Do you have a plan for your test flights on a new jet?
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Jets Jim Hiller
Skymaster’s Gripen and F-18 scale ARFs are good fliers with flight qualities similar to the full-scale aircraft.
The text relates the author’s exciting experience with stalling the F-104. This greatflying
model presents interesting characteristics in slow flight.
IT’S THE TIME of year when many of us
are test-flying our new jets. Are you
prepared for this first flight? For many it
may be your first jet, or for others your first
flight on a model of a different type of jet.
This is the most important flight you can
make on your new aircraft, so what’s your
plan?
I have been fortunate to have made many
successful test flights on my own models
and for others on their models. With this
experience I have developed some standard
routines to bring test flights to a successful
ending. So what is my process?
I start with a thorough ground inspection
to confirm that the airplane is actually ready
to fly. Check the landing-gear system for air
leaks—in the gear-down position and then
for 10 minutes in the gear-up position. If it
doesn’t hold air pressure in the up position,
it’s not going to come down for landing. I
have experienced landing-gear systems that
did not hold air in the up position often
132 MODEL AVIATION
08sig5.QXD 6/23/06 12:43 PM Page 132enough that I require this check. This is also
a good time to check out the brake system.
Next is aircraft setup. Is the CG correct?
Are the controls set up in the right direction
and are the control throws correct? My
preference for control throws is to set the low
rate for the recommended travel and high rates
to exceed that travel by 20%-40%.
I like the extra travel in case something is
amiss once your model is airborne. You can
always deal with sensitive controls, but your
pilot workload tends to be overwhelming if
you don’t have enough control to deal with
unexpected problems.
You may have to use most of your elevator
control to maintain level flight because the
model is excessively nose-heavy or the
incidence is wrong. If there’s not enough trim
to take care of the problem, you’re faced with
having to land the aircraft with inadequate
elevator authority to flare for landing or
maybe not even enough control to set up a
proper approach speed.
Now it’s time for you to prepare as the
pilot. Review all transmitter controls for
position and direction, and check items such
as dual-rate switches, flap control, brakes, and
turbine shut-down procedures.
I get an experienced caller with me whom I
can trust to handle all transmitter controls for
me should the pilot workload become too
great. Many times I have required my caller to
deal with flaps and landing gear while I am
concentrating on the basic flight controls just
to keep the model under control on a test
flight. These jet models tend to be
complicated, heavy aircraft, and things happen
fast in flight. The assistance of a qualified
caller/co-pilot should always be sought.
Now that you have completed the preflight
of the aircraft, fill the fuel tanks and fire this
new puppy up. Sure, let’s get stupid now—
wrong!
Do a radio range check with the turbine
not powered up and with it powered up to
confirm no loss of range. While you are testrunning
the turbine, poke around inside and
confirm that you have no fuel leakage in the
aircraft.
Run the turbine to full power. Check for
proper rpm of the turbine and check for any
fuel bubbles in the system. If you are using a
Bob Violett Models (BVM) Air Trap as a
header tank, tap on the side of the bottle to
release any air trapped in the bag. This is one
of the unique quirks of this header-tank
system. Do this and you will be rewarded
with reliable operation.
So now all is ready for flight. By this point
the pilot should have a fully prepared flight
plan. I consider this an important part of
achieving a successful test flight. A test flight
goes through stages, and each should be
completed to ensure that the airplane and the
pilot are prepared for the final stage of the
flight: a successful landing.
Stage 1: Review the field setup. What is
the field situation? Is it a tight runway for the
expected performance of the aircraft? Is it a
narrow runway? Are there any obstacles on
the takeoff or landing ends of the runway?
Check for other aircraft that may be sharing
the sky with you. If I am unfamiliar with the
field, I take a moment to stand at the flight
box and scan for visuals that will help me line
up my flight path—particularly the landing
approach.
Stage 2: Start the turbine and prepare for
flight. I always back-taxi a new airplane. This
is when I accurately trim the steering to
ensure perfectly straight taxi trim.
Believe it or not, I have ended test flights
at this stage when I have been unable to trim
for a straight taxi. I do not want to deal with a
300-foot takeoff roll and speeds of more than
40 mph while fighting to keep the model on
the runway. If you haven’t flown a jet, you
probably don’t know just how hard this can
be. Don’t try it!
Stage 3: The takeoff. Align the airplane on
the runway centerline and set the brakes.
