WattAge egret Instructions For Assembly - page 28
28
If you've come this far, now you're ready to pre-
pare for the maiden voyage of your new airplane.
Before proceeding, we highly recommend double
checking all of your work. Make sure there is no
detail you missed and that you understand all of the
airplane's functions. We hope you find the follow-
ing sections helpful, making your first flights
successful.
Since you've chosen the Egret, you've avoided
the most common mistake beginners make: choos-
ing a high performance airplane like the P-51 Mustang
or the F-16 jet as a trainer. Just as you wouldn't learn
to drive a car using an Indy car, you shouldn't use a
high performance airplane to learn to fly R/C model
airplanes. The second mistake new pilots make is
not seeking out the help of an experienced modeler.
While it is certainly true that some people have
learned to fly without help, having the help of an ex-
perienced R/C model pilot will help make those first
few flights much more successful and enjoyable. We
highly recommend seeking out a club or a flying field
near you. You'd be surprised just how many clubs
there are that help beginners.
Once at the field, even before removing your air-
plane from the car, introduce yourself to some of the
other pilots. Find out what safety procedures and
frequency control system are in place. In short, learn
and follow the field etiquette. Doing so will ensure
safe flying for you and others. You will also be able
to find out who might be the right person to help you
learn to fly.
Sometimes it is just impossible to find anyone to
help. In that case it would be wise to seek out some
additional information about flying. R/C Modeler
Magazine, Harry Higley and Model Airplane News
Magazine all publish very good basic flight training
books that explain flying in greater depth. You may
also wish to seek out a computer simulator. There
are several different brands of flight simulators avail-
able that can be very effective at teaching the basic
coordination of R/C flight.
If you do decide you have no choice but to learn
to fly on your own, choosing the place to fly your new
airplane is of the utmost importance. Select your po-
tential flying field with the following considerations:
1) Look for a site that has a soft landing area.
The best sites are large grassy fields.
ABC'S OF FLYING
2) The fewer ground obstructions the better. No
trees, buildings or large rocks should be nearby.
3) No people or houses should be nearby. While
R/C flying is generally safe, it can lead to harm or
injury. Do not try to fly your model if there are houses
or people close by.
4) There should be no high-lines, telephone
lines or electrical lines anywhere near where you
are flying. If your airplane accidentally does fly
into wires of any kind, do not try to retrieve it your-
self. Serious injury or even death could result.
Contact the local police or fire department to help
you retrieve your airplane.
To begin you should know how your airplane op-
erates. First, there are four forces operating on a flying
aircraft: Lift, Weight, Thrust and Drag. The motor
will create thrust to overcome the drag. In times when
the motor is off, gravity pulling the airplane down
can act as thrust. This is how the airplane flies when
the motor is turned off. The wing flies through the
air as a result of the thrust and causes lift to over-
come the weight of the aircraft.
BASICS OF FLIGHT
Flying is three dimensional, therefore all aircraft
operate on three axes: roll, yaw and pitch. Roll is the
wing tips raising and lowering. Yaw is the nose mov-
ing from right to left. Pitch is seen as the nose moving
up and down. Maintaining flight is the act of over-
coming weight and drag with lift and thrust while
properly controlling all three axes.
Lift
Weight
Thrust
Drag
Roll
Yaw
Pitch