Which escape when flying in Idle up mode?

[Venzent]

Hey all,
I own a Walkera #60, and since a couple of days finnaly have a good motor/ESC and tx/rx (Graupner jr with SMC16SCAN). When I fly, I always have a escape in mind, ex.(when practicing nose-in, escape is tail-in when something goes wrong and then correct the situation). On advice of a friend, he told me to learn to fly in idle-up mode, so when i wanne learn flying 3D, I'm already familiar with the stick-position vs the pitch. But what should I keep as an escape....Throttle hold switch (turn of motor) or normal mode switch?

When I should use the throttle hold switch, I think it's a matter of damage control....But with switching to normal mode, it takes more time for the throttle to go down, so when hitting the ground, a spinning rotor will cause more damage, so what is wisdom....Or should i stick for normal mode untill I really can fly, and then become familiar with idle-up mode?

[peterob]

The best escape is to avoid the ground :wink:

Seriously, when flying in idle up you shouldn't be thinking about cutting power if you get into a sticky situation. The power is there for you to avoid the damage in the first place, and let you move in the opposite direction to the obstacle.

If things really do go pear-shaped, throttle-hold is the only thing you should hit. Normal mode will get you into the habit of 'down stick = throttle off', which will cause boom-strikes sooner or later.

[Venzent]

Ok, will keep that in mind. But is it wise anyway to start practicing in idle up. My skills are hoovering and a bit side-in. No nose-in and no flying around....Is it preferable to get familiar with ide up mode, or is it better to keep practicing in normal mode?

[Pinecone]

I like to fly in idle up, you will learn the proper response to a problem and not have to unlearn bad habits of dumping the stick.

Also, if you always fly in dle up, you won't try to fly inverted while in normal mode. And it does happen, do a search.

[Venzent]

Also, if you always fly in dle up, you won't try to fly inverted while in normal mode. And it does happen, do a search.
:wink:
I've read some posts of that happening indeed, I can imagine the confusion :roll:

[Rickenbacker]

Yes it's wise to practice in Idle Up. I did, and never looked back. Now I spin up, switch to Idle Up and take off. By never flying in Normal mode I avoid the dreaded "flip-inverted-oh-shit-I-have-no-power" crash.

And your escape should always be to return the helicopter to a safe attitude, preferably a tail-in hover or something else you're comfortable with. And you should have figured out how to do this BEFORE trying a maneuver. Only when all hope is lost (your tail rotor breaks, or your helicopter is heading for the crowd out of control) do you hit throttle hold.