Confirm one last time that the dual-rate
switches are in the right position, the timer is
started, etc., then breathe deeply, spin up the
turbine, and drive that jet straight down the
runway. When adequate airspeed is reached, a
smooth rotation to flight is the goal.
I prefer to retract the landing gear as soon
as the model proves to be within adequate
trim and control—preferably before achieving
too great an airspeed. It’s easier on the gear
doors. Normally by the time I am turning
back to the downwind leg I have throttled
back to a comfortable cruise speed.
Test flights are not the time to be checkingout your new jet’s high-speed resistance to
flutter; let’s save that for later. Right now let’s
learn how the model handles.
With the airplane in the air, my goal is to
achieve trimmed flight. I may call upon my
caller/co-pilot at this time to move the trims if
I am busy fighting a badly out-of-trim
condition.
Immediately following the trimming stage
of the flight I address basic handling. Do the
basic flight controls feel right? Use the dual
rates to select the most comfortable
sensitivity.
Now you can enjoy the flight for a few
minutes as you burn some of that precious
fuel. Try some aerobatics, expand the speed
envelope slightly, and get to know the model.
Soon it is time to prepare for that last part of
the flight: the landing.
It’s time to answer some questions. What
is this model like in slow flight? At a high
altitude, I slow my new jet until it stalls. I am
learning things such as how linear is the
elevator response as the model slows? How
slowly will it fly? At what angle of attack will
it stall? How does it react when it stalls?
Most sport jets are of conventional layout,
so surprises are minimal when I slow the
model down and stall it. Normal concerns
include whether it stalls straight forward or
drops a wing. At what elevator position, angle
of attack, and speed does the stall occur?
When you get into some of those scale jet
models with their unusual wing, fuselage, and
empennage layouts, both slow flight and the
actual stall can become interesting or just
plain wild.
A jet such as a T-33 with its straight wing
and normal tail tends to behave normally.
My BVM T-33 is typical of this design. It
stalls at a relatively flat angle of attack and
tends to roll off on the wing but recovers
quickly with the expected altitude loss.
Trying to stall an F-18 Hornet is
completely different. Most F-18s are linear in
elevator response until they reach a moderate
angle of attack, then something happens.
Small additional elevator movements result
in a large angle-of-attack increase. It also
creates much drag and lift at this high angle
of attack. Sink increases rapidly, and with a
turbine’s slow throttle-up time, the model
loses quite a bit of altitude. If I did this near
the ground during landing, the model would
balloon up, followed by a dramatic loss of
airspeed, and then a rather hard plop to the
ground.
The most exciting experience I have ever
had stalling a jet model goes to the F-104. An
F-104 has a low-aspect-ratio wing with a Ttail
elevator location. That wing will slow
down nicely. Low-aspect-ratio wings are
comfortable at increasing angles of attack,
but then surprise! The tail dropped out from
under and I was left with the aircraft’s nose
pointing straight up with no airspeed, no
control, and no ideas.
I had to wait for the airplane to fall over
into a dive and then be patient while airspeed
built up. Failure to wait for airspeed would
only result in a secondary stall and even
greater altitude loss.
I am told that this phenomenon is the
result of turbulence off the wing striking the
horizontal stabilizer and blanking it out. My
course of action was to find out how far I
could pull the elevator without stalling, and
then go no further. Too exciting to mess
with!
Now I understand my airplane’s slow
flight, so it’s time to set up the landing
configuration—gear down and flaps down. I
establish a slow cruise speed, lower the gear
to check that all three are down and locked,
and then slowly extend the flaps. I prepare
myself to respond to any pitch changes with
flap extension.
If I am uncomfortable with the pitch-trim
changes with flaps application I will not use
them on the first landing. Once on the ground
I can program in some flap-elevator mixing,
saving my first flapped landing until I get this
mixing set up.
Finally, I am prepared for the most
complicated maneuver in aviation: the
landing. This is why I will travel some
distance to a large flying site for test flights—
ease of pilot load executing that first landing.
Later, when I have the model dialed in and I
am familiar with it, I can fly it out of shorter
runways.
I hope this can help you prepare to test-fly
your new jet. Our models tend to be the most
difficult we ever deal with because of their
complexity, weight, and landing speeds. Take
your time, get it right, and seek the assistance
of modelers who are experienced with your
type of aircraft prior to that first flight.
Best of luck, and I look forward to flying
with you at a jet meet this summer. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/08
Page Numbers: 132,133,134
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/08
Page Numbers: 132,133,134
Do you have a plan for your test flights on a new jet?
