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Did I say Fastarse (mCP-X) was like a hummingbird on LSD? Well, I grossly understated the fact. Add a 360 degree variable swivel rocket unit under its tail and that would be closer to the truth. A hummingbird on nitromethane, yeah, that's it.
Have I said that helis are like wet soap on oiled glass (from simulator experience)? Oh yeah, got that right, too.
But what FUN!
There's a big field within easy (5 mins) walking distance of where I work. The ground is a little rough but critters (rabbits I assume from the plentiful supply of little round balls I found) keep the grass fairly short. I took Fastarse there. It's off the path and protected by trees and hedges so nobody can see or bother you when they are out for their stroll. The field is very big. Thank God it was! It was also windless.
First flight I found it quite difficult to keep in one spot. I was hovering him, but I was hovering him where he went to hover - which was over here, um, over there, erm, up there and, oh, why not over here by this tree!
Thanks to the simulator I was able to bring him back and I managed to keep him in my vacinity, by vacinity I mean anywhere within 20 feet of me and 30 feet vertically. My God can that thing climb when your concentrating on horizontal position. Start at 6 feet and next things he's chuckling down at you from 30 foot plus!
After several flights and several controlled dumps into the ground to prevent further and worse mishaps occuring I was trying to bring him back from scurrying away from me. He was heading out of the field and toward where I know theres a stream. I dumped the throttle and let him fall into nice long grass. Except it was nice long grass the otherside of a barbed wire fence. Jeepers but that stuff has a tenacious grip!
I'm walking toward the barbed wire fence thinking, 'please let him be just the otherside' repeatedly, but no - he was 10 feet the otherside and three feet from the little stream. I struggle through the barb wire, there's only a foot between lengths and I ain't little. I make it through accompanied by the odd small tearing sound here and there and emerge the otherside to proudly and confidently pick up my little hell-bird. O-oh, another round with the barbed wire faces me but it succumbs to my will (somewhat reluctantly, more grabbings on to me). Do the 'nothings happened' walk back to rucksack.
Right, Fastarse is back on the deck and then up into the air where I valiantly fight to keep him in a half-mile cube. He tears past me, backwards (I over reacted) and as I turn I see he's heading for a tree. Dump the throttle and in he goes to the thin, spindly branches at which point he graciously falls to the ground.
I recover the little (insert any expletive you fancy here) sod and decide to hand launch him. On spin up I notice the swashplate lifts and the critter makes a nasty burring noise. Then I remember what some kind gent on here said "Watch out after a crash as sometimes the main gear comes off the flat and drops". Sure enough, that's what happened (gotta love the expertise available in forums). So, I turn it and press it back on to the shaft and give Fastarse one last fly. I'm getting better. This time I keep him to below 10 feet (airline pilots are thanking me as they fly past) and I'm keeping him closer to me (still over here, over there and 'how about here?'. At least he's not 200 feet away from behind a barbed wire fence (although if I had my way - shakes fist)!
I even land him properly on his skids and watch as the main rotor spins down to a graceful stop. That's where I decided to call it a day. I pack up and head back to work a happy bunny. Except, I hope to God I get better at hovering this hell-fire heathen called Fastarse.
On the way to the field I was thinking, 'don't be scared, just get it in the air, plenty of room. Don't let him rule you'. Well, it almost worked.
Oh, next time I'm going to take a nice flat peice of something to act as a helipad.
Best regards.
Vikki.
Have I said that helis are like wet soap on oiled glass (from simulator experience)? Oh yeah, got that right, too.
But what FUN!
There's a big field within easy (5 mins) walking distance of where I work. The ground is a little rough but critters (rabbits I assume from the plentiful supply of little round balls I found) keep the grass fairly short. I took Fastarse there. It's off the path and protected by trees and hedges so nobody can see or bother you when they are out for their stroll. The field is very big. Thank God it was! It was also windless.
First flight I found it quite difficult to keep in one spot. I was hovering him, but I was hovering him where he went to hover - which was over here, um, over there, erm, up there and, oh, why not over here by this tree!
Thanks to the simulator I was able to bring him back and I managed to keep him in my vacinity, by vacinity I mean anywhere within 20 feet of me and 30 feet vertically. My God can that thing climb when your concentrating on horizontal position. Start at 6 feet and next things he's chuckling down at you from 30 foot plus!
After several flights and several controlled dumps into the ground to prevent further and worse mishaps occuring I was trying to bring him back from scurrying away from me. He was heading out of the field and toward where I know theres a stream. I dumped the throttle and let him fall into nice long grass. Except it was nice long grass the otherside of a barbed wire fence. Jeepers but that stuff has a tenacious grip!
I'm walking toward the barbed wire fence thinking, 'please let him be just the otherside' repeatedly, but no - he was 10 feet the otherside and three feet from the little stream. I struggle through the barb wire, there's only a foot between lengths and I ain't little. I make it through accompanied by the odd small tearing sound here and there and emerge the otherside to proudly and confidently pick up my little hell-bird. O-oh, another round with the barbed wire faces me but it succumbs to my will (somewhat reluctantly, more grabbings on to me). Do the 'nothings happened' walk back to rucksack.
Right, Fastarse is back on the deck and then up into the air where I valiantly fight to keep him in a half-mile cube. He tears past me, backwards (I over reacted) and as I turn I see he's heading for a tree. Dump the throttle and in he goes to the thin, spindly branches at which point he graciously falls to the ground.
I recover the little (insert any expletive you fancy here) sod and decide to hand launch him. On spin up I notice the swashplate lifts and the critter makes a nasty burring noise. Then I remember what some kind gent on here said "Watch out after a crash as sometimes the main gear comes off the flat and drops". Sure enough, that's what happened (gotta love the expertise available in forums). So, I turn it and press it back on to the shaft and give Fastarse one last fly. I'm getting better. This time I keep him to below 10 feet (airline pilots are thanking me as they fly past) and I'm keeping him closer to me (still over here, over there and 'how about here?'. At least he's not 200 feet away from behind a barbed wire fence (although if I had my way - shakes fist)!
I even land him properly on his skids and watch as the main rotor spins down to a graceful stop. That's where I decided to call it a day. I pack up and head back to work a happy bunny. Except, I hope to God I get better at hovering this hell-fire heathen called Fastarse.
On the way to the field I was thinking, 'don't be scared, just get it in the air, plenty of room. Don't let him rule you'. Well, it almost worked.
Oh, next time I'm going to take a nice flat peice of something to act as a helipad.
Best regards.
Vikki.
the sim really does help aswell, its helped me improve a lot.
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