Top Flite Elder 20 - Manual

RC-32 INSTRUCTION MANUAL
INTRODUCTION
In this day and age of specializa-
tion, TOP FLITE MODELS felt
that it might be a refreshing
break from the "norm" to come
up with an airplane that was
specifically designed for FUN.
The Elder was not designed to
Pylon Race, fly Pattern, be
entered in Scale or be used in
Fun-Fly contests, which have
become anything but. Nope, the
Elder was designed for the FUN
of it.
Relatively slow, realistic and
stately in flight, the Elder is easy
to fly and build. Furthermore, it's
a lightly-loaded design that does
not tend to build-up lots of inertia
with excess flight speed. This
means that fairly rough handling does not necessarily
mean destruction. Nothing is "crash-proof" but the
Elder is a rugged aircraft that will keep coming back for
more.
For the beginners, nothing fancy is needed; go out and
fly it. For those of you who are into detail ing, the design
lends itself extremely well to all kinds of "bells and
whistles"; flying wires, turnbuckles, detailed cockpits,
plastic machine guns, etc., etc., etc. We have flown our
prototypes both "stripped" and detailed to the nines.
Either way it still looks and flies great.
A word about power is in order. Fire-breathing,
Schneurle-ported engines are not needed and indeed
are not recommended for the Elder. Normal, everday
sport engines with mufflers are all that is needed to pro-
vide you with some delightful flying. Any discussion
about powering the Elder would be incomplete without
mentioning and highly recommending the use of the HP
.21 rotary-valved 4-cycle engine. This little jewel, when
installed in the Elder, makes probably the best possible
combination imaginable! With it's quiet, scale-like ex-
haust note, this engine flies the Elder beautifully! The 6
ounce fuel tank shown on the plans will keep this little
engine purring for almost an hour without coating your
airplane with oil! If you do decide on this engine, replace
the engine mount in your kit with a ".40-size" mount. It
all fits quite nicely; in fact, we've shown this installation
on the plans.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
TOP FLITE MODELS, INC. would certainly recommend
the Elder as a first R/C powered aircraft. However, if you
are a beginner to the sport of R/C aircraft, we would urge
you to seek and use experienced assistance in construc-
ting and flying this airplane. Again, if you are new to this
hobby, consider this:
Flying this or any other radio-controlled model aircraft is
a PRIVILEGE and not a RIGHT and this privilege begins
with the utmost safety considerations to others and
yourself as well. An R/C model airplane in inexperienced
hands has the potential of doing serious personal or pro-
perty damage. These safety considerations start at the
building board by following instructions, seeking com-
petent help when you are confused and avoiding short-
cuts. These considerations have to be carried over to the
flying field where safety must come first and limitations
Product Support
(Do Not Remove From Department)
TOP FLITE MODELS INC.
1901 NORTH NARRAGANSETT AVENUE • CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60639