Staff
Senior Member
Posts: 1510
Loc: Roanoke Va USA
Reg: 03-05-00
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 04-22-02 01:34 AM - Post#7096
Place your "Flying Tips" on this thread!
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nsacco
Senior Member
Posts: 453
Loc: Raleigh, NC, USA
Reg: 01-10-01
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 04-22-02 11:53 AM - Post#7131
In response to Staff
Start your flying season with an eye checkup! There's nothing so insideous as eyesight that isn't up to par. Eyesight changes very slowly and if you've wondered why you may not be so quick on the draw, it just might be because you can't see!
| Happy Flying!
It's not how much it costs, it's how much you can afford! |
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Heli_Driver
Senior Member
Posts: 518
Loc: Arlington, TX USA
Reg: 10-26-01
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04-22-02 03:00 PM - Post#7140
In response to Staff
Good idea nsacco, Everyone needs an eye check up now and again. Along those lines, I suggest you get a good pair of sunglasses with at least 99.1% UV protection. You can cook you eyes over time by not having UV protection, just look at what it will do to your skin... "sun burn" or worse.
I prefer the wrap around type that protects my side vision as well as forward vision.
If you have trouble seeing the model higher on cloudy days use the yellow or orange glasses (blue blockers) that actually brighten things up without glare problems.
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Doug
Senior Member
Posts: 823
Loc: Naples Fl. USA
Reg: 11-17-00
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04-22-02 03:18 PM - Post#7143
In response to Staff
When you set up a "new" model in your transmitter, recheck your "old" model to make sure you didn't make any unintended changes. (don't ask how I know that) 
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volare
Member
Posts: 66
Loc: Cincinnati
Reg: 01-04-02
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04-22-02 07:33 PM - Post#7158
In response to Doug
Fly high! Especially when trying new maneuvers. You never know when you'll get disoriented and need a little more room between your heli and the ground. Saturday I would have totaled my raptor if it weren’t for another 5 feet of altitude.
Along with flying high, fly far from yourself and others. It's much safer that way. Mechanical failures happen as well as failures between your brain and fingers :-o
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Alexy
Member
Posts: 87
Loc: Warrenton VA
Reg: 10-08-01
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04-22-02 08:15 PM - Post#7163
In response to volare
Not only fly high. Fly far enough away from you that you are not likely to get hit if something goes wrong. i see this time and time again where fliers will stand less than 15-20 feet from a model. Please remember that these machines are masses of small moving parts and that any one failure will usually cause a loss of control on one (or more) axies of control. This does not even mention radio interference or weather conditions affecting the flight. I have seen the grafic result of a 60 size heli hitting flesh and it is not pretty. (see old issue of rotory) Take care and hope the fliing season goes well for everyone
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Heli-Nut50
Member
Posts: 45
Loc: Valemount, BC, Canada
Reg: 03-15-02
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04-23-02 01:04 AM - Post#7183
In response to Staff
Do visual checks before each flight. Here is a quick way to do these checks. Take a fine tip paint marker and just mark the head and the matting surface. Use a color that is easy for you to see. I use this method all the time, it makes that first check of the day go great and no suprises in the air.
Fly Hard!
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REMDREAM
Senior Member
Posts: 138
Reg: 11-07-00
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04-23-02 04:42 AM - Post#7193
In response to Staff
I learned figure eights and nose-in hovering by painting the canopy of my shuttle one-half black and the other left standard.Ugly but worked for me.It definitely helped to gauge how much "side-on" you are with your figure T hovering.
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RW-1
Senior Member
Posts: 853
Loc: Sunrise, FL. U.S.A.
Reg: 01-18-01
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04-23-02 05:46 PM - Post#7215
In response to Staff
Another method is the pool "noodles" : foam attached to the skids, make great for landing on water if inclined and heli is balanced for it, but if you use two colors, it gives easily identifyable orientation in FF and in high hovering.
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volare
Member
Posts: 66
Loc: Cincinnati
Reg: 01-04-02
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04-24-02 11:58 PM - Post#7253
In response to Staff
When doing aerobatics, sometimes some of the controls seem 'reversed' because of the attitude of the helicopter. Mental tricks can be used to combat the confusion. For example, when you move your collective stick up, think of it as pulling the helicopter toward the rotor blades instead of 'going up'. This will help if you're ever in a situation where you're not upright. Other similar tricks cam be used for the other controls.
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Scotty740
Senior Member
Posts: 240
Loc: Nashport, Oh USA
Reg: 01-29-01
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04-26-02 12:21 AM - Post#7312
In response to volare
It's easy to lose your knack for hovering nose in once you start into forward flight. You get to the point where you are not doing much of it. I've made it a habit now to always land nose in. That way every flight I get some nose in practice.
| Scott Stickle
IRCHA # 1660
There is a very fine line between Hobby and Mental Illness |
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twguns
Senior Member
Posts: 252
Loc: Indianapolis, IN
Reg: 06-10-01
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04-26-02 03:35 PM - Post#7335
In response to Scotty740
When carrying your model & radio from the starting area to the flying area, carry the transmitter with your thumb holding the throttle in the down or lowest position...
