Ground School - Mikado V-Bar/V-Stabi Setup Guide for Dummies

I have had about 200 flights with the Mikado V-Bar/V-Stabi on my Logo 600, based on that experience and the numerous times I've help others setup their V-Bar, I hope that this will be one of the quickest guide to setup V-Bar/V-Stabi 4.0 on your RC Helicopter.

1. Make sure you are using at least version 4.0 (upgrade at the Mikado Store if not)
   
2. Install VBar/VStabi V4.0 software on your PC (Laptop is preferred so you can tweak V-Bar at the flying field)
   
3. Take a look at the V-Bar presets for different helicopters, choose the one that matches yours as close as possible.
4. Make sure your servos for cyclics and tail are equivalent specifications to the ones shown in the V-Bar preset you choose.
5. Install V-Bar and Servos on your Heli (See Vbar Sensor Mounting Video - Right-Click and Save As to download)
   
6. Load the preset you chose for your heli in Step 3.
7. Use Subtrim on your Radio to zero out the TX Calibration in the Setup section of the VStabi Software.
8. Make sure mechanically things are as neutral as possible. This normally means leveling your swash and making sure that blade pitch is 0 degrees when the servo horns are at the middle of their total travel. i.e. at neutral)
   
9. Do Rudder Adjustments to make sure Rudder gets as much deflection both ways without binding.
   
10. Check that swash moves the right way with aileron and elevator controls. (Reverse servos accordingly)
    
11. Level your swash and check that swash moves right way with collective inputs.
    
12. Check that swash  moves the right way when you tilt the heli back and forth, right and left. (Vbar should move the swash to oppose your tilt)
13. Maiden your VBar-ed heli.
14. Do the Auto-Trim thingy (See: Vbar Auto Trim Flight Video - Right-Click and Save As to download)
    
15. Want more elevator and/or aileron control (i.e. flip/roll faster)? Increase Agility setting (Under Main Rotor)
16. Want more punch on the Collective? Increase Collective setting (note that for most values, you may enter a value higher than the slider allows - simply type in the number you want. However understand that too high values could crash your heli, so increase a little at a time and within reasonable bounds)
17. Tail not holding tight enough? Increase Gyro Gain (Under Tail Rotor) by 2 each time until Tail starts to oscillate quickly during forward flight (faster flight is better for testing).
    
18. Heli feels unstable? Increase Gyro Gain (Under Main Rotor) by 2 each time until Main Rotor starts to oscillate quickly during forward flight (faster flight is better for testing).
19. Set your rudder rotation speed (i.e. piro rate) with your transmitters Dual-Rate/AFR setting. (Make it less than 100% accordingly)
20. For any issues or more details, search the offical vstabi/vbar forums here - http://www.vstabi.de/ and the wiki here - http://vstabi.de/wiki/index.php?title=Hauptseite - The setup videos at http://www.vstabi.de/V4/index_e.html really help too!
    

VBar Auto Trimming For The Impatient
Step 14 mentions the Auto Trim Thingy. Here's a quick and dirty 10 step VBar Autotrim Guide

It's A Beautiful World
I personally think that flybarless is a great technology that will help many pilots enjoy the hobby/sport more, simply because it's kinda easier to setup (once you get the hang of it - no more tinkering with paddles, flybars and seesaws!) and easier to learn inverted flight on (Inverted, flybarless helis are way more stable that most helis with flybars)

Ease Into Flybarless
If you are from the flybar camp trying out flybarless, do understand that it feels different and you'll need time to get used to it before enjoying the benefits of flybarless. Some comment that take-offs and landings are more tricky on flybarless - and I agree! However, you'll find that your stall turns and loops go way higher than ever before cause there's less drag without the flybar.

Less Pitch Gauge Fiddling
One last thing, if you're from the flybar camp, note that your pitch gauge has a lesser role to play with flybar-less systems. The measurement for cyclic pitch is not a good measurement of how fast your cyclics will be, cause the flybar-less gyro controls cyclic speed. Instead, just use the pitch gauge to ensure that the pitch is equal for both up and down pitch and to measure how much collective pitch you have.

