Well, it was bound to happen, and I crashed today...

Now...fix it questions:

I had a tail boom strike, so the boom is bent and the tail rotor stuff is broken (plastic). What do I get to replace the entire tail boom assembly? I have seen tail boom parts on Towers site, but wonder what I can use as replacements for the Hirobo parts...

I also broke a main, but that I can get easily (550 woods)

The heli is a Hirobo Shuttle ZX with an Enya .35 motor. No motor problems when it crashed, it was only 3 feet in the air.

I would appreciate any advise..

What caused the boom strike? I had my first (and only) boom strike with my concept 30 while hovering 3 feet up in a 15 MPH wind... never figured out why...

I was only on the first "practice" of practice, practice, practice...

I was hovering about 3 feet up, it started to come around for nose in, and I paniced a bit, and when it started down, I couldn't stop it in time.....BANG

I was hoping it woudn't happen this soon, but it's good to get it out of the way...

I too am practicing side and nose in... I got it down on the sim but it's a lot different in real life!! More variables and the heli is a lot different.. I think I'm running mine too rich(I know I am). I hover tail in at about 3 feet and hover any other position at about 6 inches... A whole lot less can go wrong at 6 inches.

I wouldn't be trying nose in until you are on at least the third "practice" of "practice, practice, practice" IMO, you should be COMPLETELY confident hovering at eye level tail in, 45 degrees, and side on before you even consider bringing it around for nose in.

RS2K: I don't know what sim you are using, but I used RealFlight 3D to learn nose in, and I found it much easier on the heli than in the sim. Never had a close call doing nose in. My first crash resulted from getting cocky after a successful high inverted hover. I decided to flip it over a little lower the next time and ....long story short, it was a bit too low. :stupid:

For the parts, call Ricks, www.ronlund.com

As far as nose in, the way I learned the easiest way. Once I did forward flight, I just slowed the heli down facing me about 100 + feet up and about 80' feet out. I slowly brought the throttle back and lowered the heli. After 2 tanks of this, I was at 3 feet nose in.

Next day I did 1 tank of the same and then gently settled it down for a nose in landing.

The next after doing 2 more tanks of nose in, nose in landings, I did nose in take offs.

Evan

One last thing to mention, when looking at the heli nose in and decendng, some helis will want to drift backwards. It is important maintain a level pitch when it decends. I also recommend doing this in normal mode vs an idle up. My idle ups have a higher head speed and things happen quicker with the higher head speeds.

I am using ambrosia Aerochopper. I think it's a good, though old, flight sim. It does not do wind good at all, though so I am always in calm air... I usually practice in 15-10 MPH wind with my heli. But yesterday I was in a 5 MPH wind!! I think that's where the difference is.

My head speed is also fairly low, I've heared that's bad for wind.
I've been doing short burst of nose in a nd side in at 6 inches for fun. I can get side in with the nose of the heli to my left fairly easy. Nose in isn't too hard either, it side in with heli nose to the right that's tough!!

I got my orientation down it's those small corrections that are hard. I'm not used to making so many corrections for such a simple act. I have been making small smooth blended corrections. Should I do that or seperate the corrections to one axis at a time?

I'll be flying in no wind today and tomorrow, too. I am going to Missouri to visit my dad on his horse ranch and there is never any wind there. I fly in wind here 'cause that's all I got! If I didn't fly in wind I'd never be flying, save for every other week when I go to Missouri.

Certainly in the beginning, I found it much easier to make corrections in one axis at a time. I would give that a try; it gives you more direct feedback and helps maintain orientation. Also, make 'em small and make 'em early for the best results. Eventually you will find that lots of timely minute corrections will yield a very smooth stationary hover.