1

INDEX
Lesson Title Page
Getting started
1. 2-3
with the basics
Basic parts of an
2. 4-6
aerobot
Classification of
3. 7-13
Aeroplanes
Movements in the
4. 14-17
air
Basic
5. 18-20
Aerodynamics
6. Glow Engines 21-26
From home to
7. 27-31
field

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Lesson 1: Getting started with the Basics

1.1 An introduction
The thought of flying like a bird has
always enthralled human race. Man
was trying to fly since long ago.
From gliders, hot air balloons and
Wright Brothers Flyer, to modern
supersonic jet planes, the concept
of aeroplanes have come up a very
long way. The concept has even
been materialized to a miniature
scale, where a scaled-down
aeroplane, which is capable of
flying without any onboard pilot.

1.2 Aerial Robotics

Basically, robotics is the engineering science and technology of robots, and their design,
manufacture, and application. Hence aerial robotics is the branch of Robotics which deals
with aerial robots, or the robots which can fly. These robots are also known by various
names such as UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), aero-models, aerobots etc. For the time
being, we will use the term aerobot in this book.

1.3 Advantages of Aerobot

There are many advantages of an aerobot. Some of these are mentioned below.

i. Aerobots are small prototype of an actual full sized plane. Since the actual
aeroplane and an aerobot are proportional in size, they both have same flight
characteristic. Hence is it much easier to first build an aerobot of a concept
plane for testing purposes, rather than building the whole aeroplane. After the
final check for designs flaws, improvements are made before larger production
runs are ordered.

ii. Aerobots are very cheap to build compared to an actual aeroplane. Hence it is
economic to build and test an aerobot. Excluding the cost of the radio system
and engine, the cost of building an aerobot can vary anything between Rs. 5000
to 15000, which is much less as compared to a full sized plane costing in
millions.

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iii. Since the aerobots are unmanned (i.e. without onboard pilot), they can be used
in risky and tight situations without
any danger to human life. Hence a
self navigating aerobot capable of
decision making can be used in
wars, spying, disaster managements
etc. Such high-end aerobots are
technically known as Unmanned
Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). They have
onboard camera, microcontroller
based processing panel, GPS etc.
Predator: A high-end UAV developed by NASA

4
Lesson 2: Basic parts of an aerobot

Before going into any more details, it is important to know about the different parts of an
aerobot along with their functions.
Here is a diagram showing basic parts of an aerobot.

The diagram can be simplified into a tree-form shown below

Airplane

Wing Fuselage

Wing Main Landing

Aileron Flaps Firewall Tail Plane Propeller
Panel Plane Gears

Vertical Horizontal
Stabilizer Stabilizer

Fin Rudder Stabilizer Elevator

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 Wing: Wing is responsible for generating the lift force which allows the aerobot to
stay in air. It is the most important part of an aerobot.

Wing is further divided into three parts:

i. Main wing panel: It is the portion of the wing which covers most of the wing
area and remains fixed in its position.

ii. Ailerons: It is a movable part of the wing, generally located on the back
edge of the wing. It allows rotation of the plane along the roll axis.

iii. Flaps: Flaps are the movable part of wings, located on the inner ends of the
wings. They act as airbrakes, which allow controlling of the airspeed of an
aircraft in the air.

Terms associated with wing

Span: The total length of the wing from one end to other.

Leading Edge: The front end of the wing which is incidence to the wind.

Trailing Edge: The back end of the wing, where the ailerons are located.

Chord: The distance between leading edge and trailing edge.

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 Fuselage: Fuselage is the main body of the aircraft. It supports wing, and hold all
the equipments, engine, fuel, passengers and cargo.

Fuselage is further divided into three parts:

i. Firewall: It holds the engine of the plane. It is the strongest part of the
plane.

ii. Main Plane: The rest of the body constitutes the main plane.

iii. Tail plane: Stabilizers at the end of the fuselage constitutes the tail plane.

iv. Landing Gears: It supports the whole weight of the plane on the ground, and
gives ground speed to a plane. It generally consists of two wheels bearing
most of the weight and one steering wheel in front or at back.

v. Propellers: Propeller is attached to the engine which rotates the propeller

giving a forward thrust to the plane.

