- I didn't really get serious about learning to fly
radio control helicopters until I bought my Hirobo Shuttle ZX about three years
ago. It is used but very well cared for and nicely set up. It has some very
nice upgrades that include improved clutch assembly, metal swash-plate,
additional metal anti-rotation link and some tail-rotor
bearing improvements. The engine was a reliable Enya .35H which served me
faithfully until a few months ago when it began showing signs of wear and
tear. I briefly replaced the Enya with a Super Tigre G.34H but I wasn't
happy with the overly sensitive needle valve settings or the vibration.
So, I just installed a new OS.32SX-H which, right out of the box, runs
wonderfully. More power, too.
- The only down-side to the package was the basic Airtronics VG6H Heli radio
— it works fine but lacks the computer features that will one day be
necessary for both smoother flying and aerobatic flying.
- Prior to the Shuttle I had some limited exposure to my
son's worn and antiquated Schulter MiniBoy. I managed to learn how to hover
on that machine, but it never gave me the confidence to procede much further.
The Shuttle, on the otherhand, turned out to be light-years ahead of the old
MiniBoy. That, along with some very good mentoring, I managed to slowly,
but surely make progress. While some pilots learn heli flying in a few
months, it's taken me over a year to get to a point where I feel
comfortable with forward flight, or fast-forward flight. I couldn't fly
every weekend. Sometimes, I didn't fly the heli for 2 months or more.
This is a poor way to learn, as it meant covering old lessons over and over
again before moving on to something new. But, inspite of other
commitments, I've progressed to fast-forward flight without having ever
crashed my machine (yes, I know it will eventually happen).
- The important points for a rank heli beginner to consider are; get a
popular, medium size heli and have it set-up by a very experienced heli
pilot. Then, it's a matter of attacking the flying lessons in a logical
order. Obviously, you have to learn to hover first. Then you must learn
to hover with the heli's nose pointed in various directions such as 90
degrees to the right, left, and so on. At the advice of my mentor, I
then started practicing figure 8's at about 4 feet of altitude. The
figures were about 15 to 20 feet across and I started out with slow speed.
After mastering the figure 8's, I started flying left and right circles
around myself at low altitude. Again, I started out slow and then
gradually increased speed (and bank angle) as I gained confidence.
Eventually, I learned to fly a fast circle with about a 25 foot radius.
It looked like I was flying a control-line model! The last step,
before serious forward-flight, was flying away from myself a short distance
and then turning back and making a smooth approach to landing. As I
learned the concept, I flew farther out and higher. Initially, I used
just a bit over half-throttle for this practice and as the maneuver got
larger, full-throttle. After that, it's time for random, fast-forward
flight! I mean, let's fly!
- Other things to consider; I never moved on to a new step until I felt
real comfortable with the last. And, you have to do what the experts say;
burn fuel - lots of it! I'm now on my sixth gallon and having a great deal
of fun! Also, it is very important to learn how to make adjustments to your
heli's setup; pitch, rates, mixing, etc. This is where an experienced
mentor is invaluable. The goal, of course, is to be able to eventually
set-up your heli yourself and then fine-tune it to your personal
requirements and skill-level. Many times, I would describe a difficulty
or observation to my mentor and he would make some changes in the setup;
viola, much better handling machine! I still have a lot to learn about
pitch curves, etc. Eventually, you will have to purchase the necessary
tools to properly set-up your heli; blade balancer, pitch gauge, etc.
There's nothing nicer than a heli that runs smooth as silk!
- Update:
- Well, I've made some progress since I wrote this page. I've
accomplished nose-in hover, loops, rolls and stall turns; certainly
not 3D flying, but still a bunch of fun.
- Here's a note of encouragement for those of you who are still flying
the older equipment. After putting approximately 600 flights on my
Shuttle I stripped it down and replaced all of the spinning ball bearings,
the ball bearings in the feathering spindles, the swashplate, the gyro
and all other electronic components. When I fired it up for the first
time after the overhaul I expected that I would have to spend some time
trimming it out, etc. Well, I got lucky and the engine ran perfect,
the blades tracked perfectly and it needed no trim changes!
- Currently, here's how my Shuttle ZX is setup:
- Airtronics RD8000 radio system
- Four 94102Z servos with BB mod
- One 94758Z high speed servo (tail rotor)
- Airtronics SGL-01 Piezo HH Gyro
- Futaba GV-1 Governor
- OS.32SX-H engine
- Thunder Tiger muffler
- Metal Swashplate upgrade
- Gold Aluminum Clutch Bell upgrade
- Additional Anti-rotation link
- Metal idler-pulley on tail rotor
- NHP Razor 550mm main blades
- NHP tail rotor blades
- Sanyo KR-1500 Receiver pack
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