WattAge egret Instructions For Assembly - page 29
29
Choosing the Egret greatly simplifies these activi-
ties. First, it takes very little thrust to overcome the
drag: the airplane will actually glide without any mo-
tor power at all. Second, the wing is a high lift design
that easily overcomes the weight, which means that
the airplane can fly very slowly.
Flying the Egret
Check the controls. Make sure that the throttle,
elevator and rudder are all working properly. The
flight battery should be fully peak charged and ready
to go. First, let's lay out the basic maneuvers that
will make up your training flights.
1) Hand Launching
2) Climb-out
3) Level Flight
4) Standard Turns
5) Descent
6) Landing
All flight is based on these few tasks. Here, we've
laid them out in the same order they will be during
flight. Learn these basics and you will soon fly your
airplane with great success. Now look at each ma-
neuver individually. Before your first flight, make
sure that you are completely familiar with the func-
tions of the transmitter including all of the controls
and the trim levers.
Hand launching and climb-out require that the
airplane be facing directly into the wind. To hand
launch the airplane, grasp the fuselage pod between
your thumb and forefingers, at the center of gravity
location. Hold the airplane at about shoulder level,
apply full power, and firmly toss the airplane straight
ahead and level. Do not throw it hard or up at an
angle.
Fly the airplane level for about 30 feet, allow-
ing the speed to pick up. Use the rudder to keep the
airplane tracking straight. After the airplane has
picked up some speed, begin a shallow climb by
applying a small amount of up elevator. Be gentle.
You don't want to overcontrol the airplane. Allow
the airplane to climb on its own. Climbing too fast
will cause the airplane to pitch up and it will stop
flying (called a stall). If this happens, allow the
nose to drop slightly (which will give the airplane
more speed) and then apply a small amount of up
elevator to bring the nose level.
Once the airplane has reached about 50 to 100
feet of altitude, it is time to level the airplane and
try a turn. To level the airplane, simply move the
elevator control stick to neutral. Keep the wings
level using the rudder control stick. If the airplane
still climbs or turns, adjust the elevator and rudder
trim levers until the airplane flies straight with no
stick input.
Now try a turn before the airplane gets too far
away. To turn, apply rudder in the direction you want
to turn until the wing drops about 15 degrees (or the
wing tip is just below the fuselage pod). As the wing
drops, begin to apply up elevator. Up elevator will
maintain the plane's altitude and will hold the air-
plane in the turn. To prevent the airplane from turning
too steeply, as soon as a good bank is established re-
lease the rudder control stick and use only the elevator
control stick to maintain altitude and hold the air-
plane in the turn. Once the airplane has turned
enough, apply opposite rudder to level the wings. As
this opposite rudder is applied, slowly release the up
elevator.
Now continue level flight, which will be a small
series of tiny corrections of elevator and rudder to
keep the airplane straight and level. If you lost alti-
tude during the turn, this is a good time to climb again.
Before the airplane gets too far away, try another turn.
Continue making standard turns and keep the airplane
over the flying field.
The next maneuver will be descent. Usually one
pairs descent with landing but, in fact, most model
airplanes are constantly descending and climbing.
Having the ability to perform a good controlled de-
scent is important. To descend, simply throttle back
to turn off the motor. As the motor is turned off,
allow the airplane's nose to drop some.
The descent should be gentle, so let the nose drop
about 10 to 20 degrees. Keep the wings level unless
a turn is required. If you must turn, bank as usual to
start the turn but only hold about half of the normal
amount of up elevator you usually hold to maintain a
turn. In doing so, you will not slow down the air-
plane too much. When you've reached your desired
altitude, level the wings and add throttle as you add
some up elevator to level the airplane.
The final maneuver will be landing. For your
first landing, the goal should be to get the airplane
down anywhere on the field without hitting anything.
Landings should always be made into the wind. Usu-
ally, it is easiest to set up for a landing by making a