Squirrel in the road

[Bigpyro]

Have you ever had a squirrel run out in front of you while you are driving? They kinda stop in the middle of the road and get confused. Then they run left, right and then left again. They can't decide which way to run and usually get creamed as a result of their indecisiveness (is that really a word?).

I had a squirrel moment with my heli. Had it hovering in a parking lot and a good gust of wind caught it and it started heading straight for my truck. I thought to myself "Drop the heli, save the truck, save the heli, screw the truck". This thought process repeated itself about 25 times in 3 miliseconds. I ended up dropping the heli and busting it up. Not sure why. The truck is insured and the heli is not. Maybe I just decided that it is easier to explain to my wife why I need $50 to repair my heli than it was to expain to my insurance agent why a rotor blade was sticking out of the side of my truck.

[Daz(DJLFlapper)]

Hi Bigpyroo fella,

I have also experienced this problem whilst in the earlier learning stages. It does happen to a lot of heli pilots and even car drivers. In fact if I think about it I have had the same thing whilst driving my real car. You know when that dog walks out in front of you as your driving and you dont know whether to go right or left and you and up doing neither but the brakes save the day.

In the hobby we refer to this as the lock out moment, It is then followed by the why didn't I just do this moment. As you suddenly think of an even easier way to avoid the situation you got into. When you get more experienced it is amazing because your thumbs seem to react before you actualy start to worry about the situation your in. many times I have thanked the the lord for the sim for teaching me the correct reaction to a problem first and then for Keeping me sharp enough to react when I have needed to.

Your not allone here.

Hope your heli wasnt too badly damaged and that your back up hovering again soon.

[nellster]

I'm going to buy an RC squirrel, Perhaps I might be able to fly it better than my heli. (Well, they spend more time in the air than me......)

Neil..

[uneverno]

sorry 'bout the heli. Good story well told though.

Nellster, let me know when you find the RC Squirrel, I want one too

[Aztek1701]

Yep add me to the list too. an RC squirrel would be a laugh.

I had a moment where my "autopiloting thumbs" took over on Sunday. I was attempting to loop for the first time and for some reason I chickened out after I had started and wound up with a heli at a VERY strange angle. (Mustve looked like I was trying 3D lol) The strange thing is that the "autothumbs" took over and corrected it and then I started to get worried.

Hope your flying again soon pyro

Take care.... Azzy

[nellster]

I've got the squirrel !!!! Fitted the receiver but the little blighter keeps turning around and biting the antenna off!. Also, I'm not sure where to shove the lipo, "any ideas"????

[thislookslikefu]

Excellent story! I have those "lock out" moments daily. Now, I know what to call them. Being still in the learning curve...I lock out about every three seconds.

I had to picture the case where you decided to hit the truck, busted heli AND a damaged truck.

I fly a blade cx and even the slightest breeze will take it to the neighbors yard..or his neighbors yard...or his etc...in what is still faster than my reaction time.

I also own a simi (thanks to some suggestions here) and the 'panic' is smaller so-to-speak...but now? My "lock out" include me hitting a place on my real control where a re-set button is on my simi control. It has NO effect on the blade, nor the neighbors humor when i got to his back-yard to pick up my toy. "Grown man." he must be thinking.