Hint's & Tip's

The Beginners guide to radio control aeroplanes. Beginners Guide. Control Setup.

Bright Ideas?

If you have any good hints or tips, email the details for inclusion.

Instrument panel

Here is a link you can use to "build" your instrument panel, then print it out. You will need to use Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher for this site. http://www.epanelbuilder.com/index.htm

Battery Care

Always check your batteries before each flight, even if you know they're okay. When your batteries start going bad, they'll give you plenty of warning, but you have to be paying attention in the first place. Just because the ESV says they were fully charged before the last flight, doesn't mean they've got enough power this flight. When packs fail, they usually fail due to a cell shorting (a cell opening can happen too, and is unsurvivable, but it's pretty rare). When a cell shorts out, the pack will still take a charge. A freshly charged pack with a bad cell will always read fully charged on an ESV at the beginning of the day. As the day goes on though, that pack is going to weaken very, very quickly and you may be lucky to get two flights out of it. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR BATTERIES BEFORE EACH FLIGHT. There is no better insurance you can buy. If you do this, and nothing else, you'll probably never lose a plane due to a dead battery, at the very least you can see when the pack needs cycling.

Mixing Fuel

What is the most accurate method of mixing your own fuel? Mix by weight using home brew buddy. Most modern digital kitchen scales are accurate to two grams, so if your oil measurement is out by 2 grams, your error when mixing 5 liters would be about 0.1%. Your motor should not notice this small error.

Cheap Model Cleaner

Mix : 100ml ammonia, 250ml metho, 5ml liquid dish detergent, and top up with water to make 2 liters total.

Trim Chart

This is how to correctly trim a radio control aeroplane so that it will fly straight and true.

After you have test-flown and done the initial trim changes to the aircraft, use the trim chart below to begin trimming your airplane. Following and adhering to this chart will result in the ability to diagnose trim problems and correct those problems using the simple adjustments shown below. Making these observations and related corrections will result in a straighter and truer flying airplane.
TRIM FEATURE	MANEUVER	OBSERVATION	CORRECTION
Control Centering	Fly general circles and random maneuvers	Try for hands-off, straight and level flight	Readjust control linkages so the transmitter trim levers are centered
Control Throws	Fly random maneuvers	A) Too sensitive, jerky controls B) Not sufficent control	If A) Adjust linkages to reduce control throws If B) Adjust linkages to increase control throws
Motor Thrust Angle*	From straight and level flight, chop the throttle quickly	A) Airplane continues in a level path for a short distance B) Airplane pitches nose up C) Airplane pitches nose down	If A) Engine thrust angle is correct If B) Decrease down-thrust If C) Increase down-thrust
Center of gravity and longitudinal Balance	From level flight, roll to a 45` bank and neutralize the controls	A) Airplane continues in the bank for a moderate distance B) The nose of the airplane pitches up C) The nose of the airplane	If A) Trim settings are good If B) Add nose weight If C) remove nose weight
Yaw**	Do inside loops using elevator. Repeat test doing outside loops from an inverted entry.	A) Wing is level throughout B) Yaws to right in both inside and out side loops C) Yaws to left in both inside and out side loops D) Yaws to the right both inside and out side loops E) Yaws to the in inside loops and yaws to the right in outside loops	If A) Trim settings are good If B) Add left rudder trim If C) Add right rudder trim If D) Add left aileron trim If E) Add right aileron trim
Lateral Balance	Into the wind, do tight inside loops	A) Wing is level and plane falls to either side B) Plane fall off to the left in loops. Worsens as loops tighten C) PLane fall off to the right in loops. Worsens as loops tighten	If A) Trim Setting are good If B) Add weight to the right wing tip If C) Add weight to the left wing tip
Aileron Rigging	With the wing level, pull to a vertical climb and neutralize the controls.	A) Climb continues along the same path B) Nose tends to go toward an inside loop C) Nose tends to go towards an outside loop	If A) Trim Setting are good If B) Raise both ailerons very slightly If C) Lower both ailerons very slightly
* Motor thrust angle and center of gravity interact. Check both. ** Yaw and lateral balance produce similar symptoms. Make certain both elevator halves are even with each other and that they both produce the same amount of control deflection throughout the complete deflection range. Right and left referances are as if you were in the cockpit.