Smithaw

My Feedback: (2)

So i started about a year ago into helis by purchasing an Aerohawk that i flew about 8 times and absolutly loved it. Well the board went out on it and I had 2 options: go seperates and buy the gyro and other electronics for it or simply do what is suggested to most beginners and start out with a nitro bird. Well i took the second option and started lookin for a nitro. In the end i choose this raptor 30 with gy401, all servos, and Jr Century 7 TX for 650. I was ready to fly.

Well i got the Raptor and was anxious as hell to be able to get out and fly it, the only problem was i truely had no clue what i was supposed to do. I did make a set of homemade training gear for it but that's about all.

So one day I decided that i wanted to just start it and listen to the engine run and watch the blades spin a little to make sure it worked properly. I took it out in my yard and put the fuel in and connected the glow plug and used the 12V starter to start it. Well when it started it started. The engine immediatly began to run at a VERY high idle and i could tell that the blades were dieing to rip out of my hands and start spinning. I remind you i have never flown or operated a nitro heli, although i have tried to read some info on them. Well i decided, with my adrenline pumping furiousily, to let the blades go and do there own thing cause i could feel the parts beginning to get warm. BIG MISTAKE. As i took my hands away from the blades my thumb just happened to get in the way of the blade. I felt it hit but wouldn't realize it was bleeding and throbbing intensily till much later. As the heli just sat there screaming i was wondering, "What the hell do i do now?" Well, again i have never flown or operated a nitro bird, i decided i had to turn it off.

This was a stupid choice and i do know that and i will never do it agian, but at the time i wasn't thinking real clear and i didn't want to loose the 700 dollar investment i just made so i got on my belly and stuck my hand under the heli and pinned the training gear to the ground as hard as i could to keep it from going anywhere. I could hear the blades just hissing above my head. I reached up and turned the fuel line off and the heli stopped. WOW! My heart was going. That is when i realized my thumb was pouring with blood. Fortuanatly for me it was just that the blade had pushed the skin away from my thumb and just caused it too bleed from under my nail. It hurt like the dickens but it wasn't serious.

After inspecting some things i discovered the TX had the throttle on the mode 2 and everything else was on mode one. Since it was on mode 2 i am assuming that the throttle was reversed and that down was up and up was down. One thing i dont like about the raptor is i can't see the carborator because i could turn the radio and electronics on and see if the carb was almost all the way open. If i could see the carb and it was almost open then i would know the throttle is wrong. Unfortunatly I havn't got a chance to start again partly because i am a little afraid of it now LOL.

Well now it's about 5 months later and i havn't really got a chance to fly it but i do want to fly it ever so badly. I live in Washington near Tacoma and it is kinda hard to find decent weather to fly it in but lately there has been quite a few so i would like to try again. What i am really asking here is if anyone in these forums lives in washington and would be willing to spend some time with me to help me get everything set up. The trimes arn't right and i know that so basically I need to just start from the beginning and learn the mechanics. I did have the eletric heli and that taught me alot but from personal experience i can tell you they are NOTHING alike. Once it starts and runs good with everything right i am not afraid to learn to fly it on my own. Any help would be greatly appreciated and if you live in washington and would be willing to give me a hand that would be REALLY great. I hope you all enjoyed my story and i really hope none of you experience the same thing i did. If your new to this hobby you should really not take these things for a toy in any way. They can be VERY dangerous if not used properly and safely, but dont get me wrong, they are extremely enjoyable.

loadthis

My Feedback: (3)

www.raportechnique.com Go There.

DSA.308

My Feedback: (6)

You are on the right track now, get a experienced hand to help you in real-life. The learning curve on nitro birds is extremely steep. From the initial building of the helicopter, to the initial flight should really ONLY be done with a experienced hand. Even done like this there can be surprises, with someone who knows their stuff. And without help....well you allready know. Yep, when you have a hot start its easy to leave skids on the inside of your shorts. Thank god you were holding the head when it started up, which is always a MUST.

rusirius

The sad part is, I doubt your story is that far from rare. Just last week I saw a Raptor 30 v2 listed on ebay as a "Toy RC helicopter"... Anyway, here's a few words of wisdom.

First and foremost, JOIN THE AMA! You didn't mention you did, but I'm going to assume you didn't... If for no other reason at all, think of it this way.. What if your heli HAD gotten away from you? You stated in your post "I didn't want to lose the 700 dollar investment I just made"... IF it had gotten away from you, that's the best you could have hoped for... Suppose it had crashed through someone's bay window? "Attacked" someone in their yard, or walking down a street? Smashed into someone's car? etc... The AMA highly stressed against doing what you did, however if something bad HAD happened, at least their insurance would have paid for it, rather than it coming out of your own pocket. Assuming what was "lost" could have been "bought"... If you lived 50 miles from your nearest neighbor, then you may be able to do without... Otherwise, it's only $59 a year, and the magazine is worth that.

