Safety First
Here is
something else to chew on. It deals with
CHECKING IT OUT. In full scale flying,
checklists are used to ensure that pilots conduct a review of aircraft systems
and or procedures prior to each flight.
Using them in this manner almost always guarantees an air worthy
aircraft, in that anything deemed as not meeting standards during preflight
(general terms) either gets fixed or the airplane doesn't go in the air. How nice it would be if modelers followed the
same path and taught similar values to newcomers. There is a list from the
Chester County (PA) RC Club. Think of the "Preflight
Checklist"
as a walk around check as done with full-scale aircraft:
Propeller
Nicks or cracks
Tight prop nut, spinner, or hub
Engine
Engine mount tight
Muffler mount tight
Secure throttle hook up
Fuel Tank
Check fuel line for splits and holes
Foam used around tanks is dry
Landing
Gear
Nose wheel and main gear secure
Axles and wheel collars secure
Nose wheel steering hookup
Fuselage
Cracks or breaks
Tail section secure to fuselage
Wing dowels or bolts secure
Pushrod slop/keepers
Vertical
Fin/Rudder
Cracks or breaks
Hinges, clevises and horns
Pushrod slop/keepers
Horizontal
Stabilizer/Elevator
Cracks or breaks
Hinges, clevises and horns
Pushrod slop/keepers
Wing
Cracks or breaks, especially center section
Hinges
Aileron and servo hookups secure
Aileron servo tight
Radio
Check
No loose servo/battery wires
Servos and servo rail secure to fuselage
Clevises and servo wheels/arms secure
Engine
Running/Radio Operation
Bubbles around glow plug, head bolts,
muffler, needle valve
Bubbles in fuel line
Control surfaces move smoothly at full
throttle...glitches??