rrTV-PHOTO   New HD TV
HOME   rrTV-PHOTO   GALLERIES   MY GALLERY   HELP-FAQ
myHOME PM pmRR MEMBERS 727 ONLINE 25 EVENTS SEARCH REGISTER  START HERE
 
1 page301 viewsPOST REPLY
Midland Helicopters . HeliProz . ZoomsHobbies

.
.
Beginners Corner > Head on landings --- TOUGH!!
 
 
Way2slow
Veteran
Location: Jeffersonville Ga

For two days I've been practicing taking heli (450SE) out about 50 ft and up about 15 ft, turning it around and bringing it back nose in trying to land it on a 2ft square piece of plywood without having to jockey it around a number of times to land on it. Out of probably 50 tries so far, I've hit the plywood twice. I've come in too hot several times and had to make some quick side steps to get out of the way. I've come in so hot I just spun it around to took it back out, knowing there was no way to hit it, too many times to count. Then I over compensate and sit it down 10 feet short.

Anybody got any secrets, other than just keep on trying till you get it down, I would appreciate them.

Before the suggestion of just spinning it around and landing it tail in, that's not what I want to learn, I can do that. I want to learn to bring it in from any direction and just sit it down without a whole bunch of trying to get it in position.

I was watching a video of some competition flying and more amazed at the way the guy brought the heli in from side and nailed a red dot on the ground without even a bobble, than his whole flying routine. I thought that was cool as hell. Now I want to do that.
09-27-2008 10:33 PM
 
 
frankg11
Veteran
Location: Bellevue, WA

Try it from the left side and right side parallel to you first.

Hit the spot.

This is the most common approach path for autorotation exercises.

Once you get that skill down, go back to nose in landings.

It is touch and your brain needs to get trained to swap orientations.
09-27-2008 11:12 PM
 
 
BeltFedBrowning
Senior Heliman
Location: Albany, MO USA

Do it 46,345 times on the simulator.
09-27-2008 11:31 PM
 
 
Way2slow
Veteran
Location: Jeffersonville Ga

Ok, so I've only got 345 more tries left on the sim to get it down pat. I can actually hit my spot on the sim most of the time, it's just when I'm trying if for real that things get complicated. I seem to have a hard time telling the closing rate of the heli. I guess because it's so small, most of the time it's coming faster than it looks like.

Nose in orientation is not the problem, I've been doing nose in as long as I've been flying the things, a whole 10 months, it's just trying to bring it straight in and nail a spot on the ground without bobbling. My biggest problem is getting it down at the right point. Most of the time I overshoot, a lot. At first I was trying with the plywood about 10' from me. Didn't take long to move it out a lot further.

Coming in from the side also does not create a real problem, I've got that one where I can hit it most of the time. I can't nail a bullseye like the guy I saw but I can pretty much land it on my 2 X 2 plywood. Figure the bulls eye will come a lot later.
09-27-2008 11:48 PM
 
 
BeltFedBrowning
Senior Heliman
Location: Albany, MO USA

It sounds like you are doing pretty good. I find that if I flare early to slow the heli and concentrate on a smooth descent slope when in a mild flare I hit most accurately.
345 more times funny chit!
09-28-2008 01:29 AM
 
 
Way2slow
Veteran
Location: Jeffersonville Ga

My problem seems to be telling how much to reduce throttle to get the speed and drop rate in sinc. Coming in from the sides I can see exactly what the heli is doing but coming straight at me, I either come in way too fast/slow or my elevation is off when I get to my spot. I went back out and tried flaring just over my board when coming in hot, that didn't work. I was too fast and too low, tail caught the ground, now I'm replacing the usual blades, boom, spindle and mainshaft (for the second time in two days).

I know if I keep it coming a few feet off to one side so I can see the whole heli and land it, I can do ok with it because I can see the closing rate and the angle it's coming down. I just think it would be a cool touch to be able to bring it straight in and sit it down about 10' in front of you.
09-28-2008 02:34 AM
 
 
BeltFedBrowning
Senior Heliman
Location: Albany, MO USA

When I am coming in fast I start flaring at least 10 feet out. With my 30 size heli I start the flare 40 feet out. While in a flare with foreward momentum try putting the throttle at mid stick (0 deg pitch) the trajectory can be altered with only a slight + or - pitch adjustments. Negative pitch will keep foreward momentum, positive pitch will slow the heli.
09-28-2008 02:35 PM
 
 
MattJen
Elite Veteran
Location: uk

It has to do with periferal vision, something a Sim wont teach you!