That's all for this Vbar/Vstabi guide. For some more thoughts on flybarless that a look at -  Ground School - Flybarless - Good for Beginners, Not So Good For Advanced Flyers

Remember to enjoy each flight and take care!

Life With The Klone 50 - Part 1 - Introduction

The Klone 50 was a gift from MockingbirdRC.com for participation in the Singapore National 2009 3DX competition. Over the last 4 months I've been really enjoying the Klone 50 - it's fast, light, aggressive, easy to build, repair and easy on the wallet. To top it off, it can do any 3D maneuver in the book (or at least in my book!)

I have about 100 flights on my Klone 50, and people have commented how new it looks still. Despite it's low cost, the parts have hardly any slop after all the 3D flying. Getting up to 15 flights on one gallon of 20% to 30% nitro doesn't hurt either!

To summarize what the Klone 50 is in one line - It's an all-out 3D heli fully-blinged (all the metal parts you'll ever need) out of the box that features low-cost spare parts and mean looks.

To honest it's not a completely new design, a number of parts are similar to the Raptor 50. However, it's completely new where it counts - An eCCPM full-metal head and carbon servo and front frames. It has +/- 12 degrees on the collective and is a full 100 to 200 grams lighter than typical Raptor variant/conversion. In other words, it has the agility and stellar power-to-weight ratio a Raptor would find very hard to match.

Want to see it close and personal? Here's a build video posted by nwolsink:


There are nice hi-res photos of the Klone 50 mechanics on this thread:
http://runryder.com/helicopter/t523575p1/

That's all for today, gotta run! Stay tuned for more updates! I'll be doing a Klone 50 3D flyin video soon...

Girl Band Dancing on a Heli Pad

Inspiration for fellow RC Helicopter Pilots that had one to many crashes!

Ground School - How To Hold The Transmitter Sticks

What's the best way? Today we'll be talking about holding the transmitter sticks for 3D Flying. Welcome to HeliDaniel.com Ground School - Where discuss tips on RC Helicopter Setup (i.e. Things you should know before you takeoff your heli.).

This Is How We Do It
Well start off with an excellent Mode 2 (Collective and Rudder on Left Stick) example by Daniel Jetschin of Team Mikado:



Note that if you just started RC Heli flying, it could be quite a while before you work the sticks like that (without sacrificing your heli - See Gentle Is Good below).

Next, we'll take a look at another two awesome examples Alan Szabo and Bobby Watts:




As you can see, almost all the pros hold the sticks with their thumbs and index fingers. I started just using thumbs, but switched to thumbs and index after a few scary slips - so pinching your sticks is very highly recommended.

An Awesome Thumber
But if you are a thumb fan here's the 2008 3D Masters Winner Lucas Riva working with thumbs only:



If you were very attentive, you'll note that Lucas has his collective reversed! Pushing the stick up makes his heli go down (when upright)!

Mode 2 or 1 - The Choice Is Yours!
Now, why I only have good examples of Mode 2 stick work? Well, I could only find these fine examples, but I'm sure there are many good Mode 1 pilots out there too! But I'm a mode 2 flyer too - the choice is yours! ;)

Gentle Is Good
Okay, now we're all excited about some serious stick banging, but before we get rough, we need a little gentle touch first. Take a look at the videos again - this time zoom in on the parts where they aren't banging on the sticks, typically when there's a pause or a section of fast flight, you'll note that unless we want the heli to really turn on a dime, we really need to move the sticks a little only - especially the collective! Since the collective governs the lift your heli needs to avoid the ground, learning to be on top of your collective is key!

Exponetial Expo-sed
In my opinion, using expo on your transmitter is not critical on most helis - but it definitely helps to smooth things out! I normally use -15 to -25% expo (the values will be positive for JR radios) for the Cyclics (aileron and elevator) and anywhere from 0% to -45% on the rudder (it really depends on your gyro!) For the rudder I try to get it such that a small movement on the rudder stick will get a corresponding small change in rotation rate for most of the stick travel. In other words, I don't want a drastic change in yaw rotation rate when I just push the stick a little more. For the Cyclics, I find that some expo will help to make the hover and flying around more locked-in by making the controls less sensitive in the center - incidentally it also helps to lessen the cross-control issue most of us face - for example when you move the aileron left and right, most of us will tend to nudge the stick a little up and down too, expo helps to lessen it's effect. Of course it's best to train your fingers till robotic precision so that no cross-control happens, but who are we kidding?

