I have a friend who has a heli and the needle valve wasn't set. We have both flown planes for a couple years so we messed with it. To get this straight, I don't have a heli, but I still have a question. What I am curious is how do you set the needle valve with out getting your head chopped off?

trial and error is what most guys do.

start very rich and gradually lean it out to the correct mixture with each flight.

There are some guys, including myself, that hold the heli by the skids above my head (like a hat) and have another trusted experienced collegue to dial the mixture in until it peaks and then back off 2-5 clicks. Perfect!

This is INCREDIBLY dangerous for anyone with no idea or experience in helicopters as you are effectively holding a gyro on top of you.

I do not reccomend it for anyone in the beginners forum to even think about!!!

i just fly it, set it down , measure the temperature, tweek if necisary and go again, not as easy as an airplane but not too bad.

A set of headloaders can also be very useful in initial set up, although its still a good idea to spool down before making any adjustments.

OK, i gather it is just a series of trial and errors. And maybe even some successes!