FIX WHAT You Find! Since many of you may be new to the hobby or returning to the fold after a long absence, this might be a good time to review the following list that is designed to ensure a peek at essentials before taking to the air! Save yourself grief and money by looking it over. First Flight/Overhaul/Repair Checklist • Before starting engine: 1) Control surfaces: No binding of linkages between servos, and control surfaces/throttle move in the correct direction. Throw set to proper amount. Centered when trim is centered. No play. Firmly attached. Flaps, spoilers, etc. operate correctly. 2) Throttle linkage: Moves in the correct direction. Closes enough to shut engine. Opens to full throttle. Does not stall servo. 3) Fasteners correctly installed: Wing bolts, rubber bands, wheel collars, clevises safety-locked with fuel tubing, engine bolts, landing-gear screws in place. 4) Radio: Receiver and battery properly protected and secured. Dual rates, trims, etc. properly set. Batteries charged. Range check okay. Receiver antenna stretched out straight, transmitter antenna fully extended. 5) Balance: Center of gravity in proper location. Balances on roll axis as well. 6) Engine/fuel: Tank height correct. Fuel lines not kinked. Propeller balanced. 7) Flying surfaces: Incidence, washout. warp checked with incidence meter. 8) Landing gear: Wings are level with aircraft on ground. Nose wheel and aircraft set at proper angle of attack. • After starting engine: 1) Engine: Fuel tank full. Reliable idle and return to high throttle. Can be shut off with transmitter. Mixture correct. No air bubbles in fuel line. Runs correctly at full throttle with nose pointed up or down. 2) Control surfaces: No fluttering at any throttle setting. Check again that they move in the correct direction—not just that they move. 3) Taxi: Airplane tracks straight. Steering not too sensitive. 4) General: Covering and paint applied correctly. Cowlings, wheel pants, and other accessories properly attached. Tick, Tick, Tick: While walking on a golf course recently. I noted a number of ticks climbing up a pant leg. On closer inspection, I also found a few on my socks and shoes. Apparently I had walked through a prime tick habitat while looking for a lost ball. Since modelers are often found in similar conditions searching for various "things." perhaps a review of some tick information provided by the Lyme Disease Foundation is in order. Ticks have harpoonlike barbs that are used to penetrate and maintain attachment to the skin. Ticks secrete a cementlike substance that helps them adhere to humans and animals. Almost anything one can think of is available with just the click of a button. 1) Using fine-point tweezers, grasp the tick's mouthparts (place of attachment) as close to the skin as possible. 2) Gently pull the tick straight out with steady pressure. Do not twist or jerk the tick. 3) Put the tick in a small vial with a blade of grass, and label it with the date, your name, and address, and keep for tick identification. 4) Wash your hands! Disinfect the tweezers and the bite site. 5) Contact your doctor. The Lyme Disease Foundation Medical Advisory Committee recommends treatment for bites of ticks capable of transmitting Lyme Disease. Cautions: • Check pets carefully, especially around the eyes and ears. • Children should be told to seek adult help for proper tick removal. • Adults should have someone else remove attached ticks. • It is better to wait for tweezer removal than to pull the tick off with your fingers. • If you must remove the tick with your fingers, use a tissue or leaf to avoid contact with potentially infectious tick fluids. • Do not prick or burn the tick; it may cause the release of infectious tick secretions. • Do not try to smother the tick: it has enough oxygen to last through the entire feeding. l.xodes ticks primarily transmit disease. • Tick names: Black Legged Tick (Ixodes scapularis). Western Black Legged Tick (Ixodes pacificus) • Tick Size: larva (rarely infected), nymph, adult, engorged adult (maximum size) Lyme Disease Symptoms • Early infection: 1) Flu-like symptoms: Headache, fever, muscle or joint pain, unusual tiredness, loss of appetite, or swollen glands. 2) Skin: Single rash at the bite site. Approximately 50% of infected people do not get a rash. This rash occurs in many shapes and colors. It appears as red or purplish on light skin and as a bruise on dark skin. Discoloration at the bite site within hours of tick removal may be skin irritation—not disease. 3) Eye: Conjunctivitis. • Disseminated infection: 1) General: Fatigue, loss of appetite, vomiting. 2) Brain: Severe headaches, cranial nerve paralysis (e.g., facial droop, photosensitivity), loss of reflexes, radiating sensations, memory problems, stroke (rare), or inflammation of the spinal cord, brain, or nerves. 