HeliProz R/C Heli Flying Hints and Stories

This section will be dedicated to tips for R/C heli pilots from novice to pre-Curtis skill levels. WE ARE LOOKING FOR INPUT HERE! Please e-mail us with any questions you would like to see addressed. We'll be starting two sections on flying, one for the beginner and one for aerobatics flying. Let us know what you want to see! (c) 1999/2000 all rights reserved.

We haven't got any requests or questions for this section yet. Oh well - we'll just take off on our own then.

BASIC FLYING

Just learning to hover?
Great! There's not much advice that helps for hovering - it's primarily a matter of you spending the time to learn to anticipate the needed corrective inputs and put them in as soon as possible. The sooner you stop the heli from moving (in any direction) the less control it will take. That means less chance of an error in control inputs. Remember that whatever cyclic inputs you put in will need to be taken OUT as soon as the heli stops - otherwise it will just start moving off in the opposite direction. Be patient, and be ready to SMOOTHLY pull the throttle/collective back if it starts to get away from you.

The setup for a novice is VERY important. Make certain that you have +2 to +3 degrees POSITIVE PITCH at the full down (idle) position for your first attempts at hovering. That way you won't "drive" the heli into the ground if you panic and pull the throttle down too quickly. DO NOT attempt forward flight with that setting!! You won't be able to get it down without bleeding too much energy. When you are ready for forward flight, readjust the pitch curve to have at least -2 to -4 at the low stick position, then practice hovering again to re-learn the new control feel.

Before you start work on transitioning into forward flight, take the time to get a real good handle on hovering. Small steps are the way to go with helis! Learn to very slowly move the heli from side to side and forwards and backwards, stopping it WHERE you want to. Use small power adjustments as needed to keep the altitude constant.

What Next? Nose-in or Forward Flight??
Plenty of worms to stir here. Some believe that you should learn nose-in before you attempt forward flight. The thought here is that you may inadvertantly end up nose-in while learning forward flight, so best to learn it first. By definition this pretty much means you learn it starting from the ground. The ground is the cause of most damage in crash situations, so the inherent proximity in this approach is why we don't really favor it. If you DO try this, put the training gear back on. (This is also exactly the sort of thing that a simulator makes MUCH easier - and cheaper - to learn). Check out the tip below on tail control orientation. It may also help to think in terms of pushing the cyclic stick towards the side of the disk that you want to RAISE while NOSE-IN.

(To backtrack - the reason nose-in is a challenge is that 3 of the flight controls "reverse" in this attitude; T/R, aileron and elevator all work backwards, in relation to YOU, when nose-in).

We think you are better off going from tail-in hovering to forward flight, THEN learn nose in from mid-altitude forward flight. SMALL STEPS is our motto! Having mastered the tail in hover and moving the heli from side to side, and fore-and-aft - in very slow hovering flight, the next logical step is to fly the heli very slowly around yourself. THIS MEANS YOU NEED A BIG*LARGE*NOTBACKYARD clearing. Start with very slow sideways flight, tail-in, in a circle. Use throttle/coll. to maintain altitude at 3-4 feet, and control speed with the aileron (L/R cyclic). Practice constant speed and stopping back into hover at a precise point. When confident doing this in both directions, let the nose swing into the direction of flight. KEEP IT SLOW. You'll need to use some TR if you are in heading hold mode, and even if not when speed is very slow. As it speeds up you will not need TR (unless in heading hold mode) and you will need to reduce power as the heli's blade disk starts to create its own lift (in addition to the lift produced by the rotor downwash). This "transitional" lift is what you need to get a handle on at this point. The faster the heli goes, the more it will want to climb. It will also need more aft cyclic to keep the circle the same size as speed builds, and a slightly steeper bank angle.

