andy__b

about 20 years ago i bought a Shuttle Z .30-size heli. it took another ten years before i could afford the radio and electronics (hey, i was only a poor young pup at the time). [X(]
i flew it a few times over a few years and was able to hover okay and move around a bit. i then tried nose-in hovering and totally smashed the heli into the dirt. i bought a Z-TS kit (since even the frame on the Z was toast) and a few minor upgrades and reassembled the heli. that was about six years ago and i haven't flown it since.

sunday i was at a local dirt track where we race 1/8 scale trucks and buggies and a guy was there with his Raptor 50. he was doing all kinds of crazy stunts and we got to talking. i told him i had the old Shuttle, and thought half my flying trouble was not having it trimmed correctly, since i never knew anyone else with a heli to try it (or learn from). he offered to help me get it running again, and today i was just doing a web search to see if it was worth it and found this site. i'm sure my wife will not be happy about my re-entry into the world of rotary-wing aircraft, especially if i have a crash every week.

oh well, if she isn't talking to me it just gives me an excuse to go outside and practice. i think i'll get some training gear made up and my plan is to fire it up saturday and take it from there. i'm guessing i'll be asking a bunch of questions in the near future.

andy b.

nitrohog

Good deal, welcome to the forum. I know what its like trying to fly on a college students budget. Oh well, I wish you luck with your bird and remember theres nothing wrong with flying an old chopper, mines only slightly younger than I am.

sfell

Andy, if you have a computer that will support the program, I highly recommend buying a good simulator. I've been using great planes 3.5 and it has saved me thousands of dollars in crashes helping me improve orientation and coordination. I also recommend using a budy box with an accomplished pilot if you can figure out how to make that happen. -scott

"Always fly in the middle of the air, and stay away from the edges. You'll recognize the edges as the places where the ground, buildings, trees, and other aircraft are..."

andy__b

thanks guys!
i have an old version of simulation software someplace that i'll have to dig up. i think it actually connected to my transmitter (Futaba 6XH). i remember playing around with it, but it never felt quite the same as actually running the heli. i could kind of do nose-in hovering with it, but when it came to actually moving around it seemed like it would get really squirrelly. either a heli DOES get really squirrelly when it starts moving, or the sim wasn't trimmed properly to my radio. if you guys think the simulator performs similarly to a real model heli, then i doubt i will ever become coordinated enough to actually fly the thing. i can drive cars and trucks with no problems (nose-in, nose-out, left, right, whatever).

andy b.

mrc-hirobo

Good Luck,

I am sure we will be here to support ya when you need it.

JEff

andy__b

i actually had the Shuttle running a bit on the weekend and was doing some short hovering stints with training gear on. my four-year-old son kept telling me to "make it fly". i need to make some adjustments to the gyro (an old TeleBee), but otherwise all seemed well. this weekend i may get a chance to meet up with my friend so he can check how everything is trimmed out and make any adjustments.

so far so good!

andy b.

nitrohog

Good luck, the shuttle is a good flying little chopper, a little unstable, but flys nice after a little practice.

jcervantes11

My Feedback: (8)

are you still flying on this? Show some pics, give us some detail. Did that guy liked it?

gomesgre

Hi,
I am Greg, I work for Hirobo. I have a lot of helicopters, from the newest, to the old shuttle I flew when I was 6 and they all fly great. I am here if you or anyone needs help parts or just to chat about your how wife is mad at us for helping you get back into the hobby.