Control rod linkages are easily adjustable by hand. The rudder pushrod (at left) is attached and adjusted before the maiden flight. The view into the fuselage with the wing removed (above) shows the complete radio receiver and servo compartment setup from the factory.


flight. These pages are full of cautions and flying tips. However, learning to fly is not accomplished by reading. So, with the help of my neighbor, Tom Crepet, an experienced R/C pilot, and a member of a local modeling club, I let this model airplane and its tech- nology teach me how to get it into the air and back safely.


I cannot imagine how much more of an in- timidating experience the initial attempt to fly would have been if, for instance, I had found myself standing alone in a morning dew soaked field with wet feet, the instruc- tion manual in one hand and the transmit- ter in the other, trying to do a range check for the first time. With Tom at my side coaching me through what is for him is rou- tine preflight procedures and by the way, ob- viously delighted to be passing his experi- ence on to the newbie, all went along without too much fuss.


With the transmitter switch in training


mode and Tom having already talked me through the start-up and control checks, I eased the throttle forward. Steering the plane over the rough ground of a ball field


baseline proved to be a non event. I assume, with the help of SAFE system technology. Almost to my amazement the plane lifted off and flew in a straight steady climb. Before it got very far or very high, Tom suggested a gentle left aileron turn and a re- laxing of the throttle. The plane eased into a 90-degree turn, rolled out of it when I want- ed it to and flew in a straight gentle climb. Elevator trim needed just a touch of “down” and a bit less throttle. I was actually control- ling this thing!


Still following Tom’s directions, more complicated 180-degree and 360-degree turns were accomplished. None of this was much of a test of the SAFE claim to recover from loss of control. The morning air was to- tally calm.


I decided to save any test of the panic re- covery system for another flight. I was hav- ing too much fun. FMEditor Frank Fanelli told me that it does work fine after he tested it independently on a pretty gusty morning. His advice though was stick to the wind lim- itations mentioned in the manual. After about six or seven minutes—total


flight time is supposed to be about ten min- utes—a controlled descent back for landing was called for, just to be safe. After a series of descending turns and careful leveling of the wings, power was reduced to nothing and the plane virtually landed itself, just as the instruction manual said it was supposed to. Tom and I packed up the plane. Susan Lehrer, our ace photographer, put her cam- era stuff away and we all went and had some very-satisfied-with-ourselves coffee. In summary; the Apprentice S 15e model airplane and its technology received as much of a test as this radio control novice is capable of. That is what this is about. In or- der to write a thorough evaluation of the ex- perience, more flight time with the model would be needed.


However, this kit and the sensor technolo- gy that is at its heart, did indeed allow a novice to successfully fly this airplane. That it was done at all speaks well of the instruc- tions provided in the kit, the technology that is built into the control systems, and of course the willing help of a friend with the experi- ence and desire to share his passion.


PHOTOS: SUSAN LEHRER


With the Li-Po battery charged, it is time to install it into the compartment (at left, above) in anticipation of the first flight. Tom is talking Sam (at left) through the pre-flight control checks. Airborne (above) and on its way to a successful first flight. The model is resistant to over control thanks to the onboard SAFE technology.


FLYING MODELS 35


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