It appears that winter is finally behind us. The ice has melted, the sun is shining, and it's time to get back outdoors and fly some model airplanes. It's also the time when our thoughts turn to maiden flights on our new models. But before that first flight, it's a good idea to take a minute to do a good pre-flight check just to be sure you'll get that second flight. The two biggest mistakes we make on a maiden flight-notice I said we, it's the old "been there done that" thing-is to take off with one or more of the controls reversed, or with the c. g. not set up properly. Since this kind of thing hardly ever works out well in the end, it's worth taking the time to check not only that the controls are moving, but that they're moving in the right direction. And before the first take off, double check that the model is balanced properly. Both checks can be done quickly, at the field, and can easily prevent what could otherwise end in disaster.
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