Stabilizers: Stabilizers are attached to the tail plane. Stabilizers are in two
directions, vertical and horizontal. Horizontal stabilizer gives stability to the plane in
horizontal direction. It has a moveable part known as elevator. The elevator
changes the direction of plane in pitch axis. Vertical stabilizers give vertical stability.
Vertical stabilizers also have a moveable part known as rudder. The rudder changes
the direction of motion along the yaw axis.

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Lesson 3: Classification of aircrafts

Aircrafts can be classified into various types depending on different parameters. These
classifications also be applies to an aerobot.

3.1 On the basis of Wing Position

Aircrafts can be classified into three different types depending on the wing position:
i. High Winged:
In these types of aircrafts, the wing is
situated on the top of the fuselage. This
types of aircrafts are quite stable
because the body hangs below the
wing. This creates a pendulum effect
which gives natural stability to the
aircraft. These types of aircrafts are
employed in trainers and small aircrafts

ii. Low Winged:

In these types of aircrafts, the wing of
the aircraft lies below the fuselage.
These types of planes are unstable
because the weight of the planes lies
on the wing. These types of planes find
application in fighter planes which
utilizes instability as a useful tool for
doing quick manoeuvres.

iii. Mid Winged:

In these types of aircrafts, wings are
situated at the middle of the fuselage.
These types of planes exhibit hybrid
characteristics of both high and low
winged aircrafts. These types of
aircrafts are generally used as sports
and aerobatics trainers.

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3.2 On the basis of Powering Thrust
Airplanes can be classified into following different types according to the powering thrust:
i. No power:
These types of planes do not have any
powering thrust. They are called sail-
planes or simply gliders. They utilize
pressure variations in air at different
levels to stay in air. They usually have
very large wings to generate maximum
lift. The sail planes are generally
launched using a tow-line, or a winch.

ii. Rubber Powered:

This is an aerobot specific classification. This is not
present in a full scale plane. In this type of aerobot,
the propeller is attached to a rubber band. When the
propeller is wound in opposite direction, potential
energy builds up, and when the propeller is released,
it gives sufficient thrust to lift the plane for a short
period of time.

iii. Electric Powered:

This is also an aerobot specific classification. In this type
of planes, electric motor is used to power the propeller.
The plane is less noisy and quite safe compared to that
with engines. But electric planes have limited flight times,
and have to carry additional loads of battery and speed
controllers for the motor.

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 iv. Internal Combustion Engine Powered:
These types of
aerobots carry
internal combustion
(I.C.) engines to
power up the
propeller. The engine
displacement varies
from 0.15 cu.in to 7
cu.in. IC engine
powered planes gives
option to fly anytime
rather than electric powered planes which requires recharging of battery before
flight. Also they have high power-to-weight ratio. However, the IC engines are quite
dangerous if not carefully handled. The propeller rotation varies from 12000rpm to
21000rpm. An open propeller rotating at such a high velocity, if makes contact with
body, can cause serious injuries.

v. Jet Powered:
This was the aircraft
specific classification until a
few years ago. But now jet
engines are available for
use with aerobots also.
These planes intake air
from the front vents,
compress it and then
release it at high pressure
from the rear end.

3.3 On the basis of Number of Wings

Aircrafts can be classified mainly into three types based on number of wings:
i. Monoplane:
Monoplane means
planes with one wing.
These types of plane
are the most common
now-a-days.

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 ii. Biplane:
Biplanes have two
wings instead of one.
These types of plane
were widely deployed
during the world
wars. They were used
mainly to increase the total surface area of the wing because construction of large
wings was not possible during that time. These planes have become almost extinct
at present time.
iii. Triplane:
These types of planes had 3 wings. They were
used as experimental aircrafts and were not of
much success.

