How to Fly an R/C Helicopter
Flying an R/C helicopter can be a daunting task when first learning. The combination of controlling the height, direction and tilt to get your helicopter from point A to point B can be confusing. Using a coaxial R/C helicopter can remove some of that confusion thanks to a simpler design that increases helicopter stability, increasing your margin of error when learning. It's also helpful to approach flying your R/C helicopter in a step-by-step process, starting with simple control orientation before moving on to the high-flying acrobatics you'll be using after a little practice.
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Instructions
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1
Center all the trim wheels on your helicopter. Pull up the antenna on your R/C transmitter and move the throttle and throttle trim on your helicopter to zero setting.
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2
Plug your helicopter battery pack in and hold it stable and aloft for a 10 second wait to allow the helicopter gyro to stabilize (the gyro wil help reduce unwanted helicopter rotation during flight). Place the helicopter on the landing pad with the tail facing you.
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3
Apply slight throttle to the helicopter, moving the throttle stick on your radio transmitter slightly forward until the helicopter begins to rise and becomes "light on the skids."
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4
Repeat the process of bringing your helicopter to light on the skids. Watch it for movement. If the helicopter moves forwards or backwards, or left or right, adjust the trim controls for your helicopter so that as it goes light on the skids it simply moves upwards. Trim your helicopter by moving the trim dials in the opposite direction from that in which the helicopter is drifting.
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5
Raise the throttle and move the throttle stick left and right to move the rudder of the helicopter. The rudder changes the orientation of your helicopter, moving the tail of the helicopter so that the helicopter faces a different direction. With the nose facing away from you, move the rudder right to change the facing orientation of the helicopter to the right. Move the rudder left to change it to the left.
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Facing the direction you wish the helicopter to fly, move the cyclic stick on your transmitter forward, moving the helicopter forward as you do so. The cyclic tilts the helicopter in the direction in which it's pointed. A forward tilt alters the angle of the blades of the helicopter, moving it forward. Pulling back on the cyclic moves the helicopter backwards. Move the cyclic left or right to scoot the helicopter in those directions without moving forward or in reverse. Using the cyclic controls will cause the helicopter to lose altitude as it moves in that direction. To maintain altitude while moving in a direction, apply slightly more throttle.
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Change the level of throttle to increase or decrease altitude. Apply more throttle to increase altitude and less to decrease altitude.
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Land the helicopter by centering the cyclic controls as you approach the landing pad, stopping forward motion. Decrease throttle slowly. Descend to the ground until you lightly touch the landing pad. Move the throttle to zero position, stopping the rotors and bringing the helicopter to a standstill.
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Tips & Warnings
Invest in a set of training gear while learning to fly. It will prevent you from most damaging crashes.
When trimming the helicopter, nearly perfect is good enough. There is no need for a perfect trim, only enough to prevent unintentional drifting that would affect flight.