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Jets Jim Hiller
Skymaster’s Gripen and F-18 scale ARFs are good fliers with flight qualities similar to the full-scale aircraft.
The text relates the author’s exciting experience with stalling the F-104. This greatflying
model presents interesting characteristics in slow flight.
IT’S THE TIME of year when many of us
are test-flying our new jets. Are you
prepared for this first flight? For many it
may be your first jet, or for others your first
flight on a model of a different type of jet.
This is the most important flight you can
make on your new aircraft, so what’s your
plan?
I have been fortunate to have made many
successful test flights on my own models
and for others on their models. With this
experience I have developed some standard
routines to bring test flights to a successful
ending. So what is my process?
I start with a thorough ground inspection
to confirm that the airplane is actually ready
to fly. Check the landing-gear system for air
leaks—in the gear-down position and then
for 10 minutes in the gear-up position. If it
doesn’t hold air pressure in the up position,
it’s not going to come down for landing. I
have experienced landing-gear systems that
did not hold air in the up position often
132 MODEL AVIATION
08sig5.QXD 6/23/06 12:43 PM Page 132enough that I require this check. This is also
a good time to check out the brake system.
Next is aircraft setup. Is the CG correct?
Are the controls set up in the right direction
and are the control throws correct? My
preference for control throws is to set the low
rate for the recommended travel and high rates
to exceed that travel by 20%-40%.
I like the extra travel in case something is
amiss once your model is airborne. You can
always deal with sensitive controls, but your
pilot workload tends to be overwhelming if
you don’t have enough control to deal with
unexpected problems.
You may have to use most of your elevator
control to maintain level flight because the
model is excessively nose-heavy or the
incidence is wrong. If there’s not enough trim
to take care of the problem, you’re faced with
having to land the aircraft with inadequate
elevator authority to flare for landing or
maybe not even enough control to set up a
proper approach speed.
Now it’s time for you to prepare as the
pilot. Review all transmitter controls for
position and direction, and check items such
as dual-rate switches, flap control, brakes, and
turbine shut-down procedures.
I get an experienced caller with me whom I
can trust to handle all transmitter controls for
me should the pilot workload become too
great. Many times I have required my caller to
deal with flaps and landing gear while I am
concentrating on the basic flight controls just
to keep the model under control on a test
flight. These jet models tend to be
complicated, heavy aircraft, and things happen
fast in flight. The assistance of a qualified
caller/co-pilot should always be sought.
Now that you have completed the preflight
of the aircraft, fill the fuel tanks and fire this
new puppy up. Sure, let’s get stupid now—
wrong!
Do a radio range check with the turbine
not powered up and with it powered up to
confirm no loss of range. While you are testrunning
the turbine, poke around inside and
confirm that you have no fuel leakage in the
aircraft.
Run the turbine to full power. Check for
proper rpm of the turbine and check for any
fuel bubbles in the system. If you are using a
Bob Violett Models (BVM) Air Trap as a
header tank, tap on the side of the bottle to
release any air trapped in the bag. This is one
of the unique quirks of this header-tank
system. Do this and you will be rewarded
with reliable operation.
So now all is ready for flight. By this point
the pilot should have a fully prepared flight
plan. I consider this an important part of
achieving a successful test flight. A test flight
goes through stages, and each should be
completed to ensure that the airplane and the
pilot are prepared for the final stage of the
flight: a successful landing.
Stage 1: Review the field setup. What is
the field situation? Is it a tight runway for the
expected performance of the aircraft? Is it a
narrow runway? Are there any obstacles on
the takeoff or landing ends of the runway?
Check for other aircraft that may be sharing
the sky with you. If I am unfamiliar with the
field, I take a moment to stand at the flight
box and scan for visuals that will help me line
up my flight path—particularly the landing
approach.
Stage 2: Start the turbine and prepare for
flight. I always back-taxi a new airplane. This
is when I accurately trim the steering to
ensure perfectly straight taxi trim.
Believe it or not, I have ended test flights
at this stage when I have been unable to trim
for a straight taxi. I do not want to deal with a
300-foot takeoff roll and speeds of more than
40 mph while fighting to keep the model on
the runway. If you haven’t flown a jet, you
probably don’t know just how hard this can
be. Don’t try it!
Stage 3: The takeoff. Align the airplane on
the runway centerline and set the brakes.
