JulianJ Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Hello! i was wondering if anyone could help with any advice or opinions? In carrying out pre flight checks on my newly assembled Apprentice, it appears the 'intermediate' flight mode is not functioning, ie not self levelling the plane. with the model powered up, & in 'beginner' mode, holding the plane in my hands & moving it at varying angles the control surfaces move 'by themselves' in order to level/correct the plane. I have also operated the panic switch & watched the control surfaces move accordingly. However, when carrying out the same test in intermediate mode there is no self levelling, regardless of whatever angle I hold the plane at..... Even if I invert it, the control surfaces do not move unless I pull the panic switch. i have checked the position of the micro switches on the receiver & tried reversing channel 5 on the DX5e tx (3 position switch). Everything is brand new, fully charged & I've checked all connections..... Has anyone else experienced this & does anyone know of any solutions? thank you in advance for any suggestions, kind regards Julian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hopkin Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Did you power it down fully before changing the DIP switches to set it for Intermediate mode? and make sure its sat on a flat surface when you power it up and the gyro sets itself up You have taken the prop off haven't you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Have you flown it yet? I flew one of these for the first time yesterday. One the ground nothing moved automatically, but all worked well on the sticks. Once in the air, all modes worked fine including the panic button. Ideal for beginners, but very strange for those of us who've been flying for many years, as the plane didn't do exactly what I wanted it to do..I.e. Roll to 45degrees pitch to 60degrees, but very good for a beginner. Very gentle turns and use the throttle and all is well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin 216 Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Hi Julian - I have had an Apprentice for about a year now and it worked straight out of the box with no need to move Tx or Rx dip switches. - the position for Rx switches is in your manual. The switches should be set correctly one of the reasons the are there is if you are using a Tx that only has two switch positions ( for example DX6i) and this lets the Rx know what two of the three modes will be in operation from the Tx. You may well already know this. On power up the model should remain level and not move until the end of the test sequence. Once set up you can move from one mode to another, you do not need to switch off and re-start. The stabilization will only work after the throttle has been advanced and then it will continue to work irrespective of throttle position until you power-off. The Apprentice is a good model to learn to fly - however my gyro stabilization developed one or two gremlins and it occasionally went through a second re-set sequence, it even reset on take-off. I the end I decided to ditch the gyro and fit a standard 4 channel receiver. If it still does not work try the shop you got it from or contact Horizon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Hoolahan Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Julian, I think what you get in Intermediate mode is not exactly self levelling, but a restricted roll. So with full aileron, once the model reaches a certain degree of roll, the ailerons will flip back to neutral (or maybe even a little bit beyond). I don't have the apprentice but I have a couple of smaller ones with the same technology regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulianJ Posted July 5, 2015 Author Share Posted July 5, 2015 Thank you Gentlemen for taking the time to reply! after taking 'on board' your valuable comments we decided that all is well with the plane & decided that for a first flight, beginner mode would suffice.....So this morning "Team West" (father & son) completed all the pre flight checks as per the manual & tentatively hand launched. As per your comments, the Apprentice pretty much flies itself! Despite some fairly strong gusts we managed a couple of successful flights & perhaps more importantly a couple of successful landings. Unfortunately, rain stopped play. we're both looking forward to some better flying weather so we can gain some more experience! thank you all for your help! kind regards Julian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hopkin Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 If your flying patch allows it, its safer to take off from grass as "catching" a model after a hand launch can be a variable feast... Just slowly open up the throttle allow it to accelerate into the wind and DONT pull at the up elevator if the runway is smooth it should rotate on its own, if not a tickle of up will have it in the air, keep the power on as you climb up to a decent height, then throttle back into cruise mode - keep the sun on your back and dont let it get too high or too far away One modification that will help is to put some strips of bright orange tape along the wing leading edges overlapping underneath by three or four inches (but only about 15mm on the top of the wing) - it will help with orientation against a cloudy sky and when you are making your final approach to your landing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Biddulph Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 I also have an apprentice and am teaching myself to fly. this model is fantastic for the beginner, I fly mine when the grass has been cut on the silage field that I fly from, when the grass is to long I fly my Bixler. The Apprentice is a nicer model to fly than the Bixler, and it flys a lot slower than the Bixler so gives me more time to react. I have always flown the Apprentice in intermediate mode with no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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