3) Eye: Inflammation of various parts or optic nerve, retinal detachments, or double vision. 4) Skin: Single or multiple rashes (per bite) occurring over the body, or benign skin tumors. 5) Joint and Muscle: Pain (mild to severe and/or migratory), inflammation, or loss of tone. 6) Heart: Irregular beats, heart block, or inflammation. t 7) Liver: Hepatitis or elevated liver enzymes. * • Chronic infection: ' 1) General: Chronic fatigue. -• '„ 2) Brain: Cognitive or behavioral changes, disorders of the peripheral nerves, severe headaches, or inflammation of the brain. 3) Eyes: Loss of vision. 4) Skin: Degeneration of the skin on the hands or feet, or recurring rashes. 5) Joints: Disabling pain (intermittent or chronic). 6) During pregnancy: The Lyme bacterium can cross the placenta and infect the unborn. Reported potential complications include miscarriage, stillbirth, and death after birth. The Internet and Model Aviation: In past columns I've mentioned the power of the computer and how easy it is to access the Internet to get information on an endless variety of modeling topics. Once you've installed software— America Online, AT&T, etc.—follow the procedures to dial in and go to a Web browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer. Click on whatever search button is available at the top of the browser, and type in "model aviation." Wait a few seconds to see how many topics show up, and use your mouse to "left-click" on one. If you find what I did, you'll probably have 42,000 responses to browse through on a rainy day. If there are too many topics to look at, refine the search to just "models" and see what you get. If you find what I did, now you only have 15,000 responses to review. If that's too much to look at, type in "Radio Control" or "RC." 1 found roughly 1,200 responses that ranged from RC manufacturers to articles about building to scanned pictures of RC models available for download. Almost anything one can think of is available with just the click of a button. If you need some new propellers, go to Tower Hobbies' home page and place an order in minutes. Surf over to articles about fuels, glues, paints, fumes, or crashes, or download beautiful pictures scanned in by individuals and clubs from around the world. Have fun, and share your results! That's all for this month! Have fun, stay out of the weeds, and keep an eye out for bloodthirsty ticks!
Edition: Model Aviation - 2002/10
Page Numbers: 77, 78
Edition: Model Aviation - 2002/10
Page Numbers: 77, 78
FIX WHAT You Find! Since many of you may be new to the hobby or returning to the fold after a long absence, this might be a good time to review the following list that is designed to ensure a peek at essentials before taking to the air! Save yourself grief and money by looking it over. First Flight/Overhaul/Repair Checklist • Before starting engine: 1) Control surfaces: No binding of linkages between servos, and control surfaces/throttle move in the correct direction. Throw set to proper amount. Centered when trim is centered. No play. Firmly attached. Flaps, spoilers, etc. operate correctly. 2) Throttle linkage: Moves in the correct direction. Closes enough to shut engine. Opens to full throttle. Does not stall servo. 3) Fasteners correctly installed: Wing bolts, rubber bands, wheel collars, clevises safety-locked with fuel tubing, engine bolts, landing-gear screws in place. 4) Radio: Receiver and battery properly protected and secured. Dual rates, trims, etc. properly set. Batteries charged. Range check okay. Receiver antenna stretched out straight, transmitter antenna fully extended. 5) Balance: Center of gravity in proper location. Balances on roll axis as well. 6) Engine/fuel: Tank height correct. Fuel lines not kinked. Propeller balanced. 7) Flying surfaces: Incidence, washout. warp checked with incidence meter. 8) Landing gear: Wings are level with aircraft on ground. Nose wheel and aircraft set at proper angle of attack. • After starting engine: 1) Engine: Fuel tank full. Reliable idle and return to high throttle. Can be shut off with transmitter. Mixture correct. No air bubbles in fuel line. Runs correctly at full throttle with nose pointed up or down. 2) Control surfaces: No fluttering at any throttle setting. Check again that they move in the correct direction—not just that they move. 3) Taxi: Airplane tracks straight. Steering not too sensitive. 4) General: Covering and paint applied correctly. Cowlings, wheel pants, and other accessories properly attached. Tick, Tick, Tick: While walking on a golf course recently. I noted a number of ticks climbing up a pant leg. On closer inspection, I also found a few on my socks and shoes. Apparently I had walked through a prime tick habitat while looking for a lost ball. Since modelers are often found in similar conditions searching for various "things." perhaps a review of some tick information provided by the Lyme Disease Foundation is in order. Ticks have harpoonlike barbs that are used to penetrate and maintain attachment to the skin. Ticks secrete a cementlike substance that helps them adhere to humans and animals. Almost anything one can think of is available with just the click of a button. 