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basmntdweller
New Member
Posts: 21
Loc: Indianapolis IN USA
Reg: 12-03-01
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04-28-02 10:13 PM - Post#7403
In response to Staff
Similar to twguns, Always carry the heli and radio out to fly with throttle hold enabled. I was carrying my Fury out a couple days ago while letting the radio hang from my neck strap. Somehow something caught the throttle stick and opened to about half throttle. I was able to hold on long enough to get it back to idle but had it been in throttle hold it wouldn't have mattered. Doing both is probably the safest method.
Later,,,basmntdweller
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Scotty740
Senior Member
Posts: 240
Loc: Nashport, Oh USA
Reg: 01-29-01
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05-02-02 01:56 AM - Post#7514
In response to basmntdweller
When starting to fly circuits it is difficult to tell orientation in turns. It was hard for me to tell how the heli was tilted comming out of a long 180 deg turn. I started making those turns a little longer, more like a figure 8, so I exited them with the heli flying toward me. I could then tell better how it was orientated. Over time you learn that the heli is doing what your sticks are telling it to and can rely more on that sense.
| Scott Stickle
IRCHA # 1660
There is a very fine line between Hobby and Mental Illness |
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golddr2000
Member
Posts: 90
Loc: Easton ,PA
Reg: 04-17-01
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05-02-02 10:39 AM - Post#7522
In response to Scotty740
When landing your heli ( espeially if you are going to have a hard landing) put in some forward cyclic upon touchdown.This way you will be sure to prevent boom strikes.This tip was very helpful when I first started flying.
Pat
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Viper39427
Member
Posts: 63
Reg: 08-20-01
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05-12-02 05:42 PM - Post#7857
In response to golddr2000
Beginners, when learning to fly, be patient, it's not going to happen over night, and don't try to rush yourself along, trust me you'll get to where you're headed. Patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait.
Happy Hovering
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ETL17
Senior Member
Posts: 121
Loc: San Francisco, USA
Reg: 01-24-01
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05-16-02 11:43 PM - Post#7978
In response to Staff
I got this tip from someone else, so I don't think that I actually deserve the credit for it. When practicing nose-in flying, instead of trying to mentally "reverse" the cyclic controls, you can just move the stick towards the low side of the rotor!
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Anonymous
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 05-17-02 02:33 PM - Post#7988
In response to Staff
Before you set-out for a days flight. The night before due a good pre-flight check of all ball linkages, tightness of bolts, mechanical system free play and radio operation. Eat a nice breakfast before setting out and when you get to the field check the conditions (ie. weather, wind, flyers and frequencies). And before starting always perform a range check. For intermediate/advanced flyers practice hovering basic skills before performing aerobatics (i.e. from all sides and nose-in) for a tank full or two. This should set the stage for a very enjoyable day of flying. Happy rotoring!!
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volare
Member
Posts: 66
Loc: Cincinnati
Reg: 01-04-02
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05-19-02 07:26 PM - Post#8039
In response to Staff
When learning to autorotate, it can help to set your throttle hold high enough that the clutch won't disengage. This way if you mess one up you will still have a little help at the end to get you down softly. As you get better, gradually reduce your throttle hold until the clutch disengages completely.
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321
Senior Member
Posts: 615
Loc: Florida
Reg: 10-26-00
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05-21-02 02:08 PM - Post#8075
In response to Staff
Once you achieve intermediate flying ability, it's easy to settle into a comfortable flying routine at the expense of further progress.
Set flying goals and work through exercises you feel you're ready to tackle. Work toward smooth, fluid helicopter motions, consistent speed and altitude (if applicable) throughout a manuever and precise lines/curves of travel. Smoothness is very impressive to those in the know.
Even after you get a lot of forward flight experience, it's still important to practice hovering skills which complement forward flight tremendously. Master every orientation of the tail, regardless of wind direction. Become an expert at holding constant altitude and position. Also learn to hold altitude and heading while traveling slowly along a straight line or some predetermined geometric shape over the ground. Then do the same while slowly piroetting - doing this in a circle in either direction is undeniable control.
If you go to the AMA website, there is a pdf file that describes and illustrates Class I, II and III helicopter contest maneuvers and rules. These could also be viewed as a good mix of hovering and forward flight exercises for fun. As simple as some of these exercises look, don't underestimate how tough they are until you try them.
Here's the url: http://www.modelaircraft.org/templates/ama/compreg.asp
What to click from there is pretty obvious  .
Use the Schedule of Maneuvers to add structure to your learning and to use as a checklist for your ever-increasing bag of flying tricks. The illustrations and descriptions show how each maneuver is done properly. Most, if not all, can be done in opposite directions - so practice both.
I personally find that as my flying skills further develop, it becomes easier and more comfortable to land, take off and fly a little farther away. I view this as a great opportunity to increase the distance I use as a safety margin between the helicopter and myself and other people. It's just common sense that makes the flying field a more enjoyable place. I hope you agree.
Happy flying and work on a new trick!
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