Auto pilot on ChampS
 

I have a champS with a spectrum dx6. My understanding is that the auto pilot has three settings on switch B:
2: Beginner
1: intermediate
0:expert where the only control is the automatic fence.

This plane is constantly trying to fly itself even when its on position C. The switch definitely works, I can walk with it and observe the changes in on position 0,1,2 where 1 and 2 has lots of self input and 0 will be silent, but sometimes on 0 it will try to fly itself when I cut the throttle and land it, or avoid an obstacle. Today I had to crash it into grass to land it and on the walk back to the car the throttle turned on in position 0 and had to disconnect the battery, I wasn't far away from the landing point where I plugged it in either. Is there a way to get full control in 0? I don't even like the fence because it can't see obstacles. Have I programmed it wrong?

Per Horizon Hobby Website:


Set Dual Rates to: HIGH 100% LOW 70%
1. Go to the SETUP LIST MENU
2. Set MODELTYPE: ACRO
3. Set REVERSE: Gear Channel
4. Go to ADJUST LIST MENU
5. Set TRAVEL ADJ: Gear/Fmode (0) Up Arrow 100%; Gear/Fmode (1) Down Arrow 23% FLAPS: (0) Up Arrow 0%; (1) Down Arrow 100%
6. Set FLAPS: NORM -40%; LAND -40%
7. Set MIX 1: ACT; Gear -> Gear ACT, RATE D 0%; U + 125%, SW FLAP, TRIM INH
8. Set MIX 2: ACT; Flap -> Flap ACT, RATE D +125%; U 0%, SW MIX, TRIM INH

Resulting in:
The Gear and Flap switches operate the 3 SAFE modes
Gear 0; Flap 0 = Beginner Mode
Gear 1; Flap 0 = Intermediate Mode
Gear 1; Flap 1 = Experienced Mode
The Mix switch operates AL/HP
Position 0, AL/HP off,
Momentarily in Position 1, HP on.
Hold in Position 1 for 4 seconds, AL on

But i have a three position switch and a toggle button for HP. Wouldn't that make more confusing?

Autopilot
 

Get rid of the auto pilot get with an instructor learn to fly using your eyes and fingers. You will be a better pilot quicker

Getting rid of the auto pilot is what he's trying to do, jetmech05.

You may need to call Horizon about your receiver, beamin. That doesn't sound like normal behavior for expert mode if I understand correctly what expert mode is supposed to do. They'll be able to tell you definitively if your switch setup is right, and should be able to diagnose what's going on better than we can. Do let us know what happens so others who have a similar issue can find the answer.

I have been flying .40 and .60 size glow fuel models since I was a kid in the 90's. I used to take off and land the planes for the new members at our local AMA club when I was 15. Why do people assume when you ask a question that you don't know how to fly? Because I don't have tons of posts? I haven't had a plane in 15 years and alot has changed since the days of analog, and yes I will admit having this digital transmitter is alot different then my 4 channel futaba and I'm still learning it. If I didn't know how to fly why would I want to disable the auto pilot? Also this plane is so easy to fly because you cant really damage it by crashing it, so the auto pilot seems like over kill and doesn't really help learn if its always taking over.

Thanks for the other responses. The place where I bought it doesn't really seem to have a clue; I bought an FPV with it on their recommendation that it would fit. The FPV weighs 150 grams, my fault for not opening the box (I thought the plane was disassembled and thats how it fit in the small box) but they did say the airplane was the equivalent size of a .20 glow fuel plane, its not even close.

Also alot of people don't have the time or money to join a club, drive to it, and get with an instructor, so those comments just seem crass and frustrate beginners. If they had access to someone who could teach them they would be doing it.

I spoke to the "technician" at the hobby shop and he explained to me in alot of words that he has no idea what he's talking about but really didn't want me to know that. He started talking about subtrim on the transmitter and how I needed to relearn the set up. Maybe while I'm relearning he can start learning. The transmitter has no idea what the auto pilot is doing besides telling the plane what level of auto pilot to engage.

Would compass calibration have anything to do with it? I'm 99% sure at this point that messing with the transmitter is not going to fix it, because I can turn the transmitter off and the plane acts the same. The odds of this being a defect are pretty low. I'm an instruction manual reader but the planes documentation is lacking.

That's why I suggested calling customer support at Horizon. By buying one of their products, you paid for some of the best tech support in the industry. So take advantage. It's nice when the hobby shop guy knows the answer to one of your questions, but I never depend on it. retail counter jobs pay so little they get guys who aren't worth more than $9-$10 an hour. You don't get much for that, maybe the ability to count to 5 and push a button.

Sorry since I don't know you, and you posted a question about autopilot in the beginners forum, it's logical to assume you're a beginner.
​​​​​​​If I offended you so sorry charlie

No big deal, it takes more then the internet to upset me.

Turns out the channel was reversed on the autopilot switch. I thought that it was inverted so I kept trying to find other things wrong with it. There is a menu where there are six box icons and the AP switch has to be opposite all the others. I did look at this when I was trouble shooting but seemed counter intuitive to make just one backwards. The plane was constantly being told to land or hold. I'm surprised I managed to fly around on three battery charges with the plane constantly trying to take over and not one damaging crash.

If you really want to learn how to fly, invert that switch and fight with the airplane as it does all kinds of crazy shuft and you're constantly trying to stall out the plane then recover then lose control then get them back. Only control was with stick pulled to one corner and you could spiral it down. Imagine fighting the radio out of someones hands while at the same time trying to keep from crashing.This now feels like the easiest to fly airplane in the world. Amazing what you can do with a proper set of controls. :)

Lol, isn't technology grand?

I'm glad you got it figured out though. Doubly glad it didn't cost you a plane. If there is anything I've learned in this hobby, it's that being methodical, thorough, and detail oriented is necessary.