Great Planes Profile 38 - GPMA0487 - Manual (Page 43)

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 page 46 of the instruction manual and
place it on or inside your model.
Follow the battery charging instructions that came with your
radio control system to charge the batteries. You should
always charge your transmitter and receiver batteries the
night before you go flying, and at other times as
recommended by the radio manufacturer.
Note: Checking the condition of your receiver battery pack
is highly recommended. All battery packs, whether it’s a
trusty pack you’ve just taken out of another model, or a new
battery pack you just purchased, should be cycled, noting
the discharge capacity. Oftentimes, a weak battery pack can
be identified (and a valuable model saved!) by comparing its
actual capacity to its rated capacity. Refer to the instructions
and recommendations that come with your battery cycler. If
you don’t own a battery cycler, perhaps you can have a
friend cycle your pack and note the capacity for you.
Carefully balance your propellers and spare propellers
before you fly. An unbalanced prop can be the single most
significant cause of vibration that can damage your model.
Not only will engine mounting screws and bolts loosen,
possibly with disastrous effect, but vibration may also
damage your radio receiver and battery. Vibration can also
cause your fuel to foam, which will, in turn, cause your
engine to run hot or quit.
We use a Top Flite Precision Magnetic Prop Balancer ™
(TOPQ5700) in the workshop and keep a Great Planes
Fingertip Prop Balancer (GPMQ5000) in our flight box.
If the engines are new, follow the engine manufacturer’s
instructions to break-in the engines. After break-in, confirm
that the engines idle reliably, transition smoothly and rapidly
to full power and maintain full power–indefinitely. Because
the Profile 38 is a twin engine plane, it is important that both
engines operate the same. Both engines should accelerate
the same and have the same top RPM. After you run the
engines on the model, inspect the model closely to make
sure all screws remained tight, the hinges, pushrod and
connectors are secure and the props have not come loose.
You should always check the operational range of your radio
before the first flight of the day and after any hard landings.
Follow the radio manufacturer’s instructions to properly
range check your radio. If no instructions have been
provided, the follow procedure will work with most radio
systems. 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 engines 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.
Sometimes metal-to-metal contact can cause radio
problems. Look for a metal pushrod hitting a screw or possibly
vibrating against the engine.
Keep all engine fuel in a safe place, away from high heat,
sparks or flames, as fuel is very flammable. Do not smoke
near the engine or fuel; and remember that engine exhaust
gives off a great deal of deadly carbon monoxide. Therefore,
do not run the engine in a closed room or garage.
Get help from an experienced pilot when learning to operate
engines.
Use safety glasses when starting or running engines.
Do not run the engine in an area of loose gravel or sand; the
propeller may throw such material in your face or eyes.
Failure to follow these safety precautions may result
in severe injury to yourself and others.
ENGINE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Range Check
Ground Check
Balance the Propellers
Charge the Batteries
Identify Your Model
PREFLIGHT
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