SIM-plify Your Learning
Practice practice practice on your Simulator before all else, you'll save heaps of cash that you'll miss otherwise. Though it may get boring for some, there's no quicker or easier way for a start. Experiment with different ways to hold your sticks and see which way you like best and get used to it. Make your decision carefully or you'll find it very frustrating to change later!

I'll leave you with a cute line - We bang sticks on the tranny, and not our helis on the tarmac.

Wren 44 Turbine on a T-Rex 700

I love the sound of the turbine! Good if you have £2750 to spare for the system.

Some Specs:
Power 5KW (6.8hp) - Double the power of an OS 91HZ!
Diameter 86mm (core engine)
Length 305mm (12in)
Engine Weight 1320g (46oz)
Ancillaries Weight 250g (8.5oz)
Gearbox RPM range 4000 - 15000 RPM
http://wrenturbines.co.uk/engines/helicopter/44helicopter

Photos of a lucky guy and his Trex 700 turbine:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laurent_cluzel/tags/wren/

Flight School Part 4 - Backwards Circuits

Welcome to Part 4 of HeliDaniel.com's 3D RC Helicopter Flying School.

Why Backwards Circuits?
I was about to go into Flips and Rolls but after a bit of reflection, I believe it's safer to learn a little Backwards Circuits first. Why? Cause if anything goes wrong during rolls and flips, there's a chance your heli might end up flying backwards at speed. In such a case, skills in maneuvering your heli while flying backwards will come very handy indeed....

Building On What You Already Know!
I'll bet that if you have been hovering around, learning how to fly you heli, you'll already know how to fly you heli backwards. That's because whenever you do a tail-in hover and your heli drifts out, you'll have to bring it back by flying backwards! We'll build on that then, and extend your backward flight a little at a time.

Your First Backwards Turn
Steering your heli while flying backwards is the key here. Get your heli out in front of you (far enough so you can do a backwards turn later) while doing a tail-in hover and start bringing it back in by gaining some backward speed. Before it comes too near, you'll want to apply some aileron to bank it left or right (your preference) then apply some down elevator to turn your heli. For a start you might want to turn 90 degrees. That means your heli will be facing left or right when you're done (depending on which way you banked at the start). See Figure 4.1 below:


Figure 4.1 - Your First Step in Backwards Flying

Easy Tips for Easy Learning
Remember to bank just a bit for a start, controlling your bank is key here, likewise for your application of elevator. Once you've finished with your 90 degree turn, you'll want stop the heli and get it into a hover once again. Keep practicing this and don't forget to turn both ways, once you get the hang of things, you can then move on to 180 degree turns.

Sim-On!
Once again, do practice all this on your Simulator first. Many times, learning to fly RC Heli is a trial and error process which you learn from. You decide which heli you want to sacrifice for your "journey of discovery" The free virtual heli or your costly real heli.

Getting Better
For 180 degrees, continue the turn all the way till your heli's facing nose-in. (You'll definitely want to be good at your nose-in hover first!) Then stop into a nose-in hover. If you feel confident you'll continue your backwards turn to 270 degress or even a full round! Take it at your own pace, enjoy the thrill and don't rush things.

The Grand Finale!
Once you can turn a full round (both left and right) you'll want to start making Backwards Figure 8's. As Part 3 explains, join a 3/4 backwards turn on the left with a 3/4 backwards turn on the right with straight lines and viola! A Backwards Figure 8!

Coming Up
Okay... easier said then done, but I'm sure you'll thoroughly enjoy things once you get it. Keep your blades spinning and I'll see you for Part 5 - Flips and Rolls!

Ground School - Tail Setup for 3D Flying

Welcome to HeliDaniel.com Ground School - Where discuss tips on RC Helicopter Setup. Today we'll be talking about Tail Setup for 3D Flying

People have asked me how to start 3D flying on their heli, the first thing I'll check is their Tail Setup.