3.4 On the basis of Wing Sweep

Wing sweep is the horizontal angle which the wing makes with the fuselage.
According to wing sweep, planes can be classified into four types:
i. Straight sweep:
In straight sweep wings, the wings are straight, i.e. they
make no angle with each other. These types of wings are
deployed in small and trainer aircrafts.

ii. Forward sweep:

In forward sweep wings, the wings are incident toward
forward direction. These types of wings are deplyoed in
supersonic aircrafts.

iii. Backward sweep:

In backward sweep wings, the wings are incident
toward backward direction. These types of wings
are deplyoed in fighter planes.

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 iv. Variable sweep:
In variable sweep wings, the wings sweep can be varied with speed.

3.5 On the basis of Wing Dihedral

Dihedral is the angle made by the wings with each other in the vertical direction. Dihedral
plays important role in determining the characteristics of a plane.
i. Zero Dihedral:
Here dihedral is zero degree, hence the wings are coplanar.

ii. Dihedral:
When the wings make some angle with each other, they are said to have dihedral.
Dihedral adds self-correcting ability to a plane. Hence it is deployed in trainers,
passengers and cargo planes.

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 iii. Anhedral:
Anhedral, or negative dihedral, is when the wings make a downward angle with
each other. It adds instability to an aircraft, hence it is utilized in fighter aircraft.

iv. Polyhedral:
When a wing has more than one angle, it is said to be polyhedral. It is widely used
in gliders.

3.6 On the basis of Thrust Position

Thrust is the force which provides motion to the aircraft. On the basis of thrust position,
aircrafts can be divided into three types:
i. Pulling Thrust:
In this type of aircraft, the thrust pulls the
plane along with it. The engine is generally
located at the nose part of the plane, or at the
wings.

ii. Pushing Thrust:

In this type of aircraft, the thrust pushes the
plane. The engine is generally located at the tail
part of the plane.

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iii. Vertical Thrust:
In this type of aircraft, the thrust vertically lifts
the plane. The engine is located on the top of
the plane. These types of planes are capable of
vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL).

14
Lesson 4: Movement in the air

4.1 Forces acting on an aircraft in air

A flying aircraft experience four different types of forces while in air. These forces are
namely, lift, drag, thrust and weight.

Lift: It is the upward force generated by the wings of aircraft.

Thrust: It is the forward force generated by the engine of the aircraft.

Drag: It is the backward force generated due to friction caused by the movement of
aircraft in air. It acts in opposite direction of thrust.

Weight: It is the downward force due to the mass of the plane and gravitation pull
of the earth. It acts in opposite direction of lift.

4.2 Axes of Rotation

Any particle, moving in free space, transverses along three mutually perpendicular axes.
Similarly, an aircraft moving in air moves along three axes of rotation, namely Pitch, Roll
and Yaw.

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Pitch
Pitch axis is the axis along which a plane moves up and down. The movement of the
elevators cause the plane to change it motion along the pitch axis.

Roll
Roll axis the axis along which the plane rolls left or right. The movement of the ailerons
changes the motion along the roll axis.

Yaw
Yaw axis is the axis along which the plane moves left or right. The movement of rudder
causes the change along the yaw axis.

4.3 Control Surfaces

Aircraft is controlled in air by the help of control surfaces. Control surfaces break the
streamline flow of air to cause a disturbance which cause change in direction of motion.
The control surfaces comprises mainly of Elevator, Rudder and Aileron.
Elevator:
Elevator is attached to horizontal stabilizer. It can be moved in upward or
downward direction. When the elevator is parallel to the movement of the airplane,
it does not affect the motion of the plane.
But when the elevator is moved upward, it breaks the streamline flow of air above
the horizontal stabilizer. Hence the flow of air tries to push it downward. Since the
elevator gets pushed down, the whole tail part goes down, and the nose moves
upward. Similarly the movement of elevator in the downward direction moves the

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 nose part downward. Hence the movement of elevator changes the direction of
motion along the pitch axis.

Rudder:
Rudder is attached to vertical stabilizer. It can move left or right.
When the rudder is moved left, it breaks the streamline flow of air along the
vertical stabilizer. The flow of air tries to push the rudder right. So the rudder along
with the tail part moves in the right direction. Hence the nose part moves in the left
direction. Similarly the movement of rudder in right direction causes the nose to
move in right direction. Hence the movement of rudder changes the direction of
motion along the yaw axis.