1) Using fine-point tweezers, grasp the tick's mouthparts (place of attachment) as close to the skin as possible. 2) Gently pull the tick straight out with steady pressure. Do not twist or jerk the tick. 3) Put the tick in a small vial with a blade of grass, and label it with the date, your name, and address, and keep for tick identification. 4) Wash your hands! Disinfect the tweezers and the bite site. 5) Contact your doctor. The Lyme Disease Foundation Medical Advisory Committee recommends treatment for bites of ticks capable of transmitting Lyme Disease. Cautions: • Check pets carefully, especially around the eyes and ears. • Children should be told to seek adult help for proper tick removal. • Adults should have someone else remove attached ticks. • It is better to wait for tweezer removal than to pull the tick off with your fingers. • If you must remove the tick with your fingers, use a tissue or leaf to avoid contact with potentially infectious tick fluids. • Do not prick or burn the tick; it may cause the release of infectious tick secretions. • Do not try to smother the tick: it has enough oxygen to last through the entire feeding. l.xodes ticks primarily transmit disease. • Tick names: Black Legged Tick (Ixodes scapularis). Western Black Legged Tick (Ixodes pacificus) • Tick Size: larva (rarely infected), nymph, adult, engorged adult (maximum size) Lyme Disease Symptoms • Early infection: 1) Flu-like symptoms: Headache, fever, muscle or joint pain, unusual tiredness, loss of appetite, or swollen glands. 2) Skin: Single rash at the bite site. Approximately 50% of infected people do not get a rash. This rash occurs in many shapes and colors. It appears as red or purplish on light skin and as a bruise on dark skin. Discoloration at the bite site within hours of tick removal may be skin irritation—not disease. 3) Eye: Conjunctivitis. • Disseminated infection: 1) General: Fatigue, loss of appetite, vomiting. 2) Brain: Severe headaches, cranial nerve paralysis (e.g., facial droop, photosensitivity), loss of reflexes, radiating sensations, memory problems, stroke (rare), or inflammation of the spinal cord, brain, or nerves. 3) Eye: Inflammation of various parts or optic nerve, retinal detachments, or double vision. 4) Skin: Single or multiple rashes (per bite) occurring over the body, or benign skin tumors. 5) Joint and Muscle: Pain (mild to severe and/or migratory), inflammation, or loss of tone. 6) Heart: Irregular beats, heart block, or inflammation. t 7) Liver: Hepatitis or elevated liver enzymes. * • Chronic infection: ' 1) General: Chronic fatigue. -• '„ 2) Brain: Cognitive or behavioral changes, disorders of the peripheral nerves, severe headaches, or inflammation of the brain. 3) Eyes: Loss of vision. 4) Skin: Degeneration of the skin on the hands or feet, or recurring rashes. 5) Joints: Disabling pain (intermittent or chronic). 6) During pregnancy: The Lyme bacterium can cross the placenta and infect the unborn. Reported potential complications include miscarriage, stillbirth, and death after birth. The Internet and Model Aviation: In past columns I've mentioned the power of the computer and how easy it is to access the Internet to get information on an endless variety of modeling topics. Once you've installed software— America Online, AT&T, etc.—follow the procedures to dial in and go to a Web browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer. Click on whatever search button is available at the top of the browser, and type in "model aviation." Wait a few seconds to see how many topics show up, and use your mouse to "left-click" on one. If you find what I did, you'll probably have 42,000 responses to browse through on a rainy day. If there are too many topics to look at, refine the search to just "models" and see what you get. If you find what I did, now you only have 15,000 responses to review. If that's too much to look at, type in "Radio Control" or "RC." 1 found roughly 1,200 responses that ranged from RC manufacturers to articles about building to scanned pictures of RC models available for download. Almost anything one can think of is available with just the click of a button. If you need some new propellers, go to Tower Hobbies' home page and place an order in minutes. Surf over to articles about fuels, glues, paints, fumes, or crashes, or download beautiful pictures scanned in by individuals and clubs from around the world. Have fun, and share your results! That's all for this month! Have fun, stay out of the weeds, and keep an eye out for bloodthirsty ticks!
