Flying Backwards

[Piezo]

I'm having more trouble learning to fly backwards than anything else. Anyone have any tips? I'm using the Reflex flight sim with my old Esky TX . I'm getting much better at head-in orientations but flying backwards say in a circle is always a sure crash for me. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
Jim

[3DnOC]

Read this: https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=248284

RaZa does an excellent job of explaining it.

[Piezo]

Thanks 3D, I had already read that post. I was hoping that there was some other "trick" to learn that orientation.

[Heli_KV]

I'd recommend first of all to try to fly backwards on a stright line, then stop, rotate and fly opposite direction (lazy circle if you wish). Keep doing this until you are comfortable. Eventually, you'll see that instead of rotation, you'll start catching more circle movement at the end of every 'leg'.

Good luck!

[clicky]

"Golden hammer" I've got is to learn slow (controlled) pirouettes. I solve everyone's problems by pointing them to learning slow pirouettes! O: )

Learn them and flying backward, forward or constantly pirouetting won't be a problem for you. And by slow I mean 6+ seconds per rotation...

[dani_rose]

Originally Posted by clicky

"Golden hammer" I've got is to learn slow (controlled) pirouettes. I solve everyone's problems by pointing them to learning slow pirouettes! O: )

Learn them and flying backward, forward or constantly pirouetting won't be a problem for you. And by slow I mean 6+ seconds per rotation...

I've been learning backwards flight with my 500 by doing almost lazy circles, and also homeing in on my circle flying by flying forwards for a half circle, then at the '12 oclock' and '6 o clock' positions changing the direction, i.e., flying forwards the kicking the tail round the fly backwards then back again. Really great for building confidence and will hopefully lead to a further advance in orientations and piro circles etc.

Just takes time!

[Piezo]

Clicky,
I have been practicing flying slow left and right pirouettes for weeks now. It has helped me tremendously but I'm not seeing how this helps me in backward flight.
Thanks,
Jim

[Piezo]

I will definitely try the other two suggestions about flying circles and rotating the heli and thanks for the help.

[clicky]

Originally Posted by Piezo

Clicky,
I have been practicing flying slow left and right pirouettes for weeks now. It has helped me tremendously but I'm not seeing how this helps me in backward flight.
Thanks,
Jim

Oh, that's easy. Just do slow pirouette - stationary, if possible... then, just add tiny back elevator. Since you're confident in pirouettes, you only need to continue doing them. Slowly! Helicopter is going to drift backward while you're doing a pirouette - and by the time you finish whole revolution - you would, pretty much, finish whole tiny circuit. Backwards! And, shall I repeat, as you are confident in pirouetting - tail of heli being slightly lower won't unnerve you and you would be able to lower it more and more. While doing it - you'll get bigger and bigger, and faster circuits (not talking about too big or too fast ones) and same, if you slow your pirouette and keep small back elevator - you'll get big and slow circuit (hm. maybe better start from that one). While you doing them, if you start adding a bit of aileron (that will come naturally) to tilt rotor disk to inner side of the circuit - to stop helicopter from drifting too much out of circle, you'll stop adding back elevator and even start adding forward one to slow it down... And - voila! Those are your backward circuits!

PS backward circuit rotating to one side, then backward circuit rotating to other side (CW vs CCW) and you have figure of 8. If you now how to do figure of 8, and keep up with steady CW and CCW backward circuits - you can fly backward. Am I right?

Oh, one more - if you do it in wrong order - first fly backward circuits and then learn to do slow pirouettes - you could end with heli suddenly stopping and you panicking what to do next as heli is in strange orientation going to unnatural side and... Oh, well - at least those were happening to me... Until I learned slow pirouettes! Ask me why I'm, now, insisting on doing them inverted?! And how far I am in flying backward, because of inverted slow piros!

[Piezo]

Clicky,

Thanks for that. I cut and pasted into a text file. Will see if I can put it to good use.

I must admit between having to get up at 5:30AM to get to the field before all the dog people show up and then crashing my bird doing what I do routinely on the sim has really shot a hole in my confidence.

Jim

[francisfleming]

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