v977 initial thoughts and impressions

[Woodflute]

I have a v922 and enjoy it, and was intrigued when the v977 came out. Basically a brushless v922 with a longer tail and the additional of a switchable self-leveling capability. So I finally bought one.

Background to give you context for this review--have been flying CP micros for a little over a year, started with Blade Nano (which later become brushless), added v922, much later added Red Bull 130x. Had a steep learning curve at first but now crashes have become unusual enough to be distressing when they do happen. I don't do 3D yet, really my love is to do tightly controlled flight. I love to watch them move through the air and enjoy things like landing on targets and small tables. I can hold a Blade Nano in a completely still hover over a small table for 4 minutes--and yes, the table does make it harder, try it. <grin>

Ok, all of that said, I couldn't hover the v977 out of the box. Again and again you read that you should not trust a helicopter out of the box, and allow me to add my voice to the choir--quickly traced the trouble to a slightly bent landing skid that was causing the copter to rock slightly--almost invisibly--during its power-on initialization. But this was enough to confuse its controller and make it unflyable

It was not a hard fix--found the that landing skid tab wasn't completely inserted on one side. Now it is solid and level and the problem is gone.

I was expecting it to fly like a v922 and it doesn't...head speed it noticeably higher both by the pitch of its sound and by its feel. The cyclic is very sensitive even on the "low" setting, and it's a little floaty, by which I mean that you have a little "hang time" on this copter, it responds instantly (i.e. by tilting the rotor disk) but takes a fraction of a second to start actually moving through the air. The combination makes it very easy to over-control and get into pilot-induced oscillations...you really have to stay focused flying this one. It actually feels a lot like flying the 130x. And like the 130x, it's fast--it may take a bit of time to start moving, but then it shoots off like a rocket. When flying inside, you can run out of room very quickly.

The little helicopter is quite nicely designed. The main gear is made as the "fuse," by which I mean that in a crash or even a hard landing it pops off but in so doing helps to prevent further damage to other components. If you are still in the stage of frequent crashes, or if you plan to make this copter a "living simulator" to work out 3D moves, etc--lay in a supply of replacement main gears. It comes with a single replacement, but you'll want more. After it comes off a few times it no longer fits tightly and this impacts flight performance.

I have tried the "6-axis" (i.e. self-leveling) mode, and while I could see its attraction for a learner, it's still a CP helicopter. They make it sound like it will hold a stable hover by itself indefinitely--nope, its still a CP helicopter. You still wind up making continual cyclic corrections to keep it still in the air. So, to me, this is sort of a "meh" feature--nice to have at a certain point, maybe, but if you are at the point of really appreciating what it does, you are also at the point where you won't find it to be of much use.

You can reset the factory default hover in this mode but the directions in the manual are in such bad English as to be meaningless. Here's how you do it: put the transmitter in 6-axis mode (solid power light instead of blinking which is normal mode). Connect the battery in the copter and let it initialize. Then before you touch collective, hit the "Hover Debugging" button on the transmitter 3 times. The helicopter icon on the transmitter display will begin blinking. Hover the copter and use the trim buttons to get the hover as steady and "hands-off" as you can, then land and hit "Hover Debugging" once more to save the new setting.

The brushless motor is not silent of course but is not loud as small helicopters go, pretty inoffensive in that regard. According to the box you get 5 to 7 minutes flight time per charge--I've been using a 5-minute timer. There is no timer on the transmitter, which is a pain, but I use the timer on my iPhone.

The transmitter is nicer than the v922 transmitter, sticks are smoother and feel better, and there is a "low" and "high" mode. This thing is sensitive enough that "low" mode is plenty touchy for me.

Like the v922 before it, if you can already hover a CP copter, you'll find this one very steady in the air for a micro, and it's more floaty and has a bit of hang-time compared to the v922. However, the cyclic is sensitive enough even on "low" that I think someone trying to learn how to hover CP on this copter would spend a lot of time crashing from pilot induced oscillation caused by over-correcting.

The good news for inside fliers is that this one ignores your air conditioner. When you A/C comes on, a Blade Nano will react to it a lot, and the v922 some. The v977 doesn't really, so much. That's probably a result of the higher head speed.

