GREAT PLANES PBY Catalin Instruction Manual - Page 17

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GREAT PLANES PBY Catalin Instruction Manual

Note: Do not rely upon the adhesive on the back of the lead

weight to permanently hold it in place. Over time the weight

could fall off. Use 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 motor 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 the bottom of this page 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.

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 motor 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 motor 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.

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 motors 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.

MOTOR SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Failure to follow these safety precautions may result

in severe injury to yourself and others.

• Get help from an experienced pilot when learning to operate

electric motors.

• Use safety glasses when running electric motors.

• Do not operate the motor 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 operate

the motor.

• 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.