Great Planes Spirit 100 Sailplane Kit - GPMA0550 - Manual (Page 48)

(usually only contest flying), pay close attention and do not let it
gain excessive speed. If it does tuck under and you have plenty
of altitude, give the plane a little down elevator and allow it to go
on under. When it starts to climb up the back of the "outside loop"
its airspeed will drop and you can pull out with up elevator or roll
out with full rudder or ailerons. If you don't have plenty of
altitude, gently pull out with up elevator but be careful and don't
"jerk" it up or you may over stress the wing.
D 2. With the wing attached to the fuse, and all parts of the
model installed (ready to fly), lift the model by picking it up with
a finger on each bottom inner spar. If the tail drops when you lift,
the model is "tail heavy" and you must add weight to the nose to
balance. If the nose drops, it is "nose heavy" and you must add
weight to the tail to balance. The model should hang with a slight
nose down altitude Add BB's or lead to the weight compartment
between formers F1 and F2 to correct a tail heavy model. In the
unusual circumstance you would have a nose heavy model, you
can switch the receiver and battery or even move the receiver
behind the servos Getting the weight farther back helps correct
the "nose heaviness". Make sure to glue any weight you add
securely in place.
FINAL HOOKUPS AND CHECKS
D 3 1. Make sure the control surfaces move in the proper direc-
tion as illustrated in the following sketch If you built the
ADVANCED wing, you will have to connect the servo exten-
sions each time you assemble the plane. To prevent a possible
switched connection and the resulting re-kitting of the plane that
usually follows, it is a great idea to color code or otherwise mark
both plugs of each servo extension.
D 2 Attach the 6-32 Threaded Towhook (WBNT154) to the
bottom of the fuse by threading a 6-32 Nut (NUTS010) and a #6
Washer (WSHR004) all the way onto the towhook and screwing
the towhook into the front hole for the first flights With the
towhook threaded almost all the way into the blind nut, make sure
the towhook is facing straight back and lighten the 6-32 nut to
secure it After the first fights the towhook can be moved back
a hole or two for most flying conditions For contest flying you
may want to try the rear hole as it can help achieve a higher launch
but be careful as the sailplane will be less stable and more apt to
"Pop Off" the line. —
D 3 A piece of self adhesive foam rubber weather stripping
can be applied to the front of the fuse bottom to help protect it from
getting nicked up during landings.
D 4. The canopy is held in place with a rubber band Loop a
medium size rubber band through the cut-out in the cockpit back.
Thread the rubber band through itself and then hook it on the little
extension on former F5. To remove the canopy, pick up on the
back until the front is clear of the dowel. To put the canopy back
on, do just the opposite.
PRE-FLIGHT
Transmitter
Stick Movements
Control Surface
Movements
(SPORT WING)
Elevator moves UP
Control Surface
Movements
(ADVANCED WING)
Elevator moves UP
CHARGE THE BATTERIES
Follow the battery charging procedures in your radio instruc-
tion manual. 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
Rudder moves RIGHT
Spoilers OPEN
or
Spoilers CLOSED
(Your Choice)
Right aileron moves
UP and Left aileron
moves DOWN
Flaps DOWN
or
Flaps UP
(Your Choice)
FIND A SAFE PLACE TO FLY
The best place to fly your R/C model is an AMA (Academy
of Model Aeronautics) chartered club field Ask your hobby shop
dealer if there is such a club in your area and join Club fields are
set up for R/C flying which makes your outing safer and more
enjoyable. The AMA can also tell you the name of a club in your
area. We recommend you join AMA and a local club so you can
have a safe place to fly and also have insurance to cover you in
case of a flying accident (The AMA address is listed on the front
cover of this instruction book).
Not used Rudder moves LEFT
If a club and its flying site are not available, you need to find
a large, grassy area at least 6 miles away from any other R/C radio
operation and away from houses, buildings and streets. A
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