So that's my mini-review. I am enjoying this copter greatly, but they are selling it as a good copter for beginners, and I am not so convinced of that, though if the sensitivity of the cyclic could be adjusted downward, then I think it could be a good trainer.

[bazsound]

Heres a quick tip if you are out of main gears.

Put some Super Glue on the flat tab and let it dry (dont glue the gear to the shaft this works but breaks the swash in a bad crash or blades) now the gear fits on tight enough that it will not slip during flight. After a few crashes it will start to slip again but it only takes a few minutes to redo it.

ive given up trying to hover debug the v977 mine when the hover debug settings were reset had majour backward and left drift. by the time ive somewhat trimmed it out the heli icon on the tx has stopped flashing.

The tail boom isnt glued in place so you can extend the boom a little though i havnt been able to determin if this helps tail hold.

A few people have said that different tail blades work better. Like the hisky 100. Im waiting on 1 to confirm.

Tail seems to hold much better in idle up mode though it still drift when doing pitch pumps a little.

Also on the point about prio compensation. I too am under the impression there is none in 3g mode and that the apparent piro comp in 6g mode is possibly just an effect of the stabilisation.

Someone disagreed with it and suggested my heli was faulty which is a possibility. Theres a video showing the v977 doing fairly fast piros on the spot, and also traveling very fast going sideways and then turning into fast forward flight with zero drift.

what ive find with mine is that when hovering turning slowly to the right will result in needing left cyclic correction and when turning left i need back cyclic correction.

Ive crashed my heli pretty badly quite a few times when i first got it so i dont even have much of a comparison on how it flew in brand new condition so there maybe other faults ..

But since i replaced my bad sawsh plate its flying very well.

The centre of gravity doesnt seem to be right, both with the stockbattery and the 520mah battery. its nose heavy. To get it centred battery needs to be pulled out so it lines up with the back of the main gear

[R3L72]

Great mini review! I'm planning on giving one of these a try just out of curiosity. With all my experience on the mCPX BL and Trex 150, I guess I just want to feel how it compairs.

6 Axis mode should allow me to do some fast circuits in the house; with 3 Axis, my BL took several flights to anticipate its drifts and dips but now I can fly figure 8's indoors without issue.

I have plenty of bigger Heli's but when the wind is gusting pretty good or the rain is coming down, these Ultra Micro's are my thing. I'm with you Woodflute, just hovering and doing circuits keeps me entertained fairly well.

Where did you buy yours...Banggood or Tmart?

Here's the thing...being a "Blade" buyer, the V911 fixed pitch Heli made my mSR, mSRX, and 120 SR look like over-priced broken toys. I'm curious to see what competition this $96 dollar ultra micro Heli will give my Blade and Align Heli's.

Originally Posted by Woodflute

I have a v922 and enjoy it, and was intrigued when the v977 came out. Basically a brushless v922 with a longer tail and the additional of a switchable self-leveling capability. So I finally bought one.

Background to give you context for this review--have been flying CP micros for a little over a year, started with Blade Nano (which later become brushless), added v922, much later added Red Bull 130x. Had a steep learning curve at first but now crashes have become unusual enough to be distressing when they do happen. I don't do 3D yet, really my love is to do tightly controlled flight. I love to watch them move through the air and enjoy things like landing on targets and small tables. I can hold a Blade Nano in a completely still hover over a small table for 4 minutes--and yes, the table does make it harder, try it. <grin>

Ok, all of that said, I couldn't hover the v977 out of the box. Again and again you read that you should not trust a helicopter out of the box, and allow me to add my voice to the choir--quickly traced the trouble to a slightly bent landing skid that was causing the copter to rock slightly--almost invisibly--during its power-on initialization. But this was enough to confuse its controller and make it unflyable

It was not a hard fix--found the that landing skid tab wasn't completely inserted on one side. Now it is solid and level and the problem is gone.

I was expecting it to fly like a v922 and it doesn't...head speed it noticeably higher both by the pitch of its sound and by its feel. The cyclic is very sensitive even on the "low" setting, and it's a little floaty, by which I mean that you have a little "hang time" on this copter, it responds instantly (i.e. by tilting the rotor disk) but takes a fraction of a second to start actually moving through the air. The combination makes it very easy to over-control and get into pilot-induced oscillations...you really have to stay focused flying this one. It actually feels a lot like flying the 130x. And like the 130x, it's fast--it may take a bit of time to start moving, but then it shoots off like a rocket. When flying inside, you can run out of room very quickly.

