Figure 8’s and Nose-In Hovering
Having conquered hovering and circles, you have most of the basic flight skills
needed for forward flight. The final skill to master is nose-in hovering. When the nose
of the model is pointing toward you, the left/right and fore/aft controls appear to
operate backwards. Your radio is still operating properly, but your frame of reference
is reversed from that of the model.
O-Fig ure 8’s
To prepare for nose-in hovering, practice flying figure 8’s around yourself as
illustrated in Fig. 6-9. Start by flying a right-hand circle. At some point, reverse the
circle by turning to the left. As the model passes in front of you, you will fly nose-in for
a few seconds. This is long enough to experience nose-in flight, but short enough to
avoid becoming disoriented.
Practice both left-hand and right-hand figure 8’s. After mastering figure 8’s, try
hovering nose-in (with the nose pointed directly at yourself). Two new rules will make
this much easier.
The first rule for hovering nose-in is to steer the helicopter by concentrating on
whatever part is furthest away from you, not just the nose. For instance, if the nose is
furthest away concentrate on the nose and your left stick will steer the nose. If the tail
is furthest away concentrate on the tail and your left stick will steer the tail.
The second rule for hovering nose-in is to push the cyclic stick toward the low blade in
order to level the main rotor. For instance, if the main rotor tilts to the left, push the
cyclic stick to the left and vice versa.
Op er a tor's Guide
Learning to Fly
6-10
LITE MA CHINES
Figure 6-9.
