Top Flite TOPA0101 - Manual (Page 43)

the tail on the ground with too much up elevator will
cause the Corsair to become airborne prematurely.
When the plane has sufficient flying speed, lift off by
smoothly applying a little up elevator (don’t “jerk” it
off to a vertical climb!) and climb out gradually.
FLIGHT
We recommend that you take it easy with your F4U
Corsair for the first several flights and gradually “get
acquainted” with this fantastic ship as your engine
gets fully broken-in. Add and practice one maneuver
at a time, learning how she behaves in each one.
For ultra-smooth flying and normal maneuvers, we
recommend using the “low rate” settings as listed on
page 39. “High rate” elevator and rudder may be
required for crisp snap rolls and spins. “High rate”
rudder is best for knife edge. Speed is the key to
good knife-edge performance.
LANDING
When it’s time to land, fly a normal landing pattern
and approach. If you find that it lands a little fast,
you might try dialing in a few clicks of up elevator
when you cut the throttle on the downwind leg of
the landing pattern. This will automatically help to
bleed off some of the speed. If your F4U is built
straight and true, you’ll find that you can really flare
it out for slow, nose-high, landings.
FLAP OPERATION
The flaps on the Corsair work extremely well. They
slow down the stall speed and add drag for
steeper, controlled approaches. As with all models,
they should be tried for the first time at a safe
altitude and after reliable engine operation has
been established. The flaps on the prototypes
were set up on a 2-position switch. This allows the
same amount of flaps to be used every time for
consistent results. The prototype Corsairs required
about 2-3 clicks of down elevator when the flaps
were dropped. If you have a radio equipped with
mixing, the elevator can be trimmed “automatically”
when the flaps are dropped.
Do Not mix any
elevator with the flaps on the first flight.
When you are ready to try the flaps, climb to a
comfortable altitude and reduce your throttle until
your airspeed drops to a normal approach speed.
Drop the flaps. Nothing “spectacular” should
happen. If the Corsair does any significant rolling,
pitching, etc, bring the flaps back up immediately. If
all is well, apply a little additional throttle and cruise
the aircraft around a little. When you feel
comfortable with the flaps, try a stall test. The
plane should slow to an extremely slow speed and
eventually begin to buffet a little. If you continue to
hold full up elevator, it may eventually begin to fall
off to one side or the other. Our prototypes always
give lots of warning before stalling.
You may now land with or without the flaps.
Remember, you will need to use a little additional
power on shallow approaches with the flaps down
to maintain flying speed.
Enjoy flying the Top Flite F4U Corsair, but always
stay in control and fly in a safe manner.
Started Construction
Finished Construction
First Flight
Notes
CAUTION
(THIS APPLIES TO ALL R/C AIRPLANES)
If, while flying, you notice any unusual sounds, such as
a low-pitched “buzz,” this may be an indication of
control surface “flutter.” Because flutter can quickly
destroy components of your airplane, any time you
detect flutter you must immediately cut the throttle and
land the airplane! Check all servo grommets for
deterioration (this will indicate which surface fluttered)
and make sure all pushrod linkages are slop-free. If it
fluttered once, it will probably flutter again under similar
circumstances unless you can eliminate the slop or
flexing in the linkages. Here are some things which can
result in flutter: Excessive hinge gap; Not mounting
control horns solidly; Sloppy fit of clevis pin in horn;
Elasticity present in flexible plastic pushrods; Side-play
of pushrod in guide tube caused by tight bends; Sloppy
fit of Z-bend in servo arm; Insufficient glue used when
gluing in the elevator joiner wire or aileron torque rod;
Excessive flexing of aileron, caused by using too soft
balsa aileron; Excessive “play” or “backlash” in servo
gears; and Insecure servo mounting.
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