Ailerons:
Ailerons are attached to wing panels. There is one aileron each at the trailing part
of the each wing panel. Ailerons always move in opposite direction to each other.

When the left aileron moves upward and right aileron moves downwards. So the
wind tried to push the left aileron downward and right aileron upward. This
constitutes a force couple which overall rotates the wings in clockwise direction.
Similarly the movement of left aileron in downward direction and right aileron in
upward direction causes the plane to move in anti-clock wise direction. Hence the
movement of ailerons changes the direction of motion along the rolls axis.

Steering Wheel:
The landing gears have two types of configurations:
i. Nose gear landing gear
ii. Tail dragger landing gear

In nose gear type, the steering wheel is located at

the nose part. It is also called tricycle type landing
gear, since it resembles a common tricycle.

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 In tail dragger type, the steering wheel is
located at the back end and attached to the tail of
the plane.

In both the cases, the steering wheel is linked to the rudder. Hence the movement
of rudder causes the movement of the steering wheel. So the steering wheel along
with rudder controls the ground movement of aircraft.

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Lesson 5: Basic Aerodynamics

In this lesson we will look into some basic theories and principles which help an aircraft to
fly.
5.1 Bernoullis Principle:
We have all read Bernoullis Principle but many of us do not know that it plays the most
important role in the flight of an aircraft. Bernoullis Principle is related to flow of fluids. Air
is also a fluid so it is applicable to air as well.

In simple words, Bernoullis Principle states that, Increase in velocity results in decrease
in pressure and decrease in velocity increases the pressure.

+ (
( +

Before going any further with this theorem let us learn some new terms.

5.2 Aerofoil:
It is the cross section view of the wing. An aerofoil resembles the shape of a fish. It
generally consists of two uneven curved surfaces having common starting and ending
shape. The uneven curved shapes on each surface, alters the speed of flow of air on each
surface in a different way. Hence there is a pressure variation on the surfaces of the
wings. So this pressure disturbance creates a force known as lift.

A typical aerofoil and flow of air from it

5.3 Types of aerofoil:
Aerofoils can be broadly classified into three major types, flat bottomed, semi-
symmetrical, and symmetrical.

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 i. Flat Bottom Aerofoil:

In this type of aerofoil, the upper surface is curved and the bottom surface is
almost flat. This type of aerofoil generates maximum compared to other types of
aerofoils. Hence it is deployed in trainer aircrafts and passengers and cargo planes.
However it has poor inverted flight characteristics.

ii. Semi-symmetrical Aerofoil:

In this type of aerofoil, the lower surface is also curved, but less than that of upper
surface. This aerofoil generates optimum lift but offers good manoeuvres and
aerobatics moves in the sky.

iii. Symmetrical Aerofoil:

This type of aerofoil has equally curved upper and lower surfaces. This aerofoil
makes the use of angle of attack to generate lift in both directions. Hence planes
with symmetrical aerofoil can fly inverted as well as straight. So this type of aerofoil
is widely used in fighter planes.

5.4 Angle of Attack

In simple words, it is the angle at which the wing penetrates the wind. It is used to
generate high lift even at low speed. By changing angle of attack, a fighter plane
can generate lift even in inverted position.

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5.5 Stall

Stall is a phenomenon in which there is a sudden break in the lift generation and hence a
sudden drop in altitude of the plane. As the angle of attack increases, the lift also
increases, and so does the induced drag. After a certain threshold value, there is a break
in airflow resulting in high drag and no lift condition. Hence stall occurs. You can see for
yourself, by making a paper plane in throwing it in a steep upward direction. The plane
will fly to a height and suddenly dive downwards.

21
Lesson 6: Glow Engines

There are two main propulsion systems used by R/C aerobot today- the internal
combustion systems (glow engines) and the electric motors.

Combustion engines' energy source has so far a higher energy/weight ratio than the
batteries used to power the electrics. However, the combustion engines are usually noisier
and more prone to oil spillage than the electric motors.

