Best FBL system W/ Self leveling/ Bailout?

[1320str8_liner]

I have 2 450's and a 600N, and I'm looking for the best FBL system out there that is reasonably priced and has bailout, self leveling features, I hear a mix of opinions on the iKon system, so I would like to hear about other systems to compare

[paedbo]

The best as in most reliable I know of is helicommand

[1320str8_liner]

Im looking at the Skookum 720 and the ikon, my thoughts, I'm just wondering if the gps and advanced features of the Skookum is a good investment or a lot of things I want use, being a new pilot the self leveling and bailout is important in my choice selection

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[LoveToFly1]

the ikon is great as a bailout, I wouldn't use SL to reliably fly with for many reasons, but use as a bailout, yes it is good. but bailout only. flip on, get upright, turn off and fly yourself. that's what its best used for.

I have an ikon, but don't use sl at all as I don't do 3d, but from what I read its is good for bailout, but not reliable enough to fly with sl enabled....some guys swear its amazing and have no issues at all, and some swear its horrible and never use it....

[paedbo]

I never had one but I hear the same about the skookum products. I am one of the lucky ones having 1 ikon and one msh brain that I can leave SL on for the entire flight. or just use as bailout. it will lift off and land in SL mode with no issues.

[ColinSouthern]

The HeliCommand bailout is generally regarded as being at a different level to the competition in that it automatically adds correct collective - at the right time - to get a heli climbing ASAP (either upright or inverted if acro option is selected) (leveling and climbing an out of control heli is MUCH faster than systems that always flip it upright), and having the collective added correctly is far better than the pilot having to do it at just the right time or having it done via a mix that applies it immediately and may well make the situation worse initially if the heli is inverted at the time (and then has to flip under full collective).

Additionally, the self-leveling can be set to be as passive or as rigid as one likes - and can be used to provide extra stability whilst inverted to aid in learning those orientations.

It's also a damn fine FBL controller in it's own right, with MANY things that can be tweaked to fine-tune performance.

[ColinSouthern]

Here ya go .. be in quick!

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=555679

[jhamel]

I had four blue SK-720's at one point. The self leveling (SL) feature had limitations. In order for the SL feature to work properly, vibrations needed to be kept way down. That often meant using soft mounting padding, which in turn limited the locked-in feel. Even when keeping all the vibrations under control, after a few loops and rolls, the Skookum unit would loose orientation and would not be able to tell which side is up and which is down, so you never knew what was going to actually happen if you engaged the SL mid flight.

The SK-720 SL feature works best for those pilots just starting out, and wanting help transitioning from coaxial helicopters to collective pitch. However, if you already feel fairly comfortable with basic forward flight in all orientations, the Skookum SL feature does not provide a reliable bail out when you need it most.

Maybe other units like the iKon/Brain and/or HeliCommand/Bavarian may offer more reliable self leveling bail-out.

[ripper-911]

Hi Guys. I am just starting to learn about these systems and I am a beginner heli pilot. I have researched these devices quite a bit but I cannot find any information on exactly how they are used (i.e. usage scenarios). Thus I have the following questions that I hope can be answered.

1. Is hitting a switch on your tranny the only way to engage level or recovery modes? I understood that there was a more automatic way where you would set a 'hard deck' and when the heli hit that height it would automatically recover into a hover and face out from you.

2. Is the above feature standard on all aforementioned systems (meaning the 'hard deck' recovery function?)

3. What would happen if you were flying forward say 10 feet off the ground at about 40mph and you hit the switch?

Sorry for the questions. If there is somewhere where I can go to get the answers just point me in that direction.

Thank you in advance.

Regards,

Robert

[1320str8_liner]

Originally Posted by ripper-911

Hi Guys. I am just starting to learn about these systems and I am a beginner heli pilot. I have researched these devices quite a bit but I cannot find any information on exactly how they are used (i.e. usage scenarios). Thus I have the following questions that I hope can be answered.

1. Is hitting a switch on your tranny the only way to engage level or recovery modes? I understood that there was a more automatic way where you would set a 'hard deck' and when the heli hit that height it would automatically recover into a hover and face out from you.

2. Is the above feature standard on all aforementioned systems (meaning the 'hard deck' recovery function?)

3. What would happen if you were flying forward say 10 feet off the ground at about 40mph and you hit the switch?

Sorry for the questions. If there is somewhere where I can go to get the answers just point me in that direction.

Thank you in advance.

Regards,

Robert

I recently started this post, seeking the same answers as yourself. After many questions and youtube videos and a few dollars later, I settled on the "Heli command / Barvarian Demon 3sx system" it seems to be a great system, I have installed it, but haven't had much time to test 100%, but I can say its a great system and I will be purchasing a few more for my other helis. I found that most of the systems were
1. very much affected by vibes
2. needed additional parts, GPS add ons etc..
3. from the videos seems like it took a lot of setup, trial and era, which kinda defeats the point if you are a new guy like me ...lol

[RedOctobyr]

Disclaimer: I don't have a self-leveling FBL, this is just based on what I've picked up in some reading (and not super-detailed research, since I'm not in the market):

1) Typically, you hit a switch/button to enable the help-me function (I'm going to call it that, since self-level, and bailout, can have their own connotations/subtleties. I am referring to when you are going to crash, and you need the system to keep the heli in the air, and put it level).

There are 1 or 2 systems with a hard deck. The FMA Copilot II has it, with an add-on, I think. And I think the newest Skookum can also do it, but it requires a very expensive GPS add-on.

2) No. It's not standard on anything, and only available on a select few.

Note that some systems (Helicommand) can go level, and also add the appropriate pitch, to get you away from the ground right now. It will figure out the correct type of pitch, based on whether it has gone to level upright, or inverted, if you've allowed that (you can let it go to whichever is closer, rather than wasting valuable time going from inverted all the way to upright).

The iKon does not add any pitch. It just goes level (I believe that you have the choice of forcing it to always go upright, or letting it go to whichever is closer, upright or inverted), it's up to you to add the appropriate pitch to get away from the ground.

3) It depends on the system. My understanding is they would all go level, to upright, in this condition. Since you were going fast, you'd still be going pretty quickly (none will make you actually stop). The Helicommand will also blast you away from the ground. The iKon would not change your pitch, so you'd probably be climbing somewhat (you'd have been giving a decent amount of positive collective to be going that fast).

[1320str8_liner]

Heli command/ Barvarian Demon is the way to go, just finished setting mine up, and it is awesome, I have never seen such thing. And its plenty of help here on HF and a few videos and starting setups. Im new to the hobby and I have spent more time and money on crashes and less time in the air than I would like... heli command is the answer for me, I will be purchasing a second unit very soon, I want everything in my fleet to be equipped as such...
Good luck which ever way you choose to go

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[jhamel]

The one drawback to the HeliCommand is the lack of governor.