User Manual

ManualsBrandsE-flite ManualsAircraftsF-18 Blue Angels (Blue Yellow)

Flying Tips and Repairs

Consult local laws and ordinances before choosing a ﬂ ying location.

Getting Started

Before you ﬂ y, range check the radio system. Refer to your speciﬁ c transmitter

instruction manual for range test information. When you ﬁ rst connect the battery to

the airplane AS3X will not be active. After advancing the throttle the ﬁ rst time, the

AS3X system will be active and it is normal to see the control surfaces react to aircraft

movement. For your ﬁ rst ﬂ ights set your transmitter timer or a stopwatch to 3.5

minutes. Adjust your timer for longer or shorter ﬂ ights once you have ﬂ own the model.

Takeoff

Face the aircraft into the wind for takeoff. Set your transmitter to low rates and

lower the ﬂ aps to the full ﬂ ap position. This will help with rotation and make

takeoffs shorter.

Gradually increase the throttle to full, and steer on the ground with rudder as

necessary to keep the aircraft rolling straight. Be aware the nose wheel will

become more sensitive as speed increases. Leave the elevator at neutral and allow

the aircraft to accelerate up to speed on the ground, then pull up gently on the

elevator to rotate for takeoff. When airborne, climb to a comfortable altitude, retract

the landing gear and then return the ﬂ aps to the level position.

Flying

For your ﬁ rst ﬂ ights climb to a moderate altitude and get comfortable with

the aircraft while the battery is fresh. Get a feel for the aircraft’s low speed

performance with the ﬂ aps up and down at a safe altitude (approximately 100 feet

or more) before being required to make your ﬁ rst landing attempt. Land the aircraft

when the timer expires. If at any time the motor power reduces, land the aircraft

immediately to recharge the ﬂ ight battery. See the Low Voltage Cutoff (LVC) section

for more details on maximizing battery health and run time.

Landing

Plan to land the aircraft into the wind when possible. Fly downwind and turn into the

wind to begin the approach. Extend the landing gear, lower the throttle and lower

the ﬂ aps to the landing position (full down position.) Flaps will make the landing

approach steeper and slower, and allow for a smoother landing. If there is a

signiﬁ cant crosswind, only lower the ﬂ aps to the takeoff position (middle position)

which will help maintain speed and better directional control during approach.

During the approach and descent, keep the wings level and the aircraft pointed

into the wind. The angle of attack (the angle between the aircraft’s pitch attitude

and the horizon) should remain consistent and slightly nose high during the decent.

With the angle of attack maintained during the descent, the speed and descent rate

is mostly controlled with small throttle changes. Stay into the throttle to maintain

speed and control during decent until the aircraft is ready to ﬂ are. As the airplane

descends into ground effect, fully lower the throttle, pull the nose up more to bleed

off airspeed (ﬂ are), and the aircraft will settle on its wheels.

If landing on grass, it is best to hold full up elevator after touchdown and when

taxiing to prevent the nose from digging in. Once on the ground, avoid sharp turns

until the plane has slowed enough to prevent scraping the wingtips.

NOTICE: If a crash is imminent, reduce the throttle and trim fully. Failure to do so

could result in extra damage to the airframe, as well as damage to the ESC and

motor.

NOTICE: After any impact, always ensure the receiver is secure in the fuselage.

If you replace the receiver, install the new receiver in the same orientation as the

original receiver or damage may result.

NOTICE: Crash damage is not covered under warranty.

NOTICE: When you are ﬁ nished ﬂ ying, never leave the aircraft in direct sunlight

or in a hot, enclosed area such as a car. Doing so can damage the aircraft.

Low Voltage Cutoff (LVC)

When a Li-Po battery is discharged below 3V per cell, it will not hold a charge. The

ESC protects the ﬂ ight battery from over-discharge using Low Voltage Cutoff (LVC).

Before the battery charge decreases too much, LVC removes power supplied to the

motor. Power to the motor reduces, showing that some battery power is reserved

for ﬂ ight control and safe landing.

Disconnect and remove the Li-Po battery from the aircraft after use to prevent

trickle discharge. Charge your Li-Po battery to about half capacity before storage.

During storage, make sure the battery charge does not fall below 3V per cell. LVC

does not prevent the battery from over-discharge during storage.

NOTICE: Repeated ﬂ ying to LVC will damage the battery.

TIP: Monitor your aircraft battery’s voltage before and after ﬂ ying by using a Li-

Po Cell Voltage Checker (SPMXBC100, sold separately).

Oscillation

For most ﬂ ight maneuvers the aircraft should ﬂ y smoothly and normal, but it

is possible in some ﬂ ight conditions you may see oscillation (the aircraft rocks

back and forth on one axis due to overcontrol). If oscillation occurs, refer to the

Troubleshooting Guide for more information.

Repairs

Thanks to the EPO foam material in this aircraft, repairs to the foam can be made

using virtually any adhesive (hot glue, regular CA, epoxy, etc). When parts are not

repairable, see the Replacement Parts List for ordering by item number. For a listing

of all replacement and optional parts, refer to the list at the end of this manual.

NOTICE: Use of CA accelerant on your aircraft can damage paint. DO NOT handle

the aircraft until accelerant fully dries.

SAFE Select Flying Tips

When ﬂ ying in SAFE Select mode the aircraft will return to level ﬂ ight any time the

aileron and elevator controls are at neutral. Applying aileron or elevator control will

cause the airplane to bank, climb or dive, and the amount the stick is moved will

determine the attitude the airplane ﬂ ies. Holding full control will push the aircraft to

the pre-determined bank and roll limits but it will not go past those angles.

When ﬂ ying with SAFE Select it is normal to hold the control stick deﬂ ected with

moderate aileron input when ﬂ ying through a turn. To ﬂ y smoothly with SAFE Select

avoid making frequent control changes and don’t attempt to correct for minor

deviations. With SAFE Select, holding deliberate control inputs will command the

aircraft to ﬂ y at a speciﬁ c angle and the model will make all corrections to maintain

that ﬂ ight attitude.

Return the elevator and aileron controls to neutral before switching from SAFE

Select mode to AS3X mode. If you do not neutralize controls when switching into

AS3X mode, the control inputs used for SAFE Select mode will be excessive for

AS3X mode and the aircraft will react immediately.

Differences between SAFE Select and AS3X modes

This section is generally accurate but does not take into account ﬂ ight speed,

battery charge status, and many other limiting factors.

• In SAFE Select mode the aircraft will self level when the control stick is neutralized.

In AS3X mode the aircraft will continue to ﬂ y at its present attitude when the

control stick is neutralized.

• In SAFE Select mode holding a small amount of control will result in the model

banking or pitching to a moderate angle and remaining at that angle as long as

the control stick doesn’t move.

In AS3X mode holding a small amount of control will result in the model continuing

to pitch or roll at a slow rate as long as the control stick doesn’t move.

• In SAFE Select mode holding full control will result in the airplane banking or

pitching to the predetermined limits and the aircraft will keep ﬂ ying at that

attitude as long as the control stick is fully deﬂ ected.

In AS3X mode holding full control will result in the aircraft pitching or rolling as

fast as possible, and it will continue to rapidly change attitude as long as the

control stick is fully deﬂ ected.