Whoo Hooo!!

[joedap]

Ok - a real newbie here - finally got the Blade Cx2 up and holding steady - ran it through 2 full battery charges without changing blades or breaking anything else.

that probably doesn't seem like much of an accomplishment to many - but that's a big deal for me.

My secret - finally listen to the great advice that I have received here and practice with the simulator.

One other thing that helped it all click - I put the Heli on the floor - with the training balls on - But - with the rudder facing me so that I was facing in the same direction as the heli - the controls seemed more natural -

Keep the heli closer to the ground - "Fly" the thing from the very first touch of the throttle - and relax.

My problem has been that I over react with the controls and then loose it completely-

The first indication of drift from the small designated hover area - and I landed the copter and started over. Once I had control of the bird - it was easier to maintain.

Anyway - for the first time since I have started spending money - I feel that I may be able to learn to fly - it's a good feeling.

Thanks to everyone here that was kind enough to share their experiences and a few tips.

Still a long way to go, but I'm excited again!!!

[park]

congratulations! I just check the long range forecast to see when I can fly next, looks like next Wednesday afternoon for me.

[hawkman]

Well done, its a magic feeling doing those first flights...a real sense of achievement.

Flying 'tail in' is sensible....of course its more natural...as you get more confident you can swing the heli around a bit....but always have a set move that will bring the tail towards you again.

The secret is this:

use that sim...and use it often...in reality dont try to fly like you can on the sim...just hold off a bit.

Hovering the heli and having good control over it is important, strive to get this and the rest of the flying will follow.

Rob

[seaaircapt]

joedap,
congrats !! I have a blade CX2 and I feel like I am making progress, then it all goes to H*** in a hand basket ! you are just ahaead of me in progress I think. I have been flying from behind the helo the whole time but I am having rudder control issues. When I do get it above the ground a few inches, It doesnt seem to be stable at all. I always lose altitude with a pitch or roll change, so then I add more gas and in the process I move the rudder. I am having a real hard time! I am wandering what to do to acheive the stability that everyone else is experiencing, because in my opinion it is anything but stable! If anyone else here wants to chime in and offer suggestions please do, I am really humble and appreciate all input. Also what SIM are you using?? Is it benefical for the Blade CX2 or are you also flying something more advanced ? Look forward to talking to you !! Thanks

[joedap]

Hello seaaircapt,

One other thing I did - mostly to save money - I have a hard wood parkay floor - I used painters tape and laid out a heli pad for myself - 3x3 - that's about 1.5 times as long as the Blade and only about 27" wide. I try to fly it close to the ground and hold it in the square. It will drift - as soon as it looks like I am going to loose it - I set down and move it back to the center and try again.

As I start to move the throttle up - I can see which way it wants to "skitter" I compensate with the right stick and then increase the throttle until I am off the ground. At that point, I think I have control and seem to be able to hold it pretty steady.

As the battery gets weaker - the behavior changes.



I started with the FMS sim but upgraded to the RealFlight G3.5. The HeliMax Axe EZ seems to behave pretty much like my Blade.

I don't know if this would help, but if you quickly snap the throttle stick to the left and let it go - sort of ppo it. The tail will pop right back into position and the heli will level out.

The Blade Cx2 is the most advanced Heli that I try to fly. I am a brand new newbie.

[hawkman]

The CX2 and its controls are a great intro to rc heli flight. The CX2 is nice and stable...the only poor thing is the collective or lack of....having fixed pitch requires a bit of anticipation about going up or down....this is not a bad thing in itself...but learners can tend to drop the heli to the floor at times...the CX will put up with this...but more advanced helis are not always as strong.

I think for the money you pay the CX 2 is a bargain...I own a similar heli and can truly say the controls are the same...on the radio...which will give you some experience before going on to more expensive helis that have collective pitch and so on.

A CX2 and a simulator will get you going...for sure.

Rob

[Icewizzard88]

Good to hear the progress! One thing you might try (RADDS SCHOOL OF ROTARY FLIGHT) free Google it. I am not using links as I have not finished knowing all the rules yet. I am a senior member on another forum (different hobby) but dont want to break any rules.

[Macsgrafs]

Originally Posted by seaaircapt

joedap,
congrats !! I have a blade CX2 and I feel like I am making progress, then it all goes to H*** in a hand basket ! you are just ahaead of me in progress I think. I have been flying from behind the helo the whole time but I am having rudder control issues. When I do get it above the ground a few inches, It doesnt seem to be stable at all. I always lose altitude with a pitch or roll change, so then I add more gas and in the process I move the rudder. I am having a real hard time! I am wandering what to do to acheive the stability that everyone else is experiencing, because in my opinion it is anything but stable! If anyone else here wants to chime in and offer suggestions please do, I am really humble and appreciate all input. Also what SIM are you using?? Is it benefical for the Blade CX2 or are you also flying something more advanced ? Look forward to talking to you !! Thanks

Open your TX & tighten the rudder screw down a bit, that shoudl stop you moving the rudder as you increase the throttle.

Ross