Depth Perception problems

[MikeEast]

Well, Im starting to have some issues with my self training..

When the helicopter is say within 15' of me I can pretty much put it wherever I want it. BUT, as it gets further away, say 15-30' and is side to me Im having a heck of a time with seeing whether its level, coming in or going out.. Is this a common problem that time cures or is it me? With an airplane it always has some depth in your visual perception, but when this helicopter turns to its side its like looking at a sheet of notebook paper standing up with the print facing you.. I cannot for the life of me see whether its leaning in or out... Are there any tricks for visual reference to help or is this something that only time will cure?

I can read T Rex on it at 30', its not a visual focusing problem where its fuzzy or hard to see,, I just cant see it in 3 dimensions,, I dont even have this problem on the sim... Really weird.

Mike

[TerryBelanger]

Might try a different paint scheme. Just keep practicing and most of the depth problems will go away with time. Those TREXes are small and are going to bo hard to see at a distance!

[SteveL]

Make sure you DON'T look at the skids. This is a common wistake that will put you in the ground.

I find at different light conditions I can sometimes be fooled by what I see.

BTW. I asked Curtis that very question at a FF and he looked right at me and said you are looking at the skids and he was right. He recomended not staring at any one spot but to look around the canopy and mainshaft area

[WillJames]

The upside Mike is that if you learn orientation on a TREX, a bigger heli will be much easier to see! I have talked to a few people who now have TREX's and almost every one of them say the TREX has improved their orientation. HC, Matt and Eric have been saying that since they started flying the TREX and from looking at their flying I would believe them!!

[OzarkCopterBum]

Make sure you DON'T look at the skids. This is a common wistake that will put you in the ground.

I'm a skid watcher. Now I'm trying to train myself to see the whole heli instead. It wasnt a big problem when I had silver skids that were easy to see. My Evo has black skids and they are tougher to see so now I'm concentrating on the whole heli.

I saw that BigVan had some flourescent blades he was selling and wondered if that would make the disk easier to see?

[MikeEast]

I think seeing the disc better would help a LOT... It is defintely invisible, especially if the heli is up at 4-6' (eye level). Im glad to know its not a vision issue and is a normal part of learning to fly a helicopter.

I dont think I watch the skids as a rule,,, but I do realize that when I start trying to "find" the helicopter in space, I seem to instinctively look at the skids because they give the thing depth (when Im looking at the side)profile). But, as soon as I look at the skids and then I look back up at the canopy/disc area the heli is moving somewhere I didnt ask it to and I have to figure out what its doing and correct instantly... I find it unnerving when that happens...

I cant believe how much the visual experience differs from flying airplanes for me. I can see that THIS (visual perception) is what is going to cause me to crash... I honestly believe that at this point, forward flight wouldnt be a problem if I just wouldnt lose visual orientation... I would not have thought that just seeing the darn thing would be the biggest challenge of flying it for me.

[flyinfool]

A big part of your being able to fly planks is the same visual thing.
Once you get used to it you only need to see where the heli is located and you pretty much know its orientation based on it's direction of travel and what you told it to do.
Eventually the heli will be the same and you will not even consciously know what part of the heli you are actually looking at.

[MikeEast]

lol, Im having a hard time getting used to the whole plank thing... :wink:


As far as flying, I reckon its just going to require burning a lot of fuel/electricity. :cool: I have a new respect for good heli pilots now, I will tell you that...