Hi,

I'm learning some basic forward flight right now and I just wanted to know if anyone experienced the same difficulties. Right now, I can fly in circle without too many problems, as long as the heli goes clockwise (I have to apply right rudder and cyclic).

The thing is I find it much more difficult to fly in counter clockwise circle. Turning left seems a lot more difficult to me. I know that the physics implicated in a left turn are in fact a lot different than right turn, since the tail has to work against the main rotor to turn left and it simply needs to let it drift in a right turn, but I wanted to know if this is normal that I get this feeling?

I get the same feeling while doing some slow motion piro. I can piro the heli both CW and CCW, but it seems easier to do it CW.

Does every pilot find it more difficult to turn left at first? If so, anyone has any tip to help master the left turns?

Thanks

Yes its normal. Its even weirder when you swap to a left hand rotating main rotor and its all backwards. The issue you decribe becomes pretty automatic and you just fly the helicopter but when I go to my logo 10 where I have the rotation reversed because its going in a scale machine, it leans the other way and handles opposite in the turns and I have to concentrate again.

Actually ... the "physics" helps the heli turn LEFT (assuming a right turning main rotor). ... to YAW left ... you REDUCE the amount of pitch that is already opposing the left turn tendency and let physics take over. This "reduction" in blade pitch lessens the burden on the engine/motor.

Mentally ... you can get what is called "handed" (ie left handed or right handed). This is when you fly in a comfortable orientation until you are a natural but do the same thing in the opposite direction/orientation and it "feels" awkward.

I experienced this when flying normal airplane patterns. Flying with the heli to my right, I would make left hand turns (never fully being nose in). As the heli passed down field to my left, I couldn't for the life of me make another left turn (would cause the heli to momentaryily be nose in) ... so I turned the heli with a right turn. I flew like this for a while because it was "comfortable".

Then one day, I decided to push through this mental thing and turn left and see the heli nose-in. You can't imagine (well you probably can) the amount of energy it took to force my thumbs to move the sticks. But final I got to where I could do left turn only patterns and later right turn only patterns.

Now I fly around all over the place.

When I fly ... I always try to spend a little part of the flight "experiencing" uncomfortable orientations or manuevers ... just enough to let my brain start "wiring" the circuits ...

Thanks Tippy,

It's nice to hear that I'm not the only one who seems more confortable on one side than the other. I guess I will have to do just like you and force my thumbs to go against my mind some day..

Oh and you're right about the main rotor helping the heli turn left, my mistake, that's what I meant. I guess there was so many left and right in my post that I confused myself! :-)