Wrap receiver and on-board battery pack with special R/C ½" thick latex foam.

Put on-board battery and receiver in plastic bags to help protect items in case of fuel tank leaks.

Drill a 1/16-1/8" hole in tank compartment floor to allow fuel drain in case the fuel tank leaks.

Use epoxy or fuel resistant paint (Rustoleum, ect…) to seal/fuel-proof all engine mount, firewall, and tank

compartment surfaces.

Make sure receiver antenna is (a) fully extended, (b) mostly located outside of the fuselage , (c) use a pull

restraint to prevent the antenna from being pulled our of the receiver, (d) use clean fuel tubing through the

fuselage hole to protect the antenna wire from vibration wear.

Do not put any holes (like switch, charge jack) in fuselage on same side as the engine exhaust.

Make sure there is no gap between the wing and fuselage on engine exhaust side to prevent oil in exhaust

from getting into fuse. Foam tape on the wing saddle can be used to fix gaps.

After gluing, hinges should be pinned - simply use T-pins and push from bottom of surface.

Seal Aileron hinge gap. Covering or clear packaging tape can be used, but make sure surface can still move

freely.

Recommend using only z-bends (maximum one end of push rod - typically servo side) or clevices

as connectors on all push rods for aileron, elevator, and rudder for reliability. If using clevises, prefer steel

with added lock nut (typically 2-56 size for 40-60 size planes) + "clevis keeper" (Fuel tubing or heat shrink

tubing).

Make sure servos are mounted securely, that rubber grommets/brass inserts are used

and are only partially compressed.

Make sure use enough rubberbands to mount wing: typically use #64 size and use a total of 12-14

for 40-size trainers. Replace with new after each flying session.

2.0 FUEL SYSTEM:

Tank location: center line of tank should be at same height as the carb. Barrel for proper fuel flow.

Insure fuel lines are not kinked. Make sure clunk line inside tank extends to about 1/4" from rear wall and

is free to move. Clunk should have a channel filed into end to prevent suction of clunk to a tank wall.

Once installed, pressure test tank to insure no air leaks.

3.0 BALANCE CHECK:

Insure plane balances at the manufacturer recommended location (in pitch axis). A slightly "nose- heavy"

set-up is desirable for stable flight. Avoid being too "nose-heavy" or "tail- heavy". Try to balance the plane

first by moving the radio equipment and if that is not sufficient, use lead attached to the fuselage. If adding

lead, insure it is fixed securely so can't fall/vibrate off (e.g. attach with screws and/or epoxy)

Also check the lateral balance (wing tip to wing tip). Use dental floss through the rudder/fin hinge line and

hold in front by the propeller at a position so that it is free moving (not on compression). Again use lead to

adjust the balance.

4.0 CONTROL SURFACE CHECKS (POSITION & THROWS):

Make sure that the Radio trims are at zero. Then, with radio on, make sure that all control surfaces are in

neutral position (inline with trailing edge). Adjust mechanical linkages to center the control surfaces.

Confirm that the control surface throws are set at the manufacturer recommended throws and in the correct

direction. Typical recommended 40 size plane throws are:

Low Rate High Rate

Aileron: 1/4-3/8" 1/2-5/8"

Elevator: 1/4-3/8" 1/2-5/8"

Rudder: n/a 1/2" each way

If adjustment is needed, 1st try to get the desired throw by adjusting the mechanical linkages. Only use

the radio servo total travel adjustment as a last resort. Remember, more throw can be obtained by using a

longer servo output arm and/or moving to a shorter distance from the surface on the surface control

horn/torque rod. Typically for servo output arms, the circular disks are OK for elevator/throttle/rudder and

you typically need to use a "star" output arms for ailerons (4 points or more, cut off ones not being used since

will cause binding).

5.0 Battery Charging:

Make sure batteries have been charged overnight (min 10 hrs, max 16 hrs) if using the supplied trickle

charger. Note 1st charge should be for 24 hrs. Avoid sequential charging without discharging batteries (e.g.

flying delayed couple days in a row due to rain/wind…). Note can drain batteries some by just leaving

transmitter and receiver on for about 45-60 min before re-charging. Commercial cyclers range from

"Manual" types (e.g. RAM) to very automated digital types (e.g. FMA "Einstein or ACE "Digipace").

Strongly recommend having an Expanded Scale Voltmeter (ESV) to check the transmitter and receiver

battery voltage between each flight - cheap insurance!

6.0 Flying Field to-do's:

Get frequency pin, check with other flyers to identify anyone on same frequency.

Range check with antenna down (remember to fully extend antenna before flying!)

Use plane restraint for starting engine, else make sure have helper to hold plane.

Check Control surface directions and insure all controls are OK with engine at full throttle

(vibration/direction check).

Turn propeller over by hand (w/o glow driver) to insure engine cylinder is not flooded before using the electric starter.

Use afterrun oil in engine after each flying session to prevent engine rusting due to the water pick-up nature

of methanol (Automatic transmission fluid works well for this, or can buy specially formulated afterrun oils).

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