Helicopters - A Flying Guide For Beginners

[Tom Taylor]

 

RC Helicopters - A Flying Guide For Beginners
By Jeffrey Lawson
 

After you have mastered the skills of flying an RC airplane, and you still feel the need for an even greater adrenalin rush, you may want to consider the RC helicopter next. If you do, then here are some very important pointers to keep you from becoming discouraged with the complexity of helicopter flight, and some recommendations that will keep the hobby from blowing a hole in your wallet.

Before you get started and even before you purchase your first RC helicopter, you will find that it is very important to learn everything you possibly can about how the helicopter works. What mechanisms surrounding the main rotor cause it to go forward, backward, left and right. What makes the helicopter body spin clockwise or counterclockwise? What happens when the main rotor blade pitch changes? Then, once you understand these characteristics, you will have removed a few crashes from your future.

Keep in mind that once you commit to RC helicopter flying, you will not settle with just one craft, so you may as well start simple with a 4-channel model having counter rotating main blades and an artificial, nonworking or nonexisting tail rotor. Even then, you will save yourself numerous crashes by learning on an RC flight simulator that connects an RC radio-type device to your computer. (The most common brands are Airfly Pro Deluxe, RealFlight, and ClearView). With a simple craft or a simulator, you will be able to train yourself to stay oriented. Staying "oriented" with the helicopter is one of the most challenging aspects of learning this type of flying vehicle.

One thing is for sure, when you start flying the real thing, you are going to crash, so don't blame the manufacturer for your crash. Helicopters are mostly beyond the flying skills of 96% of people in this hobby, so accepting the facts of your future may save you some anger and heartache. Some folks crash a few times and give up, but it takes a lot of practice. Did I say "a lot of practice"? Well here it is again if I did, it takes a lot of practice!

Like I said, learn on a simple helicopter. Don't even think about adding accessories and upgrades to your helicopter unless you are advancing in your skills and are able to fly for a reasonable amount of time and number of times without crashing. The accessories and upgrades WILL NOT cause the novice to fly better because its takes skill and practice. Generally, an RC helicopter is fairly easy to fly as long as you can see it and stay oriented. Plus, you have to understand how the control sticks on the radio affect the movement of the helicopter.

Get an instructor. Beginners can't tell if a certain problem is with you or the helicopter like an instructor can. It is highly likely that there is an RC flying club nearby, and experienced helicopter flyers are very happy to lend you a hand. So, do some asking around before you go off alone to tackle RC helicopter flying.

When it comes to actually flying, don't try to trim Electric Tail Rotor Motor(ETRM) helicopters to make it stop spinning on the ground. They have to be trimmed at eye level(in the air). This is another good reason to have an instructor. Also, you will need to have training gear installed on your skids. This gear is the sticks in the shape of an "X", most of the time with brightly painted foam or plastic balls on the tips. This training gear is like training wheels on a bicycle, to keep your helicopter from tipping over so easily when close to the ground.

When learning to hover, keep the nose pointed away from you, and practice at eye level. Never watch the tail rotor, watch the nose. Staying oriented relies on you concentrating on the position of the nose, because moving the rudder stick to the right causes the helicopter nose to go right (clockwise).

Never fly away until you learn how to hover. Get the art of hovering perfected before you attempt lateral or forward movement. Compared to an airplane, the helicopter ailerons, rudder, and elevator movement are basically the same during normal forward flight, however, the helicopter behaves different than an airplane in that you additionally experience "slide". When making turns with a helicopter, you must keep the nose down, otherwise it will slide out of the turn, disorient you and crash. The transmitter is your helicopter cockpit, so you can re-orient yourself by pointing the transmitter antenna in the same direction as the helicopter nose. However, never fly behind you; always keep the helicopter in front of you unless you are getting yourself re-oriented.

Always use both the index finger and the thumb on the left stick of the radio. On the right-hand control stick, just a thumb is ok if you are comfortable with it. Slight movements of the control sticks cause drastic movements with the helicopter and keeping two fingers on the left stick will help you avoid quick stick movements.

Don't let people watch you when you are learning to fly the helicopter. You need to have full concentration on the helicopter at all times without folks trying to talk you into doing a maneuver that you are not comfortable with.

Never drop the throttle stick or let it spring back for the landing (or any other time for that matter) because the rotors will spring down and hit the tail boom and break it. Always land gently. Never use quick movements on the controls, every move needs to be slow and stable.

Always remember your last move on the controls, because you will get lost at some point and need to reverse your last move until you see your helicopter again or become oriented again. Always keep the helicopter within a comfortable viewing distance, not too far to see, and not so close that you risk hitting something.

Finally, when you crash (and you will), thro

[Tom Taylor]

throttle off immediately to save the motor and the rotor shaft. Other broken parts cost less to replace than the motor and the rotor shaft.

I know this is a lot to remember, and its very likely that there is more to know than what is written here, but as you practice, practice, practice, all of this will slowly become second nature to you in flying your RC helicopter. My first RC helicopter was an E-Flite Blade 400 3D bird, but I quickly realized that it was way beyond my beginner skill level, so I reverted back to the simpler counter-rotating rotor model similar to the Megatech House Fly, and then I was well on my way to another life-long RC passion.

 

Edited By Tom Taylor on 08/09/2010 14:00:12

Edited By David Ashby - RCME Administrator on 08/09/2010 14:09:53

[Tim Mackey]

Beat me to it there David

[Vic. P.]

Hi Tom.

Is this beginners guide intended for contra rotating helicopters only?

 

If not then there are a few points which need to be clarrified.

 

First, it says " Never drop the throttle stick or let it spring back for the landing" the bit that's wrong here is spring back. The throttle stick should not have the spring engaged at all and therefore should not be able to "spring" anywhere, if it did, then it would make for a very dangerous set-up!!!

 

Second, when it says "throttle off immediately to save the motor and the rotor shaft." this would be fine for a contra rotating helicopter but not for a collective pitch helicopter.

A collective pitch heli should have a properly set up Throttle hold switch and pitch curves.

 By using throttle hold, you cut the engine or motor but keep control of pitch allowing the pilot to flair the heli close to the ground as with auto rotation landings using 9  to 12 degrees of POSITIVE pitch which will also slow the main rotor blades down much quicker resulting in less damage to the drive train and blades.

Suggesting that cutting the throttle is the way to do it is in fact wrong for collective pitch helis because in "normal - hover" flight mode this will give you  2  to 3 degrees of NEGATIVE pitch at zero throttle which will encourage the blades to keep turning and increase the descent rate resulting in a much harder crash.

 

Edited By Vic. P. on 06/12/2010 16:22:33

[Delta Whiskey]

For all things chopper related, begineers to pro's I recommend a visit to http://www.rcheliaddict.co.uk/

 

[Vic. P.]

Posted by Delta Whiskey on 07/12/2010 08:50:04:

For all things chopper related, begineers to pro's I recommend a visit to http://www.rcheliaddict.co.uk/

 

 I agree,  .... you'll get a much more informed response from the folk at RCheliaddicts

[Ultymate]

The original post may well full of good intentions but is riddled with pitfalls. I am not looking for an argument at all but this branch of the hobby is far more fraught with risk for beginners than fixed wing. I taught myself to fly helis and it's a hard furrow to plough. I would advise seeking help at a club if at all possible  

[Steve W-O]

To be honest, I didn't think the original post here meant much at all, it certainly didn't to me wanting to know how to fly them.

 

I have found the "how to" on this site to be the best I have seen yet.

 

Of course it doesn't mean I will follow it, will probably still just put the helicopter on the ground, open the throttle and take it from there