How to get rid of that shaky hand

[martin_]

Hi all, is there someone here with shaking hand or I'm in a very small minority....??

I started flying RC helicopter since 9 month now, in the beginning I was thinking it was going to dissapear over time but I have the bad impression that more I fly, the more my hand shake, it's really starting to embarrass me.

The first 2 or 3 flight of the day are the worst at a point that sometime I wonder how I will land that thing without crashing....... sometime it took me about half the pack trying to land .

I actually have a rex 450 & 600, the 600 cause me the worst shake, I'm not to bad at flying circuit, flip, roll, but it's somewhat erratic when I shake too much.

Oupss.. forgot to mention the knocking knees, but those one does not affect the flying

Ok, I exaggerate a little but I still want to get some advice, tip to calm down that stupid shaking hands.

[DKS_ONE]

Unfortunately, I think the only thing that will help you lose the shakes is experience. You've been at it for a number of months, but depending on the situation, you can still get it. I've been flying just a bit longer than you (just over a year) and if I'm flying after a crash, I usually get a bit shakey but after the first couple packs I'm good. Confidence is what will take it away, so be sure of yourself. The more certain you are of your abilities, the less nervous you will be. It's an adrenaline rush which is a good thing lol! But it has it's side effects haha! When you say you're flying circuits flips and rolls, are you doing it confidently? To the point that you're barely thinking of the stick inputs? If not, that's likely why and the only way to take that out of the equation is practice. So take one thing (circuit, loop, roll, whatever) and practice it repeatedly while also doing the stuff that you can do without thinking. Hopefully your hovering in all orientations is essentially second nature. If not, I would go right back to basics and work on solidifying them until they are. It can be boring, but once you have the basics really embedded in your brain, I bet your shakes go away, or at least are greatly reduced.

[Rªzª]

Everyone gets them depending on the situation. Yes even pros especially during a competition. Can't be helped sometimes. It just comes with the territory. The more comfortable you get with the type of flying you are doing (or the situation you are in) the more you will be able to relax and the shakes will subside (to a degree)

[newhelliguy]

Something that might help you fly while you have this problem is to add a little more expo, so the heli doesnt shake from your fingers shaking. As you get more experience and more comfortable (less shaking) you can reduce the expo. A guy at our club shakes bad from a neuro problem but with enough expo he flies with the best of them.

[martin_]

Ok, thanks for the advice.

From what I see, this is common to get some shake in some situation, I just have to get more confident.

[Ironizer]

One thing I found that helped me become more relaxed is doing basic orientation practice in the first 1-2 flights of the day even if my orientation skill is solid. It's kind of reassuring and makes you believe in yourself, that you are really in control.

[danyl]

Martin,

Let me take this in an entirely different direction. How old are you? Do you have high blood pressure? Are you currently on an blood pressure medications?

The reason why I ask is that a medication called a beta-blocker is also known to reduce tremors.

Many competition sharpshooters use them before matches. Unfortunately off/on use like that is dangerous. But however, if you already happened to have high blood pressure, you could consider having your doctor prescribe you a beta-blocker such as Metoprolol or Propranalol for your pressure and it may help your tremor.

"Better living through chemistry" lol

p.s. Please don't actually answer these questions. Medical information is private.

[martin_]

Hi, I'm 38 old, no medication and my blood pressure is just fine, exept before flying I guess loll...!!!

That's really because I'm too nervous and at the same time I'm like a kid when I go to fly with a big smyle, I'm in a hurry to fly and having fun, thus all maxed together make my hand shaking.

[Pigskin]

You are definately not alone. I get the shakes, before and during flying. Mostly through excitement and fear. But that excitement and a bit of fear is part of the enjoyment for me.


My legs shake the most, my hands generally okay unless I'm cold.

Is cold an issue? If so wear a hat and warm coat, even if the weather is niceI might stick my coat on to make sure I'm warm. It is amazing how cold one can get standing stock still in a field.

Also I find if I'm getting too nervous just moving around on a spot a little helps me.

[nparker13]

I'm in the same boat, I went from FP (which I am very confident with [and most importantly don't really care about crashing, because it was cheap and durable]) to my brand new Trex 500, which I am still in the terrified stage. Hopefully with time, I will gain confidence, but at this point, if I'm very nervous about FF. I can hover, and in the sim, do FF well, but in the field, I need more time to build up my confidence. It doesnt help that I eat through Torque Tube gears like candy.

[DKS_ONE]

Originally Posted by nparker13

I'm in the same boat, I went from FP (which I am very confident with [and most importantly don't really care about crashing, because it was cheap and durable]) to my brand new Trex 500, which I am still in the terrified stage. Hopefully with time, I will gain confidence, but at this point, if I'm very nervous about FF. I can hover, and in the sim, do FF well, but in the field, I need more time to build up my confidence. It doesnt help that I eat through Torque Tube gears like candy.

