Some Great Tips for Newbies

[1LuckyLenny]

Cool set up ! But I would not put to much of a load on this, low pitch 0 + or - 2

degrees /low throttle 0 to 1/2 at most might be ok? or to set up blades or to make

sure ail, ele work .You could do damage at full pitch/full throttle to the heli. and you

sure would not want to stand beside that at full throttle If, If, If "If you like life"

[walterdog]

I think i might have a problem when i switch into stunt mode...when i flip the switch, the throttle instantly starts up at a way higher speed. I have my throttle at 65% at half stick in normal mode and stunt mode.
Is this a normal reaction that i just have to get used to or do i have something set wrong to make it do that?
Im ready to flip this thing over in the air any advice from anyone would be awsome...

[Dusty1000]

Originally Posted by walterdog

I think i might have a problem when i switch into stunt mode...when i flip the switch, the throttle instantly starts up at a way higher speed. I have my throttle at 65% at half stick in normal mode and stunt mode.
Is this a normal reaction that i just have to get used to or do i have something set wrong to make it do that?
Im ready to flip this thing over in the air any advice from anyone would be awsome...

If throttle is the same at mid-stick in both idle-up and normal modes then head speed should also be the same, provided that pitch is the same too - which should be 0 degrees. I'd suggest looking at your pitch curves. If you're unsure I would download some of Finless Bob's vids, particularly CCPM set up pts. 1 and 2 if you haven't already

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=41692


Hope this helps

Dusty

[walterdog]

hey thanks, that is what i figured but i needed to know for sure. i guess ill have to watch those vids again, its been a while but they are all very well worth watching.
thanks for the help

[walterdog]

actually i think it might be the radio, it is the 2.4 that comes with the genesis450pe. The heli is incredible when i fly in normal, sweet machine but the radio kinda isnt, lol

Walterdog

[Dusty1000]

Hi, I just looked your heli up and see it doesn't say anything about the radio being programmable so I assume it isn't. The best thing you can do is buy some better radio equipment, the Spektrum range is the most popular and inexpensive, DX6i is what I have.

The non-programmable TX's you get with most RTF helis will fly the heli but that's about it. It's hard to appreciate how much difference having a decent TX makes to your heli until you've tried it. Also it should be considered an investment as it's the last TX you'll have to buy for a while, so not only will it make your current heli fly the way you want it to, it'll mean when you get your next heli you'll already have a TX for it.

Dusty

[walterdog]

tah, i know man. i got spoiled with my JR XP652, awsome radio but for some reason my gyro burned out so i have no uotput to the tail when i move the stick so i put another gyro on and it dosnt seem to be compatible with the rx. Long story short...i had to put the 2.4 back in to keep flying, and i am, just not upside down.
I would love the dx6i but priorities have kept me from that. Next year maybe, lol.
till then im still in the air, right? thanks for the help

[iceman09]

THANKS thats some real good info to know i reallly appreciate it thanks again iceman.

[fitzroy]

hello all im new to the site im looking for free sims to download and use if poss i need the practice after many crashes, at the moment ive got the plane master which only has 1 helli on it ant the graphics aint very good. ive got a copter x and a cypher 3d anyu advise is welcome thanks.

[heli hawk]

I found alot of useful information on you tube posted by nightflyer

[gigas27]

Thanks

[Surg]

Good Info!
Must read more!!!

[brink2012]

Thanks for the links! Great resource

[kenh]

I didn't read all the posts, so here is my take on learning to fly RC helicopters. First off, when I learned to fly there was no such thing as a gyro, sim or even a heli specific radio! so I will relay my experience of learning from that point of view. And, I may be old school but I still think that the gyro should be turned off for the first bit. I'll explain. Also, I'm assuming that you want to learn to fly a collective pitch, nitro or electric heli.

First of all, set-up is very important. Find somebody who can help with setup and understands that YOU are a beginner. I had neither when I learned so I definitely feel your pain. Once you have the bird set up, make sure you have a suitable training gear installed. Get the heli light on the skids but still on the ground (with the gyro turned off) and learn to control the tail. Make sure that you "fly the nose" and not the tail. By this I mean that you should concentrate on the nose of the heli as to which direction you want to yaw, right stick moves the nose right. As you learn to control the yaw make sure that you spend equal time looking at both sides of the heli so as not to become handed. To this day have a hard time looking at the right side of my bird because nobody told me about this handed business. If you get in trouble and the nose gets away from you SLOWLY close the throttle until the heli has stopped doing what it was doing. By slowly closing the throttle I mean do not just slam the stick back to idle. This practice will come to bite you in the back side later so DO NOT get in the habit now. If you never leave the ground you have all the time in the world to SLOWLY close the throttle. Maybe SMOOTHLY would be a better work to use here???

Now that you have mastered the yaw control you can turn on the gyro and start jumping in to the air. Start as before by getting light on the skids. Now add just a tiny bit more power until you lift into the air. If you get in trouble, just slowly close the throttle, land and start again. You might want to try just closing the throttle immediately after you leave the ground even though you aren't in trouble the first few times so that you get the feel of being airborne. Your choice here. You will make about six million of these tiny hops. Each hop will be a bit higher and longer than the previous hop. Soon, you will be two or three feet in the air and sooner or later you will have a bad moment and will have to SLOWLY close the throttle to land. Chopping the throttle three feet in the air is not the best thing to do. Here is where setup by somebody who understand beginners will help a lot and practicing to close the throttle slowly will pay off. Oh, make sure to keep looking at both sides of the bird to avoid at all costs becoming handed.

