Student Pilot Pointers

If you you fly often but can't remember the last time you looked up a part number to fix your helicopter, stop reading now. If, however, you've looked up the street today, anticipating the sweet sight of that brown UPS truck that's bringing some part you need to get flying again...Read on.

As Isaac Newton said, "All forces occur in pairs, and these two forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction." In other words "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction." You need to have ol' Isaac whispering this in your ear as you manipulate the joysticks on your heli's controller. I can think of no maneuvers that don't require some movement of both joysticks. If you lock your grip on one stick while moving the other, you get a reaction, right? But is it the desired reaction? Two-channel, three-channel, four-channel...It makes no difference. Sir Isaac reminds, "It's PHYSICS guys!" Doesn't matter how much you banged the credit card to buy that thing, Newton's Law #3 still applies. You can see it in taoistflyer's YouTube vids that show the controller... both sticks are always moving. I know...But the diagram that came with your helicopter says, "To fly happy to the right, change stick #2 to right side, fast--Now you genius and it so easy!" You can't believe everything you read, guys. So if you're not happy with the swoops and dives your heli is making, try a little twitch of the opposite wrist when you make your control movement. It will be trial and error for a bit, but that "A-HA!" moment will come...And you'll be thanking Sir Isaac each time you go fly...

Rotor Blade Preservation 101

Especially if you're a hover-newbie like me, it's a good idea to have a roll of electrician's tape on hand. This is not so much for patching things up after a crash...You'll want to use the tape as a preventative measure. Those wildly spinning blades on your helicopter are its most vulnerable part. They come all the way from China, so unless you already have a pipeline of replacement blades on the way to you, use your electrician's tape to protect those blades and you won't keep the UPS guy so busy. IMPORTANT: Your heli's blades have to be balanced, so match whatever you tape to one blade, on the other. If you don't do this, your helicopter will run more like that machine at the hardware store that mixes the paint cans than a finely designed flying contraption. So, carefully measure and cut two pieces of tape, and apply them lengthwise to the blades, folding them over the leading edges of both main rotor blades. You can tell the leading edge on a blade because its higher than the trailing edge, (or, just power-up your heli and blip the throttle to see which way they spin). Your tape should span about 80% of the length of each blade...Centered so it doesn't cover to the tip or the hub-end of the blade. Try to keep it neat, without folds or creases on the underside of the blade, or you'll cause unwanted vortices's while flying. (More about vortices's in lesson #237). Once you have everything smooth and even, try a short flight and check for vibrations or unwanted flying characteristics. If there's a problem, gently remove the tape and re-apply a new piece. Now, when your brand-new helicopter bumps against Grandma's antique china knickknack, your blades may not suffer any nicks. Remember to inspect the blades, along with the rest of your heli after each flight. If the tape is damaged, just remove it and re-apply a new piece. Once you're an expert pilot and never have crashes, you can take off all that tape. Needless to say, my helicopter blades still sport their tape-jobs. Okay guys, that's it. Gotta go fly...

Today's Flight Lesson by taoist flyer

Flight school time...Pay attention, he's an ace!

Helicopter Repair For Dummies

Besides the ability to glue stuff together, (did you build plastic models when you were a boy? It helps), some light electronics repair aptitude will come in handy. Go find that old soldering iron. Some heat shrink tubing from Radio Shack or a hardware store will come in handy for landing skid repairs that glue won't hold. Have your set of small screwdrivers handy, (I have a set by Stanley...See it here). Keep the documents from your new helicopters. They often include a parts list and exploded diagram. That will come in handy when you can't remember if the collar goes over or under the "B" gear on that shaft, etc. Ummm, there's really no manual for all of this, even if you can decipher the loose Chinese-to-English translations on the instructions that come with your heli. If you can take stuff apart and figure out how it works, and there are parts available for your heli, you can probably repair your crash damage. The exception would be the electronics. It's pretty sophisticated equipment, (especially for the price), so if you're like me it will be pretty much confined to re-soldering wires that have broken off the board. Fun, eh? Speaking of which...Gonna go fly now!

Hangar Flying

If you're gonna fly the helicopters, you gotta be able to fix the helicopters. I found this out on day one. You'll need Crazy Glue or my favorite; SureHold Plastic Surgery. It's good stuff because it grabs hold in about 15 seconds. My experience with Crazy Glue is not that great but some people swear by it. Next, you'll need patience! The glue may have stuck but if you charge that heli back up and fly it right away, guess what's gonna happen...BOINNGGGG! So, another bit of advice, have more than one helicopter to fly. That way you can get that flying-fix while your baby is in the hanger waiting for the glue to set. I'm up to five helis...Yes, I said earlier that my addiction is deep-seated. Start out with just a couple, though...Until you decide that the hobby is for you. If your hand-eye coordination is dicey, maybe just take up golf. You can also spend a ton of money there, and it takes much less hand-eye coordination to be successful at it! Gonna go fly now...

Flight Training

Most of what I know, (besides what I learned from Warner cartoons and the Stooges), is from experience and watching You Tube videos by "taoistflyer." My first flights were all short hops with immediate crashes. Then, I started watching taoistflyer's productions and found some real nuggets. When I say "productions," I mean it...Complete with Helmet Cam, original music and CG elements. So, this video below helped me put an immediate stop to those crashes. K, going flying...