Problem flying

bomberhd · 05-13-2012, 10:22 AM

I'm new to this forum and to flying helicopters. I've flown coaxial helicopters such as the Syma 107 G and last xmas, my wife bought me the 120 sr. So, i'm a rookie. Anyway, I can get this thing to hover but as soon as I try to fly forward, it moves forward and to the right quickly until it starts the toilet bowl circles. I'm currently using a DX5E transmitter. Not sure if there is a problem or if its me. I kinda got into this to have some fun with it but Over the past couple of months trying to fly it, it hasn't been alot of fun. I have also tried flying it in a 50 x 100 pole barn and it seems to do the same thing. At this point, if this is the norm, I think I may sell it and stick with motorcycles.

Open to any help or suggestionsanyone can give to me.
Thanks in advance!

Brian VT · 05-13-2012, 12:12 PM

This is normal. It's a much different bird than a coax. You're being too hard on the sticks and at the wrong time.
It's easier to learn with more room. You'll have more room to let it go in one direction for a bit while GENTLY correcting to get it to do what you want it to do. After doing this for a while you'll get a better feel and be able to handle it in smaller spaces. It's much more fun where you have room to let it rip, though.

Again, the key is GENTLE on the sticks until you get a better handle on this singe-rotor thing. If you give too much aileron (you will) you'll get to experience the death dive.
Just be sure to cut the throttle before impact and you likely won't break much, if anything. Flying over grass is best.
It can be stressful. I am much more relaxed flying a plane, but I still like learning this heli. thing.

Liduno · 05-13-2012, 12:21 PM

With most 3 channel coaxial helicopters you pretty much have to push the stick all the way forward to get any movement, comparatively speaking, with a 120sr you really only need a small input to get it to move in any direction.

airshot · 05-13-2012, 01:24 PM

The prior posts are correct, very little stick movement and yes it takes practice.
The 120 is a great heli once you get the hang of it. When I first started I experienced a similiar thing, I began to realize I was pushing the stick slightly to the side as I was pushing it forward, so the heli was moving in two directions at the same time. As has been already said many times, it only takes a slight stick movement to make it go. I had to switch from thumbs to two finger stick control to get the delicate movement I needed. Also do the preflight setup to be absolutely sure the swash and control arms are set correctly and the trims are close to centered. Alot of correct setup is required to get these little heli's to fly well, but when done right....you will have a blast!!

Airshot

rjc57 · 05-13-2012, 02:18 PM

Make sure your swash arms are set on short lengths. Also, you can cut the dual rates down, say 50%, it will tame it down. I, too, came from flying a Syma s107 when I got my 120sr. I hit a lot of my garage walls, I was using the original radio. The 120 is a lot faster than a coaxial, just be gentle, give just little inputs from sticks, and it will come
around. Good Luck, Rick

Liduno · 05-13-2012, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjc57

Make sure your swash arms are set on short lengths. Also, you can cut the dual rates down, say 50%, it will tame it down. I, too, came from flying a Syma s107 when I got my 120sr. I hit a lot of my garage walls, I was using the original radio. The 120 is a lot faster than a coaxial, just be gentle, give just little inputs from sticks, and it will come
around. Good Luck, Rick

I totally forgot about the dual rate..

Bomber push the right stick straight into the radio and you will hear a click, the power light should blink, that will put the stock 120 sr radio in low rate and make it a little less sensitive to stick input.

kona0915 · 05-13-2012, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liduno

I totally forgot about the dual rate..

Bomber push the right stick straight into the radio and you will hear a click, the power light should blink, that will put the stock 120 sr radio in low rate and make it a little less sensitive to stick input.

He is not using the stock TX it's a Dx5E

Like others have said going from a coax to the 120 is big, I too found out how touchy the controls were. I used the stock 120 TX and had to go to low rate with the swash set on the short balls and realized how little input was needed to make corrections. Just a matter of getting use to how the heli reacts and how much stick input is needed.

