Continued from Previous Page

12. Wing - Check the wing for obvious damage such as tears in the covering, broken ribs, etc.  Grasp and pull on each aileron and flap to make sure the hinges are tight.  Check each control horn to make sure they are tight and the control rods are attached solidly.  Make sure you have a "safety device" (fuel line) on each clevis to ensure they cannot come loose during flight.  Check wing bolts or any other means used to attach the wing.  Now attach the wing, and check to make sure the bolts have the correct torque to hold the wing solidly.

13. Check controls - Once the wing is in place, turn on the radio and, with the antenna collapsed, check all controls for ease of movement and correct direction of travel.

14. If this will be the first flight on the airplane, verify that the Center of Gravity (CG) is within the safe range.  If you are unaware of what that range is, it is usually safe to test fly at 25% of the chord of the wing from the leading edge.  That should leave the airplane a little nose heavy, which is a safe way to test fly.  Remember: A nose-heavy airplane flies poorly - A tail-heavy airplane fly's ONCE!

15. Range check, engine off -With the antenna still collapsed, walk about 60 to 80 feet away while moving the controls.  There should be no interruption or chattering from the servos.  It is helpful to have someone stand near the airplane to listen for chattering.

16. Range check, engine running -MAKE SURE YOUR AIRPLANE IS RESTRAINED BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE!  Start the engine, and with it running and the antenna collapsed, walk around the airplane checking controls.  This should be done at idle and at full throttle.

     I know some of you will look at this list and say, "If I do all that before each day of flying, I will not have time to fly!"  In fact, if you make this checklist a part of your "routine" every time you put an airplane together, after a while you will find it will only take a few minutes to complete.

Scrap Aluminum

     One of the most useful and inexpensive tools in the workshop are pieces of scrap aluminum angle cut to various lengths and of various sizes.  I find that a selection of 1-inch, 2-inch, and 3-inch pieces, varying in length from one to six inches are quite helpful, and these can be obtained at a metal supply shop.

     If you have a metal fabricator near you, you might try asking him to sell you some scraps of angle about these sizes.  Since these lengths are considered trash to these fellows, you may get lucky and get them for free.  Even if you don't, the cost should be minimal, and as useful as these are, I would have purchased new stock and cut it up into pieces to obtain these tools.

     What good are they, you ask? Well, here are a few of the things I use them for and I'm sure you can come up with more once you start using them.  First off, this is a great way to align the table on disk/belt sanders, drill presses, band saws, etc.  You can use them to hold items to be glued or drilled exactly perpendicular to the work surface, such as drilling into the edge of sheeting, or holding ribs at 90 degrees to the table while your adhesive dries.

--from Mark Kallio, Balsa Chips, Milford Connecticut

Masking

GLAD Press 'N Seal plastic wrap makes a great masking medium for spray painting.  It is sticky on one side and will stick to itself, or the item you want to paint.  It is much easier to work with than paper because it clings to the surface without lifting the paint off when removed.

--From Flightline, Casper Airmodelers Association, Casper, Wyoming