finally got it to fly! but

[Blayd]

OK, First, you have a HUGE learning curve to get into. Everyone does, so your not the first, but you need to learn about a few things, even just to fly.
You FBL setup is pretty straight forward. But theres a few things you should check over. Make sure at center stick, ( your throttle stick at its center, or 50% ) your servo arms should be close to purpendicular or as we say, 90° to your mainshaft. This is called centered by many.

Flight modes. Controlled by a switch. You usually have three to choose from. Each can have the throttle curve, and pitch curves set up as you wish.
Here it can get tricky. First flight mode is usually called "normal", then you have idle up1, and idle up2.
Many beginners will have "Normal", set up with a less agressive pitch curve, and a gradual throttle curve. This is different from pilot to pilot.
Idle Up1 and 2, are usually set up with a linear pitch curve, and either a flat throttle curve, or running the governor in the ESC. ( which keeps a set headspeed, sort of like a flat throttle curve)
Flat throttle curves and governed head speed are considered more stable. You really dont want a great big gyroscope, ( the main blades) changing speeds. Heli's are more stable when the head stays at a set speed.

Learn how to access the pitch curve and throttle curve in each flight mode. This is VERY necessary. You MUST have a working knowledge of your transmitter, so nows the time to start learning.

If you want to set up a less agressive flight mode, the best way to start is to switch your Tx to normal, access the pitch curve screen. If you have a linear curve.. ( a straight line going from bottom left to top right ) you can adjust it. If its linear, you are basically able to go from -12° pitch to +12° pitch as you move the stick from bottom to top. This can be very responsive for a beginner.
So....you could change that pitch curve, by raising the first few points, and lowering the last few points a bit.
If you think about it, instead of going from -12 to +12, ( 24° of pitch from bottom to top )
you could set it up to go from -4° to +8° ( 12° from bottom to top) and that would be alot less responsive when your moving the stick up and down.

A Linear pitch curve would look like, 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%
A "normal curve might look like, 40%, 50%, 70%, 85%, 90%, just as an example.
I basically started out with a normal curve of -4°, -2°, 0°, +4°, +8°. Just to hover, and some very basic side to side. Eventually, I went to a -10° to +10°, before I went to a full -12°, to +12°. ( -13° to +13° on my 700 )
for a normal THROTTLE curve... I think many go with something like 0%, 75%, 75%, 75%, 75%.
If you dont have a soft start on the ESC...it will spool up VERY quickly going from 0 to 75%, so be careful. If you dont have a soft start enabled in the ESC...maybe go with something like 0%, 50%, 75%, 75%, 75%. I prefer and tell most, to learn to set your esc to soft start, and just fly a flat 85% to start.
ALSO....please learn in your Tx, how to apply some EXPO to the cyclic. EXPO will "soften" up the stick around the center, so that little movements around center stick on the cyclic stick, wont be so aggressive in cyclic response. I started with 30% on aileron and elevator. I STILL fly with some expo. It's not cheating, its a way to customize the feel of your control to the way you like it. Dual rates could help you to, it is NOT like expo.. Dual rates will actually limit the servos response range, almost like slowing the servos response down. Its not actually, it all has to do with curves.. but its an easy way of trying to give you a simplified description.
Keep asking questions.. we want you to be safe, and get flying, not crashing and frustrated. Good luck!!

[kayakboy69]

OP you have your hands full for sure ...
Go slow ..
Get a SIM and practice as much as you can your sensative heli is every heli your just not used to it ...

When you see the smack guys flying when then land there still
Using full posative and full negative pitch ..

I and most guys fly this way
It is not hard when you land a heli with -4 or -13 pitch you dont just drop the stick IT WILL DAMAGE YOUR HELI

Sounds like a set of traingers gear WOULD help you out .. basically makes a really big set of landing gear that will help avoid tipping over on landings .. look them up

Also a fbl heli HATEs to be on the ground .. all of that vibration make the fbl unit corect wht it thinks is going on andd it will tip over ..

Take off on a fbl heli .. spinning her up as soon as up to speed give a sharp stick pop to her her up .. NOT FULL STICK just enough to get a hover .

Or helis CG might be off front to back causing a drift .. adjust battery if that doesn't not work adjust the elevator on the swash ... untill it is close ..

This is a helicopter it will not sit still like a kite .. you will always ned to corect it ..

[FFXIJehuty]

guess its some thing i'm just gonna have to mess around untill i like it but i'll try -4 and +8 for now and i set that at the transmitter pitch curves with pitch gauge right leave the gpro settings alone? and for the throttle 0 to 75 seems a little to fast lol and how would i know if i have this soft start or not? and yeah when i go buy the parts i need at the hobby store i'll see if thay have training gear for a 500 heli that should help me find that spot i need and the the creeping thing i'll redo it again with the tool if that don't work i guess i'll have to get the bluetooth for the gpro so i can adjust it out side to get it right?