There are two types of glow engines: the four-stroke

and the two-stroke. Two-stroke engines are the
most used, mainly because they are simple made,
light, easy to operate, easy to maintain, and are
usually inexpensive. Two-stroke engines operate at a
high RPM and therefore can be quite noisy without a
good silencer.

Nevertheless, the four-stroke engines also enjoy

some popularity, mainly because they produce a
lower, more scale-like sound and consume less fuel.
They have lower power/weight ratio and lower RPM,
but provide more torque (use larger propellers) than theirs two-stroke counter-parts.

However, since the four-stroke engines require high

precision engineering and more parts to manufacture,
they are usually more expensive. They also need
more maintenance and adjustment than the two-
stroke, yet they are not too difficult to operate and
maintain.

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A glow engine consists basically
of:

-Crankcase: It is the main body of the

engine and houses the internal parts.

- Head: It is mounted on the top of

crankcase. It has fins to provide
engine cooling.

- Muffler: It damps the exhaust noise

as it exits the combustion chamber.

- Carburettor: to control the amount of

fuel and air that enters the engine.

- Prop Shaft: is a part of the

Crankshaft that protrudes from the
crankcase.

- Crankshaft: It transforms the movements of the Piston into rotational motion.

- Piston: It has a cylindrical form and operates by an up/down movement (assuming the
engine is viewed upright) inside a sleeve, which is called Cylinder.

The Glow Engine's Carburettor consists basically of:

- Rotating barrel: It controls the amount of fuel/air mixture going to the combustion
chamber.

- Throttle arm connected to the barrel, which enables the engine's speed to be controlled
by a servo.

- Idle Stop Screw to adjust how far the throttle barrel closes.

- Idle Mixture Screw to adjust the amount of fuel entering the carburettor while the engine
is idling.

- Needle Valve to adjust the amount of fuel entering the carburettor during medium and
high-speed operation.

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All glow engines require a special fuel, called "glow fuel."

It consists of methanol as base, with some amount of nitro methane to increase the
energy and pre-mixed oil (Castor Oil is widely used) into the fuel, which lubricates and
protects the engine parts.

Operation

Two-stroke engines operate by igniting the fuel in its

combustion chamber once every turn of its
crankshaft.

The fuel is mixed with air at the carburettor and

forced into the cylinder during the down movement
of the piston (1st stroke).

While the piston moves up, the mixture is

compressed and when the piston reaches the top, the
glow plug ignites the compressed gases, forcing the
piston down (2nd stroke).

On the way down exhaust gases escape through the

exhaust port while the fuel mixture enters the
cylinder again.

In a four-stroke engine the fuel/air mixture enters the

combustion chamber during the down movement of
the piston through a valve operated by the camshaft
(1st stroke).

When the piston moves up, the valve closes and the
mixture is compressed (2nd stroke).

When the piston reaches the top, the glow plug

ignites forcing the piston down (3rd stroke).

On the next up movement of the piston, a second

valve opens and allows the exhaust gases to escape
(4th stroke).

The piston moves down and the fuel mixture enters

the combustion chamber again, repeating the 1st
stroke.

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The glow engines usually have a simple ignition system based on a glow plug. A glow plug
is made up of a little coil of platinum wire rather than a spark plug. A 1.5V battery is used
to heat the glow plug only during the starting procedure and is removed when the motor
reaches a certain rpm. This is possible because the glow plug keeps glowing by the heat
produced during the compression and combustion without needing the battery.

There are two lengths of glow plugs available.

The short ones are normally used on engines smaller than

2.5cc (.15cu in). Some have a metal bar across the bottom
of the plug called for Idle Bar, which prevents raw fuel from
dousing the heat from the element during idle. There are
also the so-called "hot" and "cold" glow plugs, which refer to
their effective coil operating temperature
.
The glow plug's temperature depends on several
factors, such as the coil's alloy, thickness and
length, the size of the hole in which the coil is
located as well as which material the glow plug's
body is made of. Usually smaller engines and
those that run on less nitro prefer hotter plugs. In
case of doubt just follow the engine
manufacturer's recommendation.

