When to start using Idle up?
 

When is the recommended point of ones flying proficiency to start flying with Idle up? Do any people just stay in normal mode? I am flying a Blade CP and can hover the complete battery. I plan on working on nose in with FMS but I am waiting for my cable to arrive. I really don’t do any high speed stuff.

RE: When to start using Idle up?
 

When you NEED to go inverted!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: When to start using Idle up?
 

Actually, you will likely need idleup before you go inverted. Hovering around indoors may not require it, but if you are outdoors doing bigger patterns, it is really helpful to have some negative pitch available for when you go a little too high. Coming down with full head speed keeps cyclic response at its maximum, rather then lowering head speed to descend, and having cyclic response dull down.
Vince

RE: When to start using Idle up?
 

Thanks. I will start transitioning to it. I don’t want to get to comfortable in the normal mode then.

RE: When to start using Idle up?
 

Well if your flying circuits you really should start getting accostomed to it but don't think you'll never use normal mode again, with less total collective travel over the range of the stick many of use still use normal for precision hovering manuvers as it makes the collective less sensitive.

RE: When to start using Idle up?
 

What do you mean by Idle up. thanks

RE: When to start using Idle up?
 

it means giving up (flipping a switch) throtle control to the ESC's governor so that your left stick only controls the blade angle aka altitude. the heli will be at 'full throtle' until you flip that switch.

i fly in idle up 100% of the time. take off, hovering, landing, etc. means when i land it's at full throtle and half stick instead of zero stick. to shut it down i flip the switch. hovering occurs at 66-75% stick.

RE: When to start using Idle up?
 

Idle up is a flight mode where the throttle will not return to idle so you never loose your head speed.

Most radios have 5 point pitch and throttle curves read from left to right as bottom stick; 1/4 stick; 1/2 stick; 3/4 stick and full throttle.

So in normal flight mode you have idle/25 percent throttle/50%/75%/100% and on the pitch you have -4, 0, +5, +7, +9 degrees.

In idle up you would have 100%, 75%, 50%, 75%, 100% and -9, -5, 0, +5, +9

The machine would hover in normal at half stick and the blades would slow down and stop at bottom stick.

In idle up the machine would hover upright at 3/4 stick and inverted at 1/4 stick. Full down stick would be full power and full inverted pitch to climb while upside down. Full up stick would be full power and full pitch to climb upright.

The idea is to get your headspeed and then set the throttle curves up and down so that the head speed remains constant at any stick setting. A weak engine would need higher throttle points, maybe 100, 80, 60, 80, 100 where a strong engine, like my 50 hyper will over speed at anything over 85, 60, 44, 60, 85

RE: When to start using Idle up?
 

I never fly in anything but idle up anymore. When your helicopter balloons outside during regular forward flight, you'll be damn glad of that negative pitch. Nearly killing throttle to bring the helicopter lower is a good way to lose control for an inexperienced pilot. I'd say move up to idle up as soon as you can figure out how to program and use it.

Keep in mind, that typically, crashing when in idle up mode causes alot more damage than crashing in normal mode, since the blades go in under power. If you're a quick thinker during an emergency, you should try to remember to flip that idle up switch back up to go back into norm mode if you know you're going to crash so as to avoid damage.