Co-Pilot II reference manual
18
FMA Direct
Flying a helicopter
CAUTION:
Co-Pilot II may give you a false sense of security. Do
not fly close to yourself or other people. Any mechanical malfunc
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tion could result in loss of control. If the helicopter flies toward
you or another person, cut the throttle immediately. Never fly
near houses, cars, trees or other objects which could interfere
with operation and cause damage.
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Flying with Co-Pilot II when the wind is calm will “feel” dif
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ferent—it will seem like a breeze is moving the helicopter
around. Co-Pilot II senses variations in the horizon and tilts
the helicopter a few degrees, but the helicopter won’t roll and
crash. When you can keep the helicopter in one place, you’ll
realize that Co-Pilot II is doing most of the work. Flying on
windy days takes little effort.
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The hardest part of flying a helicopter is getting it trimmed. It
may help to add in a little right roll trim for clockwise blade
rotation. Once the helicopter is properly trimmed, it is very
easy to hover with Co-Pilot II.
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Helicopters are very sensitive to small out-of-trim conditions.
You may need to adjust Co-Pilot II’s trims to match your fly
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ing site (for example, to compensate for high terrain or trees
on one side). A little effort here will pay off with added preci
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sion.
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If you fly over asphalt (a parking lot, for example), heat from
the asphalt may cause the helicopter to oscillate. Flying
higher will stop the oscillation. However, the best solution is
to install the Vertical Sensor, or reduce Co-Pilot’s gain.
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To take off:
1. Check trims.
2. Increase throttle.
Co-Pilot II will keep the helicopter level.
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To hover:
Center the stick (but don’t let go of the stick!).
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To recover from unusual attitudes:
Center the stick (but don’t
let go of the stick!). Co-Pilot II will return the helicopter to
level.
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To fly forward:
Apply forward cyclic. When you center the
stick, the helicopter will stop and hover.
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Terrain angle will affect the ability to perfectly hover. If you
are flying in a valley or at a sloping field, try calibrating with
the helicopter diagonal to the ridge.
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Co-Pilot II makes it extremely easy to fly a helicopter. Since
the helicopter is flying close to the ground, variations in ter
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rain (and the resulting infrared signature) will cause small
variations in trim. As you become familiar with the “feel” of
flying with Co-Pilot II, you’ll be able to compensate for these
changes almost automatically. Here are some examples:
Your helicopter will hover best over a flat, level field. Even
a slight grade will cause the helicopter to “slide” down to a
lower elevation, almost like there is wind blowing from the
hill. This happens because Co-Pilot II sees an uneven hori-
zon and tries to compensate.
Your helicopter will hover best with Co-Pilot II when the
horizon is very clear. Cars, buildings, houses, mountains,
cement and water, for example, can change hover trim by a
few degrees.
Switching Co-Pilot II on and off in the air should not
change the hover. If it does, compensate by adjusting Co-
Pilot’s trim settings.
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Install a heading hold gyro to control yaw, in addition to Co-
Pilot II. The helicopter will then be stabilized in all three axes.
That makes controlling the helicopter even easier: you only
need to navigate the helicopter around the field. With this
setup, beginners can be flying very quickly.
Flying an electric flying wing
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To take off:
1. Set full up elevator trim.
2. Launch according to instructions for your plane.
3. When the plane is airborne, re-center elevator trim.
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To make a turn:
1. Hold aileron in the direction of the turn.
2. Apply a little up elevator to maintain altitude.
3. Center the stick (but don’t let go of the stick!) to return to
level flight.
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To fly straight and level:
Center the stick (but don’t let go of
the stick!). You may need to adjust elevator trim to maintain
level flight. Pitch angle changes with speed, so adjust elevator
trim when you vary the throttle.
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To recover from errors such as dives and unintended rolls:
Center the stick (but don’t let go of the stick!). Co-Pilot II
takes over and levels the plane.
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Electric planes tend to stall easily. Trim enough down elevator
to maintain air speed.
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If the motor stops during flight, apply down elevator to main
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tain airspeed and prevent a stall. Flying wings tend to snap
roll when stalled, so it’s important to keep the plane moving
above stall speed.
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To land:
Reduce throttle and remove up elevator trim. Apply
down elevator and keep up airspeed (to help prevent stalling)
The plane will gently glide in.
