Hobbico FlyZone Park Pilot User manual

ASSEMBLE ONLY WITH ADULT SUPERVISION
Please read through this instruction booklet to THOROUGHLY familiarize yourself with the assembly and
flight characteristics of this air lane before beginning to assemble the kit.
WARRANTY
Hobbico®, Inc. guarantees this kit to be free from defects in both material and workmanshi at the date of
urchase. This warranty does not cover any com onent arts damaged by use or modification. In no case shall
Hobbico’s liability exceed the original cost of the urchased kit. Further, Hobbico reserves the right to change
or modify this warranty without notice.
In that Hobbico has no control over the final assembly, no liability shall be assumed nor acce ted for any
damage resulting from the use by the user of the final user-assembled roduct. By the act of using the user-
assembled roduct, the user acce ts all resulting liability.
If the buyers are not re ared to acce t the liability associated with the use of this roduct, they are advised
to return this kit immediately in new and unused condition to the lace of urchase.
C
COMPLETE R OMPLETE RTF TF AIRPLANE AIRPLANE
Requires 8 (AA) Alkali e
Batteries ( ot i cluded)
Quiet Electric Flight
Radio-Co trolled Model
Entire Contents © Co yright 2002 HCAZ3010 for HCAA1997/2003 V1.0
™
™

Your Hobbico Park Pilot™is not a toy, but rather a so histicated,
working model that functions very much like an actual air lane.
Because of its realistic erformance, the model, if not assembled
and o erated correctly could ossibly cause injury to yourself
and s ectators or damage ro erty.
We highly recomme d that you get experie ced,
k owledgeable help with assembly a d duri g your first flights,
to make your R/C modeli g experie ce totally e joyable. You’ll
learn faster and avoid risking your model before you’re truly
ready to solo. Your local hobby sho has information about flying
clubs in your area whose membershi includes qualified
instructors. You can also contact the national Academy of Model
Aero autics (AMA), which has more than 2,500 chartered clubs
across the country. Instructor training rograms and insured
newcomer training are available through any one of these clubs.
Contact the AMA at the address or toll-free hone number below.
Academy of Model Aero autics
5151 East Memorial Drive
Muncie, IN 47302
[phone]
Fax: [phone]
or via the internet at: htt ://www.modelaircraft.org
1. Assemble the lane accordi g to the i structio s. Do ot alter
or modify the model. If you make any modifications, you will
void your warranty.
2. Test the o eration of the model before each flight to insure
that all equi ment is o erating ro erly, and that the model
remains structurally sound.
3. Fly only on calm days (with wi d speeds less tha 5mph) and
in large o en areas free of trees, eo le, building or any other
obstacles.
Remember: Take your time a d follow the i structio s to e d up
with a well-built model that is straight, durable a d easy to fly.
The R/C model hobby becomes more and more enjoyable as
your ex erience grows. Your chances for success and graduation to
higher levels are very good if you take your time and follow the
assembly and flying instructions carefully and com letely. We
ho e you enjoy flying your FlyZone™lane.
1. Plug the battery charger into a 12-volt cigarette lighter socket
in a vehicle. The charger is equi ed with a 72" charging lead,
allowing the battery to be charged outside of the vehicle.
It is recomme ded that battery chargi g be co ducted outside
of the vehicle.
2. Plug the battery ack into the charger connector. Be careful –
the battery ack will lug in only one way.
3. Rotate the timer knob on the charger to 20 mi utes. Make sure
the red light comes on.
CHARGING THE NIMH BATTERY PACK
PRECAUTIONS
PROTECT YOUR MODEL, YOURSELF
AND OTHERS.
FOLLOW THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY
PRECAUTION
2

