|
GTX SlotCar -> TIPS for Beginners on the Walkera DF #4 (12/25/2005 7:08:21 PM)
|
PLEASE DON'T REPLY HERE. THIS IS JUST A FEW TIPS TO MAKE YOUR LEARNING EXPERIENCE A LITTLE EASIER. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE PUT THEM IN THE WALKERA DRAGONFLY #4 THREAD.
You just got your Walkera DF #4 and have tried scooting it around the kitchen floor. You've probably noticed that it's hard to control and if you try to take off, it goes to the left. Don't worry, all this is normal.
Micro helis like the #4 are very light and get blown about with even the slightest breeze. When you're scooting around on the floor, you're in what's called GE (Ground Effects). The wind from the main rotor is blowing on the floor, bouncing in all directions including up, and blowing your little heli to the point where you have precious little control. Eventually you'll be able to fly here, but GE is no place to learn. While you're learning, you're bound to get into trouble. When you see it coming, don't try to fly out of it. Just cut the throttle immediately.
Before you can start flying around like a pro, you've got to learn how to stay in a controlled hover, 2 to 3 feet off the ground, with the tail of the heli pointing toward you (this is called Tail In Hovering). This is the easiest position to fly in. When you can do this easily, 2 or 3 times, through an entire battery charge, you're "Accomplished at this step" and can go on to the next. Don't go on to a next step until you're Accomplished at the one you're working on.
Once you're accomplished at tail in hovering, try hovering the heli with it's left side facing you. When you're accomplished at that, try it with the right side of the heli facing you. And when you're accomplished at that, try it with the nose of the heli facing you (called Nose In Hovering). Only when you are accomplished at hovering with the heli pointing in any direction should you try flying it around. Start out with short forward flights away from you and backing up the heli to get it back to you. When you are accomplished at this, try flying forward and then turning the heli so you can fly it forward back to you. Remember that you're doing all this at 2 or 3 feet off the ground. Don't be surprised if it takes a couple months to get to this point.
When you're accomplished at forward flight, you're ready to start learning how to hover all over again, but this time at about 7 or 8 feet above the ground. Things will feel different at this altitude. It'll be a little more scary and you'll have to get your bearings all over again. Don't worry, it'll only take a couple days this time. When you're accomplished at this, you're on your own.
There are things you can set up to make learning to hover easier. If your flybar didn't come with them, add the flybar collars. Next, adjust your flybar paddles to a positive pitch (for learning only). Turn on your Tx and Rx and use your trim to make the swashplate level, then add about 5° to the paddles. With the swashplate level, move a paddle over the canopy and adjust it to about 5°. Turn the rotor so the other paddle is over the canopy and adjust that one too. You can play around with different settings, but I probably wouldn't go over 10°. This will give more lift and stability, but will also load the motor a little more. You may lose a few seconds of flight time on your battery, but it may be worth it.
You're usually better off with less control while you're learning. This can be accomplished by connecting the flybar to the short arms of the swashplate instead of the long ones. Also, you can move the link rods toward the inside of the servo arms. The attached picture should help you understand what I mean.
Learning how to apply stick input also helps. If space permits (and you should give yourself room when you're learning), try to get used to the throttle input needed to hop your heli 30 to 36 inches off the floor. That will get you out of ground effects (mostly), the heli will drift less, and you need to be that high to trim your heli. It'll be more stable. Practice it until you get used to it. Then, use small, quick stick inputs to keep the heli in one place. You almost have to give stick movement before it needs it. For example, when your heli takes off, it'll probably go to the left. Before it swings back to the right like a pendulum, give it a little left aileron - one or two short bursts to keep it in place. Once it's steady and level, you can give it a little right stick, then a little left, etc., and move it in front of you again, slowly and level.
Timing on the stick inputs is everything.
[EDIT] The manual for these helis doesn't explain much, but there is an excellent one for the EF Sabre, which is the same as the DF #4. Hobby People have it online so you can download it if you feel the need to have one.
|
|
|
|
