Thanks! That solved the problem!

I'd Just like to say thank you to CaptJac for the training session we had yesterday. I've been trying to rekindle enthusiasm to fly a heli and with his help, knowledge, encouragement and patience allowed me perform my first mini hover and experience the fun I'm going to be having in the near future. I pretty much echo everything in the recent post from "tracknoob" and can't wait to learn enough to benefit from another amazing training session with the Capt. I would urge anybody who needs a couple of pointers or three to ping CaptJac and setup a session!!

Time for a training break - lets go fly!! Switch over to rate-mode on your gyro and polish those rotors over the Copenhagen Quey. Watch out for those low overpasses, high walls, and mind the stairs !!

let's go flying (5 min 0 sec)

Nice flying CaptJac! Very smooth and in control. I like.

I'm a new heli pilot. Just bought a Dx6i and Phoenix the other day. I read thru this entire thread. You're doing a great service for all of us in the hobby. Thank you!!! I'll have to find some time to sign up with you soon.

Originally Posted by impostor

Nice flying CaptJac!

I had to bail out on a few of those under-the-bridge sorties. Search and rescue are still looking for the remains. Fun to fly though. Not recommended in real life. Think the spectators on that bridge were so scared they are still frozen.

Get that big heli with the blue training balls on it... it floats!

Originally Posted by jasmine2501

Get that big heli with the blue training balls on it... it floats!

Somehow I think it's better to leave that statement alone!!

Originally Posted by jasmine2501

Get that big heli with the blue training balls on it... it floats!

Hehe, yes it does. Fun I really like that place by the way, good memories, but I doubt anyone would try to fly a heli there.

Originally Posted by AcidDrink

I doubt anyone would try to fly a heli there.

I would certainly hope not!! Too many things to crash into and I probably hit most of them. Fun to soar around and do some skiddy dipping though. Meanwhile - back at the ranch - Kambah field here we come! Got some lines needing straightening on that courtyard.

This training reinforces the direction of roll for the direction of the cyclic stick. The difficulty level is about the same as nose-in because the cyclic is reversed when the nose is turned in the opposite direction. Don't rush it. It's very easy for the brain to get confused on this one.

Begin with establishing a stable side-in hover from lift-off. Visualize being in the cockpit for stick orientation. Keep repeating until muscle memory starts taking over. Reverse the direction of the nose when you are able to attain a stable hover.

Side in (3 min 59 sec)

nice vids i wish i could fly like that...

Originally Posted by erick.caro

wish i could fly like that...

Those were my very words when I began training. Warm up your engines and start practicing. $100+ may seem like a lot of money to spend on a simulator but it will pay for itself in how fast you advance and the number of crashes it will save you from making. That's a promise backed by experience. The demo videos start with tail-in hovering on page-17 in this thread. Drop a line in my msg box if you want to setup a training session.

captJac

I "discovered" RC helicopters just a few weeks ago. A friend brought a flight simulator to Play with and we had lot of fun crashing our way through various aircraft. I stumbled upon helicopters and recognized that they were not toys. They are complex little mechanical and electronic wonders. I was awestruck. I fly a gyroplane in real life. Gyro pilots lust after Helis but they are too expensive to fly for real...until now. These little RC Helis operate just like the real thing and offer the same thrill of accomplishment when you do something correctly.

Being a pilot already I recognize the NECESSITY of professional training. I began searching the forums looking for instruction. I stumbled upon Captain Jac and oh what a lucky day that was. I bought the Phoenix flight simulator that comes with a radio and scheduled a lesson with Captain Jack. I soon found myself sitting in front of my computer in Indiana taking a lesson from a guy halfway around the world in Germany. Amazing.

The first thing that we did was set up the program appropriately, set up the transmitter, set up the Heli, and then go online to hook up on a flying field. I learned lots of important things before we flew

Next we programmed the "r" key on the keyboard to be our reset button which we ended up using frequently so we could keep on task. We then fired up the T Rex 500 sport and began flying after a quick orientation.

Right off the bat Captain Jac had me recognize the tendency of the Heli to tip to the left on takeoff. He then had me practice making the ever so brief and subtle stick movement to correct it. The gentleness and timing are critical to getting a smooth and straight liftoff into a hover. He turns that initial moment into an art form. He mentioned that the idea is to train the fingers to anticipate what is going to happen and then do the right thing on their own without the brain having to think about it. That is no small task!

After I learned enough to be able to practice that on my own we began working on forward flight and then a gentle and smooth turn. For this we changed the setting for the tail from "heading hold" to "rate".

What is so nice is that Captain Jack can watch me fly and watch my controller. I can then watch him when he demonstrates. All of this great training without leaving home! The simulator let's you practice at home anytime you want and Captain Jac teaches you how to practice properly. Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice does. Captain Jac converts a video game into a sophisticated training device.

When I learned to fly gyroplanes it took a lot of work to get ready to solo and a lot more until I was adequately prepared to own, maintain, and fly my own machine. I see the exact same situation here. It will take a lot of work on the sim before I will be ready for a nice Heli.

Thank you very much Captain Jac!

Nice post! Can I use that?

Originally Posted by jasmine2501

Nice post! Can I use that?

Certainly.