Confirm one last time that the dual-rate
switches are in the right position, the timer is
started, etc., then breathe deeply, spin up the
turbine, and drive that jet straight down the
runway. When adequate airspeed is reached, a
smooth rotation to flight is the goal.
I prefer to retract the landing gear as soon
as the model proves to be within adequate
trim and control—preferably before achieving
too great an airspeed. It’s easier on the gear
doors. Normally by the time I am turning
back to the downwind leg I have throttled
back to a comfortable cruise speed.
Test flights are not the time to be checkingout your new jet’s high-speed resistance to
flutter; let’s save that for later. Right now let’s
learn how the model handles.
With the airplane in the air, my goal is to
achieve trimmed flight. I may call upon my
caller/co-pilot at this time to move the trims if
I am busy fighting a badly out-of-trim
condition.
Immediately following the trimming stage
of the flight I address basic handling. Do the
basic flight controls feel right? Use the dual
rates to select the most comfortable
sensitivity.
Now you can enjoy the flight for a few
minutes as you burn some of that precious
fuel. Try some aerobatics, expand the speed
envelope slightly, and get to know the model.
Soon it is time to prepare for that last part of
the flight: the landing.
It’s time to answer some questions. What
is this model like in slow flight? At a high
altitude, I slow my new jet until it stalls. I am
learning things such as how linear is the
elevator response as the model slows? How
slowly will it fly? At what angle of attack will
it stall? How does it react when it stalls?
Most sport jets are of conventional layout,
so surprises are minimal when I slow the
model down and stall it. Normal concerns
include whether it stalls straight forward or
drops a wing. At what elevator position, angle
of attack, and speed does the stall occur?
When you get into some of those scale jet
models with their unusual wing, fuselage, and
empennage layouts, both slow flight and the
actual stall can become interesting or just
plain wild.
A jet such as a T-33 with its straight wing
and normal tail tends to behave normally.
My BVM T-33 is typical of this design. It
stalls at a relatively flat angle of attack and
tends to roll off on the wing but recovers
quickly with the expected altitude loss.
Trying to stall an F-18 Hornet is
completely different. Most F-18s are linear in
elevator response until they reach a moderate
angle of attack, then something happens.
Small additional elevator movements result
in a large angle-of-attack increase. It also
creates much drag and lift at this high angle
of attack. Sink increases rapidly, and with a
turbine’s slow throttle-up time, the model
loses quite a bit of altitude. If I did this near
the ground during landing, the model would
balloon up, followed by a dramatic loss of
airspeed, and then a rather hard plop to the
ground.
The most exciting experience I have ever
had stalling a jet model goes to the F-104. An
F-104 has a low-aspect-ratio wing with a Ttail
elevator location. That wing will slow
down nicely. Low-aspect-ratio wings are
comfortable at increasing angles of attack,
but then surprise! The tail dropped out from
under and I was left with the aircraft’s nose
pointing straight up with no airspeed, no
control, and no ideas.
I had to wait for the airplane to fall over
into a dive and then be patient while airspeed
built up. Failure to wait for airspeed would
only result in a secondary stall and even
greater altitude loss.
I am told that this phenomenon is the
result of turbulence off the wing striking the
horizontal stabilizer and blanking it out. My
course of action was to find out how far I
could pull the elevator without stalling, and
then go no further. Too exciting to mess
with!
Now I understand my airplane’s slow
flight, so it’s time to set up the landing
configuration—gear down and flaps down. I
establish a slow cruise speed, lower the gear
to check that all three are down and locked,
and then slowly extend the flaps. I prepare
myself to respond to any pitch changes with
flap extension.
If I am uncomfortable with the pitch-trim
changes with flaps application I will not use
them on the first landing. Once on the ground
I can program in some flap-elevator mixing,
saving my first flapped landing until I get this
mixing set up.
Finally, I am prepared for the most
complicated maneuver in aviation: the
landing. This is why I will travel some
distance to a large flying site for test flights—
ease of pilot load executing that first landing.
Later, when I have the model dialed in and I
am familiar with it, I can fly it out of shorter
runways.
I hope this can help you prepare to test-fly
your new jet. Our models tend to be the most
difficult we ever deal with because of their
complexity, weight, and landing speeds. Take
your time, get it right, and seek the assistance
of modelers who are experienced with your
type of aircraft prior to that first flight.
