Fifty Six manual

Construction Manual www.oldschoolmodels.com Page 15
This completes the assembly of the Fifty Six. Now you’ll need
to adjust the control throws and check for balance.
Recommended C.G. setting:
An important part of preparing the aircraft for flight is properly
balancing the model. This is especially important because of the
various motor/battery combinations that can be used.
CAUTION! DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!
The recommended Center of Gravity (CG) range for the Fifty Six is
3-3/4"- 3-7/8" from the leading edge of the wing, and you’ll see
this marked on the fuselage plan with this symbol.
If necessary, move the battery, receiver,
and/or add weight to either the nose
or the tail until the correct balance is
achieved. Stick-on weights are available
at your local hobby store and work well
for this purpose.
We recommend balancing it at the
forward point for the first flights, then moving it backward if you'd
like it to be a little more maneuverable.
Recommended Control Throws:
The amount of control throw should be adjusted as closely as
possible using mechanical means, rather than making large
changes electronically at the radio.
By moving the position of the clevis at the control horn toward
the outermost hole, you will decrease the amount of control throw
of the control surface. Moving it toward the control surface will
increase the amount of throw. Moving the pushrod wire at the
servo arm will have the opposite effect: Moving it closer to center
will decrease throw, and away from center will increase throw. Work
with a combination of the two to achieve something relatively
close to these throws that are good for everyday sport flying. If
competing in pattern, you'll probably want to dial these down a bit
to give a smoother appearance to your maneuvers.
Aileron 1/2” up/down (25% expo)
Elevator 3/8” up/down (20% expo)
Rudder 1” left/right (15% expo)
(Expert tip: Once the control throws have been set, cut a few
pieces of medium silicone fuel tubing (or heat shrink tubing) to
go around each of the clevises. This will keep them from opening
during ight.)
Preflight:
Charge both the transmitter and receiver pack for your airplane.
Use the recommended charger supplied with your particular radio
system, following the instructions provided with the radio. In most
cases, the radio should be charged the night before going out
flying.
Check the radio installation and make sure all the control
surfaces are moving correctly (i.e. the correct direction and with
the recommended throws). Test run the engine and make sure it
transitions smoothly from idle to full throttle and back. Also ensure
the engine is tuned according to the manufacturer’s instructions,
and it will run consistently and constantly at full throttle when
adjusted.
Check all the control horns, servo horns and clevises to make
sure they are secure and in good condition. Replace any items
that would be considered questionable. Failure of any of these
components in flight would mean the loss of your aircraft.
Range check your radio before flying
Before each flying session, range check your radio. This is
accomplished by turning on your transmitter with the antenna
collapsed. Turn on the radio in your airplane, but do not attach the
arming switch.
With your airplane on the ground, you should be able to walk 30
paces away from your airplane and still have complete control of
all functions.
If not, don’t attempt to fly! Have your radio equipment checked
out by the manufacturer.
Flying:
I normally don't write about flying our kits, but I want to make a
note here, as the Fifty Six is an old-fashioned trainer.
By that, I mean that this design is designed to climb under higher
throttle settings, and descend with lower throttle settings. The
semi-symmetrical airfoil, and the incidences built into the fuselage
give it the ability to climb quite easily.
If you're wanting to do high-speed passes along the runway, this
might not be the right model for you. It can be done by holding in
a bunch of down elevator, or by adding more down thrust behind
the motor mount.
However, that's really not the point of this design. It's meant to
be easy to fly as a trainer, and a little bit of a barnstormer for the
sport pilot. It's a lot of fun to cruise around the sky, or even shoot
touch-n-goes.