rcjon

Finally got up the nerve to pull the throttle hold switch and work on auto-rotation landings from up high.

First 2 attempts were hard landings with tip-overs, but no damage. Since those 1st 2, I have been flying away again after landing.

I put this off way too long, but when you are learning on your own, it is hard to pull that TH switch.

I had been told many times that one can tell the right amount of collective to give by the sound of the blades, but when I watched pilots auto, I couldn't hear anything. But now when I have my thumb on the stick, I can hear the head speed.

evilhorse

congrats! I just finally went for my lungs and did FFF today, also started doing mini autos about 4-5 feet of the ground, heheheh ITS FUN!

highlander84

Im still to much of a newbie to try autos, However when im flying around and do some fast (for me fast) descents, and have the stick low, I can hear the fltter from the rotor. Im fairly sure this is the "sound" that everyone is speaking of. As for hearing the rotor speed, thats not a problem, mins is always low with this @#$& TT39

Big feet

Hi,
A higher head speed BEFORE you hit throttle hold basically means you are starting the auto with more energy already 'in the bag'.
If you are running a low head speed, eg 1550, and you try a low auto 2 - 4 ft, the heli drops like a stone. Guess how I found that one out.

rcjon, congrats on the autos, they are fun. I have only just got my Titan out again this year as the Trex 450 has been my main heli during the winter, and I have just remembered how much fun they are, I flew two full tanks of nothing but autos last Sunday.
I found it surprising how close to the same spot all the autos end up, compaired to the sim where you can't see the ground.

Evilhorse TIP: Increase your throttle hold to give you some drive on the blades, its like a power assisted auto, then lower it a bit at a time until there is no drive and you are doing real autos. Its like a security blanket and helped me a lot, especially with the nerve to do the first high auto.

Let the gliding begin.

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Highlander, if you're "flying around" then its time to learn how to auto. It's a lot easier when you know its coming than when you're forced to. It may be the one thing in RC helicopters that actually saves you money. I've saved 2 helicopters now for people by busting their chops till they learned how to auto and then shortly there after had to make emergency autos that they both said would have totaled thier choppers had they panicked.

THe hardest part is throwing the switch

evilhorse

thanks big feet, ill give that a try, first i think i'll get a little more forward flight in, so i'm alot more comfortable in any direction/orientation.

rcjon

Well after my bragging I screwed up my first auto attempt on Sunday. Not sure what happened but I got out of shape during descent and used up head speed to get straightened out. Hit kinda hard but it only cost me a spindle (which I keep "in stock").

highlander84

Its not that im scared to try the swtich flip, im scared that when I do my T39 will die completly and It will no longer be practice I dont know if u have read any of my post on my TT39 but its a POS. I do practice them on the Sim all the time. of course I know its diffrent once i can afforde it im going the 50 upgrade and getting a Hyper so I dont have to deal with this POS tt39. then ill be swtich happy

evilhorse

OS .37 baby, $150 at tower

rcmacchipilot

If autos are freaking you out i recomend getting a flight sim and practising on that. I learnt how to do them on aerofly and it was a good thing that i did, because out in the field a few days later after practising on the sim i had to do it after my engine died 50 meters up i the air. needless to say "fudge was made" but the insticts that the sim taught saved the heli.

Mac

evilhorse

remind me to keep a spare pair of shorts in my tx case..... why'd the engine die?
Realflight has proven Invaluable to me, even some of the old pro's that i fly with are impressed at my progress. how much does everybody owe realflight in helicopters? im at about 6.5 MILLION dollars.

Big feet

HA!
$6.5 Mil, your not even trying.
Yup, sims are great, I just wish we had them back in the early 90's when I started fixed wing, not that I crashed much, its just I would have got sooo much more practise in during the winter months.

I have made a note of the new essential item for the flight box, perhaps bicycle clips too?
rcmacchipilot, nice save, the heli I mean, not the shorts.

evilhorse

Bf you got me there, i was up late last night and killed about 50 Avant Aurora's, so whats the new total i LOST COUNT!

rcmacchipilot

I just love the fact that you can do all your aerobatic manouvers and stuff like that.
slowly i am learning inverted flight and moves like the washing machine etc...

what are the bicycle clips for big feet?

evilhorse

whats the washing machine?

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

It's a manuver that my wife has been trying to teach me for 5 years, for some reason I just haven't mastered it yet

Big feet

I feel another tip coming on, try BH's washing machine once and get it BADLY wrong, result = never having to try that move again.

rcmacchipilot - the bicycle clips are for round the bottom of your trousers, in times of panic. Normally required just after the shorts get ruined.[]

evilhorse

BH [sm=lol.gif] yeah, my wife tries to teach me that maneuver too, i always crash and burn.
Now in all seriousness whats the washing machine?

rcmacchipilot

its flying a circle where the bottom of your helicopter always faces away from the inside of the circle at 90 degrees to the circle. best way i can try an make an imaginary picture is that you tye a rope to the top of the heli and spin it around from the mast so that the heli bottom always faces away from you ( assuming you are i the center of the washing machine) and the tail rotor always points towards the ground.

you guys probasbly got another name for it in the states.

evilhorse

OH Tail down upright funnel. :-D

rcjon

>>you guys probasbly got another name for it in the states.<<

Crash.

evilhorse

lol

rcmacchipilot

LOL

yeah, thats why i use the sim.

Anyone know what a tic toc is?

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

The true name is a metronome. The helicopter starts nose up 45 degrees and uses positive collective and aft cyclic to pull back into nose up 45 degrees inverted and stops then back to nose up 45 degrees frontwards.

If done properly the helicopter neither gains nor losses altitude and appears to piviot around the tail rotor.

Big feet

I've seen a top pilot here do that very well and you look at it hang in the sky and think, how is that possible?