summary of my first ex;periance of a REAL rc heli

[N1CKP82]

okay so i bought a blade sr as my first heli hoping i could fly it with no problems,as i do have a cheap fixed pitched heli which i fly indoors with no problems...
so i just took the blade sr out of the box, charged the battery up stuck the training gear on incorrectly as i found out later and took it out without really reading the manual..(what a plonker)
now after reading the manual for a start the aileron trim on my controller was all the way to the right instead of in the centre which made the heli drift to the right which it did and very fast as also the duel rate switch was in high rate mode which for someone like myself is not good, which made things happen very quick and made the heli chew the floor...

so when it comes back from the shop i shall start again and slow down and do things more carefully and check that everything on the controller is set okay for the first flight as i know that they will need ajusting but in time...


does anyone have any useful tips to add to what ive said as i want to really fine tune this hobby and not let it beat me so i give up....

thanks

[Dan1982]

There's nothing like learning the hard way. lol. Well i hope the second flight goes better than the first.

[Baldie]

Some have found this to help

http://www.dream-models.com/eco/flying-index.html

Some just find it annoying !

[DanWright]

When you first start, don't try hovering it on your first battery, take your time. just get it light on the skids and slide it about a bit (probably best on Tarmac like a empty car park etc...) this will help you get to know the way it reacts do this for a few batteries. Then after that try gently hopping it, 1ifting off the ground for a second or two. Eventually youll get more confident and you'll soon be able to hold hovers longer and at a greater height.

[N1CKP82]

i think like others on here told me slow and steady wins, i think even if i raise it up off the floor a metre and put it back down would be a great thing and maybe a great step.

[N1CKP82]

When you first start, don't try hovering it on your first battery, take your time. just get it light on the skids and slide it about a bit (probably best on Tarmac like a empty car park etc...) this will help you get to know the way it reacts do this for a few batteries. Then after that try gently hopping it, 1ifting off the ground for a second or two. Eventually youll get more confident and you'll soon be able to hold hovers longer and at a greater height.

i think this is the best way i was thinking on the same lines i just need to be patiant i think .

[Vikki]

Since you have training gear on, hop it into the air to see how it will respond once off the ground. You should be able to judge if any additional trimming is required. At the very first sign of pearshapedness - drop the throttle and let it land. The training gear will help keep it upright when it lands even if at an angle.

Don't take too long getting it into the air as too slow a take-off can bring its own problems as the heli will want to drift to the left. Don't just sling it into the air, though. Quick but controlled. Be ready to drop the throttle.

Be careful about adding right stick on take-off to counteract the left drift. I give a little right stick on my mcpx but I'm aware of how much Larry needs and it's only a little and only till he's in the air. Too much and you risk flipping it (although the training gear will delay this and give you a small window in which to throttle down).

Hovering is not easy. Over correcting can lead to it getting away from you really fast. If it is starting to get away from you then consider it a fail and land and reset position. Training gear lets you land quickly and more safely than on skids alone.

Reactions build over time. Try not to panic (easier said than done). The corrective movements on the stick are surprisingly small. When you over correct you get into a thing I call 'rocking the baby'. The errors get bigger and bigger until the heli is hopelessly out of control. You start to follow one over correction with another. It doesn't take long for the heli to get to an angle where it slides blades first into the deck, a surprisingly short time. Seen youtube vids of learners splatting their heli straight into the deck in the first few seconds simply through 2-3 over-reactions. Small, small, small. However, sometimes you may need to make a big correction so don't write a big correction off if really needed.

Is a simulator a viable proposition for you?

Vikki.

[Vikki]

When sliding it be aware of things that can stop the training balls moving freely as these will cause the heli to tip. It really needs to be very light on the balls (so to speak) or friction becomes a little too great.

Vikki.

[N1CKP82]

well when i get the blade back the bloke would have flown it and trimmed it but i wont trust it will be perfect as weather will play a big part on its performance wont it? but everything you guys are saying make real sense to me and i cant wait to try again....

[N1CKP82]

vikki im not sure about a simulator as i dont think i would take it seriously as its not real and the nerves wont be there...

[Dan1982]

Trust, the sim is a big help. Your right with the nerves not being there, however you can learn a lot from the sim and crashes are free!!!!

[Vikki]

The sim felt real enough to me. You wince at every crash and it pushes you to do better and avoid the crashes. It sharpens the reflexes to the point where you can pull off a save and prevent a crash.

It teaches you to recover from a bad move before it becomes really bad (not always).

Of course, you CAN treat it like a game but it wouldn't do you any favours. I couldn't hover before I used the sim. I could after a few hours sim time (was awaiting spares).

Vikki.

[N1CKP82]

i have down loaded a free simulater which you can fly heli and planes but i find pushing buttons isnt the same as using a controller and i know you can buy ones which come with controllers but i think i will persist with the blade plus get a hold of this trimming scenario. I could catch hold how to hover on a simulater,but it dont help that first flight and the blade being un trimmed...?

[spudly]

Vikki,
You shouldn't have to give your MCPX any right stick on take off. You should use no cyclic on take off with flybarless until your in the air, you risk upsetting your gyro.

[Vikki]

If I don't he moves to the left a fair way. As he leaves the ground and starts to move left I give him a little right aileron and back to centre to straighten him up. He climbs nicely and we hover.