Fail-safe settings for control surfaces

[Ed Alt]

I guess it all depends on what's happening when the failsafe comes in, but I 
figure that since the model is upright more than inverted, something that 
bleeds speed by (hopefully) climbing a bit and also stops going in a 
straight line is probably a good idea.  You may buy yourself some time to 
get a signal back and at the very least, it should prevent an 
over-the-horizon fly away.  So I have it set for idle, a few degrees of up 
and enough rudder to make it skid around a bit.  It would also give you 
indication that you might need to yell a warning if this first happens near 
the flight line.  No guarantee this would save the model, but it might. 
Other strategies could work too, this just seemed reasonable to me.

Ed

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "L Caldwell" <larryc4 at cebridge.net>
To: <discussion at nsrca.org>
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2005 10:03 AM
Subject: Fail-safe settings for control surfaces


> Hi All,
>
> What is the general concensus for the best setting for the control 
> surfaces on a pattern plane, and why.  I'm going to be put a PCM receiver 
> in my plane, primarily for the throttle fail-safe, but I'm not sure what 
> would be best for the control surfaces.
>
> I would like to have the safety of the onlookers, other fliers, and field 
> neighbors as the main priority, but still have a chance to recover the 
> plane if it comes out of failsafe.
>
> I've considered these options:
>
> 1) Low idle, controls at neutral but with a slight amount of up elevator. 
> That might be a good way to see brief lockouts, but
> the plane could travel a long way if it stayed locked at at high
> altitude.
>
> 2) Last good signal doesn't seem like a good idea to me if it
> stays locked out.  You could get anything there.
>
> 3) This seems safest for the crowd, but probably bad for the future of the 
> plane.  Low idle or engine off, full spin entry on the controls.
>
> Any better ideas?
>
> Larry Caldwell
> Brookland, Arkansas
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