Before getting into high speed flight, you MUST get a handle on RETURNING to hover! When you transition OUT of hover, you gain lift. So it should be obvious that when you slow the heli back into a hover, you LOSE lift. It works - in basic terms - like this. Having moved into forward flight around yourself, you start slowing the heli by reducing power AND raising the nose of the heli. Do both in SMALL steps. The increased drag (from raising the nose) will slow the heli, and the reduced power will let it descend. Establish a nice slow rate of descent at a fairly slow forward speed and let it come down to 3-4' off the ground. Now reduce the power a SMALL amount more and raise the nose however far is needed to arrest the forward flight. Now here's the IMPORTANT PART! As soon as it stops moving forward, push the cyclic forward to get the heli level! (otherwise it will tailslide towards the dirt!) At the same time, smoothly add a bit of power - several clicks - to replace the lost transitional lift with added downwash. It will take some practice.

At this point, all that's left is to fly a pattern in front of yourself rather than around yourself. Try to keep the forward speed fairly slow to make it easy - remember, raise the nose and reduce power whenever it gets too fast, then lower the nose again to keep the heli in forward flight. Fly a circle or oval or whatever in front of yourself. Assuming you are flying a circle to the left, the heli will be briefly nose-in to you when it's coming back on the left side of the circle. Just turn your body to the right a bit and look back to your left at the heli - this will keep your left-right orientation the same. As it approaches from your left, take out the bank and let it fly towards a point out in front of you, and PAST you - and slowy reduce speed as we've covered. If the heli gets slow BEFORE it reaches you, gently push both sticks forward to get back flying and do another circle. You want the heli to reach decision height (3-4 feet) at a spot about 20 feet or more in front of you and about 20 feet PAST you, to your right (in this example). That way, when it is in the critical phase of transitioning to hover, you are looking at the tail rather than the nose or side.

So WHEN and HOW to work on nose in?
Okay, here's how we recommend you approach nose-in hovering. (Obviously use the simulator if you have one!) Now that you can fly circuits, start slowing the heli when it's coming at you, up at a safe height. If you have been flying the "inward" part of the circuit while turning your body in the direction of the helis flight, start weaning yourself off the habit. Get comfortable making SMALL adjustments in the inbound leg using the aileron (L/R cyclic). Make these adjustments slowly, and remember that if it goes in the opposite direction (to what you expected) just give it the opposite cyclic to fix it. At any time you get lost, just get back into forward flight and continue your circuit.
At some point you will get comfortable with flying circuits and adjusting to the perceived reversal of the cyclic and TR commands while nose in in forward flight. That's the time to start slowing the heli all the way to a high hover while it's almost nose in. (But NOT aimed DIRECTLY at you). Stop the heli at about 50 feet high and 50 feet before it reaches you. Use whatever correction you need (carefully) to keep a nice steady hover. Then smoothly push the nose down and go back into forward flight circuits. (Small steps, remember?)
After doing this a while, you can start to extend the time that you stay in hover. Move the nose in and out - maybe do a full 360 degree pirouette. Move the heli slows to the left and to the right (sideways) while nose in, and arrest the movement after a few feet. You have plenty of height as long as you keep your wits. If you get disoriented, fly out of the hover and calm down.
The next step REQUIRES that you have gotten comfortable at a safe altitude. Slowly start working the hover down lower. ALWAYS have a bail-out plan thought out in advance. At this stage the plan will ALWAYS involve using TR stick to point the heli AWAY from you and any spectators/pilots and THEN adding power and flying out of trouble. ALWAYS think of that before you start working on the flying.
At any time that you start getting "behind" the heli, kick the tail around and climb out. There's no time limit on learning. Within several sessions you should start to get comfortable with the control movements. (Remember our tip on "ruddering" the far side of the heli when it's upright.) Eventually you will be ready to do a nose-in landing. That will be a major accomplishment and a major "rush"! Just don't try it until you can HOLD a stationary hover at low altitude.

What's the next learning "chore"? We think it should be autorotations, because you'll do one eventually anyhow whether you prepare or not. The odds of a favorable outcome are better if your first auto's are intentional. - To be continued!

