matador_24

Hi guys.... I was just wondering what is better, being a newbie.. is it better to start flying on the grass or on concrete. In the park next to my appartment I have both options and I prefer the grass because the heli would suffer less damage when crashing but sadly it has been twice that 1. the tail touched grass and flipped the heli and crashed.... 2. the ground wasn't leveled and I couldn't control a straight landing and it flipped...... I haven't tried on the concrete or paviment because I am scared the heli would break easier in a hard landing..... can u share some experiences????? Thanks

lwatson

My Feedback: (2)

Concrete is the best, like a driveway. Keep it low, 2 feet off the ground. The problem with grass is that when you land in it, even a good landing will stop the tail and strip the belt drive. So grass sucks.

matador_24

Yes, I see..... it's what I didn't know, I just thought that softer = better, but in my short flying experience it has given me some trouble, I hadn't tried on concrete because I am scare of destroying my t-rex in a hard landing, but I am gonna start trying to see what happens.... do u think that crashing against grass or crashing against concrete makes the same damage??? or there will be way more damage on concrete????? to give you an idea, I always fly 2 feet above the ground so, when I have a hard landing it's at that distance, normally all what I have to replace are the main blades, main shaft, feathering shaft and once the main gear, that is it..... what about on concrete????? I have a 450 SE

credence

My Feedback: (2)

Given that most damage in a crash close to the ground is caused by the torque of the blades stopping or impacting the frame of the helicopter and/or ground, no, I don't think it makes much of a difference what you crash on. If the blades hit anything hard enough to stop them, there's going to be damage to the head and more.

Now, if the helicopter were to stall mid flight and blade inertia was lost while in the air (i.e motor failure with no chance of an auto-rotation), then yes, the helicopter falling on grass versus pavement might be less damage extensive because now it's sheer impact damage versus self-inflicted inertia damage.

In short, it depends on *how* you crash .


I've had a tail servo failure on a mid size electric relatively close to the ground (over grass), but once the blades hit the dirt, the model literally tore it's self to pieces.

rlsloan

Definitely pavement. Beginners can't hover in a stationary position. When you set down with side movement, the pavement is more forgiving and lets you slide. The grass will generally tip you over until the main rotor spins you into a major repair.

lottomunch

I agree with the above statements.

I've since had to move off pavement and onto grass for when I PILE DRIVE the little sucker into the ground while trying something new. Grass usually just means canopy, landing gear, and all the usuals. Pavement ment straightening (sometimes replaceing) frames and alot more damage.

Daniel

techrtr

I take off on pavement, fly over grass, and land on pavement. Apparently, taking off or landing on grass puts a lot of stress on the tail drive gear and it can fail, causing your tail rotor to stop during flight. It's happened to me a couple of times. It's far preferable to crash on the grass though because if you hit pavement with carbon blades, there's a good chance they will get torn up. I've crashed on grass and the blades survived, despite having broken the blade grips.

mirage-twin

take a peice of 5' by 5' plywood and put it on the grass, perfect for a begginer.

heartofmadnes

I agree above, when I first learned I took a flat piece of plywood as my landing, take off pad..It also helped me use a target for landing while in the grass.. I have grassed with the best in grass and pavement...I have parts still embedded in the pavement I can never get back

matador_24

Hi, I must say that there is a huge difference, it`s the first time that I have 6 flights in a row without crashing. I finally stopped flying on grass and I started to go to a hockey field which doesn't have ice yet. I am a newbie, still hovering around, trying some FF and 8s, the hockey field is just perfect, the t-rex slides and it lands so smooth, amazing, no problems at all. I think I'll be practicing there until I have no need to land before planned, then I'll switch to a bigger place like a park. Thanks for the advices, really usefull.