Think you've outgrown your micro? Think again.

[myxiplx]

Originally Posted by uiron

What's the point of all that excercise if it does not really translate in anything useful on a big heli...

In my eyes, flying micros indoors is only useful for beginners to learn hovering tail-in.

Ok, I haven't quoted the entire post, but that's pretty much where they are useful. Sure, some folks just enjoy the sheer fun of a tiny model they can fly anywhere, but as a training tool micros are invaluable for the first steps, although I'd say that goes a long way beyond tail in.

When you are first learning your orientations, a micro is perfect for learning all the basics. Sure it won't teach you precision, but it teaches you all the core reflexes, which gives you a huge head start when you do move up and start to work on precision.

Micros are great for:
- Learning all 4 upright orientations
- Learning upright flight (forwards, backwards and sideways)
- Learning flips
- Learning all 4 inverted orientations
- Learning inverted flight (forwards, backwards and sideways)
- Learning upright piros (and piro travel)
- Learning inverted piros (and piro travel)

Once you have those down then the utility of the micro as a training tool drops off rapidly, but that's a pretty comprehensive set of core flying skills. If you're rusty at any of the above, or don't like sims, there's absolutely room to improve your reflexes with a micro, and you can learn the above skills much more cheaply and safely on a micro than any larger heli.

Of course, you don't have to use them, but when you consider the cost, fun factor, and the amount you can learn, I'd say they are almost essential for a beginner.

[lucidchaos]

I apparently underestimated the amount of folks on here that have mastered piro travel.

My point with the original post may have been lost with the length of it. All I was saying is that even sloppy micros are useful as a training tool until a pirouetting travel path can be followed with precision. I'm not sure about most, but I personally can see errors better on a micro than the sim. That and personally I find them more fun. For me, they got boring flying them outside like a big heli. They got interesting again once I put some limitations in place.

If you don't think micros are fun, or you don't feel you are working towards fun by flying one, don't fly a micro

Originally Posted by FailureToFly

I personally can't see the sanity nor value in learning to fly in my bathroom whilst on the toilet or to fly a tape maze. JMHO.

My wife certainly agrees with you, and her opinion extends to the rest of the hobby as well.

[el guapo]

Flying micros in a tight space is very good practice; 1) it adds the fear factor that I don’t get out of a sim. Your comfort level will tell you a lot about what you are really good at. 2) Forces me to fly to a position is space. Flying to a position in space with a micro requires quick corrections that brings out the dumb thumbs. Once you’ve found where the thumbs are dumb, you can fix them with practice.


But practice isn’t fun unless you believe it is helping. And most people don’t want to practice orientations after they’ve gotten “good enough”. Its only natural, because it’s really boring. But most people that want to progress will need to revisit them again and again and again.


For example even if you’ve nailed tail in inverted and upright nose in. Can you do an aileron roll between the two orientations, stop and correct in each orientation? And then roll the other way. It’s harder than you’d think in a confined space. Your comfort level will tell you a lot about what you are really good at.

[The Mechanic]

I would go crazy if I didn't have my Nano and Mini CP to fly around the house in the winter. I love those guys; I think they're a blast to fly and for sure they've improved my skills (such as they are). It's a lot harder to fly the Nano around the house and not hit anything than it is to fly the 450 in a 6 acre field. I love to take them outside on calm (warm) days too and fly around the backyard or up and down the street. Little miracles of engineering.