This past weekend I was able to take my Tower Trainer MKII out for my first ever flight and My son and I had a blast. I bought the plane used and want to make sure that I am giving the plane proper maintenance in between flights. What are some things I should be doing to the plane to make sure that I have successful flights each time with no stalls or equipment malfunctions? What is the proper maintenance for the servos and engine, elevators and ailerons ect..????

Cleaning at the end of the day. Thourough cleaning will make you go over the entire airframe and will likely reviel any problems that may have developed over the days flying. After run oil for your engine is a pretty good idea to. For servos, just do a control check and ensure everything is moving properly. If you go a month without flying... charge everything at least once a month.

After run oil... What is that, and how do you use it. What kind do I need?

After run oil gets put into the engine through the carb and you flip the prop a few times to distribute it. It is supposed to protect the engine from corrosion while it sits. Methanol, the base for glow fuel, absorbs water out of the air and that combined with oxygen can lead to rust. Here in central CA with the hot, dry summers it isn't so much of an issue so most of us rarely use after run oil unless the plane will be sitting for long periods. With the humdiity where you are at in the south though, you might want to use it after every day of flying just to play it safe. I've heard that Marvel brand air tool oil (from the auto parts store) works pretty well for this.

As far as airplane maintenance, I like to give it a good inspection the night before flying and again when I get it home. Make sure all the control horns, clevis, screws, servos, engine bolts, etc. are secure. Ilike to tug on the control surfaces to look for bad hinges and inspect the entire airplane for cracked wood and so forth. Fuel lines are another thing to check. I see a lot of dead sticks due to cracked lines. It all just takes a few minutes and can prevent a crash. I also give the airplane a good looking over after incidents like rough landings.

I almost forgot the power sytem. Make sure your receiver battery is secure and all of the connections are tight at the switch and receiver. a bad receiver battery will cause a crash so keep an eye on it. If there is any doubt as to its condition, toss it and put in a new one.

Thanks allot. I cant wait to get back on the field

keep it clean with a little water and denatured alcohol mix I go about 25% in a spray bottle to cut the grime with some paper towls handy it makes quick work of the slime, no need to do it after every flight just the end of the day,I spray the outside of the engine with the carb closed as well to remove any dirt build up.

really check the clevices the plastic connectors are prety durrable but sometimes the little pin can break and its hard to notice without pulling the piece of fuel line back, and checking them, I just use a small screw driver to give them a little spreading, no need to pop them open just a little tug will be enough to tell if there is a problem, there pennies to replace and rarely break, but they do sometimes, better safe than sorry.

while your at it, make sure the fuel line safety retainers are in good shape , its easy to cut a little piece of fuel line to replace them,I do mine evey couple of years or less,a little trick I use, is with a large pair of hemostats stretch the fuel line enough to move it over the clevis, then just slide it off the end, so your not fighting the tubing , a pair of needle nosed pliars works well also, I like the hemo's because they have loops so there easy to spread the tubing.

also check the screws and bolts, the servos have small #2 screws that can loosen up every once in a while.
the engine mounting bolts on the mount its self, and the engine are obvious areas where vibration can loosen things up, as well as the landing gear,and wheel collars, many storys of coming in for a landing with a wheel missing, it can make a great day flying turn ugly quick, even the most seasond pilots have it happen to them, its easy to overlook

Just a little terminology thing for you. Stalls in aviation refer to the wing loosing lift. They have nothing to do with the engine stopping. I did know what you meant though.

Advice of a general nature:<div>
</div><div>1) Handle with care.  Our models, particularly the larger ones as you progress through the hobby, are built to fly, not crash and bash.  Even minor impacts with a wall/corner/etc can leave dings and break structural components.</div><div>
</div><div>2) These are machines with motors/engines.  Please treat them as such.</div><div>
</div><div>3) Time IS going to be spent keeping any particular system in good flying order.  You may either spend it a few minutes at a time after a flying session, or in one big hours/days long chunk when it breaks, preventing you from flying that day/week.  Your call. </div><div>
</div><div></div><div>
</div><div>Specifics:</div><div>
</div><div>The following "End of day" list is, for me, as critical as a preflight checklist.  It is largely airplane independent.  It may certainly be excessive in some cases, or incomplete in others, but should at least be a pretty good starting point.</div><div>
</div><div>I HAVE been known to consider a full weekend "one flying session", so i may skip much of the list for one evening, if I know I'm flying the next day...but, in general, the flying's not done until this list is.</div><div>
</div><div>1) Visual inspection of airplane, walkaround or hold and turn, looking for any obvious defects.  Dings, cuts in covering, broken components, etc.  This is multiple separate inspections for airplanes with removable wing(s).</div><div>
</div><div>2) Starting with the same surface each time (I start at cowl/nose...start wherever you wish, just make it a habit) closely examine each component.  Pull on things like spinners, props, ailerons, cowls, tail wheels, landing gear, etc.  Tug, wiggle, look.  Flex control surfaces, checking hinges.</div><div>
</div><div>3) Check each linkage on each control surface for slop, bending, damage, loose clevises/terminals/control horns.  Move servos through their full range, looking for binds and catches, loose mounts, loose control arms.</div><div>
</div><div>4) Perform any necessary/desired engine/motor maintenance/examination per manufacturer recommendations/established practices.  (Yes, I'm leaving this one vague.  Such simple questions as should I use afterrun oil? can spark religious holy wars around here *heh*)</div><div>
</div><div>5) Check battery/batteries for any damage, loose mounts, etc.  Charge per accepted type/charger practices.</div><div>
</div><div>6) Examine any components inside the airframe at this time.  Look for loose servos, broken mounts, etc.</div><div>
</div><div>7) Clean the airplane thoroughly.  Pay particular attention to any residue left behind by glow fuel, smoke oil, etc, as these can and do attack covering.</div><div>
</div><div>==================</div><div>
</div><div>As long as the list seems, you'll find it winds up taking very little time.  I typically postflight my 35% Edge in less than 30 minutes.  The electric powered Senior Telemaster takes &lt; 10 for example.</div><div>
</div><div>Obviously, you don't have to use MY (or anyone's) specific list.  The important thing, IMO at least, is that you give the major components of the airplane due attention after each flying session.  it prevents hours of headaches down the road, and can certainly save you an aircraft.</div>

