Need a hint on how to fly circles ...

[Helikopter_Crusher]

Hi there,

my name is Michael and I´m from germany. I own two HDX 450 Helicopters wich are known as Tomahawk HT-CCPM and Tomahawk D-CCPM (You can see how it looks on: www.cnc-deluxe.com) in germany.

My problem is, after all the setup and programming torubles, that I can´t fly circles. As soon as the nose of the heli is pointing towards me I suddenly get nervous and start to make manouvers to get it back to a position where I see the heli from the back.

How did you guys get to learn to fly circles ?? Using my simulator (AeroFlyProfessionalDeluxe) I know exactly how to control the heli and circles are no problems at all.
But in reality, when there is my heli in the air in front of me (around 20 to 30 feet away and at least 6 to 10 feet above ground) I get into a little panic...

Thanks for all hints in advance.

Michael

P.S.: I hope my english is not too bad, but it is the best I know and what they tought me at school.

[Jafa]

The nerves are perfectly normal

Practice nose in hovering - sim and at the field
Do figure 8's instead of circles and at each end,
turn away from your self (rather than into your selve)
Then come back to circles - but keep it high and further away to start with

[BigMike]

Michael,
Your English is excellent. My suggestion besides lots and lots of Sim time is to go directly to Radd's School of Rotary Flight. He will teach you all the basics (mandatory IMO) as well as moving in different orientations. Take it slow and patiently.
Keep up the great work and don't give up. Every single obstacle overcome is a great thrill. Good luck,
Mike.

[vera]

heli is pointing towards me I suddenly get nervous


I think we've all been there; I certainly have. Most folks tend to want to get away from hovering and do something else. But hovering is an excellent thing to practice. After all, it's a precision flight maneuver. To really get control of the heli contraption you need to work on the hover to accurately hold position and altitude with the nose pointed in any direction. When you can do that, accurately, and feel relaxed about it, the other stuff will be much easier.

I suggest the following: Start with the nose-out hover. Don't think of this as a setback, think of it as moving to a new level of accuracy. When you have the heli in a nice hover, look somewhere else just briefly. The idea here is to break the tunnel vision. Wiggle your toes. "Whaaat?!" :WOW Same thing; break the tunnel vision. Keep in mind that the thing you're flying is the rotor disk. The rest of the heli is a support system for the rotor disk. So be attentive to the rotor disk. Most folks tend to over control, meaning that they get the rotor disk tilted way farther than necessary for the correction needed.

Next, just move the heli slowly left and right to a point about 20 feet left and right of center while holding the heading away from you. Try to think in terms of being in the heli. So, instead of moving the heli to your left, think of it as moving the heli to its left, as if you're in it. Stop at each end and get a nice calm hover going.

Next, turn the heli 45 degrees left or right and do this back and forth gyration, then on to 90 deg left or right and repeat the same thing. Keep trying to think about the controls in relation to being in the heli. Try to track a straight path over the ground. Try to hold a steady altitude. Try to maintain a nice slow pace. Get a nice calm hover at each end. Work on this till it feels comfortable. Wiggle your toes. Aim your eyes slightly away from the heli and do the maneuver by observing the heli from out of the corner of your eye instead of looking directly at it.

Next, work the nose closer to pointing at you, maybe 45 degrees away. Hold that heading, go back and forth, steady altitude and straight line between the endpoints and at a slow pace. And finally, aim the heli at you and do the same stuff. Keep trying to think of the controls in terms of yourself being in the heli. In your head, orient yourself to agree with the heli.

Modify this to move between your center point and a point about 20 feet farther away instead of going left/right. Do this in all orientations. Wiggle your toes. Look slightly away from the heli. Occasionally look clear away, so that you don't see the heli at all, just briefly.

Take a break often. Just set it down and idle for a while. Or go burn holes in the sky if you like. But make it an objective to be able to comfortably hover in any orientation, and if you can do that you can land and take off in any orientation. When you can do that the circles will be pretty easy. Don't underestimate the worth of getting good at hovering, in any orientation.

Here's an exercise to speed up the comprehension of orientation and associating that with control inputs. Start the heli spinning slowly, a little left or right rudder. Keep it spinning slowly and try to hold your hover. If you have to stop the spin to fix the hover then this exercise needs more work.

[m0nkee]

Now that's what I call quality advice, and brilliantly written too!

Nicely put vera...

[vera]

Thanky, m0nkee... maybe I had a "senior moment". :smokin:

[key]

http://www.helipedia.com/index.php?title=Flying#The_Circuit

This is how I do it. For a circle just don't do as much forward flight between the ends of the circuit.