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LANDING 

When it’s time to land, fly a normal landing pattern and approach as
follows: Reduce the power to about 1/4 throttle and fly a downwind
leg far enough out from the runway to allow you to make a gentle
180° turn. As you make the turn into the wind for your final approach,
pull the throttle back to idle. Most trainer planes have a lot of lift, so
you will need a slow, reliable idle in order to achieve a nice, slow
landing. Allow the plane to keep descending on a gradual glide slope
until you are about 3 feet off the runway. Gradually apply a little up
elevator to flare for landing. You should apply just enough up
elevator to hold the plane just off the runway while the excess speed
bleeds off. The model should settle onto the runway for a slow,
slightly nose-high landing.

Good luck and have fun flying your model, but always stay in
control and fly in a safe manner.

...so you’ll know what they are talking about at the flying field.

Adverse Yaw - The tendency of an airplane to yaw in the opposite
direction of the roll. For instance, when right aileron is applied, the
airplane yaws to the left, thus opposing the turn. Adverse yaw is
common in trainer type airplanes having flat bottom wings. It is most
noticeable at slow speeds and high angles of attack, such as ring
takeoffs and when stretching a landing approach. Caused by the
unequal drag of the upward and downward deflection of the ailerons,
this undesirable trait can be minimized by setting up the ailerons
with Differential Throw or by coordinating the turns, using aileron
and rudder control simultaneously. 

See differential throw.

Ailerons - Hinged control surfaces located on the trailing edge of the
wing, one on each side, which provide control of the airplane about
the roll axis. The control direction is often confusing to first time
modelers. For a right roll or turn, the right hand aileron is moved
upward and the left hand aileron downward, and vice versa for a left
roll or turn.

Angle Of Attack - The angle that the wing penetrates the air. As the
angle of attack increases so does lift and drag, up to a point.

ARF - A prefabricated model - Almost Ready to Fly.

Buddy Box - Two similar transmitters that are wired together with a
“trainer cord.” This is most useful when learning to fly — it’s the same
as having dual controls. The instructor can take control by using the
“trainer switch” on his transmitter.
Boring Holes In The Sky - Having fun flying with an R/C airplane,
without any pre-determined flight pattern.

CA (Abbreviation for “Cyanoacrylate”) - An instant type glue that is
available in various viscosities (Thin, Medium, Thick, and Gel). These
glues are ideal for the assembly of wood airplanes and other
materials. Note: Most CA glues will attack Styrofoam.

Carburetor - The part of the engine which controls the speed or
throttle setting and lean/rich mixture via setting of the needle valve.

CG (“Center of Gravity”) - For modeling purposes, this is usually
considered the point at which the airplane balances fore to aft. This
point is critical in regards to how the airplane reacts in the air. A 
tail-heavy plane will be very snappy but generally very unstable and
susceptible to more frequent stalls. If the airplane is nose heavy, it
will tend to track better and be less sensitive to control inputs, but,
will generally drop its nose when the throttle is reduced to idle. This
makes the plane more difficult to land since it takes more effort to
hold the nose up. A nose heavy airplane will have to come in faster
to land safely.

Charge Jack - The plug receptacle of the switch harness into which
the charger is plugged to charge the airborne battery. An expanded
scale voltmeter (ESV) can also be plugged into it to check battery
voltage between flights. It is advisable to mount the charge jack in an
accessible area of the fuselage side so an ESV can be used without
removing the wing.

Charger - Device used to recharge batteries and usually supplied
with the radio if NiCd batteries are included.

Chicken Stick - A hand-held stick used to flip start a model airplane
engine.

Clunk - A weighted fuel pick-up used in a fuel tank to assure the
intake line is always in fuel.

Dead Stick - A term used to describe unpowered flight (glide) when
the engine quits running.

Differential Throw - Ailerons that are set up to deflect more in the
upward direction than downward are said to have Differential Throw.
The purpose is to counteract Adverse Yaw.

Dihedral - The V-shaped bend in the wing. Typically, more dihedral
causes more aerodynamic stability in an airplane, and causes the
rudder to control both the roll and yaw axis. This is why some
trainers and sailplanes require only 3 channels of radio control—i.e.,
having no ailerons.

Ding - Minor dent or damage to the structure. Also, a nick in a prop.
Dinged props must be replaced.

Down Thrust - Downward angle of the engine relative to the
centerline of the airplane. Down thrust helps overcome the normal
climbing tendency of flat bottom wings.

SOME MODELING TERMS & TRIVIA

Hold This Angle

Until Touchdown.

Danger of Stalling!

Release Elevator.

