One of the most difficult things about learning how to fly a helicopter is learning how to move the controls when the heli is facing you, i.e. when the tail is facing away from you. When the tail is facing you, i.e. when the heli is facing away from you, things are simpler. Then, and then only, to move the heli to the left you move the aileron stick to the left; to move the heli to the right you move the aileron stick to the right. Similarly, then to move forward you move the stick forward, to move backward you move the stick back.

People who fly RC airplanes have a simple rule to use when the airplane is flying towards them. You then move the stick toward the low wing to level the plane.

I've been struggling to find a similar simple rule that would work for helicopters, and I think I have found it. When the helicopter is facing away from you move the stick in the direction you want the heli to move. When the heli is facing you (the opposite to facing away from you), move the stick in the direction opposite to the direction you want the heli to move.

Specifically, if the heli is facing you, to make the heli move back move the stick forward. To make the heli move to the right move the stick to the left. Move the stick in the direction opposite to the direction you want the heli to move.

This simple rule has been a big help to me. I hope it is helpful for you.

Happy hovering.

Ted


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The rules are fine, but you must learn to forget them. Stick movement must come naturally or you will eventually not react in time to correct a situation. A simulator is good for that.

Once you start flying upside down, then there will be too many rules to remember.

Welcome to the sport.

Gilles

nice... its best that you get the right movements.. before taming the little beast

I crashed twice because I tried to remember the rules. Once recently when I was flying upside down, and was hovering for a few seconds without stick movement. The heli started to drop slowly, and wanted to raise it. I tried to remember the rule, and finger went the wrong way on the throttle. I receives the parts and am fixing my Trex 450 Sport now .

Gilles

Hey Ted,

I'm just getting into CPs, but have been flying coax's for a couple of years now - and (more importantly) flying upside down and any-which-way in [link=http://www.rcflightsim.com/]$40 Clearview[/link] sim. I was told when I was thinking of flying CPs of the "stick proping rule". Essentually, you mentally move the stick to "prop up" the lower side of the rotor plane - works inverted also!!!
But the general rule after you have taught your mind what to think is subconsciously just do it - like driving a car or motorcycle

Hope that helps[sm=red_smile.gif]

Peter[sm=shades_smile.gif]

This rule is intended for beginners only. I agree completely that eventionally one moves the controls automatically, without conscious effort. However, controlling an RC helicopter is extremely difficult initially, and I found my simple rule to be helpful to me getting the initial skills required. I hope it helps another newbie like me.

Ted
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here is one I overheard at the hobbyshop before I even bought a heli..

When the heli is facing towards you.. move the stick in the direction of the Drift to stop the drift..

IE.. as it faces you. if it drifts to YOUR Right. move the stick right..

If it Drifts LEFT, Move stick left..

It if drifts towards you, move the stick towards you..

If it Drifts away from you, move the stick away from you..

Eventually the fingers will move automatically.. but it really helped me in the early days...

Well it may not help folks who are not pilots but when going through my instrument training with all the little "rules" they give you to help determing position, hold entries, approach and departure headings and so on, I found those confusing trying to remember 'em all as others have noted about too many rules.

What works for me be it with one of my planks or heli's at least initially and while upright, is to envision myself sitting in the pilot's seat. It's a bit tougher going inverted and I don't play with my little 'lectric T-Rex inverted yet, but for the plankers usually by the time you get to that point the stick movements are beginning to become automatic.

Bottom line; there's no substitute for practice....

HI rOB2160,

I like your Hobby-Shop rule.

Thank you,

Ted
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Something I read somewhere that I liked suggested thinking of the stick movements in terms of what they do to the rotors relative to the heli. For example, if you have a nitro heli and the muffler is on the right, then moving the cyclic stick to the right moves the rotor disk towards the muffler. It doesn't matter if you're nose-in, tail-in, upright or inverted, cyclic stick right always makes the rotor disk move towards the muffler. Cyclic stick up always makes the rotor disk move towards the nose. Cyclic stick down always makes the rotor disk move towards the tail (or away from the nose) etc.

I basically have one rule.  Don't crash!  

My rule practice, practice practice !!! & try not to crash

When I learned, I basically tilted the stick in the direction of the tilt of the head. For instance, if the helicopter's main rotors were tilted foward, i would tilt my cyclic back. This way, it balanced out. I did read some things about how this isn't a good way to learn because its not proper etc... and you won't learn to do it for real, but in a couple weeks, this carried over and I was able to fly nose in without thinking about the tilt of the main rotors.

I really like this one. It's simple and works forward and back, left and right. "Nose in, move the stick with the drift"

yes it works very well..

My rule is think or what I am going to tell the wife before I crash. That way I already have my story strait when I ask for money for parts My wife's rule is "Don't crash!" lol

What I love about the human body is it's ability to learn, adapt, develop muscle memory and overcome challenges..

I still remember as clear as day.. a few months ago, hovering my first CP heli and when I turned it towards me having a HUGE surge of adrenalin as I realised I was on the brink of losing orientation and control...

My fingers felt like they had frozen and were made of lead and it almost seemed overwhelmingly difficultto control this little helicopter..

Today, Flying my TREX 450 Clone, I had no conscious thought of what my fingers are doing... I can just put that helicopter where I want it.. I look at it and it just happens... almost subconsciously..

I hover nose in with noawareness of what my fingers are doing.. regardless of wind direction.. the responses and corrections to drift just come automatically now.

Flying it today.. I realised that flying an RC helicopter has finally become the way I always imagined it would be as a child, just easy and fun...

I learned to fly real helicopters many years ago.. and did all my training in 4 months.. at the beginning I could not even hover... just 6 months later I was flying a high performance Police Helicopter operationally..

It always fascinated me what had changed... There was no physical change in my body, nor was there any chemical change that could be detected by any known measuring instrument..

the only thing that changed was the muscle memories that my body had aqcuired... the same thing happens with driving a car, riding a bicycle and flying RC planes and Helis...

Just amazing... the ability of the human body to learn!

And that is one of the reasons I got into helis. Giving my brain new challenges. My father died of alzheimer this year. I tell myself that keeping my body fit and brain active might help. Only time will tell, and I hope I will remember all of this