4. IMPORTANT! NEVER LEAVE A CHARGING BATTERY
UNATTENDED.
5. During charging, eriodically feel the battery to see if it is
starting to warm u . A warm (but not hot) battery ack is a sign
that it is fully charged. Once the ack is
warm, disconnect it from
the charger. De ending on
how much charge was already in the
ack, you may have to disconnect the battery before the 20
minutes are u .
6. Always disconnect the charger from the 12-volt cigarette
lighter socket in your vehicle when finished charging.
7. After each flight, remove the battery ack from the air lane
and allow it to cool com letely before recharging.
1. Never leave a charging battery unattended.
2 Never let the battery charge until it feels hot. A hot battery is an
overcharged battery. Only allow the battery get warm to the touch.
3. If your battery is not com letely discharged before charging,
the charging time may take less than 20 minutes. Again, only let
the battery get warm to the touch – not hot.
4. We recommend that your vehicle’s engine is shut off during
charging. Charging the battery while your vehicle’s engine is
running increases the chance of overcharging the battery.
5. If you ever use a different battery charger, charge this battery
ack only at a maximum charge rate of 1/2 am . A higher charge
rate will charge the battery ack too quickly and heat u the
wires.
6. A ro erly cared for battery ack will last a long time. If the
battery ack is continually overcharged or charged at too high of
a rate, the life of the battery ack will be shortened.
Be careful to avoid overcharging the battery! When you lug the
battery into the charger there is no way to know how much
charge is left in the battery (unless you have just com leted a
flight in which the battery was run all the way down). If you ut
too much charge into a battery, it will get very hot. This may result
in melting the lastic battery cover, damage to vehicle, and could
even cause the battery to ex lode.
ATTENTION: The roduct you have urchased is owered by
a rechargeable battery. At the end of its useful life, under
various state and local laws, it may be illegal to dis ose of this
battery into the munici al waste system. Check with your local
solid waste officials for details in your area for recycling
o tions or ro er dis osal.
This product co tai s a chemical k ow to the State of
Califor ia to cause ca cer a d birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
Electro ic Speed Co trol with Auto Cut-off: This unit controls
the s eed of the motor. Also it monitors the battery voltage and
turns off the motor so that there will be enough battery ower to
o erate the radio while you glide and land the air lane.
Fi : Vertical fin and rudder located at the rear of the lane.
Motor: The motor rotates the ro to rovide thrust.
NiMH Battery: Rechargeable batteries which are used as ower
for the air lane.
Receiver (RX): The radio unit in the air lane which receives the
transmitter signal and relays the control to the servos.
Servos: The electronic/mechanical device which moves the
control surfaces of the air lane according to the commands of
the transmitter/receiver.
Stab: Horizontal stabilizer with elevator, located at the rear of
the lane.
Switch: Turns on the ower to the receiver, servos and motor.
Start Butto : With the switch on, ressing the start button arms
the motor. To turn the motor on, move the throttle lever on the
front of the transmitter to the right. Notice that the motor RPM
increases gradually. To turn the motor off, move the throttle lever
to the left.
GLOSSARY
CHARGING THE BATTERY – WARNING
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR
CHARGING BATTERIES
3

Tra smitter (Tx): This is the hand-held unit that sends the signal
to the receiver. As you move the stick on the transmitter, the
servos in the air lane will react accordingly.
Trims: The sliding adjusters on the transmitter that allow fine
adjustments of the control surfaces.
Re lacements arts for you Park Pilot
HCAM3467 BATTERY NIMH
HCAA3468 FUSELAGE SET
HCAA3469 MAIN WING SET COMPLETE
HCAA3470 TAIL ASSEMBLY COMPLETE
HCAM3471 ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROL
HCAA3472 BATTERY HATCH COMPLETE
HCAQ3473 PROPELLER (2)
HCAQ3474 LANDING GEAR
HCAG3475 MOTOR
HCAA3476 PUSHRODS COMPLETE (2)
HCAA3477 DECAL
PARTS LIST
4
To co vert i ches to millimeters, multiply i ches by 25.4

5
13
9
10
13
16
15
17
18
14
12
11
2
8
4
5
67
Refere ce# Part Name Qty.
❏1 Wing Inner Section 1
❏2 Wing Outer Section 1
❏3 Wing Outer Section 1
❏4 Decal Sheet 1
❏5 Battery 1
❏6 Pro ellers 2
❏7 Rubber Bands 4
❏8 Fuselage 1
❏9 Fin (Rudder) 1
❏10 Video 2
❏11 Screw for the Fin (bag ta ed 1
to Fin)
❏12 Stabilizer 1
Refere ce# Part Name Qty.
❏13 Screw for the Stabilizer (bag 1
ta ed to Stabilizer)
❏14 Ta e 1
❏15 Charger 1
❏16 Landing Gear and Screw 1
❏17 Screwdriver 1
❏18 Wing Joiners 4
Carefully un ack the box and lay out the bagged arts. Do not remove the arts from the bags until needed. Check
the arts against the list below. Note that they are grou ed according to how they are bagged. If any arts are
damaged or missing, give us a call at: [phone].
UNPACKING THE BOX