Work on getting your hovering in all orientations solid, nose in,nose out, nose left and nose right before you do too much forward flight so you can get yourself prepared better on how to make the corrections during flight. This is where muscle memory can come into play..

Liduno · 05-13-2012, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kona0915

He is not using the stock TX it's a Dx5E

Like others have said going from a coax to the 120 is big, I too found out how touchy the controls were. I used the stock 120 TX and had to go to low rate with the swash set on the short balls and realized how little input was needed to make corrections. Just a matter of getting use to how the heli reacts and how much stick input is needed.

Work on getting your hovering in all orientations solid, nose in,nose out, nose left and nose right before you do too much forward flight so you can get yourself prepared better on how to make the corrections during flight. This is where muscle memory can come into play..

The DX5E has a dual rate switch right? should help him till he gets used to it but having the dual rate switch activated makes it damn near impossible to fly in any wind at all.

kona0915 · 05-13-2012, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liduno

The DX5E has a dual rate switch right? should help him till he gets used to it but having the dual rate switch activated makes it damn near impossible to fly in any wind at all.

Yeah it does, just doesn't activate like the stock TX which is what I was referring too, sorry should have been more clear on that, and you are right in dual rate any wind and you are done!

bomberhd · 05-13-2012, 07:33 PM

Wow. Thanks for all the replies to my problem. All great advice and I will try it when the wind outside decides to go away. Your right I have a DX5e and I have not tried switching the dual rate switch yet but will give a a try. I may have been a little heavy on the controls being so used to the syma 107g.

Thanks again for all the advice and encouragement. I'll let you know how I make out.

Bomber

runtim23 · 05-15-2012, 12:16 AM

I've had my 120 now for almost a year and a half and I've come to realize after playing with cp helis that I prefer to weigh the nose down to help counter the self correction as well as forward stall you may experience. I taped various coins inside the canopy towards the nose and tried other methods. I'd like to add I got the idea from somebody else on here. Not sure how this will cut your flight time down or burn your batteries though. I'm using protek 550mah (not sure on c rating) and haven't noticed any problems over the past couple weeks. Flies much better in my opinion.

Heli-cat · 05-15-2012, 06:33 AM

maybe that's why I like the way mine flies so well with Raiden 1300s slung under an Astroid Designs mount. And I'm definitely not suffering from short flight times. I bring it down once the 8 minute alarm sounds with plenty of mAH to spare.

runtim23 · 05-17-2012, 07:29 PM

I'll have to try that sometime. If you're going to apply weight why not make it live weight? Right now I have a marble glued inside the tip of my canopy and the precision and control is night and day. I just ran 6 minutes without any problems. Feels a little underpowered and sluggish but it can still collect speed.

05-13-2012, 10:22 AM	#1
bomberhd Registered Users Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: NY	Problem flying I'm new to this forum and to flying helicopters. I've flown coaxial helicopters such as the Syma 107 G and last xmas, my wife bought me the 120 sr. So, i'm a rookie. Anyway, I can get this thing to hover but as soon as I try to fly forward, it moves forward and to the right quickly until it starts the toilet bowl circles. I'm currently using a DX5E transmitter. Not sure if there is a problem or if its me. I kinda got into this to have some fun with it but Over the past couple of months trying to fly it, it hasn't been alot of fun. I have also tried flying it in a 50 x 100 pole barn and it seems to do the same thing. At this point, if this is the norm, I think I may sell it and stick with motorcycles. Open to any help or suggestionsanyone can give to me. Thanks in advance!

05-13-2012, 12:21 PM	#3
Liduno Registered Users Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: West Palm Beach Florida	With most 3 channel coaxial helicopters you pretty much have to push the stick all the way forward to get any movement, comparatively speaking, with a 120sr you really only need a small input to get it to move in any direction. __________________ B400 130X MCPX MSRX 120 SR MSR MCX IF IT CAN'T BE FIXED WITH DENTAL FLOSS, THEN IT CAN'T BE FIXED.