The little helicopter is quite nicely designed. The main gear is made as the "fuse," by which I mean that in a crash or even a hard landing it pops off but in so doing helps to prevent further damage to other components. If you are still in the stage of frequent crashes, or if you plan to make this copter a "living simulator" to work out 3D moves, etc--lay in a supply of replacement main gears. It comes with a single replacement, but you'll want more. After it comes off a few times it no longer fits tightly and this impacts flight performance.

I have tried the "6-axis" (i.e. self-leveling) mode, and while I could see its attraction for a learner, it's still a CP helicopter. They make it sound like it will hold a stable hover by itself indefinitely--nope, its still a CP helicopter. You still wind up making continual cyclic corrections to keep it still in the air. So, to me, this is sort of a "meh" feature--nice to have at a certain point, maybe, but if you are at the point of really appreciating what it does, you are also at the point where you won't find it to be of much use.

You can reset the factory default hover in this mode but the directions in the manual are in such bad English as to be meaningless. Here's how you do it: put the transmitter in 6-axis mode (solid power light instead of blinking which is normal mode). Connect the battery in the copter and let it initialize. Then before you touch collective, hit the "Hover Debugging" button on the transmitter 3 times. The helicopter icon on the transmitter display will begin blinking. Hover the copter and use the trim buttons to get the hover as steady and "hands-off" as you can, then land and hit "Hover Debugging" once more to save the new setting.

The brushless motor is not silent of course but is not loud as small helicopters go, pretty inoffensive in that regard. According to the box you get 5 to 7 minutes flight time per charge--I've been using a 5-minute timer. There is no timer on the transmitter, which is a pain, but I use the timer on my iPhone.

The transmitter is nicer than the v922 transmitter, sticks are smoother and feel better, and there is a "low" and "high" mode. This thing is sensitive enough that "low" mode is plenty touchy for me.

Like the v922 before it, if you can already hover a CP copter, you'll find this one very steady in the air for a micro, and it's more floaty and has a bit of hang-time compared to the v922. However, the cyclic is sensitive enough even on "low" that I think someone trying to learn how to hover CP on this copter would spend a lot of time crashing from pilot induced oscillation caused by over-correcting.

The good news for inside fliers is that this one ignores your air conditioner. When you A/C comes on, a Blade Nano will react to it a lot, and the v922 some. The v977 doesn't really, so much. That's probably a result of the higher head speed.

So that's my mini-review. I am enjoying this copter greatly, but they are selling it as a good copter for beginners, and I am not so convinced of that, though if the sensitivity of the cyclic could be adjusted downward, then I think it could be a good trainer.

[Woodflute]

I would say if you are going to do "fast circuits" with the v977 inside, you are going to need really large rooms, even with the 6-axis enabled.

Seriously fast little copter...think Blade 130x and you've got the idea. This is on the edge of what I think of as an indoor copter unless you have really very large rooms.

Mine came from Banggood..shipping was actually pretty quick this time, a little over a week. Your mileage may certainly vary on that one, though. <grin>

[Woodflute]

Just as an additional comment about the v977 and having other CP micros as well--

If you are going to fly the v977 and other CP micros, fly the v977 first. It flies differently than other CP micros, differently even than the v922. It has a different "feel" in the air and it is very easy to overcontrol this helicopter. You have to have the same sort of "instant reflex" responses, but you also have to give it just a fraction of a second before you give it the next correction, or you start "leading yourself"--and where you are leading yourself to is a crash. <grin>

I usually don't crash it but I have a few uneasy moments as I adjust to its controls. It's a lot easier to do if you fly it before any other micro...the Nano and the v922 both feel completely different from it in the air.

The flip side is that even the Nano is crazy easy to hover after you get used to the v977.

[gunny_jeeves]

Mine just came in today with 5 extra batteries.

First off, great review!

My two cents:

1. This heli is an ideal first collective pitch heli. The 6 axis mode will self level very nicely and avoid crashes.
2. That said, it is a very fast and fairly agile bird.

