A quick newbie hello :)

[Bugster]

This is a great forum and I lurked for a while before showing my face. I was given a Century Neon Blaze for my Birthday and followed the book to the letter on learning to hop. I soon realised there was too much happening all at once for my brain cells to react so bought a Bell 47 Medevac with contra rotating blades. This came with a usb cable to connect to my PC and I downloaded the FMS sim which is amazing. I've crashed on the sim so many times I've lost count . But it helped no end and I can now control the Bell quite well for several minutes hovering in the garage now.

Well today it was dead calm outside so I bit the bullet and tried the Century fitted with a home made trainer undercarriage on the back lawn. My heart was in my mouth but I had a couple of dozen 3 to 5 second bursts of flight and it's still in one piece . I feel like a dog with 2 tails, only downer is rain stopped play. One question if anyone can help - the Century needs full left rudder trim on the tranny plus I have to hold in a tad more left to keep it straight - is there any adjustment I can make ? Can't find any reference to it in the book. And thanks for reading my ramble - I'm just a happy bunny today and wanted to share it

[tourerjim]

Welcome to Heliaddicts.
Remove the canopy and on the reciever are two screws one gain the other cant remember but I think its the gain you need to adjust for tail and the other screw adjust the aile.
But im sure others that will also know.

[Bugster]

Thanks tourerjim. Yes the book mentions these and they are "sensitivity" and "limit". Unfortunately the pic in the book labels them back to front so I'm still a bit confused

[petern]

Congrats on Your first flight, Isnt it a good feeling. just dont do what i did and go over the top with it lol I did a loop and needless to say the ground gave my heli a good beating! I dont even know how i did the loop but hay i wont be doing that again "yet"

Whats the most damage you guys have done to your helis? has anyone completly destroyed one? fire balls and stuff? mine was only minor repair (blades and tail boon)

[Tim Procter]

Whats the most damage you guys have done to your helis? has anyone completly destroyed one? fire balls and stuff? mine was only minor repair (blades and tail boon)

You don't want know mate, You really don't want to know.

[petern]

You don't want know mate, You really don't want to know.

Lol I'm guessing thats pretty bad then! Oh joy i have so much to look forward to

[Tim Procter]

Lol I'm guessing thats pretty bad then! Oh joy i have so much to look forward to

ha ha. Some crashes can be quite bad, Some get away with very little.

There's an old saying on these forums.

"Its not if your gonna crash but when"

[cambs flyer]

Hi mate and welcome.

Just to be on the safe side I'd contact Century tomorrow and just make sure, Jim hit it in one, I'd imaging one pot adjusts the servo movement percentage so to taim her down from fast servo action to make her more docile, and the other adjusts the gyro gain, which depending on the rotational drift will need either a clockwise turn if the nose turns to the left (while she faces you tail in) or anti clockwise if the nose drifts round to the right, but take care as the slightest minute pot adjustment will make a huge difference, you see your heli' doesn't use a singular separate Gyro, as all the electronics are stored in the 4in1 box.

However it's only far to warn you that until you have a proper Sim like Phoenix to learn how to fly a CCPM machine, your flying on borrowed time right now buddy.

FMS doesn't offer a true representation of Heli flight physics, and in real time flying your bird will drop out at a much faster rate then on the FMS Sim crashes.

Get yourself Phoenix before you start busting parts on her, I've checked the spare parts cost and there very reasonably priced, and easily fixed, but it will dent your moral and urge to carry forth, plus I'm sure you take precautions, but flying a machine like that without the knowledge to do so is extremely dangerous to you and others, so please bare that in mind as well.

The good news is after a few months of Sim practice flying a CCPM machine in a tail in hover doing simple left right, forward & reverse actions will be a piece of cake, and your wonder why you found it so difficult, and this'll be the biggest ego boost you'll ever have, but do remember once you've become fairly good on the Sim don't start doing the same when flying for real, as in a way all the Sim practice prepares you for the real thing, but once outside it's still a very different game, and you have to start from the basics again and slowly work your way up.

I hope this explains the knife edge your flying on at the moment, and if I was you I'd ground her, save for Phoenix £80 and in the mean time do some reading up on flying, enjoy your Contra machine and have patiences, your lucky you've got away with what you have, so for the sake of keeping your bird in one peace and you happy seeing her unbroken do the above and best of luck

Do continue on FMS for the time being as it's better then nothing, and take the careful steps ahead slowly, as rushing will result in a very broken helicopter.

[tourerjim]

[quote=Bugster;163485]Thanks tourerjim. Yes the book mentions these and they are "sensitivity" and "limit". Unfortunately the pic in the book labels them back to front so I'm still a bit confused [/quoote]

one will adjust tail rotor direction and the other the right to left aile but only adjust a very slight each time.
I started out some years ago now with Harobo XRB that was then power by a lead, in no time progressed to several other heli's and the Zoom Heli when they first came out and since then heli's have become much easier to fly and now with digi radio's beginners can now fly CCPM's ie. Blade 400.

[Bugster]

Thanks cams flyer and everyone else for the advice.

I've put the Neon Blaze to bed - best to go out on a high today I think and I'll ring Century tomorrow to clarify the adjustments before any more flying attempts. Still feel chuffed though - I actually took off, flew and landed a heli for 5 seconds several times - the wife says I'm been wearing a silly grin all afternoon.

I was recommended to buy the Phoenix sim in the model shop but having just laid out for the Bell 47 I was short of cash. Definitely going for it this week though. Thanks again all

[Mrs Leebert]

Well done on your first flight and welcome to the addictive world of helis!! This hobby is just the best and the grin factor just gets bigger and bigger.

Paula xx

[moonmanflyer]

Welcome to the forum mate, and prepare your wallet for a bashing, once your hooked theres no looking back.

[Bugster]

Thanks both. I'm still sitting here on the FMS sim grinning like I should be locked up

[163phil]

Welcome to the forum Bugster

Looks like you're well and truely bitten by the bug mate. As everyone here says, get Phoenix - if you think FMS is good you're in for a real treat

[cambs flyer]

You never forget the first time you fly on Phoenix, it'll be unlike anything you've ever seen before bud'.

It's as close as you'll ever get without flying for real, plus as it uses real life background's it doesn't look computer generated like FMS.

You can't believe the exciting times that lay ahead of you bro', it's a constant trip from this moment onward.