If you have the Ready To Fly (RTF) version ski ahead to
“Assemble the Tail.”
❏1. Follow the instructions rovided with your radio and install
the rubber grommets and brass eyelets in your servo.
❏2. Cut off three of the four control arms on both servos
as shown.
❏3. Mount the servos in the fuse with the screws rovided with
your radio.
❏4. Plug the rudder servo lead into the CH1 slot on your
receiver. Plug the elevator servo lead into the CH2 slot. Plug the
s eed control into the CH3 slot.
❏5. Route the antenna through the former and lastic tube in
the bottom of the fuse. The antenna will exit the bottom of the
fuse near the tail. Pull the antenna so that the excess wire hangs
below the fuse. DO NOT CUT THE ANTENNA.
❏6. Remove the servo arms from the servos. Fit the servo arms
onto the ushrods.
❏7. Remove the battery cover from the bottom of the fuse.
Make sure the switch on the side of the lane is off. Plug the
RADIO INSTALLATION
(ARF versio o ly)
6

battery to the s eed control and fit the battery in lace with the
battery cover.
❏8. Install the 8 AA batteries in the transmitter. Switch on the
transmitter and check the LED’s on the front of the transmitter.
Like a traffic light, green means “GO!” However, if the red LED
is flashing, you need to install fresh batteries.
❏9. Turn the transmitter and receiver on. Center the trims on the
radio. Fit the servo arms back onto the servos and secure
them
with the screws. Turn the receiver off then the
transmitter.
❏1. Secure the stabilizer to the fuselage with two medium
screws. Be careful to not overtighten the screws and crush the
stabilizer.
❏2. Insert the fin into the fin slot in the stab and fin holder. Use
a medium screw, inserted through the left side, to secure the fin
to the fin holder. Again, be careful to not overtighten the screws
and crush the stabilizer
❏3. Attach both rudder and elevator clevises to the outer holes
of the rudder and elevator control horns.
❏1. Insert the wire landing gear into the slot in the bottom of
the
fuse.
INSTALL THE LANDING GEAR
ASSEMBLE THE TAIL
7

❏2. Insert a medium sized screw to hold the landing gear
in lace.
❏❏1. Insert the long metal joiner in the hole closest to the front
of the wing. Make sure it angles u as
shown.
❏❏2. Insert the short metal joiner in the hole closest to the rear
of the wing. Make sure is angles u as
shown.
❏❏3. Align the joiners with the holes in the outer wing section
and slide the two wing sections together. Be
sure the wing sections
fit snugly with no ga s between
them.
❏❏4. Ta e both to and bottom of the joint between the two
wing sections. make sure there are no ga s between the wing
sections.
❏5. Re eat the ste s 1-4 to attach the other wing ti .
❏1. Install the 8 AA batteries in the transmitter. Switch on the
transmitter and check the LED’s on the front of the transmitter.
Like a traffic light, green means “GO!” However, if the red LED
is flashing, you need to install fresh batteries.
RADIO ADJUSTMENT
ASSEMBLE THE MAIN WING
8

❏2. This is a good time to make sure that your radio’s servo
reversing switches are correctly set. If you are using the
transmitter included with the Park Pilot, the reversing switches
are located on the lower right front of the transmitter. The Ch1
switch should be set to Rev, Ch2 set to Rev and the Mix switch
set to off. If you are using a radio system not included with the
Park Pilot, the servo reversing will be covered during the servo
adjustment.
❏3. Install the transmitter antenna in the transmitter by
threading it into the to of the transmitter. If you are using a radio
system not included with your Park Pilot, follow the radio
manufacturer’s instructions on installing the transmitter
antenna.
❏4. Remove the battery cover from the bottom of the fuse.
Make sure the switch on the side of the lane is off. Plug the
battery to
the s eed control and fit the battery in lace with the
battery
cover.
❏5. Switch on the transmitter then the air lane. Center the
rudder and elevator trim levers.
❏6. With the rudder and elevator sticks and trims centered, the
rudder must be straight, in-line with the fin and the elevator,
9