Some will progress very quickly to hovering and some will take a bit more time.. Once you have learned it you will not forget. You may get a bit "rusty", but you will never forget. Just keep after it, and soon you will be helping that beginner like you were a short time ago.

A note on practice. At first keep your practice sessions short. No more that ten minutes at a time. Wait for twenty or thirty minutes and then another ten minute session. A couple of sessions a day is enough at first. It takes a lot of brain power as a beginner and you will become tired before you know it and will stop learning. So stop while ahead and save your bird for another day. Once you progress to the forward flight stage you can lengthen your time in the air as you have leaned the hardest thing to do with a R/C heli.... HOVERING

Forward flight is a whole new ball game left for another discussion. Feel free to comment, I just might learn something, as I'm still a beginner.........

Ken

I should say that I have been absent from the heli's for quite some time. I feel like a beginner as the hobby has changed so much. When I left there was no such thing as "3D". It's a little to frantic for me! So I'm starting over with my old X-Cell 30. Where this will all lead remains to be seen.

[ejblack1]

Thanks for the Heli links, they are really helpful!

[ddd228]

I made a similar set up using music wire inside a tube. Hover,rotate: it all works. Go up,go down. VERY good learning tool. A sim is better to learn but I wanna FLY it.Taped the music wire to the lower gear(landing). Don't punch it or it will fly out of the tube.(copper pipe) NOOB,here. Learning a LOT and I'm doing co -ax ones. I'll have 2 more,soon.Heli max Novus CX. Dave in Seattle.

[ddd228]

Originally Posted by Dusty1000

Hi, I just looked your heli up and see it doesn't say anything about the radio being programmable so I assume it isn't. The best thing you can do is buy some better radio equipment, the Spektrum range is the most popular and inexpensive, DX6i is what I have.

The non-programmable TX's you get with most RTF helis will fly the heli but that's about it. It's hard to appreciate how much difference having a decent TX makes to your heli until you've tried it. Also it should be considered an investment as it's the last TX you'll have to buy for a while, so not only will it make your current heli fly the way you want it to, it'll mean when you get your next heli you'll already have a TX for it.

Dusty

Yes,the transmitter MUST be adjustable. OK,who wants to buy a low end 2.4 GH radio?Heli-max TX 424? I have 2. I'm a thumb guy and I don't use a neck strap.
Dave in Seattle.

[Marty1111]

Thanks for this,m very good indeed..

Martin.

[a489]

Thanks for the info, great help for a newbie like me!

[chris6414]

Great post Ken as I agree. I wouldn't necessarily recommend no gyro but definately learn in rate mode first. I didn't see any post here talking about needed post crash repairs and inspections. I know they exist elsewhere but this is a good thread to add this to.

Crashes happen but you have to remember to tear down and inspect your bird for every possible damage prior to the next flight. If you miss something, the bird won't fly right or can't be tuned back in. I learned this recently myself by rushing to get a bird airworthy and I don't have allot of time for my hobby. If you smack your blades in a tip over or a pretty good sideways crash, you need to pull the head and inspect every part for bends, cracks and fowled bearings. Once the head is off, check the main shaft by running up the motor slowly and see if the end is wobbling indicating a bend or just pull tjhe whole shaft and roll check it. Make sure the run up is safe to do so first. I would also pull the tail as well and inspect everything. Sudden stopages have know to bend tail shafts and will introduce a vibe that you don't want. Same as the main, just spin it up with the hub removed and you will see if it has a bend in it. Even the smallest blade strikes or "scuffs" require a spindle check. They are usually soft and designed to absorb impacts to save the more critical parts. I can't recommend any "hardened" feathering shafts as the enerygy has to go somewhere else. I have used the Align Hardened, Carbon main shafts and I couldn't bend them with my type of flying and crashing.

Don't mess with cracked main blades. CA is not a safe way to save a set a blades. CAing some covering is exceptable providing it is just peeling and did not result in a scuff. You sling a blade and it's all bad. Same with tail blades as they spin upwards of 12-15000 RPM, again bad things if they break while spinning.

Main gear, check to see if your motor chewed some teeth.

So, blades, spindles, tail shafts, main shafts, head parts, all drivetrain bearings, one way bearing with the exception of maybe the tail drive as it is pretty protected and has the belt to absord any shock. Torque tube will usually go before the tail drive.

Upgrades: if you are like me and often go for the cheap ali upgrade pay attention. Cheap is cheap anyway you cut it. INSPECT all new parts including your high speed ali upgrades before installing. Check all the bearings for smoothness as many of these parts sit in non airconditoned wharehouses in South East Asia before they get to you and they do rust while sitting there. My HK ali upgrades came and I installed them only to chase a tracking gripe for a week before I pulled them and saw the grip bearings were grinding and notchy after only like 10 flights which caused a sticky collective and it wouldn't track at all. Had I put a spindle in them to check the bearings, I would have saved precious fly time and not even installed them until I could replace the bearings. Put back on the stock plastic and a new set of blades(actual original problem) and whammo, the smoothest flying 450, I have ever seen, with 12 minute flight time on a 20C, 2200 turnigy pack. During this week I also had to tune all the ball links and checked darn near evey bearing I could get to. So, lesson is, don't just slap on the ole upgrades, especially the cheap ones thinking your bird will now fly better. Set-up is everything with helicopters just like the full scale ones. Any incident requires a thorough inspection of all moving parts before the next flight. There is no such thing in my book, for being too thorough with regards to this. Especially with the bigger birds. 500 and up. If not maintained correctly, they will hurt themselves, you or bystanders so keep it safe out there.