[kayakboy69]

U can adjust drift from Swash linkage . It can be dead flat and drift .. flat swash is just a starting point .. then u fine tune it from there every heli is difrent

[Gladius]

Bring your heli and radio with you to the Hobby Shop. Have a list of questions for them, and go thru everything. Hopefully they can help point you in the right direction.

Everyone has been telling you to adjust your Center of Gravity. Do you know how to do that? If not, we'll tell you. Once the CoG is right, if the heli still drifts, you need to adjust your swashplate. Do not use trim. It's a bad habit to get into - learn how to do a mechanical setup properly.

Check out the Finless Bob build and setup videos. They will really help you learn your heli, your radio and all the settings. You really, really need to understand all these things, not just to keep from crashing, but to keep safe. If your 500 hits somebody, they are going to go to the hospital, or worse. You don't just throw this thing in the air and hope for the best.

Keep asking questions! We want you to be successful and to enjoy this hobby! It's a blast if you go about it the right way!

[heli_shmeli]

Originally Posted by Mr. Rmz

when you land use throttle hold. sound like you landed with power to the blades.

Wait, really? Ive never done an autorotation so this would scare the shit out of me. But if i hit throttle hold, the thing wont come crashing down (or land hard) in a general flight mode? I thoght this was omly for idle up.

Edit: by general flight i mean normal mode

[FFXIJehuty]

i'm starting to think i got used blades got these about last week and found this today when i got them thay seem a little faded figure it was a bad clear coat job i mean i know landed a little hard but the heli landed in a weird spot only left side skids broke but was able to land up not side ways i just don't see how this would happen

[kayakboy69]

Originally Posted by heli_shmeli

Wait, really? Ive never done an autorotation so this would scare the shit out of me. But if i hit throttle hold, the thing wont come crashing down (or land hard) in a general flight mode? I thoght this was omly for idle up.

Edit: by general flight i mean normal mode

No matter how you land you have the same issue .. u must touch down square to the ground[emoji12]

Your learning when you flick TH your blades DONT Stop .. they loose enegery. trying to land WITH power scale like can give a FBL unit fits and the lower you get the more ground effects(air being deflected upwards disrupting your heli) you deal wtih

So is your 1'off ground in a hover and flick hold

Your blades will lose enegery and heli will float to ground .


Doing this seems counter intuitive
Lesson One almost everything is counter intuitive with a heli .
Lesson two have fun the learning curve is steep but worth it ...

Watch finless Bobs video
look at flight school threads .
Immerse your self if it were easy people wouldn't of invented quads

[Gladius]

Like Kayakboy said, get about a foot off the ground. Hit TH and DON'T MOVE YOUR COLLECTIVE STICK! As the headspeed drops, you will loose lift, and the heli will settle into the ground. It's kind of like jumping off a bridge the first time you do it, but you'll find that landing is much, much easier this way.

[Bluelunatic]

I can't believe guys still think trim is ok on a flybarless helicopter. Yeah, if you want to tip over on every landing, by all means use a ton of trim

A Trex 500 is sensitive on landing. Especially if your throttle and pitch curves leave a dead spot in the powerband. If you're flying with 10mph wind that's going to make landing even more difficult on normal mode.

btw: if you go inverted with only -4 degrees of pitch you're going to be in for a rude awakening. It'll be like watching a falling leaf go all the way down and eventually find the dirt.

[Gladius]

Originally Posted by FFXIJehuty

i'm starting to think i got used blades got these about last week and found this today when i got them thay seem a little faded figure it was a bad clear coat job i mean i know landed a little hard but the heli landed in a weird spot only left side skids broke but was able to land up not side ways i just don't see how this would happen

There is a lot of energy in those spinning blades (especially if you're landing under power). If you landed hard enough to break your skids, I would not be surprised to find a damaged blade as well.

It also pays to inspect everything you get, even if it is "new". I just bought some new tail blade grips for my 600, and 3 out of the 4 radial bearings in it were notchy. I believe it was caused by the excessive amount of Loctite they used in the screw that holds the grips to the hub. It's your heli in the air, so make sure you KNOW the condition of the parts you are putting on it. Also, a lot of places will not take returns if you've flown the part. You need to be able to show them that the part has never been flown, and was defective right out of the box.

[heli_shmeli]

Originally Posted by Gladius

Like Kayakboy said, get about a foot off the ground. Hit TH and DON'T MOVE YOUR COLLECTIVE STICK! As the headspeed drops, you will loose lift, and the heli will settle into the ground. It's kind of like jumping off a bridge the first time you do it, but you'll find that landing is much, much easier this way.

This helps. It sounds like I just need to flick TH and let the heli float down. So once I commit to it, I just gotta carry it through.

And before I go and try this (which probably won't be soon), can I get confirmation that this is okay to do in normal flight mode? I'm not flying in IU yet on my 500, and I want to make sure it's okay to hit TH to land when throttle is already at ~40% at low stick.

[kayakboy69]

OP todays lesson is something to think about ... if it makes sence to you apply it

Some guys will say to run neg 4 degrees and +12 or whatever in normal mode ..

