GREAT PLANES P-51 MUSTANG Instruction Manual - Page 15
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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 flying, and at other times as
recommended by the radio manufacturer.
CAUTION: Unless the instructions that came with your
radio system state differently, the initial charge on new
transmitter and receiver batteries should be done for 15
hours using the slow-charger that came with the radio
system. This will "condition" the batteries so that the next
charge may be done using the fast-charger of your choice.
If the initial charge is done with a fast-charger, the
batteries may not reach their full capacity and you may be
flying with batteries that are only partially charged.
Balance the Propellers
Carefully balance your propeller and spare propellers before
you fly. An unbalanced prop can be the single most
significant 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. When balancing the
propeller that came with your Fun Force ARF, add tape to
the light side of the propeller. Do not shave material away as
is done with traditional propellers.
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.
Ground Check
Check the motor operation by running it to full power and
back down. It should respond quickly and smoothly through
the full range of throttle travel. After you run the motor 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.
It is important to ground check the operational 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 [30.5 m] away from the
model and still have control. Have an assistant hold your model
and, while you work the controls, tell you what the control
surfaces are doing. Repeat this test with the motor 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, 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 motors.
Use safety glasses when starting or running motors.
Do not run 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 start and run the motor.
Keep these items away from the prop: loose clothing, shirt
sleeves, ties, scarves, long hair or loose objects such as
pencils or screwdrivers that may fall out of shirt or jacket
pockets into the prop.
The motor gets hot! Do not touch it during or right
after operation.
Do not throw anything into the propeller of a running motor.
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AMA SAFETY CODE (excerpts)
Read and abide by the following excerpts from the Academy
of Model Aeronautics Safety Code. For the complete Safety
Code refer to Model Aviation magazine, the AMA web site or
the Code that came with your AMA license.
1) I will not fly my model aircraft in sanctioned events, air
shows, or model flying demonstrations until it has been
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