Keep that tail up How tight are the tail blades? If you get them loose in the grips and make sure to hit T/H when you're landing (IE: either when still in the air or the INSTANT you touch down) you won't go through those gears. Getting a slightly longer tail fin will also help. Stay the course, the 500 is an absolute hoot to fly. I assume that having gone from FP right into the 500 the sound of that sucker spinning up is quite the racket? I know it gave me a real wake up call, but you get used to it, I rather like the sound it makes now. And you'll never get enough of the sound of the blades hacking the air when you're making a high speed bank

[nparker13]

@DKS_ONE I went from the 120SR to the Trex 500 via Phoenix Sim. Thank you for the advice, I definitely need to loosen my tail rotors, I was reading up on that yesterday after I went through my third front gear. I also ordered an extended fin from HeliDirect.

It is an awesome sight (and sound) to experience the 500 spool-up. VERY intimidating at this point, I'm scared to do anything other than hover.

[MpVpRb]

Originally Posted by Pigskin

Is cold an issue?

YES!

When it's cold, my fingers don't work very well.

And I'm not talking about "Fargo" cold either, just a cold morning in Burbank.

Guess I'm just really sensitive to anything below 70.

[danielnibo]

Originally Posted by martin_

is there someone here with shaking hand or I'm in a very small minority....??

I´m inside your ¨minority¨ - hands and knees.
And it´s direct proportional to:
1. Value of the heli I´m flying
2. Distance to the nearest spare parts reseller (all of them at least 1000 miles from here
3. Status of my wallet.

Also, if I own a couple of other helis waiting to fly, I shake less. If it´s the ¨unique¨ in conditions, I shake more.

[clicky]

Originally Posted by danielnibo

I´m inside your ¨minority¨ - hands and knees.
And it´s direct proportional to:
1. Value of the heli I´m flying
2. Distance to the nearest spare parts reseller (all of them at least 1000 miles from here
3. Status of my wallet.

Also, if I own a couple of other helis waiting to fly, I shake less. If it´s the ¨unique¨ in conditions, I shake more.

Couple of more variables:

4. amount of flying time since last crash (the longer I have flown, less worried I am and look at the next bullet)
5. amount and kind of spares in 'home' stock

+

The moment I get mCP-X out to fly - most of those worries go away and I fly it without any worries!

[jcinauz]

With me it's my Leg that starts going a mile a minute like a wacker and I found that 1 and i emphise!! ONE small drink with me it's a scotch (single malt)of course and that just takes the edge of the nerves and presto no more wacker leg!..Hope tis helps and if not Try turning it into a blade cracking motion and everyone will think your Curtiss ;-)
Happy landings mate...jcinauz

[willlig756]

My left thumb shakes. It looks like I'm doing constant pitch pumps lol. I have to set it back down and recollect myself.

[bchrny]

DO THIS!--Invision this helicopter as not costing you a dime. If you crash, so what, IT can be repaired.Invision the heli as an expression of your freedom,you and the heli are one and being free is a mutual agreement between you and IT. The key word being IT!


IT is nothing but a bunch of formated materials which are virtuously worthless except the price men have put on IT! IT deserves no kind of respect of worth, or anything other than your outlet, which IT provides-either in the air or on your workbench! IN OTHER WORDS FLY THE FREAKIN THING LIKE YOU STOLE IT! GET CRAZY!!! CONQUER YOUR HEART (adreniline)!!!
By the way avoid crashing-Just relax.....................

[Innovine]

Check that you are breathing ok when flying! You might be holding your breath or not breathing evenly.

As an experiment, dedicate a full battery entirely within your comfort zone. Just hover and move around very gently so you are completely in control all the time, and focus on relaxing and chilling out. Doing this every so often helps.

If you have a few batteries, flying one after another (with a minor break in between) can also help as you get warmed up. Notice that the later flights become more relaxed, and have some of you attention on that unwinding sensation.

Another thing I've found to help is to hover around for a minute, and then land again. I usually make a little trim adjustment, take off, test it for a minute to see if there's any drift, and land again and adjust. I'm comfortable with landing and hovering so this is all totally fine, and I relax a lot. It's training my brain/body to recognize the relaxed feeling while flying.

[TheQuixote]

You could go buy the most expensive helicopter you can afford and fly at high speed into a cinder block wall.

After that any crash will in most cases be relatively minor. And if you start to get nervous you can just think to yourself, "No matter what happens it probably wont be as bad as flying the helicopter into a cinder block wall."