Carl Goldberg GPMA1956 Eagle 2 ARF - Manual (Page 39)

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FLYING A PATTERN
At most flying fields, models fly in a rectangular path
around the runway. This is called the "pattern." The most impor-
tant reason for flying the pattern is that, as the model flies in dif-
ferent directions in the wind, the pilot will be better prepared for
landing conditions when the flight ends. Full-scale aircraft fly a
landing pattern for this same reason. Another important reason
for flying the pattern is to organize the take-off and landing traffic,
reducing confusion. The "traffic" pattern consists of PATTERN
ENTRY, DOWNWIND LEG, BASE LEG, AND FINAL APPROACH
& LANDING.
When you have reached an altitude of 150-200 feet, add
just a touch of left or right stick until the model begins a very shal-
low turn. Try to maintain this shallow turn, keeping it gentle, and
not tilting (banking) the wings very much. If you increase the
bank, making the turn steeper, there will be a corresponding
weight increase and reduction of lift
Therefore, your plane will start to descend. To maintain altitude
in a turn, you will have to add enough back stick (up elevator) to
hold the nose up through the turn.
Plan to enter the pattern upwind at about 150 feet alti-
tude. Make the Downwind Leg far enough away to allow for
gentle turns to Base Leg and Final Approach. Avoid tight "panic"
turns, particularly when landing.
The wind will tend to blow your plane and pattern further
downwind. Try to keep it flying upwind at all times prior to your
landing approach. It is more difficult to fly a model when it is
downwind, and if a mistake is made, the model will end up even
further away, making it more difficult to fly back to the field. To
compensate for wind, continue making your upwind turns shal-
low, but make your downwind (with the wind) turns a little steep-
er.
DANGER: SPIRALS, STALLS, OVERSTRESSING
SPIRALS. As bank angle increases, more
back-stick is needed to keep flying level. If
the bank is too steep, the back-stick won't
be able to keep up and the plane will spiral
downward at increasing speed. Trying to
pull the model out of the spiral by pulling
back on the elevator only makes things
worse. This sequence of events happens
fast and can panic new flyers to the point
they fly the model right into the ground! TO
GET OUT OF THE SPIRAL, 1st LEVEL
THE WINGS., then pull it smoothly out of
the dive.
OVERSTRESSING THE AIRFRAME.
Even world class aerobatic competition
planes can be overstressed. This hap-
pens when controls are jerked when the
plane is flying at a high rate of speed. If
you find yourself in a high-speed dive,
immediately switch the motor off, level the
wings, and gently pull the stick back (add
up elevator) to recover.
STALLS. Your model's movement through the air keeps it flying. If you
fly too slowly, there is a point where the model will stop flying and fall out
of the sky. This is called a stall. Take care, when landing, to not slow
down too much
GENERAL FIELD PROCEDURE