Okay, I clicked on the banner ad. Looks good to me, $600 autopilot system. Belt CP? For 600$ I'd like to see a video demo of a guy in a hover, setting the tx on the ground, answer his cell phone and still have that thing floating like a balloon!

BUDDY AUTOPILOT SYSTEM:

Hand the TX to your buddy, "Fly this while I get more BEER!"

Only advisable if your "Buddy" is flight capable!

Shadow

I don't have the url, but I have seen the vid on youtube showing the guy spool up the copter, hover it, then place the tx on the deck while the heli holds itself in place. Further evidence machines are going to rebel against us in the near future...

Try FMADirect.com for a great auto-pilot.

Price: $69.95


4 Sensor, 2 Axis Infrared Thermo-technology Flight Stabilization System maintains level flight for aircraft and heli. Stabilizes pitch and roll for almost any R/C aircraft.
Weight: 1 oz.
Ratings: Accuracy: 2 degrees
Applications: Stabilize any R/C fixed wing airplane, helicopter, special configuration

I've got one in my mx-400 and I never leave earth without it....
It WILL hover your heli hands off.

AB

Go youtube and look for Helicommand. Thats the $650 autopilot

AirmanBob ,
If you are talking about the Co Pilot there is no way you can set the transmiter down. If you are lucky and the darn thing calibrates right then it might key word being might try to level the Heli. Here I think the old saying you get what you pay for applies.
BTW I own and have used a Co Pilot.

I have the KDS Flymentor on a Belt CP V2.  I can get balance to work (some what) but position mode goes nutz.  Still learning with it but I agree that there is no way you can put an autopilot on a heli and just walk away unless you want to spend around $5,000 USD or so.  Even then, I wonder.  I'll never know since that price is out of my level.

I have an FMA Co-pilot installed on a plank. I can and have cranked full rudder and held it there while I turned around and had a conversation with the other pilots at the field. The airplane held altitude and level flight even tho I was applying full rudder to keep it flying in a circle. I have not tried it with a helicopter, but the reports I've gotten indicate that it works very good at neutralizing the helicopter from any attitude, but it will not stop it from sinking or climbing. The autopilot DOES NOT control the collective pitch, so it will not hover hands off unless the pitch stick is dead on at the hover point. I do believe that the FMA Autopilot is a great tool.

But i believe that the OP was commenting about the $600 autopilot on a $200 helicopter. I do get the irony on that.

Rafael

Well it been a long time but I still have my FMA co-pilot installed in my MX-400 heli

and it still hovers hands off... Its an amazing thing to behold...

Of course people who have never owned one will claim it can't be done...how do they know that????

Go to FMA's web site and look around.... and remember, if you do buy one they hold thier resale

value better than almost any product...

AB

Guess I should ditch my KDS and look into a Co-Pilot and see if it will work for me.  Santa is coming, maybe I can bribe one of my grandkids to put in a good word for me when they see him

I'm buying another FMA Co-Pilot sometime next week. I'm getting the one

that's 3-axis. In other words it hold altitude also... That means hand off

for sure... Only $130.00

Bob

you don't know how true your words are...

This is happening NOW!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvRTALJp8DM[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geqip_0Vjec[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icdb9ftdZOw[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBsJwapanWI[/youtube]

I have not checked the specs for the autopilot recently, but you might want to read them carefully. The second sensor (what you call the 3rd axis) was only to help the system recover from inverted flight by using ailerons instead of elevators only. Applying elevator only to recover from inverted flight can be disastrous.

Again, I have not checked the spec lately, but your interpretation is not the same interpretation that I got.

Rafael