What I would not recommend is using it for learning 3D. It seems too quirky for that. It will do it, but not comfortably and not well. (It seems the FBL system is not well suited to 360 degree optimizations, like it freaks out a little at 90 degrees and again at 180.)

Comparing to the MCPX, the 977 wackiness is not due to tail blow out, and seems more like miscalculations or errors in the FBL code.

What this is is simply a great little heli to learn on that will grow with your skill into very fast forward flight.

It does not feel as dialed in as the v922 except in 6g mode, and if you made a more accessible button for the 3d / 6g switch, you could use it as a very effective bail out.

You probably would not want to because this heli is not very comfortable to do 3d with, but you could do it.

It is a great heli for anyone who needs the self level. It does not really fit anything else though.

[gunny_jeeves]

Little more detail on the self level function.

It's good. Think of it as "self-95%-level".

This means that it will be within 5% of level without any input. That is a big enough help to not crash.

Completing the trim flight process will have it hands off hovering, and return to precisely level.

Once that is done, it is an awesome indoor flier too.

[Rishab]

Hi, I just bought my first 6 channel heli i.e. wltoys v977. I need to know what the "hover debugging" key is meant for? ( Didn't find anything about it yet) and is there a need for swashplate adjustments on flybarless helis. How can I increase my heli's pitch so it can fly on less throttle as well. How should I stable my heli ( from transmitter trim buttons or swashplate linkages adjustments). Which method for stable hovering should be preferred?

My heli takes off at almost 70 - 75% throttle. How this can be fixed that it can take off at less throttle as well

What does the collective pitch means?

What is the function of "dual rates" key?

This is my first 6 channel helicopter and I tried to fly it but, most of the times I crashed it and I'm really confused what to do now...

It's not that much stable like 3 channel and 4 channel helicopters. Most of the times, it doesn't hover at one place when I don't use its controls, It continuously moves left or right. In 6 axis mode as well is the same problem
Are these things normal with the 6 channel helis? ( flight was made on sunny day without any wind)

Most of the times, its main gear becomes loose and falls off when helicopter crashes. How can I fix that?

When I fly my helicopter it goes forward on itself or sometimes in other direction.

When I fly in normal mode, A little movement in aileron or elevator control stick makes it continuous to go in that direction even, when I release those controls

When I try to fly in 3D mode, A little movement in aileron or elevator control stick makes it continuous to go in that direction very aggressively even, when I release these controls and finally ends up in crash and disappointment!

[Woodflute]

I'll do my best to answer your questions as best as I can, still being a learner myself.

The hover debugging key is used to reset the 6-axis gyro...see my review at the start of this thread for more information on how to use this.

The dual rates function sets high or lower response on the cyclic. Be aware that even on the low setting, the controls are quite sensitive. The secret to flying this bird well is very small, tightly controlled motions, returning quickly to center, then watching the heli to see how it will respond before adding more control motions.

This is a collective pitch, 6-channel helicopter, even when the 6-axis gyro mode is turned on. It's not going to fly like a 4-channel heli. The gyro will bring the copter quickly back to level, but you will still need continuous cyclic inputs to keep the copter in a still hover. This is a powerful little copter and it can shoot off quickly in any direction at any time.

The main gear is designed to come off in a crash or hard landing. You may need to lay in a supply of these gears while you are learning to fly this copter. The gear acts like a "fuse"--it is cheap and easy to replace, and it comes off to protect other parts that aren't as cheap and are harder to replace.

By the way, if the gear isn't pushed up tightly as far as it can go, you will need an unusual amount of collective to lift off...I suspect this is why you need so much throttle to get the helicopter into the air.

I hope this helps.

[gunny_jeeves]

Not to say it is the definitive translation, but I will share what I did, and what the result was with respect to the "Hover Debugging" button.

Hover debugging is a mode for an experienced enough pilot who can hover the craft in one spot well enough to tune it WITHOUT the self-level engaged.

Issues / Design:
1. The transmitter does not save trim settings, so if you burn through a couple of batteries and trim it out... GREAT! It's all gone again when you turn off the radio.
2. If you NEED the self level, it is still a god send if it returns you to 95% of level with no stick input, which it should do out of the box.
3. To save the trims to make that "95%" more like "99.997%" you need to use Hover Debugging to save the trims to the FBL unit, not the transmitter.