Here's the bottom-line - if you want to do any form of 3D flying, you'll need an excellent Tail Setup.

What's in a Tail Setup?

Here's a list:

1. Gyro
2. Tail Servo
3. Tail Pushrod and Guides
   
4. Tail Bellcrank
5. Tail Slider
6. Tail Pitch Arms
7. Tail Rotor Grips & Bearings
   
8. Tail Rotor Blades

First on the list is the gyro, needless to say you should have at least a reputable gyro that was designed for 3D flying that should be matched with a Tail Servo that's recommended to work with it. I'm not big at wasting money experimenting with Gyro/Tail Servo combos, so I just search the forums for combos that others have success with.

Other that that, there are two other things to understand to have a great tail setup - Silky Smooth and Control Geometry

Silky Smooth
What you really need to do is to make sure that items 2 to 7 move with minimal resistance.

How do yo test that? Remove the Tail Pushrod ball link at the servo end and move the push rod back and forth with your fingers, ideally the pushrod should slide back and forth almost effortlessly.

Tail Servo - make sure that the horn, pushrod and ball link stay clear of each other throughout the servo's entire travel.

Pushrod and Guides - Make it as straight as you can, adjust the guides (if any) to do that. The guides will have to stay put and not move around, use CA or stuff something (I like the tips of cable ties - just cut off the rest of the cable tie once you're done stuffing) between the guide and tail boom to secure it. Oil here helps keep it smooth.

Items 4 to 7 - Check all ballinks, bearings and pivots make sure that they are are not too tight. A balllink sizer tool can be used to loosen ballinks. Check for screws that act as pivot points make sure that they are not too tight, use blue locktite to make sure that they don't come loose.

Control Geometry
Control Geometry varies slightly from heli to heli, but I'll just give some tips which I think would work well in most cases. Most helis will have a 5 to 10 degrees more Tail Blade Pitch in one direction than the other to counter torque produced by the Main Rotor.

Depending on your Gyro, you may want to setup your control geometry in a way that the neutral has some Tail Blade Pitch or none at all, you'll have to do your own research here.

Regardless of how you decide to setup your neutral Tail Blade Pitch, when at neutral, your Servo Horn should be right in the middle of it's total travel. Once you got that, you should make sure that there's no binding at the limits of your your Tail Servo Travel.

You should setup it up so that you max out your Tail Pitch in both directions. Also, make sure that there is no chance of the tail mechanism jamming because of too much Tail Pitch.

The distance between the Pushrod ballink and the servo horn center is another thing that can really affect the performance of your tail setup. I like to set it up so that the tail servo horn deflects about 45 degrees from it's neutral at max tail pitch in both directions. I believe that in most cases it's a good balance between maximizing your servo's resolution and tail control speed (the further out you put your ball link, the less the servo has to move to get to a particular tail pitch = faster response) Again, this varies from heli to heli, so you'll have to do your own research and tests.

Belts/Tubes and Blades
I consider belts and torque tubes more on side of drive systems rather than tail setup, but since it can affect your tail performance, here's some tips.

Belts - Generally don't make it too tight or too lose, follow manufacturer's instructions best you can. Too tight and your tail might oscillate, too lose and your belt might slip and you'll lose your tail's performance.

Torque Tubes - Get a good meshing on your gears so that they don't slip and strip (too loose).

Tail Blades - Plastic is fine for mild 3D, but Carbons are the way to go for all out 3D flying. Get the biggest and meanest blades that can fit on your heli.

Other Important Stuff
Note that for some heli models, it might be difficult to achieve a silky smooth tail setup due to the design of its components, but you could still try some of the above to make it much better.

Use low viscosity oil for lubricating the tail components, higher viscosity oil or grease tends to make things sticky and not so smooth.

Slop, make sure that your tail blades pitch don't move around too much without the servo moving. Replace parts that are too lose or worn out to have a tight setup. (That's still silky smooth!)

Finally!
Getting a great tail setup takes time and patience, but once you get there, you won't regret and you can fly with peace of mind that your tail can take anything you throw at it. I hope this little bit of advice helps! Happy flying!