Turbo glow plugs have a chamfered end that matches the threaded hole on the engine's
head. It is claimed to give less compression leakage around the glow plug and less
disruption of the combustion chamber. Also the hole in the cylinder head, which exposes
the glow plug to the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder, is much smaller, resulting in fewer
rough edges that could create unwanted hot spots.

Glow engines may have plain bushed supported crankshaft or ball bearings. Ball bearing
engines usually have a better performance, run smoother, and last longer but are more
expensive than those with bushings. The model engines' piston and cylinders construction
are usually based in two methods: Ringed engines or ABC. Ringed engines have been the
main method of construction until recently. It consists of an aluminium or iron piston with
a ring moving in an iron sleeve. The ring provides the compression when operating.
Ringed engines are inexpensive to restore its compression after long usage by simply
replacing a ring, and are generally slightly cheaper. They require an extended break-in
period where the motor is run very rich to provide lots of lubrication while the ring fits
itself to the cylinder. They are also more easily damaged if the engine is run too lean. A
more recent method is the ABC, which stands for Aluminium, Brass, Chrome where an
aluminium piston runs in a chrome plated brass sleeve. The piston and cylinder are

25
matched at the factory to give a perfect fit and good compression. ABC engines start
easily by hand, give more power than the ringed engines, have a good life-span and are
less prone to damage with a lean run.

Schnuerle ported engines have several fuel inlet ports on three sides of the cylinder
allowing more fuel to flow to the combustion chamber. This gives somewhat more power
than with standard porting, which has only one fuel inlet port on the side of the cylinder
opposite the exhaust outlet. A Schnuerle ported engine is usually slightly more expensive
due to higher manufacturing costs involved.

Fuel Tank

The fuel tank size and location affects the engine operation during the flight.

When the engine is in the upright position, the fuel tank's centreline should be at the
same level as the needle valve or no lower than 1cm, (3/8in) to insure proper fuel flow. A
too large fuel tank may cause the motor to run "lean" during a steep climb and "rich"
during a steep dive. Normal tank size for engines between 3.5cc (.21) and 6.5cc (.40) is
150 - 250cc.

Ducted Fans

In order to emulate the full-size aircraft jet-power systems, it is often used the so-called
Ducted Fan, there a glow-engine drives a fan fitted inside the model.

26
There are also glow engines especially
designed for Ducted Fans, which have a
special shaped head, also having the
exhaust port facing towards the rear of
the model. These engines are often
equipped with a tuned pipe exhaust in
order to improve their efficiency at high
rpm. Since a special method to start is
often required due to the reduced
access to the engine, this arrangement
is not recommended for beginners.

27
Lesson 7: From Home to Field

7.1 First Model

Some people consider a glider as the obvious choice for the first model. Although a glider
normally flies slower and is supposed to be more forgiving, I think that's just a matter of
taste. Being a skilled glider pilot doesn't
necessarily mean being also a skilled
powered aircraft pilot and vice-versa.
Assuming that a powered model was
chosen, the beginner is advised to start
with a so-called trainer. This type is
usually a high wing aircraft model with
nearly flat bottom airfoil that produces
high lift, permitting slow landing speeds
without stalling. It also has some
dihedral angle to give a good lateral stability. However, a flat bottom high wing with
dihedral is more sensitive to crosswind gusts, so the first flights should be done during
calm weather.

A beginner should avoid wings with too sharp leading edges, as it will worsen the stall
characteristics. A well-rounded leading edge is therefore preferable, as it better conveys
the airflow onto the upper wing surface allowing higher angle of attack at low speed.
A trainer model should not be too small, as it would be difficult to assemble and maintain.
It would be more sensitive to strong winds. It should not be too large either, as it would
be difficult to transport, require a larger flying field and would be more expensive.

