Many pilots (especially fixed-wing pilots) will attempt forward flight soon after they learn
how to hover tail-in. I recommend you hold off on learning forward flight until you learn how
to hover nose-in - this is a very important skill for all heli flyers, whether you are
progressing to aerobatics or just flying scale. By the way, you can tell the ones who don't
know how to nose-in - their landing approaches and autorotations look really ugly. FYI: I learned
how to nose-in first, which made learning forward flight very easy.NOSE-IN HOVER
Before you start learning nose-in, make sure your reflexes are fully developed for tail-in
hovering. Otherwise, you'll get brain fade from trying to develop two reflexes at once. Remember
that cyclic controls are now reversed. For the tail rotor, imagine that you are controlling clockwise and counterclockwise rotations instead or right and left.
Put the training wheels back on. Be sure the heli is facing headwind. Try to lift off
nose-in. As the heli drifts from ground effect, learn how to prevent right/left drift. Keep the altitude low so that you can land right away if you are near brain fade.
Once you can control right/left drift learn how to control fore/aft drift. It's a good
idea to develop a reflex to push cyclic forward a little when disoriented. Be ready to step away
if the heli gets too close. This will prevent tail-first landings and feeling of panic as
the heli accelerates backwards.
Walk with the heli if necessary and don't worry about keeping it on a spot. Don't forget
to hover tail-in occasionally to make sure you aren't sacrificing one reflex for another.
Once comfortable with controlling drift, try hovering nose-in at different altitudes.
Transition between nose-in and tail-in using the tail rotor. You can do this on the
ground first, then practice at higher altitudes. Practice both clockwise and counterclockwise
rotations.
Learn how to hover while viewing the heli from left-front and right-front. This can be
pretty difficult for some.
If you can do slow, continuous four or eight point pirouettes, and nose-in landings,
you've basically mastered it. Take the training wheels off, and practice some more.
Prepare for forward flight by flying the heli slowly around and steering it with the tail rotor.
FORWARD FLIGHT
When starting forward flight, keep the speed slow and fly at a comfortable altitude. You want to see the heli since you are developing its "visual cues."
Push forward cyclic gently to start forward flight. Be ready to reduce collective slightly
to prevent the heli from gaining too much altitude.
If the heli is trimmed for hovering, it might pitch up, climb a little, and possibly stop.
Give a gentle forward cyclic to keep it moving forward. You may want to add forward trim for steady flight and practice hovering with slight back cyclic. This should make forward flight easier.
Use left/right cyclic to bank the heli to start a turn. Avoid steep banking for now, and practice
using both cyclic and tail rotor to execute a turn. Work on keeping steady altitude during turns.
Helis with low gyro gain or no gyro tend to turn naturally in the direction of main rotor rotation without any tail rotor control (i.e. right turns for clockwise rotating rotor). Turns the other way (left turns) will require tail rotor assist. For helis with gyro at high gain or with heading lock gyros, you'll need tail rotor assist in either direction.
High-speed turns with steep banking usually do not need tail control assist. Instead, use back cyclic ("up elevator").
Practice the correlation between fore/aft cyclic and collective in controlling forward
speed. The more you pitch the nose down with forward cyclic, more collective you'll need to
keep it flying level, and vice versa.
Practice landing approaches. You'll be looking at your heli nose-in most of the time. Keep the heli level (or nose-up slightly) during descent, and avoid diving the heli. This
is a good time to adjust the Idle Up throttle curve to keep the rotor speed constant for collective below midstick.
Practice different forward speeds, angles of banking, and steepness of descent. When you
are acting on the heli instead of reacting to it, you've mastered all the basic flying skills.
The next maneuver to learn should be autorotation. Not only is it fun, it may save your heli (I've saved three of my helis by autos). You may need to spend $$ for heavier/more efficient blades or buy a .60 size heli - you'll want plenty of reserve rotor inertia when practicing autos. This should be your first upgrade, and now you are no longer a beginner...
MOVING ON
Practice translational landing with idle-up by approaching at a constant angle with minimum collective corrections. Learn how to flare smoothly inside the last 10~15 feet of altitude. Get used to fast descents (-2 to -4 degree pitch).
Now, practice translational landing with the engine idling without idle-up or throttle hold. Observe the rotor rpm, and adjust the negative pitch if necessary. This allows smooth engaging of the clutch/gears when you add power.
When you are ready, adjust the throttle hold settings, and go for your first auto! With heavy blades, you'll have enough reserve rpms even if you start your flare too early. Make sure there is plenty of room and don't try a spot landing yet. Be smooth but deliberate with your collective.
Scale flying looks easy, but it's actually a lot of work. Learn to steer and turn with the tail rotor. Rather than reduce cyclic throws, learn to be gentle with the stick instead. Learn to anticipate small movements as scale helis tend to carry a lot of momentum.
Prettiest maneuver for a scale heli is the prolonged flare for a landing approach. Did you learn your nose-in well?
For aerobatics, make sure the heli has enough power and collective throws for fast forward flight and climbs. Using the Mas Technique set-up is recommended.
Get used to high speed forward flight. When learning new maneuvers, the heli should be "three mistakes high." You'll be surprised how easy basic aerobatics like stall turns, loops, and rolls are if you have enough speed.
Get in the habit of leveling the heli and reducing the collective just before you start a stall turn, loop, or roll - it will look prettier. This develops your maneuver entry skills, very useful for contest flying.
Precise set-up becomes even more critical now, like linkages being smooth and slop-free. Before applying advanced set-up techniques like adjusting phase angles, make sure it's not you or the wind causing the heli's peculiarity.
Having a consistent entry and using the collective smoothly during a maneuver is the key to precision aerobatics. Practice!
Once you are able to precisely control these basic aerobatic maneuvers, you are ready for more advanced maneuvers and eventually, "3-D." The key is to recognize a heli's infinitely different attitudes and develop reflexes to control them. Flight simulators can be tremendous help here.
Sustained inverted forward flight can help you develop reflexes one control at a time (fore/aft cyclic, tail rotor, and collective are reversed). Most important is the proper reflexes for down collective, which will buy time when you are disoriented inverted.
