Hi all, My name is Joey and I live in Las Vegas NV, just got a Helimax AXE CP and still a beginner, big time. I crashed many times and I am learning how to replace parts very well, so much so I went out and bought a 2nd AXE CP for when I learn to really fly. My Heli always drifts to the left which makes it hard for me to master hovering, any solution out there would really help.

if it's below 2 to 3' in alt then it's probably just a phenomina called translating tendacy

read here for more info
http://www.helicopterpage.com/html/forces.html

basically how you get rid of that is hover 1 to 1.5 rotor diameters above the ground

Joey,

mrasmm is right. Another thing you may be experiencing is blade wash. It's caused by the turbulence of your main rotor blades. If you are not commfortable flying 3 to 5 feet above the ground, you'll have to get used it while learning to hover just above the ground. Blade wash can cause your heli to bob up and down and side to side.
When you first started out, sliding around on the training gear, you probably compensated for this by giving the tail a little adjustment or a little right stick. When in a hover you'll do the same. Be careful not to over compensate, you want just enough to hold your heli in one place. Even when 5 feet off the ground you'll find yourself making tiny adjustment to keep your heli where you want it.
Hope this helped.

Ted

Translating is caused by the tail rotor pushing the helicopter sideways in its attempt to fight the torque of the main rotor.

It's worse in ground effect which is 1 to 1.5 rotor spans off the ground but you always get it no matter how high you are hovering. Trim the cyclic to the right a bit to correct for it. The helicopter will hover leaning a bit to the right, its perfectly normal, even the full scale ones do it (though most of them lean left because the main rotors on most full scale spin opposite most of ours)

Thanks All for your responses, to change the main blade grip and now there is a little play in it, that could cause some vibration?? The video looks easy compared to doing it. Don't want to go to the E Board adjustments yet but if I do turning to the right makes the tail go left?? is that how it works?

Turning to the right makes the nose go right, yes that is correct, you give control inputs as if you were sitting in the helicopter, fly the nose not the tail.

But to correct the left drift (if it is actually drifting left and not rotating left!), use the roll (left/right cyclic) trim to compensate - just a couple of clicks to the right should be plenty. If it is rotating to the left (yaw) then adjust the rudder (yaw) trim to the right a couple of clicks. Once you get better you can adjust the trim on the 3n1 to get it very centered, however, it is very sensitive - couple of degrees rotation on the adjustment is all that is needed ususally. (BTW, since it IS so sensitive, and I can't think of anyone that would need to move it very far, why doesn't helimax put a pot with more resistance in the 3n1 so the adjustment isn't so sensitive!!!!)

The problem I've found with most of the cheap helicopters like the Axe, Blade etc is as the battery discharges the tail trim changes, every review heli I've had smaller than a 450 has done that except the MASH chopper.

Would that be because the cheaper heli's have a rate gyro rather than a HH gyro??!

I suppose, I've flown rate gyros before but never with a battery discharging and changing the input voltage to the gyro/servo as the battery goes down. I just know every one of them, including the AXE does it. Even all but one of the co-axials I've flown.

So how is it going?

OK, I get it up about 5 feet with some control, last weekend I would fly for about 3 minutes and fix broken parts for about 30 minutes. this week I haven't had any crashes. I have learned that when things get sticky don't drop down but increase power a little and try and get it under control and then proceed to a softer landing. I haven't opened my new AXE CP box yet so I'm starting to get it I think.

The issue I feel is the main problem with this thing is the battery. With the voltage dropping so rapidly, continuously changes the engine rpms. Then we have to compensate more throttle going up and down all over the place. If you can't keep a stable hover, its not your skill at issue.

So with that, if you can fly a simulator with no problem, then glow should be a piece of cake as everything will be more constant.

I'm having the same issue with the heli constantly sliding to the left, however if I give it right cyclic it tends to tip to the right instead of sliding back to the right. Is that normal as well? Also, how to they expect you to learn to "HOVER" on the ground if you can't correct the left slide? Also is it normal for the heli to swing under the blades when it is actually in the air?