Process:

Power up like normal in 6G mode (Self-Level).
Press the hover debug button.

Repeat this till stable.
Lift off out of ground effect and hover, then release the sticks.
Trim the radio to counter the drift direction.
Land, and repeat....

Once it is stable, land and click Hover debugging again.

Turn it all off, heli and transmitter, then try again.
Should fly like an absolute champ!

[Doom2pro]

In regards to the center of gravity and weight problems associated with the 520mAh 30C batteries I have found that upgrading the main shaft to the Carbon Fiber shaft (which is vastly lighter than the heavy steel stock shaft) helps reduce weight significantly.

The carbon fiber shaft also has the plastic collar, giving you the ability to adjust collective pitch. This upgrade has reduced the overall weight, and allowed me to increase thrust by adjusting the collar, which has the added benefit of being able to slip during a violent crash further reducing component stress.

I followed this upgrade by then adding the Aluminum Heatsink + Carbon Fiber Tail kit which adds a little weight to the tail, which is then balanced out by the nose heavy 520mAh cells.

My upgraded V977 flies great with these additions all together, not to mention I am not breaking my tail fin with every minor crash.

Hope this information helps someone

[3D Ambitions]

Originally Posted by Doom2pro

In regards to the center of gravity and weight problems associated with the 520mAh 30C batteries I have found that upgrading the main shaft to the Carbon Fiber shaft (which is vastly lighter than the heavy steel stock shaft) helps reduce weight significantly.

The carbon fiber shaft also has the plastic collar, giving you the ability to adjust collective pitch. This upgrade has reduced the overall weight, and allowed me to increase thrust by adjusting the collar, which has the added benefit of being able to slip during a violent crash further reducing component stress.

I followed this upgrade by then adding the Aluminum Heatsink + Carbon Fiber Tail kit which adds a little weight to the tail, which is then balanced out by the nose heavy 520mAh cells.

My upgraded V977 flies great with these additions all together, not to mention I am not breaking my tail fin with every minor crash.

Hope this information helps someone

i tried the carbon main shaft and found it had too much torsional flex, steel is much stronger and really not that heavy for a brushless motor. I can twist the shaft by holding it in both hands and turning in opposite directions,not for me imho

[gunny_jeeves]

After many, many, flights on my V977 I can say with authority that this is a GREAT HELI!

The best first heli will have always been in my opinion, a V911 since it is nearly indestructible and parts are (still to this day) readily available. But that is only fixed pitch, and it is a flybar model meaning wind is not really your friend....

Like many people I was hoping the V922 (CP) or V944 (FBL FP) would fit the bill, and while they each fly great also, they did not inherit the bullet proof nature of the V911. The V977 seems to have that as well. (This is after many crashes, well over 30, and many flights!)

Here are some stats:
Total damage: $0
Worst Crash - Into a trampoline spring and frame while inverted.
Damage: Scratched a main blade, Popped off the main gear, cracked the tail fin 1/2 way.
Repairs: Glue on tail fin, Found main gear and popped back on, Lightly sanded the scratch dent out of the main blade leading edge.
I actually did crash it once burying the tail so the motor dislodged, which broke a wire. I simply soldered the wire back and taped it.

In general, parts come off rather than break, so chances are you do no damage if you find all the parts.

Looking back - Probably would glue in the tail motor and put something over the wires (Like say hot glue) to protect them.

Beginner through general 3D flight: (Yes yes it IS)
Beginner - fly the heli in self-level mode or 6G, on low rates. (It can still be fast in FF)
Try High Rates... Learn not to over-control.
___________________
Accomplished CP Heli Pilot:
Try in 3G in low rates with idle-up. (This model is a very agile handful in that mode, but still flies awesome!.)
That mode will get you through flips, rolls and fast (very fast) forward flight.
____________________
3D Heli Pilot:
Fly in idle-up with high rates... (If you dare....) It flies like a very nimble heli but while it can bog down some with sudden large changes in pitch, it seems to have fewer of the bad habits of any other of my micro helis.

In capable hands it will tic-toc, and fly in much windier conditions than I would dare to fly any other micros.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 12. (It'd get a 15 if it were able to bind to a standard radio without loss of function, and it would have a 10 if the transmitter it came with sucked, but it doesn't..)

