Wooo Hooo 2 - By Jove I think I've got it!

[Rick Rotorhead]

Well I'm really cock a' hoop now. I've visibly improved again since yesterday even. Its been dead calm again - 'Blessed are we' and I've just run through two packs (20 mins). I can buzz my little bird about now in the same sort of confidence and flight patterns that I used to with my 'Pico Stick' fw electric park flyer. Ok its not tidy flying, but she's going where I want and I'm suddenly capable of figure eights and circuits (just). This just so wierd, its like someone just flicked a switch in my head (Maybe the Matrix is real aferall ). The most dangerous bit was that I let her get too far away really, about 70 feet out and 30 feet up - an' thats a lot for these tiddlers - only just kept my orientation and nerve to turn her 180 and head back. Suddenly also I'm comfortable with hovering her way up, like 20 feet. So guess where I'm choosing to learn nose-in next! My total air time on helis now is 10 hours 40 mins - is that good or a bit slow? Anyhow I'm really sold now - I'm a Helifreak

[heliboy1023]

Your doing good, but I need to make a few suggestions. Chances are, you are moving way to fast for your own good, and really aren't flying cleanly. What I suggest you do is for a week or two, spend 2 each minutes, hovering in all 4 major orientations, and try to get it where you could stay in a 3x3 box, and about a ft above eye level. Once you do that for a week, then move onto FF. Get that consistant, where you can go one direction, and then come back tail in. Do that again in all 4 major orientations. Then start on FF, and the harder orientations, like 135, 225, 240, etc. Trust me on this (I learned the hard way), sure, you think you are flying great, but it really isn't clean, which can get you into trouble. I learned that the hard way when I first started FF, thinking I was king. Well I found out I wasn't, when it got nose in on me, and I paniced causing a nice crash.

[Rick Rotorhead]

Yeah, true enough. I can't side in properly or nose-in at all yet and so I know that needs working on. I'd love to be able to bring her in towards me, hover then land nose-in. But I can easily fly her back to me from 40 feet away tail-in, way up high or knee high cos that's how I get out of trouble, just yaw her back to tail in, slow it down then fly her backwards back to me. What I'm saying is nose-in is ok as long as shes moving forward like fw. But if she slows down to a nose-in hover, then I have to think again - give her a nudge forward and we're off again. Flying her out and back again whilst remaining side-in throughout would be a real challenge. Its always the pitch rather than the roll that causes the brain fade. I certainly don't have delusions of regal grandure, I know all too well that I'm just starting with circuits and eights, but my excitement comes from being able to use up some sky instead of being stuck in hover and more importantly getting her back in one piece The hardest thing I find in ff is pulling her out of a shallow dive without losing forward speed - guess I need to work on the collective whilst on the move.
Anyhow, for the moment I'm just so happy to have taken a step on - so next week its hurricanes and tic tocs then