How to use trim ?

[zaGURUinzaSKY 10]

I understand how to set and release the trim while piloting but in some situation I don't know how to operate it correctly:

1- Normal manual take off, as soon as the helicopter hovers, it immediately tends to change attitude, how can I set trim correctly before take off ?

2- Take off with auto-hover, fine until I disengage it, any way to set trims to keep the helicopter as it was while in auto hovering?

There is always that shaky moment when I disengage the trim, I would like to know how to use it..

Does autohover really exist in those real helis ?

Thanks

Edited October 27, 2011 by zaGURUinzaSKY

[dale0404 5]

All I do is counteract the movement of the helicopter by adding opposite lock, probably the complete wrong way of doing it but it works for me!

[zaGURUinzaSKY 10]

yes but there is a very strong attitude variation when you disengage the auto-hover, I expect that to be more gradual to avoid cabin vomit on my gauges..

Edited October 27, 2011 by zaGURUinzaSKY

[zoog 18]

There have been a few topics about this. You might also find some extra info in them, these are a few of them:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=121672

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=125847

[beepee 10]

Don't use autohover :D

[BadWeather 10]

There is no autohover in the real counterparts of these choppers. It is a kind of cheat. If you want to use it its fine. You'll come to grips with the chopper eventually and stop using autotrim if you keep practicing. One thing you have to understand is that You can't trim the chopper to magically stay in hover without any control input. So the best and more real way to take off is slowly adding collective and carefully countering the movements of the chopper with small cyclic inputs. You can't know beforehand how much input is needed. Ofcourse you can trim for a hover and should trim too specially in high wind conditions where you have to use a lot of cyclic to keep steady. You do that by first achieving stable hover and then pressing the manual trim button and releaving the pressure on your controls.

Or you can just set difficulty to lowest. If I recall correctly that will rid you of the advanced flight physics and you can trim your helicopters for a hover and just let go of the controls and the chopper will just sit there. Not 100% sure though.

[zaGURUinzaSKY 10]

thanks for the advice, I'm a rc heli pilot / aerial video operator and with rc models (even big models) once you trimmed them good, they go straight up with no problems, very minor trimmings are needed, here is a bit different but that's what makes this sim fantastic in my opinion. I use this sim to experiment camera movements around buildings, what I do in real life, but this is a good way to practice and experiment new point of view and camera dynamics.. and it's a super sim also just for flying around obviously.

I use autohover also in my real rc helis, with gps position hold too (not just attitude), so it's natural for me to use it here too.. it's a cheat but it gives me the opportunity to simulate the real piloting I do everyday at work.

[zoog 18]

I use autohover also in my real rc helis, with gps position hold too (not just attitude), so it's natural for me to use it here too.. it's a cheat but it gives me the opportunity to simulate the real piloting I do everyday at work.

You fly with rc heli's for work? Just out of interest: what kind of work do you do? :)

[zaGURUinzaSKY 10]

Aerial videos and photography

[BadWeather 10]

You got me curious too :)

What are the rc-choppers like? Cameras can be quite small nowadays, but you'd think a light chopper would take off with the wind.

Pictures?

Performance stats?

[dale0404 5]

@ zaGURUinzaSKY,

If you do post pictures please make sure they are < 100kb, wouldn't want you to get into trouble!!

[zaGURUinzaSKY 10]

I use drones, kind of helis with 8 propellers, gyrostabilized camera gimbals, manual/autonomos flying, 2kg payload, so almost any camera, they manage winds up to 30kmh with no problems, they are very hitec, 3 gyros 3 magnetometers 3 accelerometers, you can't shake that thing in flight.. it just go where you want , then there is altitude lock, position hold, target circle around... lot of fun stuff... about 10 minutes per battery (yes electric)....

---------- Post added at 11:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:49 AM ----------

and I do the same also with airplanes, it depends on the customer..

[jcgam 11]

I fly a 600mm rc helicopter. 600mm is the length of one blade, so this bird is BIG. Wind has almost no effect compared to smaller aircraft.

[zaGURUinzaSKY 10]

My last heli was 1450mm of blade but now I use multicopters..

[-DirTyDeeDs--Ziggy- 0]

you can set trim before takeoff.

I believe the default keybinds (was for Beta) are R CTRL and num pad buttons 8, 4, 6, 1, 2, 3.

If you look down at your crotch in the pilot seat as you set trim, you can see the stick and pedals move. :p

I sometimes do like five presses 8, five presses 1, then I can blast off in the light helis with full collective and only minor tweaks.

I fly keyboard mouse, so setting any trim at all is difficult.

Most times I fly without setting any trim (autotrim disabled) because setting trim reduces (my) rudder control, and I like to fly like a sky ninja. :icon_twisted:

[tommytoad2 10]

You guys would be suprised how big and powerful the big RC-helis are.

[jcgam 11]

Enough power to kill: http://rc.runryder.com/helicopter/t70830p1/

[zaGURUinzaSKY 10]

Thats a minor crash, my heli can slice you car's door in 5 pieces before the rotor stops running, and dont ask me how I know it

[dale0404 5]

Thats a minor crash, my heli can slice you car's door in 5 pieces before the rotor stops running, and dont ask me how I know it

OK, I think I know the answer but just in case do tell!!! :p

[jcgam 11]

Ouch! That sounds like an expensive crash! Actually any kind of helicopter crash is expensive on the big birds. One reason why ToH is better - crashes are free!

[thrawn 10]

There is no autohover in the real counterparts of these choppers. It is a kind of cheat. If you want to use it its fine.

Incorrect actually. For models like the light(basically an MD400 from my guess) there is none. But a lot of the bigger birds and especially the military models have at least a small degree of computer coordinated stabilizing.(check out the specs for a high end bird like the blackhawk)

[capt_morpheme 10]

Many military whirlwinds have an "hovering control" device

[zaGURUinzaSKY 10]

even my small rc helicopter has auto hover with gps position lock, it's a 200$ device that make that possible in a rc model..

[Bothersome 10]

Do those work well? I've never tried em.

If they work well could be very useful for aerial photography. Can you pirouette while it's active?

[zaGURUinzaSKY 10]

there are many kinds for different uses, but they work well, takes some time to set them up right. A mix of magnetometers, gyroscopes, barometric altimeter, ultrasound altimeter, accelerometers, plus a compass and a gps system. Strong wind and the heli doesn't move more than a couple of feet from the desired position.

You can do a full 3D aerobatic program with some of those.