Training Anyone Use Buddy Boxes??
07-17-2013, 04:25 PM
#1
Training Anyone Use Buddy Boxes??
Question came up at the field this evening. Is anyone using a buddy box to train people on the RC helicopters?
If you are using a buddy box, what size of helicopter are you training with?
Thanks for your comments. After I get a bit of feedback, I will post my thoughts.
If you are using a buddy box, what size of helicopter are you training with?
Thanks for your comments. After I get a bit of feedback, I will post my thoughts.
07-17-2013, 04:44 PM
#2
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RE: Training Anyone Use Buddy Boxes??
Watched a video of a heli on a trainer cord - the teacher got it up in a hover maybe 20 ft high - where it's real hard to see what direction it's going, then gave the student control for maybe 5 or 10 seconds, rinse, repeat. I don't think the student really learned anything.
Used a trainer cord on planks many times, but never on a heli (I know that wasn't your actual question) as either a student or teacher - I think a sim is a much better way to go for a heli.
Used a trainer cord on planks many times, but never on a heli (I know that wasn't your actual question) as either a student or teacher - I think a sim is a much better way to go for a heli.
07-18-2013, 08:36 AM
#3
RE: Training Anyone Use Buddy Boxes??
I've seen it go either way. I've seen a helicopter crash within the first few minutes because the "instructor" was not ready for the helicopter when it was time to recover. I've also seen student being put in a simulator for a few minutes and depending on performance, baing taken to a waiting instructor on a buddy cord. Worked real well.
The primary thing to remember is that to pilot a helicopter, you first need to learn to hover. Hovering at 20ft high although hovering, is not exactly the same as doing it 6 inches off the ground. An airplane is always moving in a direction perpendicular to the propeller, that is predictable and easy to "catch". A helicopter can move in any direction it pleases from a hover. A lot more unpredictable than an airplane.
I always suggest a simulator. If that is not available, I suggest training gear and direct coaching from an experienced pilot. Once hovering skills are starting to root, then advancing to other maneuvers is possible. This is when the buddy cord would shine the most. To bail out of new maneuvers. But once you know how to hover, you need very little input from experienced pilots.
Rafael
The primary thing to remember is that to pilot a helicopter, you first need to learn to hover. Hovering at 20ft high although hovering, is not exactly the same as doing it 6 inches off the ground. An airplane is always moving in a direction perpendicular to the propeller, that is predictable and easy to "catch". A helicopter can move in any direction it pleases from a hover. A lot more unpredictable than an airplane.
I always suggest a simulator. If that is not available, I suggest training gear and direct coaching from an experienced pilot. Once hovering skills are starting to root, then advancing to other maneuvers is possible. This is when the buddy cord would shine the most. To bail out of new maneuvers. But once you know how to hover, you need very little input from experienced pilots.
Rafael
07-18-2013, 02:30 PM
#4
RE: Training Anyone Use Buddy Boxes??
From a friend of mine: (yes I have one friend)
Yes, but there is still a much higher chance of crashing anyway compared to Airplane.
Although I did not buddy box students, Keith did once. But that was with a big 60 heli and she (yes SHE) had big training gear on the heli. Most people just used training gear on pavement.
Yes, but there is still a much higher chance of crashing anyway compared to Airplane.
Although I did not buddy box students, Keith did once. But that was with a big 60 heli and she (yes SHE) had big training gear on the heli. Most people just used training gear on pavement.
07-20-2013, 03:35 AM
#5
RE: Training Anyone Use Buddy Boxes??
In this case the guy was asking me to buddy box him on a micro helicopter. That is insane... there is no possible way that I can drop the trainer switch and recover a micro in time to prevent a crash. My reaction time coupled with my finger movement cannot prevent a crash that occurs within microseconds. With micro helis you crash and most likely the heli is not harmed... rinse, repeat. I don't like the idea of tearing up any heli.
This particular case was with a collective pitch micro... nice bird, but way too much for a beginner. The guy has the flight simulator but no patience to sit in front of it. IMHO there is no other way to learn to fly helis... sim, sim, sim all the way baby... sim until you can hover for a complete battery (5-8minutes) or two. I would prefer that a beginner use a fixed pitch heli (not a coaxial) to begin real training and then move to a 450 or 500 sized collective pitch heli.
A guy that tried to help me with my 450 bird on the buddy box turned into a fiasco... the collective/throttle curves were not matched exactly.. we set my (student) collective stick same as the instructor... he released trainer switch while he was hovering and the bird slammed into the ground. I never tried that again. The switch over is not perfect and the instructor needs cat-like instant reflexes. The heli is just too fast for an instructor to recover... The example of handing the heli over 20 feet in the air is unrealistic... a beginner is not ready to hover there, nor are they ready for forward flight. Helicopters are not a group activity, you have to learn to hover solidly in all four orientations by yourself before the fun can begin.
Let your bashing begin.
This particular case was with a collective pitch micro... nice bird, but way too much for a beginner. The guy has the flight simulator but no patience to sit in front of it. IMHO there is no other way to learn to fly helis... sim, sim, sim all the way baby... sim until you can hover for a complete battery (5-8minutes) or two. I would prefer that a beginner use a fixed pitch heli (not a coaxial) to begin real training and then move to a 450 or 500 sized collective pitch heli.
A guy that tried to help me with my 450 bird on the buddy box turned into a fiasco... the collective/throttle curves were not matched exactly.. we set my (student) collective stick same as the instructor... he released trainer switch while he was hovering and the bird slammed into the ground. I never tried that again. The switch over is not perfect and the instructor needs cat-like instant reflexes. The heli is just too fast for an instructor to recover... The example of handing the heli over 20 feet in the air is unrealistic... a beginner is not ready to hover there, nor are they ready for forward flight. Helicopters are not a group activity, you have to learn to hover solidly in all four orientations by yourself before the fun can begin.
Let your bashing begin.
07-20-2013, 12:39 PM
#6
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RE: Training Anyone Use Buddy Boxes??
Most noobies seem to hover at eye level (no matter how often they're told not to) and there's just not enough reaction time, even a little above eye level. I'm sure there are people who've had success with a traner cord, but it seems to me like they'd be the exception. Use a sim, and make sure your first heli has a good parts supply available.
I watched one kid learning on an MCPX and he was have great luck. He crashed a few times, blew off the dust and went right back up. And he was hovering in stronger wind than my first FP could have possibly handled. But again - he said he spent a lot of time on his friends sim first.
I watched one kid learning on an MCPX and he was have great luck. He crashed a few times, blew off the dust and went right back up. And he was hovering in stronger wind than my first FP could have possibly handled. But again - he said he spent a lot of time on his friends sim first.