Secondly, using the AMA website, ([link=http://www.modelaircraft.org]http://www.modelaircraft.org[/link]) you can locate a field close to you by using your zip code. This will give you a great place to start. There is NO replacement for having someone experienced to help you, and though there are exceptions, almost ANYONE you find at these clubs will be very pleasent and tripping over themselves to help you out. I'm sure you'll have NO problem finding somebody locally that will help you out...

Now on to your experience... This is why we NEVER start our heli's without a good and thourough pre-flight inspection. The throttle servo on a raptor should rotate in a clockwise direction to increase throttle... (it will push the throttle arm towards the tail). If you couldn't see the barrel of the carb, and if you couldn't find the information somewhere else, you SHOULD have pulled the motor out and checked the direction. All of the controls are critical to have functioning in the right direction, but the throttle is the most important of all.

Next advice is this... If you EVER start your ship and the clutch engages, you NEVER EVER let go of the head... No matter how much damage it may cause to your ship, it pails in comparason to the damage it can cause if you let it spool up without control.

These are all things you need to "engrave" into your very being... You always have to consider the safety of your ship LAST... The moment something goes wrong, you should have thought about it so many times before that the correct action is a reflex. To start you on the right path, keep imagining yourself in that moment again... What you SHOULD have done when you felt the clutch engage and the engine screaming away was to HOLD ON TO THAT HEAD with a death grip... Keep the skids firmly planted in the ground, then used your other hand to pinch the fuel line until the motor dies.

Even though you risked life and limb, you did basically make the correct move once it started to spool up.... It is YOUR responsibility as a heli pilot that you NEVER let that thing get away from you... In your situation, regardless of rather you have to grab the gear (watch your HEAD!!!) or stick a foot in the blades, etc.. (hurts like hell, but it works)... whatever it takes to get that thing stopped is YOUR responsibility... You might get beat up a bit, but which would you prefer, yourself, or some innocent bystander?

Same goes for when your flying... When things go wrong in the air, it's YOUR responsibility to make sure it never endangers others, even if that means sticking it straight into the ground.

The www.raptortechnique.com site is a very good one... It's not a replacement for a local helper, but it is a close second... If you absolutely can't find anyone to help you out, then read EVERY page on that site... Twice in fact... Make sure you understand every aspect of your ship before you try to fly it... Make sure to do a pre-flight inspection, INCLUDING a range check on your radio. Only then should you feel confident enough to start it up.

Last but not least... And I'm sure this will be covered on the raptortechnique site somewhere... Make SURE you have the throttle-hold function programmed on your radio, and it should ALWAYS be on when your starting you engine. It wouldn't have helped in your case with the throttle servo reversed, but after that's straight it will keep an accidental bump of the stick from ruining your day again.

ChopperMike

Here's something I would suggest. If you can't find anyone to help you, next time strap the heli down and remove the blades. This way if it does spool up unexpectedly it will be safer. Then you can check the throttle operation. Don't rev it up too much w/o the blades on. But you'll be able to tell if the throttle is correct. I always start my heli in throttle hold and leave it in TH until it's on the tarmac ready to lift off. Like rusirius said, it'll keep you safe if you bump the throttle.

If at all possible get someone to help you, even if it means driving some distance to spend the afternoon with someone. Once the heli is set up properly and checked out it will make it much easier to learn to fly. I taught myself to fly as did my club's only other heli pilot, the learning curve was measured in years not months. If you have to go it alone. gain all the info you can. Read up on it as much as you can.

Good luck, happy and safe flying,


Mike

LSP972

My Feedback: (13)

There used to be a pretty active group of heli guys in the Sea-Tac area, up around Kent or Redmond as I recall.

Do a Google search for R/C Pilot Locator; there is a site run by my good friend CJ that shows the location and e-mail addresses of heli pilots all over the US.

NOTHING can take the place of hands-on help. Make every effort to get some.

I was stationed at Fort Lewis for several years. I loved the area, except for the incessant rain.

1ight

I'm a self-learner as well and must say that the throttle hold is a great idea. I always made sure that I had a good hold of the radio when my heli was running (before take off) but now that I think of it, its another safety.
Its a good thing that you didnt get injured. I guess its easy for people to think of RC helis as toys ... untill you see one fly....

Smithaw

My Feedback: (2)

rusirius, thanks for the info on the throttle. On normal it does push the arm towards the tail now. Also thank you to everyone else. I did look at the raptortechnique.com but i guess just not enough. I'll continue my search to find a pilot .