GREAT PLANES Spirit Select Instruction Manual - Page 7
Browse online or download pdf Instruction Manual for Model aircraft GREAT PLANES Spirit Select. GREAT PLANES Spirit Select 8 pages. 2-meter sailplane
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Follow the directions that came with the hi-start and lay it out
directly into the wind. Place the stake at the far upwind edge of the
flying field so the parachute will blow back onto the flying field.
Turn on your transmitter and then your receiver and hook the
parachute onto your plane's tow hook. Pull the plane back
approximately twice as far as the rubber is long (i.e., 100' of rubber
= pull back 200') or whatever the hi-start instructions state. A "fish
scale" is handy for determining the correct amount of pull. For your
first flights pull the plane back until there is approximately 8 lbs. of
tension. More tension can be used after you get acquainted with
the launching procedure.
Hold the plane above your head with the wings level and the nose
pointed slightly up and directly into the wind. Give the plane a
healthy push forward to get it flying and it will climb up like a kite.
You should not have to touch the elevator during the launch but
use the rudder stick to keep it going straight up. As the rubber
relaxes the plane will fly off the hi-start and the parachute will bring
the end of the string back towards you.
First Flights
Find a BIG, OPEN field for your first flights. The bigger the better
as you won't have to worry about where you need to land. Ground
based objects (trees, poles, buildings, etc.) seem to attract model
airplanes like a magnet. Again, we would like to recommend
that you find an experienced pilot to help you with these first
flights.
Note: You need to remember that your radio control responds
as if you were sitting in the cockpit. When you push the
transmitter stick to the right, the rudder moves to the plane's
right! This means that when the plane is flying towards you it
may seem like the rudder controls are reversed (when you
give "right" rudder the plane turns to your left–which is the
plane's "right"). It is sometimes easier to learn to fly the plane if
you always face your body in the direction the plane is flying and
look over your shoulder to watch the model.
Don't worry about accomplishing very much on your first flights.
Use these flights to get the "feel" of the controls and the Spirit
Select's flying characteristics. Try to keep the plane upwind and
just perform some gentle "S-turns" (always turning into the wind)
until it is time to set up for landing. Have a helper adjust the trims
on your transmitter (a little at a time) until the plane will fly straight
and level with the transmitter sticks in their neutral positions. It can
be very hard for a beginner to fly a plane straight towards him as
he would have to do if the plane were downwind and every mistake
takes the plane a little farther downwind. When it is time to land,
just continue performing the gentle "S-turns" upwind and let the
plane glide onto the ground. Don't worry about where the plane
lands–just miss any trees, etc.
Practice flying directly into the wind (upwind of yourself) without
letting the plane get off course, and then turn and come downwind
until the plane is even with you and try it again. When you are
comfortable with flying directly into the wind, start letting the plane
go behind you (downwind) a little before you start back upwind.
Continue this until you can fly directly towards you from downwind
without getting disoriented. At this point you can start to establish
a "landing pattern" and bring the sailplane in for a landing from
downwind. This enables the plane to be flown as slowly (ground
speed) as possible for accurate landings.
Thermal Flying
Thermal soaring is one of the most intriguing of all aspects of flying
and the Spirit Select was designed to excel at thermal soaring even
in the hands of a novice. It can be hard for the average person to
understand how a plane can fly for hours and gain altitude without
a motor!
Facts About Thermals
Thermals are a natural phenomenon that happen outside, by the
millions, every single day of the year. Thermals are responsible for
many things including forming several types of clouds, creating
breezes, and distributing plant seeds and pollen. If you have ever
seen a dust devil (which is nothing more than a thermal that has
picked up some dust), you have seen a thermal in action. Their
swirling action is very similar to that of a tornado but of course
much gentler. Most thermals have updrafts rising in the 200 – 700
feet per minute range but they have been known to produce
updrafts of over 5,000 feet per minute (that's over 50 miles/hour
straight up!) These strong thermals can rip a plane apart or carry
the plane out of sight before the pilot can get out of the updraft.
Thermals are formed by the uneven heating of the earth and
buildings, etc. by the sun. The darker colored surfaces absorb heat
faster than the lighter colors which reflect a great deal of the sun's
energy back into space. These darker areas (plowed fields, asphalt
parking lots, tar roofs, etc.) get warmer than the lighter areas
(lakes, grassy fields, forests, etc.). This causes the air above the
darker areas to be warmer than the air over the lighter areas and
the more buoyant warm air rises as the cooler, denser air forces its
way underneath the warmer air. As this warm air is forced upward
it contacts the cooler air of the higher altitudes and this larger
temperature difference makes the thermal rise quicker. The
thermal is gradually cooled by the surrounding cooler air and its
strength diminishes. Eventually the thermal stops rising and any
moisture contained in the once warm air condenses and forms a
puffy cumulus cloud. These clouds, which mark the tops of
thermals, are usually between 2000 and 5000 feet high.
Thermal Soaring
It takes a lot of concentration to thermal soar effectively. A sailplane
can fly along the edge of a thermal and unless the pilot is carefully
watching the model he may not realize the opportunity to gain
some altitude. Because most thermals are relatively small (a
couple hundred feet in diameter or less at 400' altitude) compared
to the rest of the sky, the sailplanes will rarely fly directly into the
thermal and start rising. Generally, the sailplane will fly into the
edge or near a thermal and the effects the thermal has on the
plane may be almost unnoticeable. As the sailplane approaches a
thermal, the wing tip that reaches the rising air first will be lifted
before the opposite wing tip. This causes the plane to "bank" and
turn away from where we would like the plane to go.
When you are thermal soaring, try to fly as smoothly and straight
as possible. Trim the plane to fly in a straight line and only touch
the controls when you have to. Watch the sailplane carefully and it
will tell you what it is encountering.
When the sailplane flies directly into a thermal it will either start
rising or stop sinking. Either case is reason enough to start circling
(especially in a contest where every second counts). Fly straight
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