Anyone experience getting burnt out?

[Colin Broughton]

I don't feel that I'm getting burnt out by my discipline to practice every morning. But I figured this was a good topic to bring up after talking to several guys at my field about maybe possibly being burnt out or stuck in a rut so to speak. It came to my surprise that a couple weeks ago I showed up to my field and the usual group of the heli's guys didn't have heli's at the field and have since moved to 3D planes. All of a sudden I'm the only guy flying heli's at my field

The common response was they felt they needed a break and there flying was not progressing so to speak. Same move over and over and stuck in a rut. Now they are focused on the 3D planes and I have to say they have gotten really good at them. I almost want to get one now lol.

They almost have me convinced that maybe I've focused so much on nailing every orientation etc of flying heli's that maybe I've burnt myself out, possibly a break could help me really make the next big leap in my flying skills. So my question regarding ally is do alot of you take breaks from the hobby? I'm alittle hesitant to move away from them and pick up a plane as I've worked so hard on trying to be smooth and technical in my flying.

Sorry for the long post which is simply asking do you get burnt out

[JWeber]

I go through periods where I don't feel like I'm progressing or especially this time of year in the great white north where the large heli's get put away and I get a bit depressed about it.

For the former, I just go out to the field and try and have fun. Not try new stuff, but enjoy what I can do. Sometimes I'll try and find an audience of some kind. The field I usually fly at is mostly airplane guys and it's fun to show off a bit what a heli can do. They also have things like night events where I'll be the only heli pilot, but the audience really likes the variety and you actually get applause after a flight. Other times, I just use the down time to tinker with the helis to try and get the mojo back. I recently made my first set of night blades for my Logo and did up an old canopy in LED's. It's fun when it's warm enough to fly at dawn or dusk with a night flier. You really get good orientation that way.

I guess looking back at that ramble, when I get burned out, I just need some variety to kick me out of it. I like progressing, but there are other parts of flying and tinkering that I enjoy just as much and is kind of refreshing so I'm not constantly putting pressure on myself to improve. Take a mental break from constantly pushing yourself.

[dwelzel]

I know what you mean. With this and other hobbies I have the tendency to jump in too deep, burn myself out and forget why I enjoyed it so much in the first place. I've noticed this when I'm heading to the field and am not that excited about it.. definitely a red flag.

These days I, fortunately, have the presence of mind to step back and realize I'm never going to be competitive due to other commitments in life so I shouldn't worry about not progressing.. just have fun.

I recently solved this by starting to fly planes (like your friends I guess). I thought planes would mess up my progress, but they actually have gotten the spark going again.. so much fun to fly and build. These days I bring a mix of helis and planes to the field and have a blast. I still continue to work on progressing my heli skills, but then I kick back and fly a plane around.

Originally Posted by Badhelipilot

I don't feel that I'm getting burnt out by my discipline to practice every morning. But I figured this was a good topic to bring up after talking to several guys at my field about maybe possibly being burnt out or stuck in a rut so to speak. It came to my surprise that a couple weeks ago I showed up to my field and the usual group of the heli's guys didn't have heli's at the field and have since moved to 3D planes. All of a sudden I'm the only guy flying heli's at my field

The common response was they felt they needed a break and there flying was not progressing so to speak. Same move over and over and stuck in a rut. Now they are focused on the 3D planes and I have to say they have gotten really good at them. I almost want to get one now lol.

They almost have me convinced that maybe I've focused so much on nailing every orientation etc of flying heli's that maybe I've burnt myself out, possibly a break could help me really make the next big leap in my flying skills. So my question regarding ally is do alot of you take breaks from the hobby? I'm alittle hesitant to move away from them and pick up a plane as I've worked so hard on trying to be smooth and technical in my flying.

Sorry for the long post which is simply asking do you get burnt out

[ArchmageAU]

Originally Posted by Badhelipilot

..
Sorry for the long post which is simply asking do you get burnt out

Yep. It's quite common.

Just back off for a while and it comes back. Remeber, this is a hobby and it's optional. You need to have fun with it.