When i used to fly F3C comp we had to land within a 1 meter circle every time, and auto down to it as well,

The way i learnt was to be able to hover within that 1 meter circle, with the skids at eye level, i learnt all the angles no matter which way the wind was blowing, eventually i leanrt to go out into little hovering circuits, i marked out a 10 x 10 meter FAI box, i used kids football cones as markers, i then learnt to approach the centre over the side markers, i knew i was side on and on target... once i could land side on within that meter circle utilising the cones as a guide, i then moved around the sqaure so i was coming in nose in...

I also learnt to take off nose in and reverse out...that helped to train my eye for the approach... It helped me save my ocmp machine when i had an engine failure, i was looping and ended up having to Auto nose in 60 meters away...

It is good training what you are doing...

Matt

"A woman went to a plastic surgeon and asked him to make her like Bo Derek. He gave her a labot
09-28-2008 02:56 PM
 
 
Way2slow
Veteran
Location: Jeffersonville Ga

That makes it sound like I need to change my way of practicing. So far I've never flown with more than -3 degrees negative pitch (I start at 46% and go to 100% on pitch curve)since I've never done anything other than hover, ovals, squares and figure eights.

I just programed flight mode 1 Friday so I could go full negative and full positive pitch with center being zero pitch so I could start trying to practice Auto's but haven't gotten the nurve yet. I did flip FM 1 on yesterday and flew some for a few minutes but lost my nerve and turned it back off. I'm so used to pulling the stick all the way back to kill it just before a crash, I was afraid I would forget to flip the throttle cut. Gotta pratice using throttle cut just as I land so I can get used to it.

Took the 600N out to try with it this morning, started in with it and chickend out the very first try, decide to hell with that. Flew three tanks of figure eights, hovers, etc.

I've learned pucker factor relates directly to heli cost and size.

$2,000 600N Pro that can kill you if you screw up and cost a bunch to fix after a crash = very high pucker factor.

$1,200 Kinetic 50, still can kill you and still cost bunches to repair = moderate pucker factor

$900 450SE V2 the might hurt if it hit you and cost less than $50 for most crashes = very little pucker factor

$500 450 you could care less if it crashes, other than the aggrevation of repairing it again and usually cost less than $25 to repair = no pucker factor at all.

Guess which one I spend the most time practing new stuff with.
09-28-2008 04:29 PM
 
 
BeltFedBrowning
Senior Heliman
Location: Albany, MO USA

I fly in idle up no matter what. It makes descent more stable. Like you say I have 100,50,100 throttle and -10,0,+10 pitch in idle up. With only -3 pitch the heli will not come down until the throttle is so low that you loose headspeed and control.
09-28-2008 05:17 PM
 
 
Way2slow
Veteran
Location: Jeffersonville Ga

Yep, I've gotta start learning to fly in idle up and put my head-on landings on hold until I get used to that. Getting it down at just the right moment I'm loosing lift and headspeed has been my problem.

I see your point, in idle up I can fly it all the way down under power and not have to worry about having at just the right spot when I loose head speed.
09-28-2008 06:20 PM
 
 
BeltFedBrowning
Senior Heliman
Location: Albany, MO USA

In one of my gassers that does no 3D I have throttle at 35,35,50,75,100 in idle up 1. This may help you with your headspeed and not be so frightening.
09-28-2008 07:06 PM
 
 
1 page301 viewsPOST REPLY
HeliHobby . Ron’s HeliProz South . Century Helicopter

.
.
Beginners Corner > Head on landings --- TOUGH!!
 PRINT TOPIC Advertisers 

Subscribe to This Topic

Thursday, January 8 - 4:14 am - Copyright © 2000 - 2009 runryder.com | email | link to rr | runryder needs cookie