Merlin Tracer 60, Instruction Manuals

Page: 8 / 40

7
How to Fly
Learning to Hover
1. Place your helicopter in a an open space facing away from yourself about 5 metres in distance.
2. Push the throttle stick gently forwards increasing the blade speed until it becomes light just lifting from the ground.
3. Gently decrease the power to land smoothly.
4. If your helicopter moves away from the centre of your training area place it back in the middle.
5. Repeat this exercise increasing the flying height of 1 metre can be achieved whilst remaining in control.
All helicopters experience some instability immediately on lifting from the ground. If this does not stabilise as height is gained and your helicopter
drifts or turns repeatedly in one direction you will need to adjust the transmitter trim levers. To do this refer to Controlling Your Helicopter and
move the transmitter trim lever one or two clicks in the opposite direction to the travel until a steady hover is achieved.
Experience
Your Tracer helicopter makes an ideal introduction to flying RC Helicopters and by following the following basic instructions inexperienced pilots
should soon master basic flying skills.
Learning to Turn
1. Hover your helicopter 1 metre in the air.
2. Move the rudder stick a small amount in one direction and release it. The tail of your helicopter will swing around and stop in the new
position.
3. Repeat applications of rudder so you can turn and hover facing in any chosen direction.
Site & Conditions
•
Fly your helicopter indoors in a large room, hall or office. Only fly outdoors in perfectly calm conditions with no wind unless you are an
experienced pilot.
•
Make sure there are no obstacles that will get in your way when flying, such as furniture, trees or buildings.
• Make sure you do not fly where there are people or animals who could be hurt by the helicopter.
•
If flying outdoors position yourself so that you keep the sun at your back and out of your eyes. Wear sunglasses on bright days.
•
Keep your helicopter in front of you so you don’t have to turn in circles as you fly. Try to avoid flying directly overhead.
Learning Forward and Backwards Flight
1. Hover your helicopter 1 metre in the air.
2. Move the cyclic control stick forwards gently and release it, your helicopter will move forwards then hover stationary.
3. Reduce the throttle stick and land your helicopter returning it to its starting position.
4. Repeat this exercise but prior to landing move the cyclic stick back to return the helicopter to its starting position whilst in flight.
Learning Sideways Flight
1. Hover your helicopter 1 metre in the air.
2. Move the cyclic control stick sideways gently and release it, your helicopter will move sideways then hover stationary.
3. Reduce the throttle stick and land your helicopter returning it to its starting position.
4. Repeat this exercise but prior to landing move the cyclic stick back to return the helicopter to its starting position whilst in flight.
Combining Controls
1. Hover your helicopter 1 metre in the air.
2. Move the cyclic stick forwards and hold its position to achieve a slow forward flight.
3. Move the rudder stick left or right and your helicopter will begin to fly in a circular motion.
4. Practice turning left and right circles of small and large diameters.
By combining control inputs you will be able to control your helicopter position accurately and fly in more advanced patterns such as figure of eight
or carry out simple aerobatic manoeuvres.
Once confidence and control has been gained experiment by increasing the hovering height to 2 to 3 metres and combining forwards, backwards,
sideways and turn controls.
Tips for Success
•
Only operate the throttle stick gently with small inputs, the most common form of damage is due to reducing the throttle by large amounts
causing sudden reductions in height and crashing.
•
When your helicopter begins to climb slowly or is unable to climb on full throttle then the battery is beginning to run low, for safety land
your model as soon as possible and re-charge.
• Damage or bends to the blades or fuselage can greatly affect flight control. Replace damaged parts immediately.
• Don’t attempt to fly or do manoeuvres beyond your flying abilities.