INTERMEDIATE FLYING

Trouble with the Tail?
If you are just starting on nose-in or inverted flight, chances are that the biggest brain-strain has to do with remembering which way to push the tail rotor stick. We'll, here's a simple "trick" that can be a BIG help. (Hey, even Curtis uses timing counts and pre-thought stick sequences to help him do all that "Howdy Doodat" stuff!)

Just remember this: When the helicopter is upright, the T/R stick always steers the FAR side of the heli. If it's tail-in, then pushing the stick right moves the nose (far side) of the heli to your right. If nose-in, then pushing the stick right moves the tail (far side) of the heli to your right. See? Which end is moving changes, but it is ALWAYS the FAR side that goes the way you push the stick.

Inverted? Just the opposite. The T/R stick always steers the NEAR side of the heli. If it's tail-in, then pushing the stick right moves the tail (near side) of the heli to your right. If nose-in, then pushing the stick right moves the nose (near side) of the heli to your right. Either way it is ALWAYS the NEAR side that goes the way you push the stick.

I bet this will help you. Just remember to "rudder the far side" upright, and "rudder the near side" inverted.

What order to try new maneuvers?
We'be been asked several times lately what's the best way to "try inverted" for the first time. Here's our advice. First off, make sure you have a good plug, a header tank, and have programmed an idle up! (Nothing more annoying than flipping inverted in normal mode at low altitude.) I only use 3 flight modes; normal, hold, and a V-shaped idle up. I'd suggest that you start that way too, you can add another flight mode (or 20..) as you decide you need them. Then, work your way up to inverted flight by going thru the following sequence, starting in calm air:

1. Stall Turn. Fly parallel to the flight line at fairly high speed, pull smoothly up to vertical and reduce pitch to zero. As upward speed stops, hit tail rotor and fly back out in the opposite direction, adding collective back in as you pull the smooth quarter loop back to level flight.

2. Inside Loop. Fly parallel to the flight line at high speed AND a safe altitude, pull SMOOTHLY up into a loop. As you reach the top have the stick slightly below 0 pitch as you hold the up-elevator (aft cyclic) and continue around the loop. As the heli passes the top center of the loop HOLD the slight negative until the heli is at the downward vertical position, then start adding collective back. Release cyclic as the heli heli returns to straight flight.

3. Stretched Inside Loop. Do a loop, but this time at the top you just add a bit more negative collective and release the aft cyclic just as the heli reaches level inverted at the top. Let it fly a short distance that way but do NOT let it stop moving forward - if it slows too much pull aft cycle to finish the loop. (Remember, when inverted pulling back on cyclic speeds/lowers the heli and pushing forward slows/raises - and eventually reverses flight direction to tail first..) As you gain confidence, fly a longer inverted portion at the top and use aileron (L/R cyclic) and elevator to keep the path straight and level. Let the heli get slower and slower, always keeping in mind that your "bail out" plan does NOT involve any increase in (positive) collective! As the heli gets slower, work on the tail commands. ("Inverted, rudder the near side - remember?). At some point you will get comfortable letting the heli stop its forward movement. Great!

Bail Out Tips!
In the beginning, bail out by finishing the loop. That way there's only one control to move, the elevator stick. This is the easiest way to bail - BUT ONLY AT HIGH ALTITUDE!! As you get braver you'll want to hover inverted at lower altitudes. BEFORE you do that, work on low altitude bail outs. There are TWO options for returning to level upright flight at low altitude. You can either HALF-ROLL out of inverted, by applying full L/R cyclic and adding positive pitch as you return to level upright, OR you can pull in more negative and HALF-FLIP back to upright. Work on BOTH at the higher "top of the loop" altitudes LONG before you try low altitude inverted hover. If rolls are new to you, start out working on Immelmans; simply half roll while in forward inverted flight just after you reach level flight and zero/slight negative pitch at the top of the loop. Again, start at speed and then fly bigger loops with lower speed at the top and work your way slower.

More to come...