05-13-2012, 02:18 PM	#5
rjc57 Registered Users Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: indiana, usa	Make sure your swash arms are set on short lengths. Also, you can cut the dual rates down, say 50%, it will tame it down. I, too, came from flying a Syma s107 when I got my 120sr. I hit a lot of my garage walls, I was using the original radio. The 120 is a lot faster than a coaxial, just be gentle, give just little inputs from sticks, and it will come around. Good Luck, Rick __________________ Blade CX (retired) 120sr, trex 250 skids and boom supports, trimmed blades mrsx, RKH aluminum grips and rotor head mrs (used, from ebay), DXSi Spektrum radio

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05-13-2012, 12:12 PM	#2
Brian VT Registered Users Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: VT	This is normal. It's a much different bird than a coax. You're being too hard on the sticks and at the wrong time. It's easier to learn with more room. You'll have more room to let it go in one direction for a bit while GENTLY correcting to get it to do what you want it to do. After doing this for a while you'll get a better feel and be able to handle it in smaller spaces. It's much more fun where you have room to let it rip, though. Again, the key is GENTLE on the sticks until you get a better handle on this singe-rotor thing. If you give too much aileron (you will) you'll get to experience the death dive. Just be sure to cut the throttle before impact and you likely won't break much, if anything. Flying over grass is best. It can be stressful. I am much more relaxed flying a plane, but I still like learning this heli. thing.

05-13-2012, 01:24 PM	#4
airshot Registered Users Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Perrysburg Ohio	The prior posts are correct, very little stick movement and yes it takes practice. The 120 is a great heli once you get the hang of it. When I first started I experienced a similiar thing, I began to realize I was pushing the stick slightly to the side as I was pushing it forward, so the heli was moving in two directions at the same time. As has been already said many times, it only takes a slight stick movement to make it go. I had to switch from thumbs to two finger stick control to get the delicate movement I needed. Also do the preflight setup to be absolutely sure the swash and control arms are set correctly and the trims are close to centered. Alot of correct setup is required to get these little heli's to fly well, but when done right....you will have a blast!! Airshot

05-13-2012, 07:33 PM	#10
bomberhd Registered Users Thread Starter Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: NY	Wow. Thanks for all the replies to my problem. All great advice and I will try it when the wind outside decides to go away. Your right I have a DX5e and I have not tried switching the dual rate switch yet but will give a a try. I may have been a little heavy on the controls being so used to the syma 107g. Thanks again for all the advice and encouragement. I'll let you know how I make out. Bomber

05-15-2012, 12:16 AM	#11
runtim23 Registered Users Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Ft Myers, FL	I've had my 120 now for almost a year and a half and I've come to realize after playing with cp helis that I prefer to weigh the nose down to help counter the self correction as well as forward stall you may experience. I taped various coins inside the canopy towards the nose and tried other methods. I'd like to add I got the idea from somebody else on here. Not sure how this will cut your flight time down or burn your batteries though. I'm using protek 550mah (not sure on c rating) and haven't noticed any problems over the past couple weeks. Flies much better in my opinion.

05-15-2012, 06:33 AM	#12
Heli-cat Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Crabapple Cove, Maine, USA	maybe that's why I like the way mine flies so well with Raiden 1300s slung under an Astroid Designs mount. And I'm definitely not suffering from short flight times. I bring it down once the 8 minute alarm sounds with plenty of mAH to spare.

05-17-2012, 07:29 PM	#13
runtim23 Registered Users Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Ft Myers, FL	I'll have to try that sometime. If you're going to apply weight why not make it live weight? Right now I have a marble glued inside the tip of my canopy and the precision and control is night and day. I just ran 6 minutes without any problems. Feels a little underpowered and sluggish but it can still collect speed.