A reasonable size is about 150 cm wingspan (60 in) with a high aspect ratio, which means
the wingspan being about 5.5 times the wing chord. A rectangular wing is advisable, as it
distributes the weight of the aircraft evenly over the entire surface of the wing. In order to
allow a reasonable low landing speed without stalling, the wing loading should not be
greater than about 60g/sq.dm (19-oz/sq. ft). Wing loading is the aircraft's weight divided
by the wing area. Some degree of wing washout also improves the stall characteristics.

7.2 Build it or Buy it

One may build a model aircraft based on drawings (plans). This requires some building
skills and also time and effort to find out and gather the materials needed for the
construction. An easier approach (albeit more expensive) is buying a kit of parts. There
are many kits on the market with different levels of prefabrication depending on their
price. The cheaper kits have most of parts included, but some pieces come either pre-cut
or printed on sheets of wood, so the builder is expected to do some extensive job, such as

28
to cut out the fuselage formers and wing ribs, glue the parts together, apply the covering
material, etc. For those who are not so keen on construction, there are Almost Ready to
Fly (ARF) kits with an extensive prefabrication, requiring one or two evenings to
assemble. There are also Ready To Fly (RTF), which normally come complete with the
power plant and some of them even with the radio preinstalled.

7.3 Useful tips

Always check your radio installation against the plans before building anything. If
you need to plug pre-cut holes or cut new holes, it is a lot easier to do before the
component is built. Make sure you write notes and good measurements on the
plans so you remember what you were doing later.

Most R/C models have a removable wing that covers the radio compartment. The
fuselage has a "U" shape through this compartment and is inherently weaker and
more flexible than the rest of the fuselage. This arrangement has been proven to
work satisfactorily. However there is no reason not to improve it. I like to cut a
former that splits the radio compartment into two parts. The aft section is the servo
compartment and the forward section is the receiver/battery compartment.

Measure the length of the battery and receiver. Add 1" to the longer measurement
and that is how far back from the LE the new former should go. You want enough
room to surround the receiver and battery pack with foam without it being able to
shift around. Mount the switch and the charge jack in the servo compartment so
the wires coming from them do not have the receiver or battery pushed up against
them. Be sure to cut a 1/2" or larger hole in the former to pass the servo leads to
the receiver and also drill a hole for the throttle pushrod housing.

29
In the above image, the charge jack is mounted in the wrong compartment due to
poor planning on my part. It is in the way and I have to be careful not to stress the
wires too much when working around it. A wire can break causing intermittent
contact and result in bad things happening to my model. Unfortunately in this case
there wasn't a lot of room in the servo compartment to mount the jack. In retrospect,
the former could have been moved slightly forward to make the servo compartment
larger.

Please use foam rubber to wrap your receiver in. I have seen several planes at the
field that were simply stuck inside the airframe using dual-sided tape. When you are
holding your plane and you can feel the vibration coursing through it, the receiver is
feeling the same thing and it is not good for it at all. The electronics we put in our
models are delicate and should be treated as such.

Some people seem to think these things were designed to withstand anything, but
they are wrong. I used to install the radio after the basic structure was complete.
What usually ended up happening was I had a lot of binding to take care of and it
was hard to get everything lined up properly. It also took a lot of time for a less than
satisfactory result. Now I do the servo installation before I even begin framing up
the fuselage. It seems tedious, but the actual fact is I save a lot of time by doing it in
the beginning.

There are a couple measurements you need to have. First, I put the grommets and
eyelets in the servos and then I measure from the bottom of the grommet to the
centre of servo arm (servo in side view). This tells me where the servo rails need to
be from the pushrods. Now it is an easy task to glue rails into the fuselage sides
before I join them and also cut the pushrod exits. The only other measurement I
need is how from the tail the pushrod exit should be. Just draw a line on the plan
from where the servo will be mounted (you will need to know what servo arm you
are going to use) to the control horn. The hole goes where the line intersects the
fuselage side. When installing servos, one of the biggest mistakes I see made is to
crank down the screws until they squeeze the life out of the rubber grommets.
Those grommets are there to absorb vibration which they will not do if they are too
tight.

The idea here is to tighten the screws only to the point where the grommets start to
bulge and then stop. After all the screws are in, try to wiggle the servo. If it is solid,
then the job is done.