Best of luck, and I look forward to flying
with you at a jet meet this summer. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/08
Page Numbers: 132,133,134
Do you have a plan for your test flights on a new jet?
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Jets Jim Hiller
Skymaster’s Gripen and F-18 scale ARFs are good fliers with flight qualities similar to the full-scale aircraft.
The text relates the author’s exciting experience with stalling the F-104. This greatflying
model presents interesting characteristics in slow flight.
IT’S THE TIME of year when many of us
are test-flying our new jets. Are you
prepared for this first flight? For many it
may be your first jet, or for others your first
flight on a model of a different type of jet.
This is the most important flight you can
make on your new aircraft, so what’s your
plan?
I have been fortunate to have made many
successful test flights on my own models
and for others on their models. With this
experience I have developed some standard
routines to bring test flights to a successful
ending. So what is my process?
I start with a thorough ground inspection
to confirm that the airplane is actually ready
to fly. Check the landing-gear system for air
leaks—in the gear-down position and then
for 10 minutes in the gear-up position. If it
doesn’t hold air pressure in the up position,
it’s not going to come down for landing. I
have experienced landing-gear systems that
did not hold air in the up position often
132 MODEL AVIATION
08sig5.QXD 6/23/06 12:43 PM Page 132enough that I require this check. This is also
a good time to check out the brake system.
Next is aircraft setup. Is the CG correct?
Are the controls set up in the right direction
and are the control throws correct? My
preference for control throws is to set the low
rate for the recommended travel and high rates
to exceed that travel by 20%-40%.
I like the extra travel in case something is
amiss once your model is airborne. You can
always deal with sensitive controls, but your
pilot workload tends to be overwhelming if
you don’t have enough control to deal with
unexpected problems.
You may have to use most of your elevator
control to maintain level flight because the
model is excessively nose-heavy or the
incidence is wrong. If there’s not enough trim
to take care of the problem, you’re faced with
having to land the aircraft with inadequate
elevator authority to flare for landing or
maybe not even enough control to set up a
proper approach speed.
Now it’s time for you to prepare as the
pilot. Review all transmitter controls for
position and direction, and check items such
as dual-rate switches, flap control, brakes, and
turbine shut-down procedures.
I get an experienced caller with me whom I
can trust to handle all transmitter controls for
me should the pilot workload become too
great. Many times I have required my caller to
deal with flaps and landing gear while I am
concentrating on the basic flight controls just
to keep the model under control on a test
flight. These jet models tend to be
complicated, heavy aircraft, and things happen
fast in flight. The assistance of a qualified
caller/co-pilot should always be sought.
Now that you have completed the preflight
of the aircraft, fill the fuel tanks and fire this
new puppy up. Sure, let’s get stupid now—
wrong!
Do a radio range check with the turbine
not powered up and with it powered up to
confirm no loss of range. While you are testrunning
the turbine, poke around inside and
confirm that you have no fuel leakage in the
aircraft.
Run the turbine to full power. Check for
proper rpm of the turbine and check for any
fuel bubbles in the system. If you are using a
Bob Violett Models (BVM) Air Trap as a
header tank, tap on the side of the bottle to
release any air trapped in the bag. This is one
of the unique quirks of this header-tank
system. Do this and you will be rewarded
with reliable operation.
So now all is ready for flight. By this point
the pilot should have a fully prepared flight
plan. I consider this an important part of
achieving a successful test flight. A test flight
goes through stages, and each should be
completed to ensure that the airplane and the
pilot are prepared for the final stage of the
flight: a successful landing.
Stage 1: Review the field setup. What is
the field situation? Is it a tight runway for the
expected performance of the aircraft? Is it a
narrow runway? Are there any obstacles on
the takeoff or landing ends of the runway?
Check for other aircraft that may be sharing
the sky with you. If I am unfamiliar with the
field, I take a moment to stand at the flight
box and scan for visuals that will help me line
up my flight path—particularly the landing
approach.
Stage 2: Start the turbine and prepare for
flight. I always back-taxi a new airplane. This
is when I accurately trim the steering to
ensure perfectly straight taxi trim.
Believe it or not, I have ended test flights
at this stage when I have been unable to trim
for a straight taxi. I do not want to deal with a
300-foot takeoff roll and speeds of more than
40 mph while fighting to keep the model on
the runway. If you haven’t flown a jet, you
probably don’t know just how hard this can
be. Don’t try it!
Stage 3: The takeoff. Align the airplane on
the runway centerline and set the brakes.
