I’ve been flying RC models for over 40 years and to this day I test glide all gliders and small glow powered planes before attempting to fly with power. It’s much easier to discover and correct problems with a few tosses into the wind over tall grass. Plus it gives you a chance to see how the airplane will react to the controls. If something is horribly wrong with the plane, little damage will result from a test glide.

After a few test glides, try with a bit of power. If it climbs straight out gradually, great. If not, chop the power and glide into the grass. I have spent hours test gliding a couple of hard to trim planes, great exercise!