coltech

Does training gear actually do any good at all?
My experience of it suggests it's more of a hindrence than a help.
I think it can give a false sense of security and get newbies in the air before they're ready. ( Here comes a crash!!!!)
It amplifies the slightest vibration making it worse.
It only stops the blades hitting the ground at very low heights. (So you're still in ground effect. You won't learn to hover down there)
If you're learning to hover you need to be at at least 2 foot off the ground. Most of my crashes at this height involve the heli hitting the ground at an angle. (The very first of these broke my training gear) I've never replaced it and feel that it was a waste of time ever fitting it.
How do you feel about it? Did training gear really help or did it hold you back.

techcoast

the gear does wonders for learning to fly, BUT!!! You need to move the balls into the heli about half way (at least). My web site tells a little more about doing just that.

http://home.earthlink.net/~ibsniper

bluesilver30

i learned without training gear. from what i hear about the vibration stories, im glad i didnt use them.

techcoast

The vibrations are cause by the looooooooonng freakin rods they give you in the kit. As it picks up on the slightest vibrations cause by flight, it only induces more vibrations and eventually makes the bird uncontrolable. They still are a great thing to learn with. Many a blade could be saved from accidental tip-overs by using them.

Save a blade, use training gear!

flyingchaos

WAIT DONT THROW THE TRAINING GEAR AWAY!

send them to me :-) j/k
Reuse the balls in pingpong and cut the cf rods to use as flybar replacements.

I too initially used the training gear, and they SURE do amplify the small vibrations...
Believe me, the heli will be a whole lot easier to fly without them.

Ever try taping the heli onto a table or ground? The small vibrations will greatly amplify also!
I did it for current testing :-)

It's amazing that by letting it fly, the vibrations will dampen away so much it's indistinguishable to the naked eye.


For first timers, just remember not to use too much stick, and the key is to move the sticks smoothly, and not so jitteryly quick. Else you disturb the air and get caught up in all sorts of heck.

If you've driven a real car on the highways when its real windy, you CAN feel how the vechicle is moving and anticipate the next move to control it. Usually you apply movements smoothly.

coltech

Skids are cheaper to buy than blades. So what's the point?

helisfreak

My Feedback: (1)

Just move the ball closer to the helicopter body.. then it would reduce the vibration and 50% chance to save the blade... ... save about 3 blade on my so far....

techcoast

Skids are cheaper to buy than blades. So what's the point?

One set of blades, yes.. the skids ARE cheeper.. but how many sets of blades does it take to make it worth your while

coltech

Did it save 3 blades but cause damage to the training gear?
If it didn't cause any damage how do you know you saved 3 blades?

The only thing that has ever caused major damage to my main blades has been outside corners. Usually on furniture (eg table legs etc.)

coltech

To techcoast.

I currently own 3 sets of main blades. I am still using the originals which are covered in sticky tape to hold them together. ( They are perfectly balanced) I may change them for one of the other sets when I feel I'm unlikely to crash again.
Repairing main blades is much easier than trying to repair the legs on skids. So I still don't see the point in saving blades.

Super-Hornet

Hi all

I purchase my training gear during the time I learn to fly my chopper. Guess what, I only use it for the most 1 day. After that I tuck it away and never use it anymore. If you ask me, I think the training gear doesn't really help much....For my personal experience.

Super-Hornet

cyclejerk

Nice web site, thanks!

gid01

I bet, those who think that the Training gear doesn't help, they have a buddy or they have someone coaching beside them when they learned how to hover. But for us who just learned completely from our own guts, Training gear really helps a lot.

tahustvedt

I learned completely on my own and I didn't use the taining gear.


The rods on my training gear aren't stiff enough to use as a flybar. The original flybar rod is much stiffer. There seems to be two kinds of carbon rods on the AeroHawk. I have found other uses for them though.

coltech

To gid01,

No I don't have a buddy or coach to train with. I've got to where I am on my own without training gear.
I have actually thought of one benefit, the extra weight might make the heli more stable. Providing there's no vibration of course.

Dj Kriz

Just looking at the trainging gear, it seems the balls are WAY WAY too big for the heli,

Something on the end of the rods, half that size & weight would be perfect.

Maybe this wouldn't be so good if you are flying over carpet or grass, would probably dig into it but perfect for floorboards.


Waterballoons with a quarter or half filled with (no water) air, or helium if you want to get fussy not that I think it will work.
But If attached to the rods securely but loose enough to shake, It "COULD" work better.

Just trying to use some imagination.

Super-Hornet

Hi gid01

I learn my chopper on my own. No one teach me. I use Trail-Crash-Redo method. My TX do not have any connector at all for Software Simulation. At that time... FMS has a compatibility problem with my ATi Radeon card. So.... I didn't use any simulation also.

I find that the training gear do not help protect your chopper. If your chopper going to bang against the wall your training gear can't even protect the main blades.

Super-Hornet

skater_719

My Feedback: (4)

when i had training gear on it was almost impossible to fly 2 days later i was still on the on the groud stage, i took em' off and i got it off the groud and held it in a small hover not much but it was off the ground

gid01

Well, you guys must be gifted, learned to fly without training gear. But for me, without any experience on any RC toys, even on a simple electric RC car, training gear and simulator got me into this hobby. I'm a 33 years old man and RC helicopter is my first RC toy since I was born. I've learned a lot on a Simulator on how to manage the orientation of the heli. It's windy here in England, and I saw a lot of heli owned by novice (who thinks they are very good and don't use training gear) and some advance flyer tipped over while their heli is spooling up on the ground and or after landing and they will just say "crashing is part of the game" as an alibi. I'm flying heli for 2 years now and I can say that I'm a bit advance and don't use any training gear anymore, and one thing I'm proud to my self, I still have zero crashes. Nexus 46 DF is my first heli and still flying and still unbeatable in all straight Drag and Pylon race I've joined, I love this heli more than in my two Raptors(50 and 60).

I learned all my moves from the internet, videos and simulators, tried and learned that trick by my self, and everytime I'm doing new tricks I use training gear, I think I'm the only one who can do piro-flip "Chaos" with training gear attached . They do laugh at me but they don't have the guts to try it. I know training gear for advance moves doesn't help protect my heli if I done something wrong, but it gives me additional guts everytime I use it, I don't know why maybe I just get used to it. And also practicing advance moves with training gears attached is very difficult, but if you mastered it, doing it without the training gears is easy as doing the hover. I owed a lot in my training gear. That's why we shouldn't criticised those who used Training aids or not, we all have our own reason.

Just enjoy OUR hobby [8D]

leith

Get rid of the balls all together All the do is turn the heli into an RC car on hard surfaces and as mentioned increase vibration. he rods are still effective as a training aid without the balls and work better.

techcoast

Once again, the vibrations can be corrected and STILL have a well working training gear.. simply move the balls about 3.5 inches back toward the heli and trim off the rest.

http://home.earthlink.net/~ibsniper Hummingbird Helipad.