August 31 is the night of our much-anticipated 2nd Annual Night Fly! For the bold and adventuresome R/C flier who wants to try something different, night flying is a blast! There are a number of common sense techniques that are worth discussing here.
First, pick your plane. If you're not a regular nighttime flyer, choose a model that is slow and stable and responds gently to controls. Think ``Kadet Senior'' here, not ``P-40''. Do all balancing, test flying, trimming out, and engine idle testing during daylight hours.
Then, decide what lighting system you want to use for your plane. Light sticks are effective and colorful, and the Club will have a supply of them at the Night Fly. A (usually) good place to find your own light sticks is Popular Outdoor Outfitters. If you opt for the ``Christmas tree'' approach, you can also use flashlight bulbs and alkaline/nicads to illuminate your model. Radio Shack and hardware stores like Ace carry useful parts and accessories. Don't be afraid to use both lights and sticks!
Rigging your plane for night flying isn't difficult, but there are some details that must be adhered to for safety. The accompanying diagram, adapted from the McDonnell Douglas newsletter, demonstrates some of the salient features. Here are some suggestions:
Above all else, make sure all lights/sticks are secured before flying! That sounds obvious, but several planes dropped light sticks while in flight last year. That makes flying a LOT more exciting, let me tell you.
When it finally comes time to go flying, it's a good idea to grab a buddy to act as a copilot. Four eyes is better than two - your copilot can watch for other runway traffic, keep an eye on your plane, and even illuminate the runway with a flashlight as you land! (You say that's cheating? I say: Pfffft! I like my planes in one piece.)
Get busy!