Apply Up Elevator.

22

Summary of Contents for Tower Trainer 40 ARF

Page 1: ...terial used for final assembly no liability shall be assumed nor accepted for any damage resulting from the use by the user of the final user assembled product By the act of using the user assembled product the user accepts all resulting liability If the buyers are not prepared to accept the liability associated with the use of this product they are advised to return this kit immediately in new an...

Page 2: ...y and during your first flights You ll learn faster and avoid risking your model before you re truly ready to solo Your local hobby shop has information about flying clubs in your area whose membership includes qualified instructors You can also contact the national Academy of Model Aeronautics AMA which has more than 2 500 chartered clubs across the country Through any one of them instructor trai...

Page 3: ...bove contact Hobby Services at 1 217 398 0007 Monday through Friday 9am 5pm central time Or send the Tower Trainer to Hobby Services 1610 Interstate Drive Champaign Illinois 61822 The information Hobby Services will need is a letter explaining what happened the letter is to be signed by the instructor and yourself name of flying field name of instructor and a copy of invoice as proof of purchase T...

Page 4: ...s 22 Fuel Tank Stopper 23 Plywood Wing Joiner 24 Fuel Tank 25 Main Landing Gear 2 pcs 26 Fuel Tank Clunk 27 Silicone Fuel Tubing 28 Aileron Servo Tray Mounting Blocks 29 Aileron Servo Tray 30 Nose Landing Gear Wire 31 Wing Mounting Dowels 2 pcs 32 Wheels 64mm 2 1 2 in 3 pcs 4 PARTS LIST 1 5 4 17 18 32 25 9 2 7 6 31 26 22 27 24 15 8 30 32 23 29 28 21 19 20 3 10 32 25 Before assembly match the parts...

Page 5: ...y knife remove the covering from the wing panels for the aileron servo TEST FIT THE WING JOINER 5 Test fit the wing joiner in both wing panels by sliding the joiner into the joiner cavity in the wing The joiner should slide in with little resistance up to the centerline that was drawn on the joiner If the joiner will not fit in the cavity lightly sand any uneven surfaces from the joiner edges side...

Page 6: ...o mounting blocks and position them with the dihedral line up Cut or sand the marked angle out of the block This angled side will be placed against the wing when the servo tray is installed ASSEMBLE THE SERVO TRAY 11 Glue the balsa aileron servo mounting blocks onto the aileron servo tray using either 6 minute epoxy or medium CA Make sure that the angled side you just cut is facing away from the p...

Page 7: ...ron pushrods Thread the clevises onto the rods so that 1 16 1 5mm of the rod protrudes between the clevis forks INSTALL THE PUSHRODS 18 Attach the pushrods to the aileron control horns If the pins from the clevises do not fit the holes in the horns drill the holes out to 1 16 1 5mm Press the forks of the clevises together until the pin snaps into the opposite fork Slide the safety tubing into posi...

Page 8: ...y knife MARK THE CENTERLINE 5 On the top surface of the horizontal stabilizer measure to find the exact center from side to side Draw a centerline using a felt tip pen Next extend that centerline onto the trailing edge in the gap as shown in the photo DO NOT MARK ON THE ELEVATOR WHEN PERFORMING THIS STEP ALIGN THE STABILIZER WITH THE WING Note Do not use any glue until instructed to do so 6 Insert...

Page 9: ...nt several times while the epoxy cures INSTALL THE VERTICAL FIN 11 Test fit the vertical fin into the slot on the top of the fuselage Sand the edges of the slot if necessary for a snug fit When fit properly the bottom of the vertical fin will rest on the top of the horizontal stabilizer Remove the fin and mix up 1 4oz 7ml of 30 minute epoxy Using a mixing stick apply epoxy to the top of the stabil...

Page 10: ...tach the Z bend of the wire to the hole on the steering arm Slide the wire into the pushrod housing so that the screw on the steering arm is facing forward The wire should be on the bottom of the steering arm INSTALL THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WIRE 5 Install the nose landing gear wire through the nose gear bracket Next the wire will go through the steering arm Holding the steering arm against the beari...

Page 11: ...ece of silicone fuel tubing Install the clunk onto the tubing Slide the other end of the tubing onto the tube that was not bent in the previous step Measure the distance from the end of the clunk to the back of the stopper Position the fuel tube so the distance measures 5 127mm INSTALL THE STOPPER ASSEMBLY 3 The stopper assembly can now be inserted into the tank The vent tube should be adjusted so...

