learning autos

[jmtyndall]

So I'm wanting to start learning big air autos. Non-acrobatic of course to start. I have the biggest spare parts collection for the 500. Is the rex 500 a good heli to start shooting autos with?

Ps, just setup auto-bailout on my Talon 90, so I should be able to abort if I start to kill too much headspeed

[OnTheSnap]

I learned autos on a 450 and then a 425mm heli. Not as easy, but not difficult either.

[jmtyndall]

Yeah but I've seen your flying :p I think you could probably autorotate a baseball.

It should be alright coming in on nearly knife edge and flaring hard at the bottom? As long as I don't time it such that the "bottom" is also the dirt

[OnTheSnap]

Knife edge as in level? For a basic auto fly into the wind with some forward speed. Descend on a 45 degree angle or so staying level. Flare at the bottom to convert forward speed into headspeed and land.

Baseball lol. It takes about 100 autos before you stop clinching. Just get over the hump and enjoy one of the best aspects of cp helis..

[Skidpad]

100? I'll remember that, too, Alex. Lol.

Here's a recent thread on autos: https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=286997

Here's a good YouTube video with Curtis Youngblood narrating and demonstrating autos:

Curtis Youngblood autorotation class (27 min 8 sec)

[jmtyndall]

Originally Posted by OnTheSnap

Knife edge as in level? For a basic auto fly into the wind with some forward speed. Descend on a 45 degree angle or so staying level. Flare at the bottom to convert forward speed into headspeed and land.

Baseball lol. It takes about 100 autos before you stop clinching. Just get over the hump and enjoy one of the best aspects of cp helis..

Less level and more like disk perpendicular to the ground

[Russell Harding]

I found this video quite useful for the basic autorotation of a small helicopter:

Trex 450 Autorotations (6 min 25 sec)

Notice there is a light dive before throttle hold. After TH is activated, the disk is in a slight nose up attitude, with 5-6 deg negative pitch. You can hear how headspeed stabilizes when it is done correctly, as the heli glides in.

The last auto at about 5:35 is the best. There is a bit of height and speed, a little dive, throttle hold at a slight nose-down. You can hear HS decay a little, but the heli is still picking up downward and forward speed due to the nose-down attitude. Near the ground, nose comes up, and HS rises into the flare, then a nice, soft, landing.

Good luck.

[gilligansc]

Get some Gorilla skids! If you do hit a little hard, you wont break the skids, causing a tip-over.
The hardest part is gaining the courage to flip the switch...it is a commitment.
Good Luck!
I have a hard time looking at the heli the whole time, and not realizing how close the ground I am.