This is the heli every budding pilot should own once.

[gunny_jeeves]

Originally Posted by gunny_jeeves

What I would not recommend is using it for learning 3D. It seems too quirky for that. It will do it, but not comfortably and not well. (It seems the FBL system is not well suited to 360 degree optimizations, like it freaks out a little at 90 degrees and again at 180.)

Comparing to the MCPX, the 977 wackiness is not due to tail blow out, and seems more like miscalculations or errors in the FBL code.

What this is is simply a great little heli to learn on that will grow with your skill into very fast forward flight.

It does not feel as dialed in as the v922 except in 6g mode, and if you made a more accessible button for the 3d / 6g switch, you could use it as a very effective bail out.

You probably would not want to because this heli is not very comfortable to do 3d with, but you could do it.

It is a great heli for anyone who needs the self level. It does not really fit anything else though.

I'd like to formally retract these statements... While honest and true, they all go away after the trimming / "Hover Debugging" process.

In a way I think I was actually dead on with the diagnosis in that this was FBL system related, and goes away once it sets in perfectly that "Up is up, and down is down..."

I still say that if the 3G/6G switch was more accessible, it would be a great bailout though. That is the only thing missing.

[Woodflute]

I definitely agree that of all my CP copters, the v977 is the toughest and least likely to be damaged in a crash.

At the whole other end of the spectrum is the scale Red Bull 130x, which will get major damage from even a minor incident.

The way they designed the v977 was smart--the gear that pops off acts like a fuse, helping save the rest of the copter from damage.

[yakky]

My V977 has clawed its way to the top of my favorite micros. 6g mode is rather meh, but 3g mode it flies like a very very fast MCPx. It just feels so much bigger than my HCP100, in a good way, moves are smooth, like it knows what I'm trying to do. I've had some pretty spectacular crashes and like everyone else, just lost the main gear a few times. My poor V120D02s is not getting much loving now.

If you have $100 burning a hole in your pocket... grab one.

[heinz9]

After almost 3 years I finally got to maiden my V977. I was sent a bum TX when I purchased it. Costing more to send it back to China and not much help from Banged good, I put it up in the attic and forgot about it. I finally got a good deal on a used TX and am now flying it. It was suppose to be my first CP heli but is more like my 7th. I really enjoy flying it. It's like flying a dart. TX is decent for what it is. I've never flown a Blade heli smaller than the 200sx so I can't compare it to a Blade nano. But all I've read about the V977 it appears to be a better product than Blade in the Nano class. The tail holds really well too. I'd definitely recommend this heli to new or experienced flyers who want a beater yard heli that you could fly inside your house but don't. Handles light wind well too. Hardly noticed any changes while flying in 3-4 mph wind. Also, it's extremely rugged and handles crashes well so far. I probably have 10 flights on it in the past 2 days. Flight times are about 5-6 minutes.

[jimjag]

Im really liking this little heli also wish i would had bought one sooner

[e92.M3]

Originally Posted by heinz9

After almost 3 years I finally got to maiden my V977. I was sent a bum TX when I purchased it. Costing more to send it back to China and not much help from Banged good, I put it up in the attic and forgot about it. I finally got a good deal on a used TX and am now flying it. It was suppose to be my first CP heli but is more like my 7th. I really enjoy flying it. It's like flying a dart. TX is decent for what it is. I've never flown a Blade heli smaller than the 200sx so I can't compare it to a Blade nano. But all I've read about the V977 it appears to be a better product than Blade in the Nano class. The tail holds really well too. I'd definitely recommend this heli to new or experienced flyers who want a beater yard heli that you could fly inside your house but don't. Handles light wind well too. Hardly noticed any changes while flying in 3-4 mph wind. Also, it's extremely rugged and handles crashes well so far. I probably have 10 flights on it in the past 2 days. Flight times are about 5-6 minutes.

You do this and you will have a better flying heli: https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=794458

Flight times will be a bit shorter depending on your head speed and flying style but way more consistent. No need to adjust as the voltage goes down.

[jimjag]

thankyou brother appreciate the info... ille tackle that project hopefully next weekend... I need to order bl heli programmer first...