The reason most, if not all, of the above suggestions are provided is because these planes have vibrations that can cause things to do strange things. Screws will unscrew, velcro will loosten, links will vibrate loose, antenna leads will snake back into the fuselage, and batteries that vibrate to the point where the connections break down.

There are more examples of what can and does happen, and many, if not most of us have experienced many of these.

What I would suggest you do is check anything that moves to see that it is the way it is supposed to be. Try to prevent things from happening by looking things over carefully and making sure that things that are supposed to be tight are, and things that are supposed to move are free to move but not to the point where they will come undone.

Careful examination by gently pulling on things such as the rudder, elevator, ailerons, flaps, and so will make sure hinges are ok. Check for binds that can develop by moving the sticks to full range and watching that surfaces easily move to their full extent without binding up a servo. Check battery leads to make sure that they are properly connected, secure, and tight. If they are not, fix it right away.. don't procastinate. The next flight of that plane could be its last.

The main point is to use your head and think about how things should work and see to it that they do work, and work properly. Even a beginner can have some insight as to how things should be and you should use that knowledge to make sure that things are right.

Ask questions of your instructor, and of other pilots around you. Ask someone you trust to take a look at your plane. He/she may find something that you missed or didn't know anything about. You will learn how it is supposed to work and learn something about what to check. It all comes with experience, but it also comes with some common sense.

Hey, we've all done it. I've crashed a plane because I didn't raise an antenna. Dumb, but it happens. I had an elevator failure because I failed to check that the clevis was properly secure. That cost me my very first airplane. But, I learned and now, I check everything... at least everything that I can think of checking, and I'm sure that, at times, I miss something. We all do. But, learn from the mistakes or from the mistakes and suggestions of others and follow through.

The best thing you can do is something you already did.. ask questions and learn.

Best of luck, and good flying!!!

CGr.

Great info from some really experienced RC'ers here. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is what I call my "post hard landing" inspection. If I dork it in on landing, I check everything pertaining to the landing gear including the support block inside, the whole underside of the plane (especially the nose), the battery and reciever mounting, nosewheel, and the engine mounting. The plane can be subjected to some intense G forces in a bad bounce landing so a little extra time inspecting is well spent.

One other thing that I tell all new flyers is to put a drop of CA in every screw hole that goes into wood. It hardens the threads and keeps the screw from vibrating out. It's amazing how many screws can come undone on their own when that engine is vibrating.

I need to move my planes to a place for charging the night before a flying day. As I move them and put them down I start going over everything...pull on the surfaces, check servos are still properly mounted, check clevises, check that the battery hasn't moved, check landing gear, etc. Then it goes on charge, the morning when I load it up, I check all the batteries has been fully charged, if the reading doesn't seem correct I leave it. When I get to the field I unpack and set up everything, then as I mount the wings etc (whatever needs to be done) I check everything again to make sure nothing got damaged during transportation (but this is just a brief overcheck). Then I check battery and the correct operation of servo. I then check everything after every flight. At home - I clean my plane and go over it again and then put it away.

Damn I do a lot of checking.

Whenever I'm out of my routine I seem to mess up. Went to the field about 3/4 weeks ago and I was doing so out of it - I didn't do everything in the same sequence I usually did. Fueled and fired her up...taxied out to and had to go to the furthest end of the runway (Thank goodness for that). As the plane was running along the ground to get to the take off point - BOTH wings started to slide off of the plane (caused by vibration). I NEVER bolted the wing down.

As Korp suggested - have a routine. If, for whatever reason, that routine is interrupted start over.

A trimming side bar - when flying if you adjust the trim on the transmitter so that the plane will fly straight-n-level take the time during your post flight inspection to go ahead and adjust the controls mechanically so that you can return the transmitter's trim back to neutral. When just starting out your instructor may trim various controls. If you're not sure what changes need to be made "mechanically" ask the instructor / experienced modeler to help.

Watch out for the corners and stairwell - they just JUMP out and bite fins, stabs and wing tips [:@]

when you first get your plane go ever everything for the first 10 or so flights until you learn the little things the airplane will do and what you need to watch out for. it would be best to go over it every flying session but i dont always have that kinda time espically when i bring quite a few planes to the field. just stay observent when your putting the plane together and you will notice quite a bit of stuff.