Luckned,

[link=http://www.raptortechnique.com]RaptorTechnique.com[/link] is a real good site with a lot of information on Raptors and heli's in general. In addition to the book that Flaps mentioned, I'd recommend getting [link=http://www.rcmmagazine.com/e/env/00012FTzwgP0zGkjdM4I9E8/store/store-books.html?link=/store/store-books-tem.html&item=products:ab24]Ray's Authoritative Helicopter Manual[/link]. It starts with theory and goes through building, setup, electronics and into flying some aerobatics.

If you get a heli version of a radio, the throttle stick doesn't have the detents (ratchet feel), so it's much easier to control the altitude smoothly. Most airplane radios can also be modified - some easier than others - to remove the ratchet.

Just a quick "primer" ...

Collective: This refers to the collective pitch of the main rotors; changing the pitch of blades collectively throughout the entire rotation of the rotor "disk". This change in pitch causes the heli to climb or descend when hovering and also increases or decreases forward speed while in flight.

Cyclic: Controlling the pitch of the blades individually at varying points around the disk during each cycle of rotation. This control input is used to rotate the heli about the pitch (fore/aft) and roll (left/right) axes.

Throttle Hold and Idle Ups are some of the flight "modes" used with heli's:

Throttle Hold: Used to drop the throttle to a preset point near idle to disengage the clutch and allow the blades to spin freely without power. This is used mainly for practicing autorotations (unpowered landings), but is also used for certain emergency situations; such as tail rotor failures.

Idle Up: Allows for multiple pitch and throttle curves to be entered allowing various flights modes for hovering, forward flight, inverted flight and aerobatic (3D) flight. The different modes will have different low and high blade pitch settings and throttle settings. For inverted flight, for instance, you need to have the throttle curve shaped like a 'V' so that you have full throttle (or nearly) at both full positive and full negative pitch. In other words, as you lower the collective/throttle stick so that the pitch drops below 0 degrees, the throttle starts to go back up. In normal flight mode, dropping the pitch below 0 degrees would have the throttle drop to idle.

There is more to these terms and settings than this, but this should give you an idea of what they mean. If you pick up one of the previously mentioned books, you will find all the information you need to become the local heli expert!

Hope this doesn't have you more confused than before.[sm=spinnyeyes.gif]

Keith