

propeller.

● The engine will get hot! Do not touch it during or right after

operation. Make sure fuel lines are in good condition so

fuel will not leak onto a hot engine, causing a ﬁ re.

● To stop a glow engine, use your radio system to completely

shut the carburetor barrel or if that method fails to work,

cut off the fuel supply by closing off the fuel line. Do not

use hands, ﬁ ngers or any other body part to try to stop

the engine. Do not throw anything into the propeller of a

running engine.