Thanks for the help. Sorry if this is a repeat post, but I wasn't able to find anything about the swing thing.

When you say "swing", are you talking about the "pendulum effect"?
BTW- my AXe CP drifts left as well.....but if you just gun the throttle just a bit, you kind of just bypass that and can get to a more stable zone(so to speak).
My big problem is that annoying "throttle cut" at about 60%(i estimate)......heli just slams into the ground......very hard, then bounce back into a hover.This,in my opinion.....SUCKS.
Why does it do this? Does on sim as well!!!!!!

I guess you could call it a pendulum effect. I just get nervous easily I suppose. As soon as I see the heli start to tilt I cut the throttle and never make any progress.

I think the main thing to do......its hard.......but, I think you need to "just go for it".I think most people's first major mistake, is trying to hover in a small area like a kitchen or garage.These are just too small for this heli.You really need a parking lot,gym or soccerfield........someplace big with NO obstacles and NO wash coming of of walls,cabinets,furniture...etc..Even with the simulator,this thing is squirrely at low altitudes(<4-6') it handles MUCH better when youve got the throttle opened up and are zooming around "free air".
The nervousness is what holds most of us back from "stretching its legs"..............after all, its about $200 of your hard earned money just bouncing around in the air!
And in the sim, you just hit that majic red button and it cost you NO money or time......its hard to just "go for it" when real damage may occur,right?
In the sim.......I freakin "ROCK" on this heli...............in real life,well...................thats a different story!

That is called a piece of junk transmitter. Sounds like you have a "dead spot" in the potentiometer that controls the throttle. I would suggest contacting the hobby shop for a replacement. The clue is that is also does it on the sim. If it was the receiver it would only do it when flying the actual bird.

Bill

But does he use the same transmitter on the sim as he does with the Axe?

The sim (Realflight 3.5)does same thing as the real xmtr,also some of the other heli's in the sim do the same thing,from what I have noticed.
Listed below

Axe CP
Dolphin 3D
Dominion 3D(.46 heli)&(90)
Ecureuil & scale head
Schweizer


As far as I can tell, the above all have some sort of throttle glitch at about 60% or so
I am just trying to figure out why the Axe CP does it SO bad.Maybe it has something to do with being CP......but why would they design such a flaw into the thing?????

Nope, I use the sims xmtr with my laptop and the stock xmtr with the real Axe CP.

So if it occurs both places, it couldn't be the transmitter - unless you have 2 bad TXs!

the "flip flop" from positive pitch to negative pitch due to slop in the rotor head is what causes this

if you have a high enough head speed to maintain a hover with very little pitch, as soon as you go near zero pitch, the linkages allow one of the blades to 'flop" over to negative and get that sudden, powered decent

the only way to alleviate this in a bird with the AXE's slop, is to increase the pitch at lower throttle, so you will descend well before zero pitch due to lack of head speed

or get rid of the slop with a metal center hub/flybar system, ala microheli

the other, less likely possibility, is that you have your flybar paddles on reversed

my flybars are on correctly...........

I too got an Axe Cp two months ago. I have replaced quite a few parts including tail rotor, main rotors, and a few other head parts. I have installed a Blade CP tail rotor, Blade CP flybar paddles and wheel weights on the flybar. I also purchased the LiPo batteries. It seems that if I allow the main rotor to spin up for a few seconds and stabilize befor adding more collective, I don't have the drift to the left quite as bad. Or I am learning how to compensate for it. I fly in a 12' X 12' area in the basement but try to keep it in a 6' circle, gives me 3' to play with on all sides. I also found that to keep it in somewhat of a controllable hover, I am moving the right stick quite a bit, almost full travel. Is this normal and is it due to the extra weight on the flybar. I was imaging it would take small adjustments on the right stick to keep it in a hover, not moving the stick in a rather large circle. I do have FMS but find the Axe to be easier.