10
WING
SPAN
MAY
Wingspan magazine brings
you practical advice and
handy flight tips to help
you get your wings.
Master your
Centre of Gravity
Mastering you aircraft’s
Centre of Gravity can have
a big influence on the way
it flies. Your plane’s CoG
is the point at which all
the weight of your plane is
concentrated. Each aircraft
has an ideal CoG that can
be individualised to suit
your needs. Adjusting
the centre of gravity can
be as simple as moving
the battery or receiver or
adding some weight to the
tail or nose of the aircraft.
Here are a few tips to get
started. First off, let’s talk
about what happens when
you adjust your plane’s
centre of gravity.
#1 NOSE HEAVY
When the CoG is moved
forward the aircraft
becomes increasingly
nose-heavy. This makes
the plane more stable.
However, a nose-heavy
aircraft can become so
stable that you can’t move
the elevator surfaces
enough to raise the
aircraft’s nose. The aircraft
becomes difficult to fly,
difficult to land and if you
go too far can result in a
nose dive.
wingspan
flight
school
GET MORE OUT OF YOUR SPORT. AS A
LEADING EXPERT, THE MAAA HELPS CLUBS
PROVIDE THE BEST ADVICE, INSTRUCTORS AND
KNOWLEDGE BASE SO YOU CAN SAFELY LEARN TO FLY AND
ENJOY YOUR SPORT. YOU CAN UNDERTAKE PILOT TRAINING,
OR EVEN BECOME AN INSTRUCTOR OR INSPECTOR.
#2 TAIL HEAVY
When the CoG is placed
towards the rear of an aircraft it becomes increasingly
tail-heavy. This makes it less stable but more
manoeuvrable and great for aerobatics. However, be
warned that it can also make the plane difficult to
handle and you don’t want to lose control of your flight.
Don’t be afraid to adjust the CoG to achieve the
flying performance that suits you. Start with slight
adjustments and see how they affect your flight. Just
remember, it is important that the aircraft is balanced
within the CoG range, especially for the initial flight.
An initial location for the CoG should be available in
the model’s plans; if not it can be calculated or you
can ask for assistance from an experienced member
next time you’re at the field.
