How do I fly backwards.

[LipolyGone]

Realy struggling to get my head around flying backwards guys & have no idea what I should do to start myself off.
I often panick whilst flying forwards & have to bring it back close to me via flying backwards but I just cant force myself around those first backward turns & circuits.
Anybody have any fool proof tips to get me started?
Martin

[helidriver]

Kin ell !!

sort the forwards first dude.

get really good at nose in then give it a go. most of ur backwards will be nose in to u.

then its just ins and outs on the sticks with a bit of fwd cyclic to keep the tail up.

u will need quite a bit more power than u would imagine in the turns.

[barney]

Martin..learn nose in hover first

[Sesame]

Martin I sympathise with you, ive been trying to do backwards for a few weeks, not getting very far with it either, it seams soon as I try to turn it all goes pear shaped I panic and swing it back around I think so far my successful turns in reverse are 1.

sorry mate no tips I have heard that have worked for me, I think its just gonna be sim practice and just keeping at it.

good luck with it mate keep me posted as to how you get on

[moyesboy]

I'm just getting the backwards nailed. but the weather and dark nights is beating me. I can do it ok on the sim.
lots of sim is the answer. when it is nailed on the sim then despite the adrenaline the sticks should go the right way when you try it for real.
Forwards inverted, backwards right way up are getting there, but backwards inverted I'm struggling on the sim.
I SO want to be able to do a skids in pie dish, but I'm miles away yet...

[richieclarkie]

Agree you need to be sorted with nose it, also side on both ways.

Then start everything off in Phoenix. Start by trying to fly past you up and down the flight line. Fly to one end, do half a pyro and pull back gently on the elevator. Make sure you do it slowly (fast walking pace max) This will get you used to the orientation change backwards. Try to get it that you can fly from one end to another and pyro round without hesitation to keep the flow. Also try to pyro with left rudder or right rudder only. You can then start widening out to full size circuits as you will have your orientations OK by then.

To give you hope, I was able to fly backwards almost straight from sim so it does work.

You can then start flying faster backwards ciruits, but you should always learn flying slowly first.

[xygax]

Simulator....

Steve

[Rotorhead]

Once you have learned to fly forward circuits and hover in all orientations without even thinking about it, only then consider it.

But as a tip, turns in reverse are either sticks together or sticks apart, and remember, if you where adding back stick slightly in forward turns, push forward stick instead.

Eg left turns in reverse are sticks apart, and right turns are sticks together, both with nose down as needed.

More rudder than aileron, once banked over, hold the rudder in, centre the aileron and add a slight bit of forward elevator as needed, and it should turn smoothly.

Dont rush to get there, it takes care patience to get the feel of it, and unless you have pleanty of £££ and enjoy rebuilding, and SIM!

[LipolyGone]

Some good tips there guys thanks.
I hadnt thought of just doing straight fly bye's with a small piro at the end thanks for that one Richie.
I can do circuits on the sim in reverse both directions but I just cant force the brain at the field to try them. I'm not overly happy with nose in I can force myself to do it but it doesnt come naturaly. I tend to fly 8's alot rather than fly circuits that have to cross over in front of me.
Next time I'm up the site I will try the fly pasts with piros at the end.
Martin

[mak24seven]

I struggle with the change of direction and i must push myself to be able to flick between forward and flicking the rudder into backward flight, at the moment i stop the heli in a hover then stick it into backward circles without fuss, i can do the circles both ways independantly but when stringing the two together to make a circuit it goes a bit pear shape on the crossover but as advised the sim is the only answer but i would start from a hover then tip it backwards as but as if your going into a piedish.

[Sesame]

Richie I like the up and down with piros idea too, Ill give it a go this afternoon weather permitting, good one mate.

[Ade_Law]

like myself being an ex planker backwards is going to be completly alien as its the only time that the aileron reverses. I spent a good 6 months retaining my brain on the sim.

i did slow figure 8s, think about the control movment you need to pickup/drop the tail and which way the aileron needs to go to flatten the turn or steepen the turn

Ade

[LipolyGone]

Your not wrong there Ade 23 years flying planks for me here most certainly isnt helping with my backwards flying.
Helidriver my forwards flight is fine & I can fly nose in fine it's just those scary moments when I lose orientation at height that I resort to the tail in hover. I was maybe thinking that for my first attempts at it I should go into a nose in hover at height pull back slightly on the stick & maybe do a half climbing backwards circuit to my left coming back into tail in hover this would probably feel safer to do as the heli is initialy moving away from me anyone any thoughts on this?
Martin

[JeromeF]

I can't fly nose-in that well at all, but I can pretty much do backward figure of 8s with great concentration.

My trick was basicly do a normal figure of 8 but on the right side I started to come back then piro the heli round and come backward from the left... after a few days of doing this I started to give a bit more of a bank turn than a piro to come back round the oposite way. I still can'd do it as well as forward 8s but i'm slowly getting there.