I have the bug!

[pjos11]

Paul... at last! What a frustrating start to your heli flying!

I know ! But I have it sorted now thanks to Icarus. A really nice guy that took on my problem when I didn't buy it from him.

[tomatwalden]

Wheel Spin Models were a nightmare and well as I said I have learned a lesson.

Regarding the Msrx I am having real trouble hovering it Even before it has left the ground its flying away to the left but was up in the air around 2 feet it is fine. BUt keeping it in one position is a bit of work and then just when I am getting to grips with it the battery runs out O the joys...

Left drift on take-off is normal for a single-rotor helicopter. It's caused by the lateral thrust of the tail rotor and is called translating tendency.

Helicopter Translating Tendency

A bit of right-cyclic is required to counteract it. It becomes second nature befor you know it ...

[Bhujang]

Wheel Spin Models were a nightmare and well as I said I have learned a lesson.

Regarding the Msrx I am having real trouble hovering it Even before it has left the ground its flying away to the left but was up in the air around 2 feet it is fine. BUt keeping it in one position is a bit of work and then just when I am getting to grips with it the battery runs out O the joys...

Whats your tx again? Can you add some expo say 30% in your DR/Exp setting this will help you control it better in flight.

[450man]

It is normal for a heli to be a bit unstable in the hover close to the ground. It is call ground effect and it occurs when the heli is about 1.5-2 rotor diameters above the ground. Once out of ground effect it stablises out a bit and there is less moving around.

I always practice hovering at about 3 feet up with a micro. That usually gets you out of ground effect but be ready for it when landing.

[cjcj1949]

As I said the msrx is difficult to hover. It is also a pain to get up in the air and land. Just keep going. It is a good trainer although the msr is easier, perhaps too easy. You need to keep going until it gets automatic, then it suddenly seems easy.

The translating tendency is because there is a force from the rotor to the left on take off, but no force to the right to balance it. Any force causes acceleration. You need right cyclic, as mentioned, but only a bit to lean the rotor over a few degrees.

There is a ground effect as mentioned, due to turbulence, and it depends on the size of the model and the surface you are over. Flybarred models are better than flybarred close to the ground, but flybarless are better away from the ground in wind.

Main thing is to stop thinking and just do it. Thinking is too slow for helis.

[450man]

Main thing is to stop thinking and just do it. Thinking is too slow for helis.

I have to agree with that but at first you have to think... and then when you can fly nose out (pointing away) without thinking you still have to think when the heli is pointing to the side and then when you can fly with it pointing to the side without thinking you still have to think when it is nose in (pointing towards you). It is a learning progression and that is why it takes so lang for most people.

I think the key to it is not to move on to the next stage until you can do the sateg you are on without thinking and automatically otherwise you just overload the brain!

I am not at the stage after about 5 or 6 months where I can fly with the heli pointing away totally without needing to think... I just react to whatever the heli is doing. The same is true of side on... so I am very happy flying left to right and turning at the end. I can fly circuits but whenever the heli is pointing towards me I get a little nervous because I still have to occasionally think about which way to move the sticks... yet I can fly fixed-wing without thinking. It is very wierd.

The good thing is that clearing progress is being made but you can see how slow that progress can be. Stick with it. You might be much quicker than me!!!

[tomatwalden]

Main thing is to stop thinking and just do it. Thinking is too slow for helis.

+1 on this. I tend to mention translating tendency to newbies however, because I recall when I started on single-rotor, I *almost* returned my heli because I was convinced it was faulty because it kept drifting left no matter what I did (short of leaning against it).

An hour on Google later, and armed with the knowledge it was normal, I got on with just flying the damned thing!

T