How do you connect your battery in the field?

[smarthelibear]

I read a lot of warnings in every single piece of documentation I come across in this hobby, but frankly I question how people avoid some DONTs in practice, or is there a trick I don't know about?

Here's an excerpt from the CastleCreations ESC on my 360 CFX:

Note: Always power your radio transmitter before powering up the receiver and/or the ESC. Some receivers with failsafe features or receiver units that are not bound on receiver power up are entirely capable of causing the arming sequence to occur and command the ESC to drive the motor. Always keep the aircraft restrained and clear of body parts when the ESC is powered.

Emphasis BOLD is mine. How am I supposed to reach the connector and be clear of body parts? I mean the heli is on the ground, the battery is strapped, and now I have to connect the 2 leads together. The only way to not be in the path of blades is to lay down very low in front of the heli and then connect from underneath. But at that point if something goes wrong my position is not conducive to an effective and rapid reaction.

Then how do you keep the heli restrained in the field?

I guess I can see how you could try and follow this rule if you had a table with some clamps or the like that would keep the heli clamped to the table, then reach out from under (which is easier since the heli is on the table). But I don't have anything like a table, let alone something I can rig clamps to, in any of the places I fly.

I always have a bit of anxiety when I connect the battery, but I'm not sure how to keep it safe and stay away from the blade path.

How do other people do? Am I missing a technique?

-- Greg

[Relisys190]

Blade 450 gets powered up and carried to flight line. (My back yard usually)

Trex 500 gets plugged in ONLY at flight line. Also unplugged after landing.

Goblin 630. Batteries in. Canopy off. RX pack in to initialize my ikon.
Carry heli to line. Connect main 12s pack. Install canopy / fly. Land. Remove canopy and unplug main pack.

The bigger heli has more steps for safety precaution.


Markus

[Lovi]

I always connect the battery at a table at the field I fly at and carry my heli to the takeoff point. Before I connect the battery, I physically touch the throttle hold to make sure that its up and I make sure the throttle/collective stick is all the way down before I connect the leads.

[EKron]

I plug and unplug only at the flight line. I don't like carrying helis when powered.

It may may tie up the flight line for an extra minute this way but nobody has complained. If they do, I'll just tell them I get down on my knees and pray before and after every flight.

--Elisabeth

[Crowbar]

First, I disconnect the Tx from the neck strap and put it on the table (or ground), making sure I set all the switches and throttle stick to their safe position.

Then I make sure the transmitter is out of reach of the main and tail rotor. So in case it does spool up, I can hit throttle hold without having to put my arm through the spinning disc. Apparently many people don't do that and then when it does spool up, they can't hit throttle hold because the transmitter is under the blades.

Then I take the leads and get ready to connect them to the ESC, take a look at the transmitter, making sure it says "hold" on the display. Then I connect the battery and swiftly put my arms back before the first ESC beeps.

I hook up the Tx to the strap whilst holding the throttle hold switch and wait for everything to initialize. Quick collective up and down and tail left and right test (making sure all servos work), then I grab the heli by the main grip and move to the flight line. While carrying, I have gentle pressure on the AR pin to feel the swash correcting as I walk.

[Mark.a]

I power mine up on a table at my field. I check to make sure throttle hold is on, I also have my radio set so that I can't power it on or switch models without throttle hold. I don't have a normal mode programmed so the collective stick isn't really used. Then after its powered and initialized I check correction directions and servo travel, then install the canopy and carry it out by the rotor head.

[Mr.Andersen]

Allways power up transmitter first.
When i have ESCs that dont arm unless they see zero throttle i connect with governor line in the radio.
That prevent the ESC from arming and when im on the flightline i flipp TH, let the ESC arm and releese TH to fly.
That way it takes two events go get the motor started.

[im4711]

We have two arming tables. So all helis will be powered up there. If something happens its only the pilot him/her-selves in danger.

Procedure depends on pilots preference. I know I power up transmitter. Transmitter only powers up when all switches are in proper position (throttle to zero, throttle hold active, flight mode switches to normal mode ...). Transmitter will announce model and switch position. So I know what I fly and if all is in proper position. I than plug in the battery on ESC and walk to the flight line. After flying its back to the arming/disarming table, unplugging the ESC will make the transmitter announce it to me. Than I turn off the transmitter or actually check data.

[Crowbar]

Quite interesting responses. If I only plugged in my battery at the flight line, I would never really get to fly.

My club has an unwritten rule that whoever powered on his ESC (or started his motor) first gets to be the next in line for flying. Large non-electric planks may go first because they tend to be harder to start and the pilots typically only fly them once or twice a day.

Here's the typical heli power-up procedure:
Put heli on table, put Tx on "throttle hold" and move it far enough so the main or tail rotor wouldn't prevent you from reaching it if the motor accidentally started and the tail whipped around. Power up Rx pack (if applicable), then power up main battery. Wait for initialization. Check controls, I typically go pitch up, down, rudder left right making sure it's all fine. As far as I'm concerned, the heli is ready to be carried. Many ESCs will beep once every couple of seconds if they didn't get a throttle signal over minimum. As I carry, I got my middle finger over the AR-pin and elevator pushrod so I can feel the FBL correcting the right way as the heli swings as I walk. You can also immediately detect if a servo potentiometer is going bad (jittery motion). When I set the heli down, I gotta turn it and I observe the tail pitch slider making sure it has corrected the right way around, then I center the pitch with the rudder stick (or going into rate mode for a second).

If the heli did power on while I was carrying (I always have normal mode on and the Tx with a finger on TH in the other hand), the plan is to throw the heli on the ground as soon as I hear the motor or feel torque on the head.

To start the heli, I gotta set it to idle up and disengage TH.

[DWill]

I make use of the written check list on my TX. It goes thru all switch positions. The only mental item is plug the battery in after checking off the last item n he check list and the TX comes on.

I have throttle cut and TH switches programmed and there is a 0 throttle point at low stick in normal mode. Not not likely I'll have a spool up accidentally. However, all of this is a result of learning the hard.

When I was building my first heli, a Trex DFC Pro; I accidentally spolled it up while it was sitting on the islan in the kitchen. Ended up in the ER getting my arm sewn up.

[Kap'n Krunch]

Originally Posted by Lovi

I always connect the battery at a table at the field I fly at and carry my heli to the takeoff point. Before I connect the battery, I physically touch the throttle hold to make sure that its up and I make sure the throttle/collective stick is all the way down before I connect the leads.

+1

[Helijason]

Heli on table, TX on and to the side with TH on and throttle stick down. Check TX to ensure correct model chosen.

Goblin 700: Connect RX battery, turn on RX switch and check sticks to ensure correct movement of tail, swash. Connect batteries to ESC. Maybe I'm naive but I figure if it starts to spool up for any reason, I can hold the blades as I am always over/close to the head and it starts slow. (Dumb move?). Then I walk it out to the field holding it by the head, with TX in left hand holding throttle at zero (still with TH engaged). Place on field, step back a few feet, disengage TH and wait for final initialization, re-check stick movement (at zero throttle), take position and fly.

Trex 550, Blade 300X : As above, but no RX battery.