Your thinking about setting your normal mode pitch -4 & +8

Lets look at that for a second ...

The more you push on the stick the more response you get ..

SO dont push that far .. when you have a -12 & +12. Set up ..

With a 0 - 100percent pitch curve your hover point and landing points will be in the same exact spot every time in every flight mode

This helps create muscle memory wich helps you progress

So dont limit your pitch even for learning!

Keep a -12 & +12 pitch even in normal mode!

This will help you land as well as progress into sport flying later with out relearning a bunch of stuff by keeping your heli verry consistent that is key to learning ..

I would lower my pitch to -10.5 & +10.5 and drop the head speed down a tiny bit ... this will help with twitchy ness ... now finde EXPO in your radio add 30 on elevator alerion and rudder .. this will slow down the twitchy ness when doing precision stuff like hovering a full battery and slow fwd flight ... while still having full pitch available.

Now why do I recommend full negative and positive pitch .. that way you mini auto (1' off ground) shut down procedures will be constant in every flight mode

Also later in life when your sport flying and roll inverted in normal mode and you apply negative pitch .. you will have a chance to save your heli before the esc shuts off the motor because you didnt hit stunt mode. lol happens to every one once ..

Lot will probley disagree with me
lot of thing have changed over the years this is how I was taught to fly fbl helis

Here end ur lesson

[Gladius]

Originally Posted by heli_shmeli

This helps. It sounds like I just need to flick TH and let the heli float down. So once I commit to it, I just gotta carry it through.

And before I go and try this (which probably won't be soon), can I get confirmation that this is okay to do in normal flight mode? I'm not flying in IU yet on my 500, and I want to make sure it's okay to hit TH to land when throttle is already at ~40% at low stick.

You need to verify that your pitch curves are the same in TH as in whatever mode you fly. Otherwise, your pitch will suddenly change when you hit TH, and the heli will do something unexpected. As long as that is set properly, and you are in a stable hover when you hit TH, then it should work just fine in normal mode as well as IU.

[kayakboy69]

See my last post ..

Anothet tip for now set up normal mode throttle curve to spec of heli ...

Then set all idle up modes to the largest number you used in normal mode ..
Ie
Norm 0 35 55 75 or wht ever

All stunt modes aka IU1 iu2 Iu3 aka idle up modes will be 75-75-75-75-75

Add in expo to thoes flight modes to

Make sure tail gryo setting are same in thoes modes

Now if your using a linear pitch curve in all modes -10. 5 + 10.5

All flight modes will act the same ..

This will noob proof you flight modes incase you bump your idle up switch you wont have any difrent head speeds your not ready for ..

Only thing difrent in idle up Is the motor wont shut off. In full negative pitch (but your going to hit throttle hold)to land CHEST BUMP!

[kayakboy69]

Originally Posted by heli_shmeli

This helps. It sounds like I just need to flick TH and let the heli float down. So once I commit to it, I just gotta carry it through.

And before I go and try this (which probably won't be soon), can I get confirmation that this is okay to do in normal flight mode? I'm not flying in IU yet on my 500, and I want to make sure it's okay to hit TH to land when throttle is already at ~40% at low stick.

You should be hovering .. hovering should be approx 60 percent stick ... when you hitting TH ... make double sure pitch curve is same in TH and also GRYO .. futaba has a separate gyro setting in TH not sure on spectrum

[heli_shmeli]

Originally Posted by Gladius

You need to verify that your pitch curves are the same in TH as in whatever mode you fly. Otherwise, your pitch will suddenly change when you hit TH, and the heli will do something unexpected. As long as that is set properly, and you are in a stable hover when you hit TH, then it should work just fine in normal mode as well as IU.

Oh shoot, I never thought of that. Thanks, I totally forgot my TH pitch curve is linear from 0 to 100%.


That would have been bad..

Also, what's your opinion on Kayak saying that normal mode should have a pitch curve that is the same as IU? He makes a good point; so that one would get used to it.

[Gladius]

I completely agree with him on using a straight pitch curve regardless of what mode you are flying in. Better to teach yourself the "right" way, than try to re-teach yourself later.

[Bluelunatic]

I wouldn't fly a Trex500 on anything less than 80 flat throttle. I use normal for take off and landing only. I transition out of it as soon as my left stick is at 50% and I go right into Idle up or come right out of Idle up into a landing. No messing around, because if you're at 40% pitch and who know's what throttle setting, get ready for your heli to drop out of the sky soon as you hit TH. 1 foot up or 3 inches, it's coming straight down like a rock unless the headspeed is significant. You already broke a landing gear, you know what I mean.

My brother insisted I fly on normal mode which looks like this:
T: 0,55,75,85,100
P:40,45,50,75,100

I could not get it down on a windy day without losing significant headspeed. I ended up pulling the left stick back so far I shut off the ESC. It looped then pancaked into the ground skids first from 20' up. Yay. That was my 3rd set up related crash while figuring all this stuff out.

[heli_shmeli]

Holy shit, must of been quite an 'i told you so' moment in regards to your brother.