Great Planes Spectra Electric Sailplane Kit - GPMA0540 - Manual (Page 33)

Turn on the transmitter first and then the receiver and
hold the SPECTRA under the wing with the nose pointed
slightly down and directly into the wind as shown in the
photo. Do not run the motor for these test flights. It is very
important that you launch the model with the wings level and
the nose pointing at a spot on the ground about 50 feet in front
of you. Have a friend stand off to the side of you and tell you
weather the nose is pointing up or down. Show your friend the
picture above so he will know what to look for. If the
SPECTRA is launched with the nose up or launched too hard
it will climb a few feet, stall and fall nose first straight down.
With the nose pointed down slightly the sailplane will accel-
erate down until it picks up enough flying speed then level off
and glide forward. The plane should be launched with a
gentle push forward. With a little practice you will be able to
launch it just the right speed so it soars straight ahead in a long
and impressive glide path. Adjust the trims on your transmit-
ter to get the plane to fly straight ahead in a smooth glide path.
It is important you don't "over-control'' the model. Make any
control inputs slowly and smoothly rather than moving the
transmitter sticks abruptly.
YOUR FIRST FLIGHT
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 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 if neccessary to watch the model.
Turn on your transmitter and then your receiver and hold
the model as you did for the hand launched test flights. Hold
it firmly and turn on the throttle to test the motor operation.
When satisfied that everything is responding as it should,
launch the model straight into the wind just as you did
without the motor running. It is important that you don't
throw the plane up or it may stall and hit the ground. If you
launch it level or slightly down the plane will accelerate and
start climbing on its own.
The SPECTRA is designed to climb at about a 30 degree
angle without any control inputs. When the plane is trimmed
for level gliding flight a 7 cell battery will make it climb very
nicely without additional control inputs. If you want to just
fly around under power rather than climb, a small amount of
down trim will be required to hold the plane level. When the
motor is shut off this down trim will have to be taken out or
the plane will start to dive.
Don't worry about accomplishing very much on your
first flights. Use these flights to get the "feel" of the controls
and the SPECTRA'S flying characteristics. For the first few
seconds of the flight allow the plane to gently climb straight
ahead. Try to keep the plane upwind and just perform some
gentle "S" turns (always turning into the wind) until it has
reached a comfortable soaring altitude (200' - 300'). Turn the
motor off and allow the SPECTRA to soar around, keeping
the plane upwind of yourself. When you feel like its getting
too low, turn the motor back on and climb back up to altitude.
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. While the SPECTRA is gliding 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.
When you can hear the motor starting to die off and/or the
plane does not want to climb anymore it is time to shut off the
motor for the last time (especially if you have BEC). It is
important to remember that you no longer have enough power
to climb out again, so you only get one chance at landing.
When it is time to land just continue performing the gentle S-
tums upwind and let the plane glide onto the ground. Don't
worry about where the plane lands, just miss any trees, etc. If
you need t o "stretch'' a landing you can switch the motor back
on but don't expect it to be able to carry you very far. When
Nicad batteries start going dead, they really go dead in a
hurry. An alternative to allowing the battery to become weak
before shutting the motor off for good is to time the motor
runs so you can leave enough "Juice" in the battery for a
couple of " go arounds "if needed.
Practice flying directly into the wind (upwind of your-
self) 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
33