GREAT PLANES Spirit Instruction Manual - Page 13

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PREFLIGHT

Charge the Batteries

Follow the battery charging procedures in your radio

instruction manual. You should charge your transmitter and

receiver batteries the night before you go flying, and at other

times as recommended by the radio manufacturer.

Find a Safe Place to Fly

The best place to fly your R/C model is an AMA (Academy

of Model Aeronautics) chartered club field. Ask your hobby

shop dealer if there is such a club in your area and join. Club

fields are set up for R/C flying which makes your outing

safer and more enjoyable. The AMA can also tell you the

name of a club in your area. We recommend that you join

AMA and a local club so you can have a safe place to fly and

also have insurance to cover you in case of a flying

accident. (The AMA address is listed on page 2 of this

instruction book).

If a club and its flying site are not available, you need to find

a large, grassy area at least 6 miles away from any other

R/C radio operation and away from houses, buildings and

streets. A schoolyard may look inviting but it is usually too

close to people, power lines and possible radio interference.

If you are not thoroughly familiar with the operation of R/C

models, ask an experienced modeler to check to see that

you have the radio installed correctly and that all the control

surfaces do what they are supposed to.

Range Check Your Radio

Wherever you do fly, you need to check the operation of the

radio before every time you fly. This means 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 someone

help you. Have them stand by your model and, while you

work the controls, tell you what the various control surfaces

are doing.

AMA SAFETY CODE (excerpt)

Read and abide by the following Academy of Model

Aeronautics Official Safety Code excerpt:

General

1. I will not fly my model aircraft in competition or in the

presence of spectators until it has been proven to be airworthy

by having been previously successfully flight tested.

2. I will not fly my model aircraft higher than approximately

400 feet within 3 miles of an airport without notifying the

airport operator. I will give right of way to, and avoid flying in

the proximity of full-scale aircraft. Where necessary an

observer shall be utilized to supervise flying to avoid having

models fly in the proximity of full-scale aircraft.

3. Where established, I will abide by the safety rules for the

flying site I use, and I will not willfully and deliberately fly my

models in a careless, reckless and/or dangerous manner.

Radio Control

1. I will have completed a successful radio equipment ground

check before the first flight of a new or repaired model.

2. I will not fly my model aircraft in the presence of spectators

until I become a qualified flyer, unless assisted by an

experienced helper.

3. I will perform my initial turn after takeoff away from the pit,

spectator and parking areas, and I will not thereafter perform

maneuvers, flights of any sort or landing approaches over a

pit, spectator or parking area.

First of all, if you are flying with other flyers check to

make sure they are not flying or testing on the same

frequency as your model.

Try to find an experienced pilot to help you with your

first flights. Although the SPIRIT is very easy to fly, an

experienced pilot can save you a lot of time and possible

aggravation by helping you get your model in the air

smoothly.

It is a good idea to do a couple of trim flights before each

flying session to make sure the plane is still in trim and the

radio is working properly. The model will survive a hard

landing from 5 feet much better than it will one from several

hundred feet. The first few trim flights should be done over

a grass field. The longer the grass the better (more cushion).

Turn on the transmitter first and then the receiver. Hold the

SPIRIT ARF under the wing with the nose pointed slightly