Page 12: ...e remaining screws and washers Pass the screws through the engine mount pads The screws then go through the mount passing in front of and behind the engine mounting flange The pads will be resting on the top of the engine s mounting flanges The 4mm nuts are then placed into the recesses on the bottom of the engine mount Start the screws but do not tighten them at this time We still need to align t...

Page 13: ...tall the servos into the tray as shown using the screws included with the radio system It may be necessary to enlarge the openings for the servos The arms should be removed from the servos during the installation The servos in the photo are marked as to which is rudder R elevator E and throttle T to help in getting them plugged into the receiver correctly RECEIVER AND BATTERY INSTALLATION 3 Follow...

Page 14: ...d a 3mm washer Slide the washer onto the screw Pass the screw through the elevator from the top SECURE THE ELEVATOR CONTROL SCREW 8 Slide a 3mm washer onto the screw from the bottom Thread a 3mm nut onto the screw Tighten the screw but not too tight as to crush the underlying wood Use threadlock on the nut to prevent loosening INSTALL THE ELEVATOR CONTROL HORN 9 Thread the elevator control horn on...

Page 15: ... the opening in the fuselage next to the fin CONNECT THE RUDDER PUSHROD 15 Attach a clevis to a pushrod Attach the clevis to the rudder control horn CENTER THE SERVOS USING THE RADIO 16 Turn on the transmitter then the receiver Center all of the trim levers on the transmitter Turn off the receiver and then the transmitter By doing this your servos will be at their centered neutral position when yo...

Page 16: ...orn too CONNECT THE STEERING PUSHROD 22 Slide the steering pushrod wire though the Screw Lock Pushrod Connector With the rudder servo in its neutral position center the nose wheel so that the airplane will be able to taxi forward in a straight line Secure the pushrod into position by tightening the screw on the connector CONNECT THE THROTTLE PUSHROD 23 With the radio system on place the throttle s...

Page 17: ...e pin into the top of the fin Adjust the trimmed servo arm until there is a slight amount of tension on the antenna wire The rubber band should be partially stretched Note Never push a pin through the antenna or trim off the excess wire FINAL RADIO INSTALLATION INSPECTION 29 Using mixing sticks secure the radio system and fuel tank as shown in the photo It is best to save this step until after you...

Page 18: ... Aileron 1 2 13mm up 5 8 16mm up 1 4 6mm down 3 8 9 5mm down Elevator 3 8 9 5mm up 1 2 13mm up 3 8 9 5mm down 1 2 13mm down Rudder 1 25mm left Same as low rate 1 25mm right Same as low rate These are the suggested deflection from center of the control surface If you need more control movement you should move the clevis to a hole closer to the control surface or you can move the rod at the servo aw...

Page 19: ...alm down and discuss the flight with your instructor Spending some time after each flight talking about what happened and what you need to work on to improve your skills will pay off with greater confidence in your own growing abilities CHARGE THE BATTERIES Follow the battery charging procedures in your radio instruction manual You should always charge your transmitter and receiver batteries the n...

Page 20: ...t fly my model unless it is identified with my name and address or AMA number on or in the model 9 I will not operate models with pyrotechnics any device that explodes burns or propels a projectile of any kind Radio control 1 I will have completed a successful radio equipment ground check before the first flight of a new or repaired model 2 I will not fly my model aircraft in the presence of spect...

Page 21: ...later flights if you want your model to maintain level flight at full throttle you will need to give it a little down trim Your first flights should consist of mostly straight and level flight with gentle turns to keep the model over the field These flights will give you practice at coordinating your control inputs and maintaining the proper orientation of the airplane As mentioned earlier turns a...

Page 22: ... C airplane without any pre determined flight pattern CA Abbreviation for Cyanoacrylate An instant type glue that is available in various viscosities Thin Medium Thick and Gel These glues are ideal for the assembly of wood airplanes and other materials Note Most CA glues will attack Styrofoam Carburetor The part of the engine which controls the speed or throttle setting and lean rich mixture via s...

Page 23: ...source for igniting the fuel air mixture in the engine When starting the engine a battery is used to heat the filament After the engine is running the battery can be removed The wire filament inside the plug is kept hot by the explosions in the engine s cylinder See next heading and idle bar plug Glow Plug Clip Battery A 1 2 volt battery which is connected to the glow plug on a model airplane engi...

Page 24: ...opeller and read out the engine RPM Tip Stall The outboard end of one wing the tip stops developing lift causing the plane to roll suddenly in the direction of the stalled wing This situation is not fun when you are only a few feet off the runway trying to land Trainer Airplane A model designed to be inherently stable and fly at low speeds to give first time modelers time to think and react as the...

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