If you are a goal oriented person (which it sounds like you are - so am I for that matter), this burn-out feel happens most often when you have been stuck at a level and cannot see a way passed. You have 3 options, push through (increase), stay at same intensity or back off. Oddly enough back off is often what is required (just make a definite time to resume).

Mixing up the schedule works the same as backing off. (ie. if working on precision, construct an acrobatic routine to music and practice that with headphones, don't hammer precision in space, go for precision in time - or just try keeping the heli airborne through the routine without aborting ). Try work on some funky transitions between moves. Work pinpoint autos (have a 10c auto comp where closest on each attempt gets 10c - work out a handicap system for this - I'm assuming 500 size or bigger for this). Basically have fun on other parts of the discipline (fun being the optimum).

End of day this is optional and mistakes are expensive. If you are not having fun, it's time to do something different or you wil make very un-fun expensive mistakes.

Last tip, if backing off entirely, do not sell your gear. Leave it a few months at least to see if you really miss it before dumping stock.

[Kap'n Krunch]

hmm heli guys that moved to 3d planes ? doesn't sound good...
I would of asked them if they were feeling ok

[Colin Broughton]

Originally Posted by Kap'n Krunch

hmm heli guys that moved to 3d planes ? doesn't sound good...
I would of asked them if they were feeling ok

lol oh I did ask them just that believe me. Also a couple guys moved into fpv 250 quad racing, they look ridiculous sitting in their chairs

[FailureToFly]

We all have days where heli's can frustrate.

I don't personally fly that much to actively burn myself out as I'm actually lucky if I get 6 packs a week for most of the year; this doesn't help getting the brain locked in without a few warm up packs flown first but it does keep me decently interested.

My flying is progressing at a kind of just tolerable rate, but it is what it is for a guy my age (I'm 43 so I'm not going to see massive changes in ability every month even if I want it) so I'll clearly never be a pro or demo flyer. I do thoroughly enjoy it when my brain decides to get into gear and I can really open up with some aggressive flying (beer the previous night does not help matters at all) and fly without worry.

I have also contemplated a 3D plane as they do look like fun (ArchMageAu and I were talked about them at the field yesterday) though it might be one extra thing my wife may not tolerate (I think I'll likely stick with helis for the foreseeable future and play it safe! ).

Helis just take time. If you aren't a young protege with lots of sim hours behind you, your progress will be like most people and that is about 4-6 years of solid daily sim work/grind to get 'good'. Even the young talented individuals need to put in lots of hard work for those 4 years to be great.

I plan to be in the hobby for the long haul and hope by the time I'm 45 I can add in another couple of levels of precision whilst flying harder and performing more complex moves.

...eyesight is an issue as you age...I am hoping it doesn't desert me for a while yet!!

Originally Posted by Badhelipilot

I don't feel that I'm getting burnt out by my discipline to practice every morning. But I figured this was a good topic to bring up after talking to several guys at my field about maybe possibly being burnt out or stuck in a rut so to speak. It came to my surprise that a couple weeks ago I showed up to my field and the usual group of the heli's guys didn't have heli's at the field and have since moved to 3D planes. All of a sudden I'm the only guy flying heli's at my field

The common response was they felt they needed a break and there flying was not progressing so to speak. Same move over and over and stuck in a rut. Now they are focused on the 3D planes and I have to say they have gotten really good at them. I almost want to get one now lol.

They almost have me convinced that maybe I've focused so much on nailing every orientation etc of flying heli's that maybe I've burnt myself out, possibly a break could help me really make the next big leap in my flying skills. So my question regarding ally is do alot of you take breaks from the hobby? I'm alittle hesitant to move away from them and pick up a plane as I've worked so hard on trying to be smooth and technical in my flying.

Sorry for the long post which is simply asking do you get burnt out

[24sevenslacker]

I got to a point where i thought i wouldnt progress any further. But then i realised if you get good at what you know, so the tricks you do become natural, then its time to try something new.

