I'm new with to funfly. I always thought I knew how to hover but haven't tried to do it with my plane yet. I was fooling around with FMS and can't get anything to hover. They either fall out or just keep going up. I've tried it with 10 or so FMS funfly profile models. Maybe FMS isn't like the real thing but I thought it would be best to figure it out there and then take out the Duck! (my ff plane) and give it a try for real. Can you give me any pointers?

Hold your plane pointed straight up.Advance your throttle till the plane feels weightless.Count the clicks back to idle on the throttle stick.Now you have an idea of where to have your throttle stick in order to hover.

A longer low pitch prop helps an bunch.
I also move the CG to the farthest recomended point, this helps too.
Try an 80-85 degree hover first, the plane won't torque there and burn lots of fuel.

Mike

To enter it the plane needs to be just about stopped going vertical.
Enter a slight dive, pull the throttle to idle, pull the plane vertical. If it snaps out, enter the vertical portion with a little more speed. When the plane just about stops going up add power to try and catch it there. You'll figure out how much to add after a few tries. Also, at this point pay attention to what the plane wants to do as the power comes in. You may need right rudder. Once you know what its going to need you can input it before you see the plane veering off.
If you enter the vertical portion with power the plane will continue to climb until it runs out of speed. you will probably still be holding power in at that time and most likely be above a power setting that the plane needs for hovering.

Enter at idle and try to catch the plane with a power setting that will hang it there.

you need a big engine!

I first started hanging by the prop while playing around with stall turns. That was with a sport plane ( Balsa USA Thunderbug)
With a little practice you'll get there.

Don

The entering at idle and stall turn concepts are the concepts I was looking for. I guess I just didn't know how to get into it. Thanks!

The secret to hovering is the fuel. An aft Cg helps, and a large diameter, low pitch prop also helps. But the real secret is the fuel --- you have to use a lot of it.

Hi Billy, here's what helped me to learn;

Use the biggest diameter/lowest pitch prop your engine will be happy with

Use fast servos (6 volt packs and long servo arms help to make this effect)

Have large control surfaces

Rearward CG

Try not to overcontrol / bump your rudder too much (if you feel like you are "reaching up" with your left / throttle finger(s) to get high throttle, set some expo so you don't have to move the throttle stick as much)

Watch the nose of the plane

Practice and learn a smooth entry

Watch what the plane does when you enter a hover. If it pitches, try temporarily "trimming it" for hovering. You may have to add rudder or elevator trim and fight it a bit while making your approach, but the hover will be easier. BTW, if trim changes help to hover, it might be an indication that the engine thrust needs to be changed etc.

Hope this helps,

John Wells

Today, we tryed something different. My son Brad used his plane as a trainer plane, and hovered it in front of my plane to train it how to hover. After doing this I hope that mine will be alot easier to hover.

John Wells,

That was written very well .

Don

I've printed out this thread and stuck it in my field box. The weather doesn't look like it will let me get on this weekend but maybe next and until then I have FMS. Thanks tons guys and if you don't mind I'd like to post this to my little RC page for other folks to learn from .

I don't have a plane capable of hovering yet, but I can hover quite well using FMS...

Start with a 3D capable plane, you can pick up a model for the Seduction Freestyle at ********.NET. Make sure you're using the 3D version of the plane. Both other models that come in the zip can also hover, but it's easiest with the 3D version.

Next take off, and kill the throttle. As the plane reaches stall, give it full up elevator and start feeding in throttle slowly. The models nose should go up without gaining altitude. You should now be in a harrier. Keep feeding up throttle until the nose is straight up, but you're not gaining altitude, you'll have to use a lot of rudder correction to keep the plane from swinging around... Stop feeding throttle when the plane is vertical. You should find yourself in a hover.

Tell me if this works for you?

I dont like the physics of stall in FMS, the plane floats a lot, the ailerons feels blocked and the engine does not produce the normal rotation to the left; also the planes are more likely to harrier than hover and it is almost imposible to torque roll them... I´m using the Ripmax RC Sim and fms, FMS works better for me to practice pattern maneuvers and the other sim for 3D.
Start practicing hover looking the canopy, then the belly and then you are ready to torque roll. Remember that when you are looking the belly the rudder goes to the opposite (as a rule, to the lower wingtip).
God bless RC SIM´s

I actually had moderate success yesterday in hovering (don't tell the boss). I am still looking for an fms plane that handles like my funfly. Thanks to all again.

Just wanted to say that with a Menace(fun fly plane) I have hovered many bags of fuel thru them. I find that if you enter the hover with a pitch straight up till it stops, then add power. You have to realize that you will constantly play with throttle on a light airplane, to keep the same altitude, sorry, just the facts. I find that I crow the controls towards the center of the transmitter to really maintain straight up and down. Key parts being a perfectly running engine, low pitch prop, and practice. The smaller the plane the harder to hover, its just the way it is. The big TOC planes are easy compared to ours, they have weight, long tail moment, and lots of torque with a huge prop. Keep practicing, it will all come around.

[:@]

I thought I was loosing my mind till I saw the origional post date.....

Me too, this was way confusing. Where the heck did you guys find this thread?

Billy, did you ever get the Duck to hover?

i thought i got lost coming back from Rochester and was really in bizarro-world[:-]
i've gotten really good at the fishing pole trick,... i still have nightmares about those videos, especially the one with the finger in the foamy prop[&:]
and that was not the wierd part.........[:'(] where is that link? it made me want to burn out my eyes[X(]

Leave it to Constrictor to dredge up a 2 year old thread just to stir a little *****

[:@]

Dude, big is suposed to indicat a funny face, like "I'm making fun of you man!!" You dish it dude, what's the beef?

Yeah Constrictor, you posted the shot at Bosch. Smelled like stirrin' to me...

If you don't have on the catcher's mitt, don't throw the ball.

Hey Constrictor, did you meet John Kerry yet?

All of the good tips have already been mentioned, but there are some techniques that make hovering easier for the first time.
One of the things I find easier for first-time hoverers is to reduce the throttle to idle, pull up, and immediately maximize the throttle. Slowly decrease the throttle until the airplane is at a stationary hover. It is best if you do this at a medium altitude, as you may stall when pulling up but you will gain altitude when maximizing the throttle.
This is unlike some of the comments that were given, but it reduces the risk of not having enough throttle on the vertical upline and stalling.
--Flying .46