Training Gear or not?

[cliffp73]

Hey there newbie here and I just got a Raptor 50 and was woundering if any one suggest training gear or not? Also can I ask what is the best way to make them? or a good set to buy? I thank everyone for all of the information that is on this board.

[JASO']

training gear is a very good investment. Unless you want to spend hours rebuilding instead of flying. Get yourself 4 pieces of dowelling about 10-12mm thick and about 2 feet long and some plastic balls that you cut a small hole in one side so that you can poke the dowelling through and fix a small screw through the plastic ball and into the endgrain of the stick. Make up a small block of light timber as a central hub to join the 4 pieces of dowelling into. Attach this frame to the bottom of your skids with rubber bands looped around the end of the skid then around the frame a few times and looped back over the end of the skid again. The idea of the plastic balls is to stop the ends of the sticks from digging into the ground as you slide along learning to hover.
I learnt on a bitumen tennis court where the machine slides much easier than on grass. Happy flying.

[ferincr]

I made mine and didn't use it for long but definitely helped at the beginning.
I made a solid wood block in the middle and screwed a piece of plywood in the center which allowed the heli to rotate even in the ground (ended up not being very helpful) then added 5 aluminum tubes in an angle so it kept the heli well off the ground and adding a bit of cushioning on hard landings saving tail blades and gears.
The wood parts were because at the beginning I cable wraped the alu tubes directly to the landing skids but it seemed to generate some RF and got some glitches. Afetr I put the wood and avoided metal to metal I had no more issues

[cliffp73]

I would like to thank you JASO and to you also ferincr very much for your replies. I will start looking around for some supplies. I wounder if I have an old tent with some fiberglass rods that I can use for it? Would that be good to us fiberglass so it might help out on the glitching? I know wood would be good to. But I was just trying to think of what I had around the house.

Ferincr just asking it didnt help for your heli to be able to spin around on the training gear? I though that might help you set up your gyro a little better? But what do I know I am just a knob. Thank you both for your reply again. If there is anything else that a newbie should know in gereral please feel free to drop a post. I have read as much as I can, I have simed as much as my wife will let me. I have hung out at the LHS (until they kicked me out) I have hung out at the flying field (until they asked me for my dues). You know that I am just joking aroud. I have joined the AMA and I am joining one or two flying clubs. Have a great Thanks Giving. Gobble gobble.

[cliffp73]

Has anyone ever come up with something to carry a raptor 50 or 30 in? Like a big box or a bag just to carry the heli in or something along thoes lines?

[RSL_Mongoose]

Forget about the store bought ones, or the ones with balls go to wal-mart and get a hoola-hoop and 4 3/8s dowels and assemble them like this, you can make a hole on the inner diameter of the hoop for the dowels and use a small screw to secure them in place, then just use rubber bands to attach it to the skids, its lighter than most store bought ones and you won't need to worry about those balls coming off and the sticks causing a tip over.

Plus it will only cost ya around 5 bucks.


http://www.helifreak.com/album_mod/upload/f880f8123f6372e50399ca21bca5a469.jpg

[cliffp73]

GREAT IDEA LOVE IT. I bet I have one in my attic. I will go and look after work asap. I really do like the round foot print of this model. Thank you RSL_Mongoose. Just asking would you happen to know where is the best place to get a fiber glass canopy? I know not to fly with it on just use the stock one while I am learning. But I would like to look for a FG one to start fixign up. Thanks again.

[RSL_Mongoose]

You want it with custom paint?

http://homepages.together.net/~justcan/index.htm

If not

http://ecsvr.com/mta/shopexd.asp?id=1397

I would reconsider the FG canopy, spend the $$ on fuel and repair parts, you can always pick one up later.

[cliffp73]

Yea your right. I was just trying to think about a winter time project on thoes cold days and my shop is nice and warm. But I really would rather spend my time on the flight sim and on Fuel and repair cost. I really should just go buy another 50 titan w/out the motor. I just can see it now. Second take of gas two feet in the air and then over to the left it goes I quickly turn right and then Crash right in the dirt. Do you ever put your name on the side of the canopy? In vinyl letters?

[ferincr]

newbie,
Yes, I guess you are right about the spin around to help set the gyro but when you are spooling up you never know when the gyro kicks in so the heli end up looking in any direction, no big deal, you just give it a bit of rudder and there it is tail in again. No big help, neither a problem. I think the biggest benefit of that was that acted as a stop point for all the vibration to keep carrying to the heli and start a resonance.
Anyway, about the FG poles, you are right about being better at not generating interference but they will be one of the heaviest options.
What I like from Mongoose prototype is that you don't have pointy ends (like the balls) but a whole circle which I think it helps if the field is not very smooth. There is no risk of digging one leg into the ground and flip the whole thing, but I also enjoyed the tranquility with mine of knowing that the hole heli (especially the tail blades) were 4" extra off the ground and the spring action on those not so smooth first landings.
Don't get too crazy about it, as I said you won't need it for long , but I think is smart to use one to start, if nothing else just to get one of all the worries out of your head.

[cliffp73]

Sounds Great. I am looking for the hoop now, Welllllll I'm not the wife is. She is up in the attic seeing if she can spot it. I thank you Mongoosefor the Idea and I would rather be another 4" off the ground but it does look easer for the hoop. Again thank you very much.

[RSL_Mongoose]

I would rather be another 4" off the ground


The farther off the ground you are (especially when learning) the more chance you have of tipping to the side, the hoola hoop will prevent tipping, if mounted correctly the hoop, will be the same size or slightly larger than the rotor disk thus preventing contact with the ground.

Your first few flights (until you get the feel for the heli) you don't want to get much more than 12" or so off the ground.

The hoop I built was used by me and two others in the learning process, and we never had a sim.

[cliffp73]

So this is something that I could leave at my Flying Club once I am done with it? I thank you and I have to head to wallie world and get one. Thanks again.