It just takes time, some people progress faster than others. I know a guy who has been flying helis 6 years but he cant fly inverted, but he has fun. Thats all that matters


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[corrosionate]

I have gotten burnt out and in a rut several times. The only cure for that I've found is to force myself to try a new maneuver I've never done. If you just keep flying what you're comfortable with.... Surprise! That's all you'll ever do. You'll get better at those things, but it'll be boring.

Even if you think you'll crash... Heck, even if you're pretty sure you'll crash, try something new. Even if it's only doing something you do every day only in the opposite direction, or same thing only inverted, or going backwards Instead of forward. Giving yourself little challenges is a great way to bring some excitement back into it, and the more things like that you learn, the more doors open up for other maneuvers.

There's no shortage of challenge in flying helis. The trick is to hold yourself accountable for attacking those challenges. You MUST step outside of your comfort zone, or you'll be in a rut forever. Not to make it sound like a chore. Others are right, it should be fun, but I think it's fun because it's challenging, and pushing yourself brings more fun.

I love flying 3d airplanes. However, after flying 3d helis, I see the limitations of airplanes as being cause for getting burnt out. When you get burnt out on planes and you can do everything possible with one, go to helis, and a whole new world of challenge and possibility (and spending of money, lol) opens up. I think a 3d heli pilot would get bored with airplanes pretty quick. So your friends just might be back in a season or two ;-)

[kc8qpu]

I have just recently sold all my stuff. Not sure what it was just lost interest. A big part is we moved and it just wasn't the same as flying with the guys I used to fly with. After learning all that I had I really didn't feel that bad about walking away. I still kept my sim. And from time to time pick it up. I am sure that some day I will get back into it. But right now it just isn't in the cards.

[mcarter76]

Originally Posted by kc8qpu

I have just recently sold all my stuff. Not sure what it was just lost interest. A big part is we moved and it just wasn't the same as flying with the guys I used to fly with. After learning all that I had I really didn't feel that bad about walking away. I still kept my sim. And from time to time pick it up. I am sure that some day I will get back into it. But right now it just isn't in the cards.

Yup having good flying buddies around definitely makes it more fun. On days when only Quad/FPV guys are there -- no one talks to me that much or conversations end shortly and consequently I lose interest after 3 or 4 flights and head home. I'd almost prefer an empty field than one crowded with people that don't care about CP helis.

[longhammer]

The only time I start to get burnt out is during the winter months. It seems everything I learn in the summer gets forgotten through the winter months, then summer comes, and I have to re-learn everything all over again. Of course this wouldn't be so bad if I had a sim, but then I'd have to buy another pc (switched over to mac years ago) Not to mention any money I would have for a sim goes towards new helis or parts.
Regardless of that, I love flying these things and get way more enjoyment out of them than I ever did with R/C cars

[gstoneberg]

Originally Posted by longhammer

Of course this wouldn't be so bad if I had a sim, but then I'd have to buy another pc (switched over to mac years ago) Not to mention any money I would have for a sim goes towards new helis or parts.

I run heli-x on Linux and it runs on Mac-OS too. Best of all you can download it for free and run in demo mode until you're sure it works. All you have to buy up front is a Sim cable. heli-x.net.

[Russell Harding]

neXt sim is also Mac native and has a good demo.

Sim cable for either is $10.


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[Nelsonisms]

Originally Posted by Badhelipilot

lol oh I did ask them just that believe me. Also a couple guys moved into fpv 250 quad racing, they look ridiculous sitting in their chairs

Old thread I know, but being an RC hobbyist with many interests I find it odd how anyone could just drop one thing entirely to pick up another one. I've flown RC planes since I was a teenager. Now I've gotten heavily into helis over the last few years, but I still feel naked if I don't take at least one plank with me out the field when I go. Same thing with quads, I think FPV racing is a blast, but it doesn't mean I'm going to give up helis and planes for it. They all have their place and I can't see ever giving any of it up. I think having variety is the key to not burning out. Plus it always gives you options on those busy days when one or another flightline is crowded. When the next new awesome thing comes out I'll probably get one of those too.