- Which Helicopter Should I buy as a Beginner?
- When
I take off my helicopter, It spins violently in one direction. If I
move my stick to compensate, it spins violently in the other direction
- My helicopter drifts left or right (Yaw in the tail/nose movement) during flight.
- My tail wags at the end of a Quick Piro but not in normal flight.
- Sometimes when I punch the collective/throttle, the tail spins out on me 90 degrees or more.
- My boom keeps moving in making the Belt come loose in flight.
FAQ List
Q : Which Helicopter Should I buy as a Beginner?
A : Click here to see my web page on this subject
Q : When I take off my helicopter, It spins violently in one direction. If
I move my stick to compensate, it spins violently in the other direction
A : It is likely that you have the gyro reverse setting incorrectly Try a gyro bench test first.
Q : My Helicopter tail drifts left or right during flight
A : Drift in a gyro is typically attributed to one or more of the following:
- Vibrations
in the helicopter (especially Tail) affecting the gyro. Gyros with
Piezo sensors are particularly sensistive to this. Verify your tail
shaft is not bent. Balance your tail blades. Better vibration isolate
the gyro with multiple layers of foam tape or better foam tape.
If your nose drifts when switching into idle up, this can be a
sign of vibration sensitivity.
- Temperature changes affecting Gyro. Gyros
with Piezo sensors are particularly sensistive to this. Leave
your gyro out for 10 minutes before flying. Or try turning it on, let
it sit for a few minutes, then powering down then back up again.
- Circuit
board in the gyro is loose and needs to be secured better. Try to see
if the gyro circuit board will move if you move the dip switches or
dials. If so, think about dissassembling and putting in foam tape to
secure. (Example of Mod to G410B gyro). Or get a better gyro tha uses a more expensive MEMS type sensor.
- If
nothing solves the problem, think about upgrading to a better >$75
gyro that has an S.M.M or MEMS sensor in it (GY401, GY520, Spartan, Logitech
2100, Align GP750 etc)
Q : My tail wags at the end of a Quick Piro but not in normal flight.
A
: Use the delay dial or setting on your gyro. Increase it a small
amount. Often, it's a matter of balancing the delay and gyro gain to
get the best holding and stopping in a Piro. Faster digital tail
servos will wag less in a fast Piro. Adding a Chinese weight mod
can also help with servo speed which in turn affects all sorts of wag
issues. You also will want to properly set up the gyro per the MFG
recommendations. See if there is a setup thread for your gyro. Often
the futaba G401 setup info is very helpful for most all gyros.
Q: Sometimes when I punch the collective/throttle, the tail spins out on me 90 degrees or more.
A : Likely, the RPMS of the tail is dropping. Some causes can be:
- Headspeed (belt or shaft driven tail) is too low.
- Motor is bogging
- Belt is loose and skipping gears when you punch it.
- A drive gear in the belt drive train is spinning on the shaft.
- Belt has worn or missing teeth.
Q: My boom keeps moving in making the Belt come loose
A
: Etch the boom and boom block with an Xacto Blade. Or place a
piece of tape on the boom before inserting into the boom block. See General EXI tip #8