It's time to gear up for flying
by Mark Fadely [email protected]
Welcome once again, helicopter enthusiasts. I am happy you have found the rotary department of MA. This is the time of year when temperatures warm up and the outdoor flying scene heats up. It is also a great time to devise a plan for your flying in 2013.
I have watched helicopter pilots throughout the years and they are often the most driven, goal-oriented pilots in RC. Helis have a steeper learning curve versus other forms of RC, so it makes sense that more ambitious personalities are attracted to the machines. Maybe you are one of those pilots. If you get a thrill out of conquering new challenges, then helicopters are a wonderful way to hold your interest.
A new flying season is upon us! It is exciting because the weather outside is becoming more accommodating for our helis and us. Good flying weather should bring a smile to everyone's face. I love the spring because I know the entire summer is ahead.
As a young boy, I spent the cold winter months building fleets of balsa airplanes. When the weather broke, I took all of those models out for test flights. I can vividly remember those warm evenings as the sun was setting and the air became still. That was a special time in my modeling journey because it was just the airplane and me in a perfect setting.
The years passed and balsa airplanes became gas-powered CL airplanes, then RC Pattern aircraft, and finally my lifelong hobby evolved into RC helicopters. The one thing that has not changed is that I still despise winter here in the Midwest! Today we are lucky to have so many opportunities to fly indoors during the cold months.
What are your plans for your hobby in 2013? Do you have any goals you would like to work toward, or are you satisfied to fly another season like the last one? If you are like so many progressive pilots and want to make some improvements, then now is a good time to plan your 2013 strategy. The joy of fulfilling goals makes you a more complete person in all aspects of life. All of the great pilots in this hobby have goals and strategic plans.
I was speaking with top pilot Nick Maxwell recently, and he said he is constantly thinking and dreaming of new ways to explore his heli's flight envelope. He won the worldwide ONE 3-D competition at the International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association (IRCHA) Jamboree this past summer, but he never quits working to improve his skills. Nick often plans out his routines and new maneuvers on a simulator before trying them for real.
Flying Inverted
I want to speak to the beginner 3-D pilot for a moment. One of the most exciting times for a pilot is when he or she is learning the very first aerobatic maneuvers. This is a time you will never forget. One of the biggest milestones of your heli career is when you fly inverted for the first time.
Hovering for the first time is always the biggest thrill for a pilot. Then later—usually much later—comes inverted hovering. Make sure you are comfortable doing loops before you try the technique I am about to explain. There are a number of different ways to get your heli inverted: you can flip it over, roll it over, or perform a half inside loop and stop at the top. I found the half-loop method easiest because rolling or flipping from a stationary hover often results in the machine moving all over the place after the flip.
Before attempting inverted flight, have your heli checked out for aerobatic flight by a qualified, expert pilot so you know your machine is capable of the maneuver. If you feel you are ready, make inverted flight a priority for 2013 — I guarantee it will be one of the most exciting experiences you could ever have in RC. If you are new to flipping your helicopter upside down, you may want to check with your doctor to see if that much excitement is okay for you. (Ha, ha! That is funny, but somewhat serious.)
A useful step-by-step method I used to get inverted for the first time:
- Go up to a safe altitude (approximately 75 feet).
- Fly the heli in nose-in forward flight at a medium speed.
- Pull up into a loop.
- Let the speed bleed off at the top and feed in just enough negative pitch to avoid losing too much altitude.
- Stop at the top and hold that attitude to lock into an inverted hover.
I remember when I started feeling somewhat comfortable flying inverted. My confidence was growing so I began slowly flying around a little. I flew a slow, oval racetrack pattern and thought to myself, "Wow, this is not so hard."
On my second lap, I got messed up in a turn and gave two wrong inputs. The heli piled in with the help of full collective pitch toward the ground. Ouch! That was one of my worst crashes ever. The debris covered a 50-foot area and there were five various subassemblies of my heli scattered about. I had to do a little soul searching that evening. By the next day, I was okay and the parts were on order. What a hobby!
Thanks for reading again this month, and I will see you next time.
Sources
- International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association
- www.ircha.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
