Developing The Stable Hover

[RotaryOne]

I recognise that, in principle, the stable hover in helicopter terms is a misnomer however I would like to develop the appearance of a stable hover and, at the moment am not getting there as fast as I would like. That is not impatience, as such, but the recognition that I appear to have plateaued in my progress.

I have what I consider to be good control, tail-on, but there is more moving around than I would like. It seems to me that the roots of this are one or a combination of a) early observation/recognition of movement, b) the quickness of response to that observation and c) the degree of correct input, excessive amounts of which lead to what I believe is called PIO or Pilot Induced Occilation.

I am concentrating very hard to perceive the unwanted movement at the earliest moment and recognise that, in reality, very little stick movement is really needed so wonder if this is really a PIO issue.

What have others found, please, in their development of a good hover? By the way this is on a Blade 400 with collets on the flybar and dampened down settings on the Tx, but this is also an issue on the Phoenix where I find the Ecuriel is the most practical machine to work with.

Thanks in advance for any helpful comments.

[Made2Fade]

Question for ya? Are ya using any expo?
Lee

[Talisa]

I am an expert at being a rank entry level beginner. I too am trying to develop a stable hover. I personally have found that the higher from the ground I get the easier it is. About 3 feet is right for me, enough to see the directional movements of the heli and also enough of height to not risk ground effect. I have also found that anticipation of a move and thinking two moves ahead is how I have started to stabalise.

Literally the second I have corrected a change in direction on any control surface, I am then countering that move, and in turn counter that move etc etc. I can pretty my hold a 450 in steady hover within a couple of inches when I am dialled in. I have also applied dual rate to Aileron and Elevator which dulls the settings down even further.

You may already be well ahead of me in terms of what you are capable of but that is where I am at.

Regards,

[andylinney]

Rotary,my hover just seemed to 'click' into place after a LOT of practice. I couldn't tell you which part of the heli I watch - I tend to look at it all to be fair.

You've done the right thing with the collets and dumbing things down a bit on the TX but as Lee said, a little expo can go a long way to softening the centre stick a little.

Just keep at it though, I've found that there is no substitute for actual practice - the sim presents perfectly tuned models in totally still air - something we very rarely achieve in real life. If you've found a heli that's quite stable in the sim then my advice would be to find a less stable one and play with that. You'll need to develop your responses to cope with the changes in the heli as it hovers.

[Midnight Sun]

Hiya, newbie advice for what its worth as I've only been flying since Crimbo.

Firstly and most important..Have you had an expert test fly it for you. If one of the settings is out that you are unaware of it will be much more difficult to hover as you wish. Your chosen guru should hopefully help you dumb it down a bit as well...my Blade was like a mongoose on acid to control until someone sorted it for me.

Secondly, sell it and buy a Raptor 30..!! I took the leap of faith a month ago and trust me...Bigger really is better. I'll probably get shot down in flames for this, but after my Twister Bell coax I wish I'd gone straight to the Raptor. Sooo much easier to hover and nowhere near as twitchy in the wind.

Good luck mate, we all need all the luck we can get as newbies in this hobby..

[Aidi]

I would totally agree that something like a Raptor 30 is far easier to learn to hover with. Its bigger, more stable and not as twitchy as some of the small electrics on the market.

However, many are learning on the small ones and doing pretty well. If a nitro is not an option at the moment, keep with the small one and plenty of practice on the sim and it will all come good in the end.

Keep at it mate, and before long you will be able to hover with ease. The blade is a lively little B***er but sooooo much fun to fly!!

Rgds
Aidi

[cambs flyer]

It all depends what your used to, my Trex 450 is easy enough to hover, plus having a well trimmed throttle is a must.

I'll eventually build a bigger heli, but the 450 for me is now easy to tail in a steady hover, I practice on my Patio, which is 8ft deep by 13ft wide, and I sit on the door step practicing precise hovering, buy not allowing the machine to go beyond those boundary's.

But a well trimmed and balanced heli is a must for really precise work, I find a slight breeze more fun as it makes hovering much more challenging

Plus I can fly my 450 anywhere.

[Pipistrelli]

I tend to watch the rotor disc rather than the heli! It gives a better indication of initial movement, so you can correct before the heli actually moves. Keep practicing and it will all click!

[Midnight Sun]

I would totally agree that something like a Raptor 30 is far easier to learn to hover with. Its bigger, more stable and not as twitchy as some of the small electrics on the market.

However, many are learning on the small ones and doing pretty well. If a nitro is not an option at the moment, keep with the small one and plenty of practice on the sim and it will all come good in the end.

Keep at it mate, and before long you will be able to hover with ease. The blade is a lively little B***er but sooooo much fun to fly!!

Rgds
Aidi

I totally agree, I have great fun trying to hover my Blade like the Raptor in the front garden. It sharpens up my reflexes no end..

[RotaryOne]

Question for ya? Are ya using any expo?
Lee

Yes, Lee, Expos are being used. And have just had a telephone conversaton with Ron(Boggey) where they were adjusted further, so that may help.

And thanks to everyone who has responded and for the helpful and encouraging comments.

[RotaryOne]

Thanks to those who suggested a Raptor 30, but doing a brief Google on this it appears to be only nitro, although there is one bit of text which suggests you can get an electric version, which at the moment I would prefer. Comments please.

[RotaryOne]

I tend to watch the rotor disc rather than the heli! It gives a better indication of initial movement, so you can correct before the heli actually moves. Keep practicing and it will all click!

.

That's interesting, Pipistrelli, because I use the rotor disc when it is below me but favour the skids when it is above me.

[Made2Fade]

Yes, Lee, Expos are being used. And have just had a telephone conversaton with Ron(Boggey) where they were adjusted further, so that may help.

And thanks to everyone who has responded and for the helpful and encouraging comments.

Alot of people over look it thats all mate. It can be the diffrence between a very stable hover and the heli moving about. I had one guy that i met say he didnt use expo and only used dual rates for this. I couldnt understand why? Alot of people think that by adding expo it will restrict the amount of movement you get from the servos or on the swash. In reality all it does is soften the sticks around the centre point. I use 25 - 30% expo in normal mode to obtain a smoother hover.

Lee

[andylinney]

same here - keeps things easily under control and smooths out the over corrections for me.

[RotaryOne]

Thanks to Lee and Andy for those useful comments.
Nigel