Confirm one last time that the dual-rate
switches are in the right position, the timer is
started, etc., then breathe deeply, spin up the
turbine, and drive that jet straight down the
runway. When adequate airspeed is reached, a
smooth rotation to flight is the goal.
I prefer to retract the landing gear as soon
as the model proves to be within adequate
trim and control—preferably before achieving
too great an airspeed. It’s easier on the gear
doors. Normally by the time I am turning
back to the downwind leg I have throttled
back to a comfortable cruise speed.
Test flights are not the time to be checkingout your new jet’s high-speed resistance to
flutter; let’s save that for later. Right now let’s
learn how the model handles.
With the airplane in the air, my goal is to
achieve trimmed flight. I may call upon my
caller/co-pilot at this time to move the trims if
I am busy fighting a badly out-of-trim
condition.
Immediately following the trimming stage
of the flight I address basic handling. Do the
basic flight controls feel right? Use the dual
rates to select the most comfortable
sensitivity.
Now you can enjoy the flight for a few
minutes as you burn some of that precious
fuel. Try some aerobatics, expand the speed
envelope slightly, and get to know the model.
Soon it is time to prepare for that last part of
the flight: the landing.
It’s time to answer some questions. What
is this model like in slow flight? At a high
altitude, I slow my new jet until it stalls. I am
learning things such as how linear is the
elevator response as the model slows? How
slowly will it fly? At what angle of attack will
it stall? How does it react when it stalls?
Most sport jets are of conventional layout,
so surprises are minimal when I slow the
model down and stall it. Normal concerns
include whether it stalls straight forward or
drops a wing. At what elevator position, angle
of attack, and speed does the stall occur?
When you get into some of those scale jet
models with their unusual wing, fuselage, and
empennage layouts, both slow flight and the
actual stall can become interesting or just
plain wild.
A jet such as a T-33 with its straight wing
and normal tail tends to behave normally.
My BVM T-33 is typical of this design. It
stalls at a relatively flat angle of attack and
tends to roll off on the wing but recovers
quickly with the expected altitude loss.
Trying to stall an F-18 Hornet is
completely different. Most F-18s are linear in
elevator response until they reach a moderate
angle of attack, then something happens.
Small additional elevator movements result
in a large angle-of-attack increase. It also
creates much drag and lift at this high angle
of attack. Sink increases rapidly, and with a
turbine’s slow throttle-up time, the model
loses quite a bit of altitude. If I did this near
the ground during landing, the model would
balloon up, followed by a dramatic loss of
airspeed, and then a rather hard plop to the
ground.
The most exciting experience I have ever
had stalling a jet model goes to the F-104. An
F-104 has a low-aspect-ratio wing with a Ttail
elevator location. That wing will slow
down nicely. Low-aspect-ratio wings are
comfortable at increasing angles of attack,
but then surprise! The tail dropped out from
under and I was left with the aircraft’s nose
pointing straight up with no airspeed, no
control, and no ideas.
I had to wait for the airplane to fall over
into a dive and then be patient while airspeed
built up. Failure to wait for airspeed would
only result in a secondary stall and even
greater altitude loss.
I am told that this phenomenon is the
result of turbulence off the wing striking the
horizontal stabilizer and blanking it out. My
course of action was to find out how far I
could pull the elevator without stalling, and
then go no further. Too exciting to mess
with!
Now I understand my airplane’s slow
flight, so it’s time to set up the landing
configuration—gear down and flaps down. I
establish a slow cruise speed, lower the gear
to check that all three are down and locked,
and then slowly extend the flaps. I prepare
myself to respond to any pitch changes with
flap extension.
If I am uncomfortable with the pitch-trim
changes with flaps application I will not use
them on the first landing. Once on the ground
I can program in some flap-elevator mixing,
saving my first flapped landing until I get this
mixing set up.
Finally, I am prepared for the most
complicated maneuver in aviation: the
landing. This is why I will travel some
distance to a large flying site for test flights—
ease of pilot load executing that first landing.
Later, when I have the model dialed in and I
am familiar with it, I can fly it out of shorter
runways.
I hope this can help you prepare to test-fly
your new jet. Our models tend to be the most
difficult we ever deal with because of their
complexity, weight, and landing speeds. Take
your time, get it right, and seek the assistance
of modelers who are experienced with your
type of aircraft prior to that first flight.
Best of luck, and I look forward to flying
with you at a jet meet this summer. MA