John Glezellis’s Blog
Gasoline Engine Adjustments
Behind every great flying airplane is a reliable engine with a smooth transition. To obtain this, you may have to spend some time tweaking the High and Low End needles that can be found on the carburetor. Personally, I always start with the factory recommended settings and run the engine first to see if [...]
Let’s Talk Fuel Lines!
On all of my nitro and gasoline-powered airplanes, I use zip ties to secure my fuel lines going from the fuel tank to both the carburetor and the muffler. When routing lines within your airplane, make sure that they can move freely and are not bent in any odd fashion. After all, you need to [...]
The Need for Tail Bracing
Some aircraft have built-up tail surfaces, which need tail bracing wire. The AMR 42% Super Decathlon shown in the photo, has a built up tail like the full-scale Super Decathlon, and tail bracing is needed! First, check with the instruction manual of your aircraft if tail bracing is needed. Otherwise, if you feel that there [...]
Ignition and Electrical Component Safety!
When I build an airplane, I always spend extra time to ensure that all internal components are installed properly and well-secured, whether I am building a .25-size glow-powered model, or a 170cc giant-scale aerobat! This time, we will take a look at my ignition installation on my 2.6m Composite-ARF Edge 540. This is an all-composite [...]
Linkage Safety
Now, let’s talk about proper linkage setup. Many advanced airplanes take advantage of ball-links to attach given pushrods to a servo arm, control horn, etc. Using ball-links in these areas guarantees to improve linkage geometry and allows a given surface to move freely. While using a clevis works if servo and linkage geometry are correct, [...]
Control Surface Deflection Accuracy
In my 22 years of flying radio-control airplanes, I have learned that time must be taken when both building and setting up your aircraft. For example, let’s talk about control surface deflections. Over the years, I’ve seen some cases at the flying field where pilots simply “eyeball” various control rates and often blame their aircraft [...]
Safety First: Electric Airplanes
Safety First: Electric Airplanes Nowadays, it is quite common to see many different electric airplanes at the local flying field, and with their increase in popularity, I would like to discuss safety. On my electric powered models, I use a feature called “Throttle Cut”. With the flip of a switch, the motor can become deactivated. [...]
Redundant Systems
As my opening blog, I would like to take a brief moment to introduce myself as well as talk about a recent event that I am preparing for. It is my goal to provide insight in either a flight or building tip. Anyhow, let’s begin! First off, I have been flying remote-control aircraft for the [...]
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