straight, in-line with the stabilizer. It they are not, remove the
clevis from the control horn and screw the clevis in or out on the
ushrod until the controls are aligned.
❏7. When viewing the air lane from the aft end, move the
rudder stick to the right. The rudder must move to the right. If it does
not, change the osition of the rudder servo reversing
switch.
❏8. By moving the elevator stick down, the elevator must move
u . If it does not, change the osition of the elevator servo
reversing switch.
❏1. A ly the decals using the hotos on the box as a reference.
❏1. Push the ro eller and s inner onto the motor shaft.
Note: This sectio is VERY importa t a d must NOT be omitted!
A model that is ot properly bala ced will be u stable a d
possibly u flyable.
❏1. Attach the wing to the fuse using 4 rubber ba ds in a
crisscross attern.
❏2. Turn the Park Pilot over and lace a mark on the bottom of
the wing 2-1/2" back from the front of the wing. Place another
mark on the other side of the fuselage. Turn the air lane over.
❏3. Try balancing the air lane on your finger ti s, on the marks.
This is where the model should balance for your first flights. We
also found that most of our test models balanced at this oint
without having to add weight to the nose or tail. If it does not
balance within these marks, weight will need to be added to the
nose or tail. At most hobby sho s, you can urchase lead weight
made s ecifically for balancing air lanes.
BALANCE YOUR MODEL
INSTALL THE PROPELLER
APPLY THE DECALS
10

Your transmitter controls the airs eed and direction. You can go
as slow or as fast as you want, but remember: the faster you fly,
the faster your battery ower is used u .
When the battery ower gets too low, the “Auto Cut-Off” feature
of the s eed control rovides an extra degree of
insurance. It
reacts to low ower by cutting ower to the
motor, in effect saving
ower for the receiver. That way, your air lane goes into a glide
and you stay in control until you land.
It’s best to fly on calm days, when there’s little or no wind. Also,
find an area clear of trees, ower lines and other structures. A
flying field for R/C lanes is best. Don’t fly around grou s of
eo le, es ecially children or within 6 miles of existing R/C
flying fields.
1. Find an o en area free of buildings, trees, ower lines
and eo le.
2. For your first few flights, fly only in winds of no more than 5
miles er hour. After you are comfortable with the air lane, you
can fly in winds that are no more than 10 miles er hour. If flown
in stronger winds, the lane may be blown down wind and not
have enough ower to get back to you.
3. Make sure the motor battery is fully charged and that the
transmitter has good “AA” batteries installed.
4. If others are flying in the same area, make sure that they are
not using the same channel radio system you are. The back of
your transmitter has a tag with a number on it (for exam le CH.
A4 27.145). This is the channel frequency you are using.
5. Range check your radio before each flight. Switch on the
transmitter and then the receiver. Do not ush the motor start
button during the radio range check. With the antenna colla sed,
walk 50 feet away from the air lane. Move the rudder and
elevator control stick, checking that the rudder and elevator
move. Now, have a hel er hold the air lane, ress the start
button and start the motor. Again, erform the range test with the
motor running. If you still have control over the air lane, it is safe
to extend the antenna and fly the air lane.
If you have never flown an R/C air lane before, we recommend
that you get hel from an ex erienced R/C ilot. Most R/C clubs
have training rograms that will hel you learn to fly quickly. If
you cannot find an ex erienced ilot to hel you learn, the
following will hel you get your air lane into the air.
1. First, turn your transmitter ower switch “ON.” This
immediately uts you in control. Be sure your throttle lever on
the back of the transmitter is all the way to the left and that the
antenna is fully extended.
2. Now ick u the air lane and switch the air lane
on.
3. Press the start button. Cautio : Kee your hands behind the
ro eller.
4. Move the throttle lever to the right. The ro eller will start to
turn. The farther you move the lever, the faster the ro eller will turn.
5. With the throttle lever moved fully to the right, hand launch
the Park Pilot into the wind, at a slight u ward angle.
6. Allow the air lane to climb a few seconds before turning it.
7. When your lane is moving away from you, moving the rudder
stick to the left will make your lane turn to the left. Moving the
rudder stick to the right will make the lane turn to the right. By
adding a little u elevator (moving the stick towards you) during
the turn, the lane will turn much tighter. Cautio : It only
requires a small amount of u elevator.
8. When the lane is coming toward you, moving the rudder
stick left still causes left rudder, but your lane goes to your right.
In short, you have to reverse the way you control the rudder. A
good way to familiarize yourself with the controls is when the
lane is coming toward you, is to turn your body so that you are
facing the same direction the lane is going, looking over your
shoulder at the lane. Now when you move the rudder stick left
the lane will go to your left.
9. Now that you have gained some altitude, it is time to trim the
lane for straight level flight. If the lane wants to climb when the
control stick is released, move the elevator trim lever u (away
from you). If the lane wants to dive, move the elevator trim lever
down (toward you). It should require very little trim. Your goal is
to have the lane fly level with the elevator stick centered.
10. Now, with the lane flying level, check to see if the lane is
flying straight. If it wants to turn when the control stick is
released, move the rudder trim lever o osite the direction the
air lane is turning. The lane should be trimmed so that if you
take your hands off of the control stick, the lane will fly straight
and level on its own. Having the lane trimmed ro erly makes
flying much easier and enjoyable.
11. Don’t let the air lane get too far away from you. The
farther
away it is, the harder it is to see what the lane is
doing.
12. When learning to fly, it is best to kee the lane high enough
so that if you make a mistake, you have enough altitude to
correct the mistake.
FLYING THE PARK PILOT
PREPARE FOR TAKEOFF
CHOOSE A GOOD FLYING SITE
HOW DOES THE PARK PILOT WORK
11

