Beginning Pilot will DJI Naza H GPS or Skookum 720BE GPS help more?

[DW9168]

Well I bought my first 600Efl Pro with the intention of putting on a GPS system with the FBL controller to help me keep from crashing as much. Just wondering which system is going to be best for me,like to fly more sport or scale style and I don't plan on intense 3D moves but would like to learn the basics someday and the Skookum seems a little more feature friendly there. However the Naza looks more friendly in that it can be locked on a hover at low altitude under 8m as I think the Skookum is only able to use GPS below 8 M or something. Don't know read a lot of pros and Cons for each system would like for some users to input some quality comments for each system. Cost Is also a concern but willing to buy quality if it keeps the bird in the Air I have a flight sim and have started on a 450 but still pretty new to flying.

Thanks DW

[bezflycam]

very good post, I hope people with experience can comment.

regards

[ColinSouthern]

I'm curious as to why you've associated GPS technology and not stabilization/leveling & bailout technology as an electronic aid to not crashing?

When I first started flying my 450 I had a few moments where it ended up too high and too far away - and I too wished I had an autopilot with a return-to-home function, but I quickly learned that those situations were occurring because of (a) my lack of skill in recognising a bad situation developing and (b) the fact that I was flying the heli in normal mode as opposed to an IU mode so I couldn't make aggressive descents without (essentially) cutting power to the motor (The result of one such descent resulted in the bird hitting the ground at damn near terminal velocity) (dealer had to order parts he'd never been asked for before!).

These days (only a few months later) I've learned a few things ...

- I've learned to control the heli a LOT better so that I don't end up in situations where it's up high and far away.

- I've learned to spot a bad situation developing a LOT sooner.

- I fitted a couple of super-bright white LEDs to the front of the skids that REALLY help orient the heli in a loss of orientation situation (they can be turned on or off from the Tx as required).

- I learned to ALWAYS fly in IU mode with a linear pitch curve. This has been a biggie (Thanks to the HF guys here who helped me "see the light", despite my naive protests!). It took a little while to get used to it, but now that I have, I'm gob-smacked at the degree of better control that I now have over the heli. And you would not believe how aggressively I can safely descend it now (it resembles a streamlined torpedo!) - all with no loss of RPM / Power (in "talking" to my heli the term "hey bitch - I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S THE BOSS NOW" comes to mind!).

- I invested in a HeliCommand HC3sX, which gives me 2 wonderful wonderful things:

(a) Self-leveling that I can switch on or off from the Tx (and control the degree), so if I do get into a situation where the bird ends up too high and too far away I can flick a switch to turn self-leveling on AND THEN NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT ANY MORE. At that point I can quickly flick the tail around until I can see the LEDs (If I can't see the tail orientation) and the bird is on it's way back to me in seconds. Safely.

(b) Bailout. If I get a situation where I've lost orientation and control - bird starts to descent - I'm not sure what I've done wrong - I don't know what to do to fix it - I press ONE button for a second or two and hey-presto in (literally) less than a heartbeat the bird is level and climbing. It's the closest thing to pure magic that I've ever experienced.

The real kicker about the HC3sX is that although it's not cheap, it does have the best bailout (and arguably the best self-leveling) in the business - once you've bought it you have it for many many years - and for most pilots it pays for itself VERY quickly (case in point, the other day I discovered the hard way that I'd installed incorrect links that were 2mm too long on my tail section and I lost control of the heli in a high-speed aggressive banked left-hand turn. The bailout got the heli level and climbing instantly (albeit with a couple of nasty pirouettes due to the lack of tail authority). It saved me twice on the one flight which means it 1/2 paid for itself on that flight alone.

Hopefully some food for thought for you. Payback on a 600 class bird would be even quicker.

[onepiece]

Could you post a pic or two on how you mounted & wired the LEDs?

When you say "super bright" - is this a special class of LED? Are they visible in the noon day sun? Do you need any kind of voltage transformer or resistor in the wiring?

Thanks again - I'm in the same quandry...wanting to save money on my inevitable future crashes.

ATB
OP

[ColinSouthern]

Originally Posted by onepiece

Could you post a pic or two on how you mounted & wired the LEDs?

When you say "super bright" - is this a special class of LED? Are they visible in the noon day sun? Do you need any kind of voltage transformer or resistor in the wiring?

Thanks again - I'm in the same quandry...wanting to save money on my inevitable future crashes.

ATB
OP

I can't take a photo tonight for you as my helis are at work and I'm at home, (can do some for you in the morning if you still need them), but what I used was ...

http://www.rc-lights.com/products/RCL5412E.html

I stick the zip tie mounting bases to either side of the front skid struts (pointed down slightly) - zip tie the led holder to the base - heat-shrink the back of the holder to the connector - run the wires to the LED controller in the fuselage and plug the controller into the remote switch which is in turn plugged into the receiver on a spare channel.

The LEDs are just 20mA super-bright white LEDs (5mm) that you can get anywhere, but it's the rest of the kit you really need.

If you do get it then I'd suggest getting some more LED holders and zip tie bases at the same time - they're dirt cheap and the zip tie bases are pure gold for holding all kinds of wires in place on a 450.

I tell you - there's no nicer feeling that having an orientation loss in fading light - flicking on the self-leveling and then rotating the bird and seeing those lights! It's like "Amen - we're saved!".

PS: You can see them during the day, but not from as far away, and you'd need to have them pointing right at you. Normally for an orientation loss during the day I'll just flick on the self-leveling - rotate the tail anti-clockwise (left rudder) (so it can fight the slipstream better) until I can see it out the right hand side of the bird - and then start to drag it back towards me with left aileron until I can see it a bit better. The HC3sX is worth it's weight in gold in those situations (I've used that technique about 3 times this week when I went a bit high) (could probably have got it back fine without it, but I don't need the risk or the stress).

Hope this helps!

[onepiece]

That description...helped a LOT. Thank you.

No rush..but pics would be nice. Sounds like a 'neat' job using the heat shrink and all. Definitely would like to have a peek.

ATB
OP

[ColinSouthern]

Originally Posted by onepiece

That description...helped a LOT. Thank you.

No rush..but pics would be nice. Sounds like a 'neat' job using the heat shrink and all. Definitely would like to have a peek.

ATB
OP

Here you go ...