Inverted?

[Raptorpilot]

I have had my Raptor for about a year and I think its about time to try inverted flight. I really don't want to crash and i have been practicing the simulator a lot but I am completely clueless on how to set it up for this. (I saw that video of the guy doing low loops where he hits the ground and can't turn it off until the bird tears itself apart, I really don't wanna be that guy) Any tips would be great.

[hawkman]

Ok....the first thing is to look at your radio...you will have to set the 'idle up' function to get a 'v' curve for the throttle....so at low sticj you have 100% power....top stick has 100% power and mid stick has 50% power.

Its vital to get this set up....and you must get used to switching between modes....if you dont and use normal mode when inverted it will end in tears.

The pitch range needs looking at...you want -9 low stick.....0 degrees midstick and +9 top stick. I use this setup for both modes...its a good setup.

When you set your radio make sure the heli is switched on,.....but not powered up of course. As you switch between modes observe the throttle lever......in inverted mode...'idle up 1' as you bring the collective down to half way....continue down....the throttle arem should start to raise itself back to full power.

The percentages on your throttle curve should look like this

low stick 100%
quarter stick 75%
half stick 50%
3 quarters 75%
top stick 100%

You will have to be careful with the tuning....things might alter while inverted and you could get a stoppage.

Take the sim real serious...practice inverted flight...but simulate a power failure....practice getting the heli upright and doing an auto...do this till it becomes automatic. At least in reallife you might get your heli down in one peice.

For real? keep your heli nice and high....pull back gently....you will find the heli very responsive to cyclic inputs...due to its weight above the disc....go careful.

Try hovering first....if you are not sure just pull back out....always have a 'get out plan'.

Once you land be slow in lowering the collective....in case you have left the idle up in stunt mode....you could destroy the heli otherwise.

Go real slow...dont rush things....if you feel nervous then pull out and take it easy....we have to push things to progress...thats the way it is.

Go careful

Rob

[Raptorpilot]

Thanks,
I think I will try it this weekend, are you sure i should have 50% power at no pitch that seems extreme. I was thinking like 10% but i don't know anything so i guess i should just listen to you . Is there anything i should double check to be really sure that i'm not going to loose power while inverted, because that seems like it would be really hard to get out of. Thanks again

[hawkman]

The cyclic pitch response will be quite quick.....its suprising how fast the heli will pull out of the inverted position....the weight will be above the disc of course.

50% will be ok.....you need decent rotor speed to go inverted.....the heli will otherwise roll out as you try to go upside down...you could reduce the setting to 40% but be careful.

The amount of time you spend at 0 degree pitch is minimal.

I would take a good look at www.rotory.com there is a good article on blade pitch.....where all idle up settings are the same..for the blades....ie -9 0 +9 in normal mode to idle up 1 or inverted mode.

Its a good idea because you get used to the stick position in normal mode anyway...upright that is...so your hover point will be above the mid stick postion.

The other point is that in normal mode as you reduce pitch...and its quite windy....you will get a nice positive loss of height....with a good rotor speed...I found that using a ´normal´pitch range would cause the heli to ballon around...especially going down wind and turning into wind...I could drop the collective but the rotor speed wasnt too hot....if thats not good then cyclic response can get poor....plus if you do get a failure of the engine...you might not get enough reserve to auto well.

Make sure you maintain the heli well....extreme moves can cause problems....the wear points will be the head dampers.....make sure the feathering shaft doesnt get loose...just wiggle the blade grips and look for any obvious play...too loose will see a terible vibration building up....which can destroy the heli in a second.

I have never had this problem but have always took care of the damping system before it does get to be an issue.

Inverted flight is cool....but be aware of the increased risks.

Personally I enjoy it...but having crashed a couple of times in this attitude...which gets expensive....I might just carry on flying right side up...and go the scale heli route.

Good luck


Rob