It’s a known fact among fellow R/C ilots that your air lane will
land. It is u to you as to where and how it lands.
1. The Park Pilot will get a roximately 8 to 10 minutes of flight,
at full throttle, on a fully charged battery before the BEC sto s the
motor. For your first cou le of flights we recommend that you
attem t to land before the motor sto s. This will allow enough
ower to abort the landing and try again if you miss your
landing area.
2. During your first flight, while at a high altitude, turn the motor
off and notice how the Park Pilot reacts. This will give you an idea
how the lane will react during a landing.
3. To land the Park Pilot, fly down wind, ast the landing area, a
few hundred feet. Gently turn into the wind and reduce the
throttle so that the lane starts to come down. Adjust the
throttle
as needed to reach the landing area, but not fly ast
it.
4. Just before landing, at about 1 foot above the ground, a ly a
little u elevator to flare (raise the nose of the lane). This will
cause the lane to slow and settle to the ground.
Cautio : If the ro eller on the Park Pilot should become
jammed and cannot rotate with the throttle in the run osition,
the battery and s eed control will become very hot. Immediately
move the throttle lever to the left to sto the motor. If you fail to
do this, the motor, s eed control and/or battery will be damaged.
Switch the air lane, then the transmitter off. Un lug and remove
the motor battery. Allow the motor battery to cool before
recharging. Check the lane over to make sure nothing has
come loose.
Even the best R/C ilots in the world damage their lanes every
now and then. In the unfortunate event that you damage your
air lane, re airs are fairly sim le to make yourself. If there are
any cracks in the wing or fuselage, a ly 6-minute e oxy to the
broken area and hold together with clear ackaging ta e. Let the
glue cure, leaving the ta e in lace for added strength.
Hobbico FLYZONE Aero Cruiser™Electrics
The 37.5" s an Aero Cruiser features factory-built main
sections, along with assembly tools AND a video that shows
how it’s done. A 380 motor, electronic s eed control w/auto
cut-off, 8.4V NiMH battery are installed for you – and an AC
charger and two ro s are included. The “RTF” includes a
3-channel transmitter and requires only 8 “AA” cells. The
“ARF” is identical in building ease, but requires a 3 or 4-channel
radio w/2 standard or mini servos. RTF–HCAA2004, ARF– HCAA2011
Hobbico SuperStar 40 EP Select™ AWARF®
Learning to fly doesn’t get any easier! The Su erStar 40 EP
Select trainer includes factory-built and covered all-wood
main structures, owerful ElectriFly™T-601 motor, motor,
battery, electronic s eed control, efficient com osite ro eller,
and com lete 3-channel radio system with on-board gear
already installed. You can be ready for the first takeoff in just
20 minutes! A flat-bottom airfoil su lies excellent lift at very
slow s eeds and rovides a natural tendency for level flight...a
natural choice for your trainer. HCAA14**
OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE
FROM HOBBICO
REPAIRS
AFTER THE FLIGHT
IT’S NOW TIME TO LAND