Hovering the AXE
01-16-2007 | 10:37 AM
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From: Southwick, MA
Hovering the AXE
Ok guys I have been getting very comfortable with the controls of the AXE. Now what I have been attemping to do is a simple hover. When I input collective stick I would like the AXE to just rise nice and verticle. But everytime it gets "light on the training gear" it wants to drift to the upper left. (If it were in a square box it would go to the upper left corner). I am standing with the heli in front of me with the boom tail rotor facing me and the nose pointed straight ahead.
So I have to input some cyclic (down and to the right) to try and get it to stablize. It is working ok but it seems like I am always fighting it. Is this normal? If not how to correct? I have played with the trim tabs a little but doesn't seem to help.
I need to mess with the 3 adjustments also on the PC board.
Just looking for some input to see if this is normal or am I doing something wrong.
Thanks
So I have to input some cyclic (down and to the right) to try and get it to stablize. It is working ok but it seems like I am always fighting it. Is this normal? If not how to correct? I have played with the trim tabs a little but doesn't seem to help.
I need to mess with the 3 adjustments also on the PC board.
Just looking for some input to see if this is normal or am I doing something wrong.
Thanks
01-16-2007 | 10:53 AM
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From: Detroit,
MI
RE: Hovering the AXE
Its normal for the heli to want to go to the left and the tail to walk to the right i believe. On takeoff i add some right imput on both sticks. One to keep the tail in one place and one to keep the heli from drifting to the left untill it is airborne.
01-16-2007 | 11:40 AM
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From: Brandon, MS
RE: Hovering the AXE
ONe thing UKIE is to check your TRIMS on the Transmitter. Those TRIMS are not going to be perfectly centered. THey are to be used to adjust slight problems with the machine drifting off. It is somewhat normal to have the trims adjusted about 1/4 left or right of center. Anymore than this would have to be corrected in the mechanical.
By the Way, I guess the purist try to set up their Heli Mechanics so that they have all centered TRIMS, but that takes alot of time. If you machine is drifting up to the right, well lets see. To me it is good to have some "forward" trim and to hold back on the elevator (pulling back on right hand stick). To solve the other, I would add some trim on the right stick (bottom TRIM) to the left to bring the machine back to center.
Remember that due to "Ground Effect" the machine is going to wander all over the place. Also the gyro in some ways has not had a chance to stabalize due to the Main Rotor has not reached a certain RPM. It gets complicated.
You are doing fine - just stay on top of the cyclic and rudder to keep it stable. If it has a constant bad habit of wandering "really quick" to the way that you say, then adjust your trims.
Heli Bat
I hope this helps.
By the Way, I guess the purist try to set up their Heli Mechanics so that they have all centered TRIMS, but that takes alot of time. If you machine is drifting up to the right, well lets see. To me it is good to have some "forward" trim and to hold back on the elevator (pulling back on right hand stick). To solve the other, I would add some trim on the right stick (bottom TRIM) to the left to bring the machine back to center.
Remember that due to "Ground Effect" the machine is going to wander all over the place. Also the gyro in some ways has not had a chance to stabalize due to the Main Rotor has not reached a certain RPM. It gets complicated.
You are doing fine - just stay on top of the cyclic and rudder to keep it stable. If it has a constant bad habit of wandering "really quick" to the way that you say, then adjust your trims.
Heli Bat
I hope this helps.
01-16-2007 | 12:04 PM
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From: Southwick, MA
RE: Hovering the AXE
ORIGINAL: Heli Bat
ONe thing UKIE is to check your TRIMS on the Transmitter. Those TRIMS are not going to be perfectly centered. THey are to be used to adjust slight problems with the machine drifting off. It is somewhat normal to have the trims adjusted about 1/4 left or right of center. Anymore than this would have to be corrected in the mechanical.
By the Way, I guess the purist try to set up their Heli Mechanics so that they have all centered TRIMS, but that takes alot of time. If you machine is drifting up to the right, well lets see. To me it is good to have some "forward" trim and to hold back on the elevator (pulling back on right hand stick). To solve the other, I would add some trim on the right stick (bottom TRIM) to the left to bring the machine back to center.
Remember that due to "Ground Effect" the machine is going to wander all over the place. Also the gyro in some ways has not had a chance to stabalize due to the Main Rotor has not reached a certain RPM. It gets complicated.
You are doing fine - just stay on top of the cyclic and rudder to keep it stable. If it has a constant bad habit of wandering "really quick" to the way that you say, then adjust your trims.
