Toowoomba Aeromodelers Association Flying model aeroplanes and helicopters is a great pastime so please take the time to read this and take advantage of the experience of others! Check out the website for instructors, club constitution, by-laws and information regarding T.A.A www.taa.org.au TAA safety regulations. 1. Pilots must hold a current MAAQ licence. 2. Trainee pilots are only permitted to fly under authorized supervision 3. Frequency keys to be displayed in the frequency board when in use, even with 2.4 GHz. 4. Flying over the pit area or north of the 30 meter markers is not permitted with the exception of the helicopter areas. 5. Please adhere to the flying times stipulated by the club for the benefit of our neighbours. Pre flight procedures for radio controlled aeroplanes Routine maintenance with engine mounts, servos etc. Always check regularly the engine mount bolts, servo arms, pull cables and look over the plane before assembly . Another good reason to clean our planes regularly is so keep a note of cracks and loose covering and undercarriage. You can achieve two jobs in one. Balance Always check the balance point of a model before its initial flight. The models performance is affected adversely by an incorrectly balanced plane. Always balance with and empty fuel tank. The result of a tail heavy plane is the elevator is overly sensitive and will be difficult to control. Nose heavy will be the opposite with slow reactions from the elevator. A good starting point for safe balance is 25% of the wing cord. High wing models should be checked in the normal flying position and low wing models checked inverted. Propeller balance and de burring. Vibration is one of the biggest problems with models causing damage to receivers, servos and causing bolts etc to become loose prematurely. Excessive vibration will also cause the fuel to foam and aerate making tuning difficult. Always start by sanding the sharp edge from the prop and then balance. A well balance prop with also maximize the performance of the engine. Fuel mix, tanks, filtering and fuel lines. Place a fuel filter in your fuel tin and engine. Check them both for blockages. The club sells methanol and the mixing ratios are personal choice. As a guide 20% synthetic oil and 5 % nitro methane are a great reliable mix. Use only quality oils such as cool power. Remember the oils and fuel helps to cool the engines so quality oils will help this process. The clunk in your fuel tank should be able to move freely within the tank so from any position the clunk will not get caught on the tank and continually draw fuel. Remember to use the correct fuel bung for petrol engines as methanol will degrade the rubber quickly. Radio range check and purpose. Ever time you fly you should check the range of the radio. Many times the electronics can fail between sessions making it necessary to do a full range check before your first flight. This applies to all radios whether they are 2.4 GHz or not. Use of exponential and dual rates The use of a computer radio is beneficial when setting up a model. Using the exponential function and dual rates/ flight mode makes flying any model simple. Start with around 25% + expo on all surfaces and this softens the feel of the plane giving it a much smoother feel. Check batteries The most likely reason for crashes is always batteries. With the newer lithium and nickel metal hydride batteries reliability and longevity is greatly increased. Batteries should be checked each time before you fly. Buy a battery checker, preferably one that checks under load. Fill fuel tank Fill the fuel tank before you fly, the number of crashes I have seen due to people not filling the tanks. As soon as you land if you intend flying again fill then. Start procedure/order. Get into the habit of doing things in an order, check batteries, fill tank and check the airframe. Takes a few minutes for every flight and you may avert a crash. Even when people want to talk to you after you have flown continue with the routine and then you are ready to fly or talk. Orientation to field position and wind direction When you first take your plane to the flight line check and position yourself on the flight line being oriented to east and west at T.A.A. Particularly newer flyers if you don’t learn the orientation you will have difficulty in flying a straight line. As you will imagine there are straight lines involved in trying to do anything especially landing. Wings competencies All the information here will help with your flying success and be advantageous in gaining your wings.