Hard Deck Function

[Tim Marks]

Originally Posted by rdlohr

I assume since it placed you back upright, you now need to fly it.

Hi:

Right on! We tried to illustrate this in the animation. The animation is essentially a slow motion visualization of what occurs when a heli enters the hard deck.

In case people missed it:

http://www.revolectrix.com/HD_Animation.htm

Tim Marks

[Navigator53]

Originally Posted by stevehof

I don't understand this point. If the recovery is supposed be automatic without thought from the pilot, why the requirement to move the throttle/pitch lever?

CoPilot always knows which way is up and which way is down.

It's job is to get the heli out of whatever trouble we're in by getting the heli upright and level so after that we can take back control.

Once it's made upright by CP II, it will descend unless we give it positive pitch.

On mine I use the gain switch on the left so it becomes one forward motion fliping the switch forward just like the collective

Some use buttons, but with a switch CP II keeps it level for as long as it's on giving me time to regroup, land and walk it off or continue flying instead of repairing.

[nightflyr]

Originally Posted by DominicD

Anyone else think that with this perceived safety net there will be more pilots out there willing to risk even more uncontrolled flying and could potentially cause some serious damage ?

Lets look at that a moment...

Example..
A pilot decides he wants to attempt doing a pyro flip...

Same in both cases..
Takes his machine up say 60 feet and 50 feet away..
With out the HD ..
Starts to go inverted and begins the pyro, and loses his/hers orientation 3/4 way through the move.
Result .. the bird more than likely starts to head earth bound, and the pilot is now struggling with the stick to regain position.

With the HD..

The helicopter will breach the HD, the system will engage, recover the helicopter.

How and where do you find this to be a danger?

If you believe this to dangerous or that someone will be putting them selves or others in danger..
There are some people who thought that mounting firearms on RC helicopters is a great idea and a lot of fun..

I'm sorry I do not see your point.. other than you really disapprove of this technology.

This is a tool to be used for practice and training...
When used correctly can be a great aid in helping pilots.

There is a saying I grew up with.." God loves angles and fools because he made so many of them...."

Will some do foolish things with this hardware.. most likely, but do not blame it hardware.

[Jotto]

I hate this new thing... but only because it will allow newbies to progress much faster than I did

For the record: obstacle avoidance doesn't need to be that expensive. ArduCopter already has it.

[AcidDrink]

Originally Posted by nightflyr

Lets look at that a moment...

Example..
A pilot decides he wants to attempt doing a pyro flip...

Same in both cases..
Takes his machine up say 60 feet and 50 feet away..
With out the HD ..
Starts to go inverted and begins the pyro, and loses his/hers orientation 3/4 way through the move.
Result .. the bird more than likely starts to head earth bound, and the pilot is now struggling with the stick to regain position.

"Pilots attempt doing a piro flip and loses his orientation"
This is where the problem is. It may encourage pilots to attempt moves which they are completely unprepared for.

BTW at 3/4 of piro flip, heli will unlikely start to head earth bound. More likely towards or to the side of the pilot.

[Bodge]

i haven't read all the posts,

But I get much more excitement from flying my bigger helis than i do from flying the SIM or my mcpx. I find the SIM boring, I find my mcpx enjoyable

But the excitement i get from flying the bigger ones i can only put down to the fact that theres more at risk as in crashing.

I got loads of satisfaction from my days learning to hover. taking it up and getting it down in one piece.

Isn't this thing likey to take away the buzz excitement and adrenaline that i currently get from flying bigger birds. Would riding motorbike be anywhere near as fun or exciting if it was impossible to crash or hurt yourself.

sounds mad but i feel like it will take quite a lot away from it

[Lighty]

The price of heli's and parts will shoot up, as you will never crash.

[jperkosk]

Tim, I understand you can't reveal the price until you begin taking the preorders, but I got 6 first units reserved so need to set aside the funding

Would appreciate an e-mail or PM on the day the preorders go online, so I don't miss it

[nightflyr]

jperkosk,

You do understand that this is a HD module and not a GPS??
Just wanted you to be aware.

[jperkosk]

I noticed, Rich. So no RTH

Still, will give me balls to try new things in the air, just like CP2 made it possible for me to turn those flying monsters nose-in mid-air for the first time

Plus, it means it'll be cheaper

[Azlum]

50ft hard deck seems too high for me. This one setting alone makes the device not very useful for serious 3d pilots. As a 3d pilot I don't ever go above 50ft unless I'm doing big air.

I guess I could see how this would be great for newbies, assuming they could get used to doing EVERYTHING(including hovering) above the 50ft hard deck.

I guess my biggest problem with it... is the title to this thread. I find it misleading and inaccurate. How can something create a major change in the hobby when the vast majority of hobbyist wont have any interest in it.

Lastly I have to agree with Dom that the idea of giving newbies in the hobby a "safety net" kinda scares the crap out of me. It's quite common in this hobby to see people flying outside of their skill level, crossing the safety line and flying over the pits, etc. I don't want these same people getting an even bigger false sense of security and feeling like all they have to do in an emergency is wait for the heli to right itself. That's teaching bad habits, period.

This is all just my opinion. With it all said, I AM interested in seeing it in action. Maybe it's better than we are imagining it.

[Heli Maine]

I agree with a couple of others – 50’ just seems too high to be of much use to most people. Wouldn’t the vast majority of pilots be in constant recovery mode????

[Chris_M]

There is no shortcuts to becoming a good pilot...you have to put the time in whether you have some kind of safety net or not.

[nightflyr]

I think all the people who are condemning this hardware will see the advantages one the videos are posted as a positive training tool
As to the minimum height, even with my tired old eyes 50 feet is easy to see, if your at the point that you can do smack 3 feet off the deck , there is no point for you to use this hardware.

I do have to say this..

I am completely and utterly amazed and disappointed that so many would put down such a piece of technology with out ever even having seen it operate in the field.

I'm glad I was taught to follow a different path with this hobby and in life in general..

[CeeveeSiN]

50 feet is way too high...

most of my dumb thumbs happen under 30 feet.

and I'd sure love to see real pictures on a Goblin or other limited space bird for sensors and boxes layout.. give us an idea of how much clutter.

[rdlohr]

I was hoping for much lower than 50 feet as well.

[Stumblebee]

Tim,

The most crucial question of all for we Canadian customers is this. Can this new device be shipped to Canada via regular mail? We don't want anything shipping method that has anything at all to do with those thieving @&*&$^*$% at UPS.

[Zbawer]

you guys won't have any more excuses to refuse letting a 7 years old kid running at you at the field and innocently asking you for a try !

[nightflyr]

The math is simple..
100MPH nose dive or tail slide..
50 feet seems a safe window to recover the bird.
As I stated...
If your doing smack 3 feet off the deck this isn't your piece of hardware.
But if you want to learn 3D and notworry about rekitting your helicopter in the process I see this as a great learning tool
.

[rdlohr]

Does this unit take the place of an FBL controller or is in addition? If it took the place of my FBL controller, was as capable in flight as my FBL controller, and was comparable in price, I would consider it.

Rick