Heli Bat
I hope this helps.
ONe thing UKIE is to check your TRIMS on the Transmitter. Those TRIMS are not going to be perfectly centered. THey are to be used to adjust slight problems with the machine drifting off. It is somewhat normal to have the trims adjusted about 1/4 left or right of center. Anymore than this would have to be corrected in the mechanical.
By the Way, I guess the purist try to set up their Heli Mechanics so that they have all centered TRIMS, but that takes alot of time. If you machine is drifting up to the right, well lets see. To me it is good to have some "forward" trim and to hold back on the elevator (pulling back on right hand stick). To solve the other, I would add some trim on the right stick (bottom TRIM) to the left to bring the machine back to center.
Remember that due to "Ground Effect" the machine is going to wander all over the place. Also the gyro in some ways has not had a chance to stabalize due to the Main Rotor has not reached a certain RPM. It gets complicated.
You are doing fine - just stay on top of the cyclic and rudder to keep it stable. If it has a constant bad habit of wandering "really quick" to the way that you say, then adjust your trims.
Heli Bat
I hope this helps.
Yes I have considered the ground effects also HeliBat. I went from my concrete floor to my rug in the family room. I swear it is easier to get going on the rug vs. the concrete. Maybe the ground effects are different form one surface to another. For now the stock battery seems to work pretty good for me. Only short flight times, but feel this is the best for now. I know when I do things for long periods of time, I get very confident and cocky which ususally results in a disaster cause I "pushed it too much". This short battery cycle is keeping my confidence under control. Maybe the reason I haven't had a accident yet. lol..
Thanks for the help and will continue to tune.
01-16-2007 | 12:26 PM
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From: tallahassee, FL
RE: Hovering the AXE
Helibat was right but he had the direction to move the trim tab backwards. Under your right stick, move the trim tab to the right. I would try to or three clicks at a time until it drifts to the right and then fine tune. If it moves forward, move the trim tab that is left of your right stick down 2 or 3 clicks until it stays in place. I wouldn't move the linkage just yet until you see what happens when hovering in "clean air". (I have heard that rotor diameter X 1.5 is the height you must be at to get out of ground effect)
There is a provision on the mixer board to center your trim tab for the yaw, but not the cyclic.
There is a provision on the mixer board to center your trim tab for the yaw, but not the cyclic.
01-16-2007 | 01:03 PM
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From: Benton Harbor,
MI
RE: Hovering the AXE
Mine does the same thing. I've stated before that according to Radds School, it will initially go to the left because the tail is pushing to the right forcing the heli to the left. You must hover just slightly leaning to the right. If you dare, lift the left training balls barely off the floor while leaving the right side training balls on the ground using the cyclic.
Carefull with the carpet. If the heli can't slide, it could catch and roll over. This is why Radd's recommends a smooth surface with no tape for the square. Instead draw it with something.
The heli was flown at the factory and the trims were supposed to be set for you. Even if you changed them, you should move the cyclic stick to hold it from going to the left. You will find you will be constantly moving the cyclic to keep it over your square.
Hang in there, you'll get it.
Carefull with the carpet. If the heli can't slide, it could catch and roll over. This is why Radd's recommends a smooth surface with no tape for the square. Instead draw it with something.
The heli was flown at the factory and the trims were supposed to be set for you. Even if you changed them, you should move the cyclic stick to hold it from going to the left. You will find you will be constantly moving the cyclic to keep it over your square.
Hang in there, you'll get it.
01-16-2007 | 04:31 PM
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From: tallahassee, FL
RE: Hovering the AXE
The biggest leap in my talent came when installed the Blade CP paddles on the Axe. They are 1.7g heavier per side and have slighty smaller surface area. It really makes it much easier to learn to hover, and they are inexpensive. Now it takes me twice as long to fly into the earth. 
01-16-2007 | 09:20 PM
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From: Miamisburg,
OH
RE: Hovering the AXE
The collars on the flybar stabalizer can not be moved out. They hold flybar to rotor head with setscrews. Buy some 1/16" wheel collars and slide one of them them onto each side of flybar. That is what I did and works great. I have one collar all the way out to paddle and one collar about .75" from other paddle. Worked out this way because I used high point balancer to do spanwise and chordwise balance. I adjusted collars both out and then moved heavy side collar in to bring in balance. Now heli is vibration free and flybar is dampend down so Axe is not so sensitive in hover.
