Helicommand 3A: A Noobies First Impression

[Ivor Hill]

Originally Posted by Montana

I was out flying again today even though it was very breezy. The tail didn't give me any trouble but I have yet to see how well the system can hold on a calm day.

But it suddenly occurred to me, I've been looking for a way to simulate a signal to my GP780 so I can use it and still have a PILOT channel, but since I've been flying with the HC in horiz mode all the time, maybe I should just set and forget the HC mode. Even the gain, which I just set arbitrarily seems just about right. But if I ever get that calm day maybe I'll play with the gain a little. It seems like the POS mode is just a little more than a gimic. Why would you want to hover in a fixed spot over the ground, except just to say you can?

You are right it's a gimic but it's a lot of fun and very good for scale flying.
Yes you can disconnect the pilot wire, set the gain in the software for stabilization mode and forget about it, or do as I do and set it for positional mode, above about 10 feet it will auto switch to balance mode.
Helicommand say you should not take off in positional mode but I have done it thousands of time with no problems.
Be aware that HC is not suitale for 3D flying or even stunts if the moves are close together, the gyro's cannot cope and the heli may well crash, so if you plan to do this you will need to be able to switch HC off.

[Montana]

How about landing in POS mode? I read it can be pretty flakey.

BTW, It seems like it would be very important that the heli be powered up on a level surface. True?

[Ivor Hill]

Originally Posted by Montana

How about landing in POS mode? I read it can be pretty flakey.

BTW, It seems like it would be very important that the heli be powered up on a level surface. True?

I take off and land in position mode with no problem, but I do get the heli under control and flying slow before I bring it down to land.
I dont fuss about initializing on a level surface. If you initialize on a level surface providing all is set up well then the heli will lift it a stable hover often useing throttle only, in position mode.
If it's initialized on a non level suface you will need to give some stick correction for the first few seconds because the heli will try to move in the direction it is leaning but you learn to watch the blades during throttle up and correct before it happens.
It is true to say that HC recommend you initialize on a level suface but this is not practible and IMHI not necessary.
I cant say I have tried it with HC but with Flymentor ( a clone of HC ) I can initialize it on its side and still lift off into a controlled hover, you just watch the blade disc as you increase throttle ans keep it level.

[Montana]

Today I have been flying on what I naively consider my final configuration for the HC. I've set the mode to horizontal with a gain of about 65. I've disconnected the PILOT, TAIL and AUX (trim) wires and am now using the Align Sport stock GP780 gyro. I leveled the swash on the bench and used "known good" settings for my external gyro. I know this is not ideal but I consider the HC gyro to be intolerable and this is the best compromise I can think of using the DX6i. Someday when I have $500 extra dollars I will get a DX8, for no better reason than the backlit display.

It's been said that the HC is not a bail-out system, and I think in my narrow experience I agree. I can say it has saved me at least once- today. Things got a little bit out of control so I centered the sticks and said a very short prayer (non-believers need not flame) but the HC straightened out the heli at least long enough for me to get my bearings. So I think that is the summary: HC will give me enough time to gather my bearings so I can recover the heli. It doesn't fly it automatically which was kind of a surprise to me. If I'm just flying normally I don't even notice it.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread, especially Ivor Hill. He has shown not only an interest in the topic, but also a genuine concern for the pilots (people) trying to use these flight stabilization systems (HC and FM).

As as side note (guaranteed to generate a reaction) it is a shame that people who want to use these flight stabilization systems get such a negative response from the "purists." I've been flying for about a year now, I have Phoenix, but today was the first day I was able to actually hover and fly nose-in. Someday I hope to be able to reduce and finally eliminate the stabilization, but for now, I'm glad the HC was able to keep me in the air long enough to actually learn things and gain confidence.

Peace from Montana,
John

[Bigron]

Hi Montana, I have a Trex 450v2 SE with HC 3D and a Raptor Titan 50SE V2 with HC 3A powered by OS50 SX-Hyper. The Raptor had a CSM SL720 gyro ( top of the range) and I use Helicommand gyro and really don't notice much difference. I also fly an Esky HoneyBee King 2 with a Futaba GY401 without any FS. The Trex and Raptor are flown with a Spektrum DX7. I can send some pics of how the Trex is fitted with the HC unit and ESC if you like, in your pics however the HC unit appears to be different from mine.

Cheers, Big Ron.

[Montana]

I'd love to see your pictures, Big Ron. It seems like there are not a lot of people that put the HC on these little birds. The RC module I have came in a nice little enclosure instead of the plain PCB I have seen on others. I think that is a great improvement, at least in perceived value. Bravo Captron!

PPS: I just got the Blade MCP X. A lot of people have issues with it but mine has been flawless (minus some vibrations). It behaves almost exactly like the 450 with the HC, except that it doesn't have the same power to climb in emergencies. Excellent training tool!

[Montana]

Ok, it's been a year or two since I started this thread, but this winter I made some changes to my 450 Sport: a Hyperion motor, KDE main gear, Castle ICE ESC, 8 channel receiver and decided to give the Helicommand tail gyro another chance. Previously I had decided that the HC gyro was not very good and used the stock GP780 instead.

Now that I understand RC helicopters better (not claiming to be an expert by any means) and the Helicommand I was able to set up the heli mechanically correct enough that the Helicommand's tail gyro holds just fine for me. Now that I have the channels available I was able to use autotrim and position hold. The position hold, which I have previously wondered aloud if it was just a "gimic" is actually kind of neat.

Thought I would follow up on this, just for the record.

[nightflyr]

It does take some head scratching to work through a helicommand setup..

But once you've sorted it out you can see it does a very good job.

I went down the same path with the 3A, RIGID, and HC3-SX.

Quite happy with how they operate.

Glad to hear you have yours all worked out

[Ivor Hill]

Nice to hear from you Montana and glad your enjoying your heli and HC. Have fun.