Great Planes Fundango Park Flyer Kit - GPMA0050 - Manual (Page 22)

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2. With the battery mounted to the fuselage, lift the model
upside-down at the balance point. If the tail drops, the model
is “tail heavy” and you must shift the battery pack forward to
balance the model. If the nose drops, it is “nose heavy” and
you must shift the battery aft to balance the model.
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3. Shift the battery pack until the model balances at the
balance point recommended. Use narrow masking tape or a
felt-tip pen to mark the location of the battery pack on the
bottom of the wing. Be certain this is where you always
mount the battery pack when it's time to fly so the model will
be properly balanced.
Follow the transmitter battery charging procedures in your
radio's instruction manual. Charge the transmitter batteries the
night before you go flying and at other times as recommended
by the radio manufacturer.
Charge the motor battery following the instructions that
came with the battery charger and the guidelines in the front
of this manual.
No matter if you fly at an AMA sanctioned R/C club site or if
you fly somewhere on your own, you should always have
your name, address, telephone number and AMA number
on or inside your model. It is required at all AMA R/C club
flying sites and AMA sanctioned flying events. Fill out the
identification tag on the center spread of this manual and
place it on or inside your model.
Before you fly you should perform one last overall inspection
to make sure the model is truly ready to fly and that you
haven't overlooked anything. If you are not thoroughly familiar
with the operation of R/C models, ask an experienced
modeler to perform the inspection. Check to see that you
have the radio installed correctly and that all the controls are
connected properly. The motor must also be checked by
confirming that the prop is rotating in the correct direction and
the motor sounds like it is reaching full power. Make certain
all control surfaces are secure, the pushrods are connected,
the controls respond in the correct direction, radio
components are securely mounted and the C.G. is correct.
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 away from the model and still have
control. Have an assistant stand by 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.
NOTE: It is possible for the motor to cause interference. If you
experience a range problem or notice the servos “glitching,”
install an additional .01 µF capacitor between the motor
leads, then repeat the range check with the motor running.
For the longest flight duration and to get the most from a new
battery, the battery should be cycled. “Cycling” a battery
means to fully charge (“peak” charge) the battery, then to
discharge it. Many battery chargers have peak charging and
automatic discharging capabilities. If you do not have a
charger that is able to discharge batteries, you can discharge
the battery yourself by running the motor with the propeller
attached until the propeller spins slowly. Charge and
discharge the battery 3 or 4 more times on the ground before
flying. Be sure to remove the battery from the airplane
between each cycle and allow it to cool before recharging.
Use 400-grit sandpaper to remove imperfections along the
edges of the propeller. For the best performance, use a Top
Flite Precision Magnetic Prop Balancer
™ (TOPQ5700) to
balance the propellers (this is a necessity on glow-powered
engines, but less critical on small electric models).
Examine the Propeller
Cycle the Batteries
PERFORMANCE TIPS
Range Check
Ground Inspection
Identify Your Model
Charge the Batteries
PREFLIGHT
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