The maiden flight
Well the big day has finally arrived...all control systems have been treble checked......photos of your latest masterpiece are on the Warbird Replicas website...youve run out of excuses, so what are you waiting for...get it up where it belongs!!So as long as your model has been constructed sensibly there is no reason to feel apprehensive at this stage, from our experience most incidents come from poor preparation.
You might need some ballast to get the balance point in the correct position. The weight is easiest to place in the tank bay, but make sure it's going to stay there. Do not attempt to fly your aircraft with a rearward C of G, it may tolerant it to a point, but why tempt fate?
We would really recommend making any test flights without the cowl, unless you have a well run in motor and have made a number of consistent static runs. Remember to add some temporary weight to compensate for the missing cowl. The advantage is that you can monitor the motor much easier, and there is no danger of overheating while you trim out the airframe.
If a model gets in trouble on take off it will always flick left because of the way IC motors run. We recommend that you aim your take off just right of the eye of the wind and on the test flight, wind in 1/8" of right trim.
Most warbirds possess powerful elevators, they must be treated with a little respect - generally bullying it will not be rewarded.
Hold in full up elevator to keep the tail down. Then as she starts rolling ease off the up and allow her to gather speed. Once she is bowling along with her tail up, ease in a little up and allow her to climb out at a shallow angle. Speed is your safety margin during the take off so let her pick up as much as possible before 'unsticking'.
Ignore all comments from the self proclaimed club expert, telling you that Warbirds are tricky to fly. Our kits are delightful fliers, and once trimmed, will fly very slowly, so there is no need to come in like an express train. Be gentle with her and she will pretty well fly herself.
As a final note, if you have managed to add too much filler/glue/paint and your own additional strength (ie surplus weight). Don't panic. Sure, it may not fly quite as nice as it may have, if you had built it as we have designed it, but it does have a very sophisticated high lift wing which will tolerate a fair amount of extra weight.
So take a deep breath, and enjoy the moment...get it up!!!!