7.4 First Flight

It is highly recommended to have an experienced instructor beside you during your first
flight. However, it is not impossible to get succeed by doing it alone. Maximum wind
speed recommended is 5 - 8Km/h (3 - 5mph) including gusts. Check the CG location with

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empty fuel tank by supporting the model with your fingertips underneath the wings. Find
the position where the fuselage gets level or its nose is pointed slightly downwards.
Transmission range check should be performed on the ground before the flight. This is
usually done with the Transmitter aerial collapsed. The control surfaces should respond
without glitch at a distance of about 80 meters (263ft). This distance is only an
approximately guide line, as the actual range may vary depending on the environment.
The effective range may only be half of this value if located at mountain bowl site or close
to a public radio transmitter, radar station or similar. The range may suffer adverse effects
if the receiver aerial is close to metal parts or model components reinforced with carbon
fibre. Some transmitters allow the aerial to be totally collapsed inside a metal case, which
also may reduce the radiation. In this case the lower section of the aerial should be
extended during the test. The check should be repeated with the power system running,
alternating the throttle setting between idle and full-throttle. The range will be much
higher when the model is in the air, normally about 1KM or as far as one can clearly see
the alignment of the model.

7.5 Take-off:

If you hand launch your model, throw it against the wind horizontally and straight ahead,
not up.
If you take-off from the ground, taxi the model towards the wind and let the model gain
ground speed before applying elevator. Once in the air try to climb at a very small angle,
not abruptly upward, which would cause loss of airspeed and stall. The model is more
sensitive to the motor torque effect during the relatively low take-off speed and may begin
to turn left (or right). Use the rudder or ailerons to prevent the model from turning during
the climb stage, otherwise the model may initiate a spiral dive. Don't try any turns until
the model has gained speed and reached a "safe altitude". Be very gentle with the
controls and practice gentle turns high in the air before you try to land. To prevent losing
altitude when turning the model, just give little up elevator at same time you make a turn.
Try to keep the model in sight and do not fly too high or too far away. You may reduce
the throttle while high in the air so you may get an idea how the model behaves at low
speed. To prevent getting confused about which way to turn when the model flies towards
you, turn your back to the model slightly while keeping watching it, so you can imagine
"right" and "left" from the model's point of view. Some trimming may be needed in order
to reduce or eliminate roll, bank and/or pitch tendencies. A flat bottom wing often tends to
"balloon" up into the sky, keeping climbing when full throttle is applied. This may be
reduced during the flight by adjusting the elevator trim or by reducing the throttle. In
worst cases it may be needed to increase the motor's down-thrust angle and/or decrease
the main wings incidence angle.

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7.6 Landing:

Reduce throttle to about half so you have to slightly pull up the elevator to keep the
altitude. Turn the model towards the wind and let the model sink gradually towards the
landing area by easing the elevator. During the last fifteen to twenty meters (45 to 60
feet) of descent, (which depends on the model's characteristics) you should idle the
throttle. The model will start sinking at a higher rate now. Try to keep the model in a
shallow dive and don't use the elevator to gain altitude or to prolong the flight at this
stage, otherwise stall is likely to occur. Just keep a slightly downward attitude throughout
the final approach in order to maintain the airspeed. The higher the wing loading, the
steeper the approaching angle may be however, it is not recommended approaching
angles greater than 45 degrees. If you notice that the model is sinking too fast or is too
low to reach the landing field - just increase the throttle first before applying elevator to
maintain or gain altitude to prolong the flight or to repeat the landing approach. Pull up
the elevator slightly about 30-60cm (1-2 ft) before the touch-down so that the propeller or
nose gear doesn't hit the ground. Be prepared to repeat unsuccessful landings several
times, since it's often a matter of trial and error before one gets used with how the model
behaves. Don't try to land in a specific spot, avoid turns when the model is flying low or at
low speed. Just let your model glide into the ground straight-ahead. Avoid the proximity of
buildings, roads and electric power lines. Don't fly close to or towards people and animals.
The bigger the field for your first flight, the greater will be your chances for success.

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