AUTOROTATION???

OK dudes, Here is the question and it may sound stupid to some but I would like to here from anyone and everyone!!! How is a Auto done??? What are the settings needed for your throttle hold??? What do you do?? Like when you cut power?? Do you go to neg. pitch to keep up head speed, then go to full Pos. pitch at last min. to flair??? Get what I'm lookin for??? What are the steps and what are the settings???
Thanks??!!

i have heard about this but what exactly is auto-rotation?
is it getting your heli back to terra-firma with no power

247rememberme wrote:

i have heard about this but what exactly is auto-rotation?
is it getting your heli back to terra-firma with no power

Yep, but don't ask me how its done, I almost understand the concept but still not willing to try myself, lol

Yup I get the concept!! I figure if a 6 yr. old kid can do it inverted I should at least understand how to do it!!

is it something to practice for an emergency or just something that is done for a challenge

Its both!!! Its a way to land safely when you loose power!!

can`t the heli fall half-way with no power and then you fire it up or is it all or nothing

You some how keep head speed up, I think with Neg. pitch as it drops and then you push full Pos. pitch and get enough lift at the last min. to land softly???

Here's what I think, although I don't plan to try it on purpose at least for a looooong time.

The way my helis are set up is that norm and stunt are the same.

Throttle hold is set up for equal pos and neg pitch with -0.5% throttle for set up.

If I were flying and wanted to try an autorotation, I could switch to throttle hold which would cut power to the motor, but I still would have pitch and cyclic control, same as if motor failed.

I would then need to apply some forward cyclic to maintain some forward movement while at the same time applying downward collective to maintain head speed.

At some point as I got near the ground I would apply upward collective to flair the heli (as FD said) and hopefully allow it to softly set down.

Not something I hope to ever have to do, but it would be very valuable to know how to do.

Does this seem to be about right?

Donnie D

I know what will be even better, when I get Justin Chi to fly my E-Smart, I'll see if he can do an autorotation with it at the end, how cool would that be

FD,
Did you try the different swash mix? Also dont try the 2% expo it will only counter
reducing the swash mix. I ran at 8% expo and running 60% swash mix today
and its pretty mello...

I can do auto's on the sim but to scared to try it for real.
I fly in stunt mode only and have the throttle hold switch programed as a flat
line of 0 throttle and use the standard pitch of stunt mode...0,25,50,75,100.

That way no power to engine but full collective range....

Is there anyone who KNOWS!!! How its done??? We have established that most of us know the concept!!! I would like to be able to do it and WILL try once I get the steps from someone who can do it and knows how to detail it!!! I think it is something I will need to be able to do at some point!!! Sadly I just think I will need it someday!!!

Yea I've adj. the swash mix but haven't flown it yet.. I have 5%expo dialed to it now..
I went with 55+55 and didn't change the PIT. Very windy here but I'm gonna try and see anyway!!! Screw the wind!!!

Yeah....screw the wind......Its always windy.

You must not have a sim??

I dont know if I could trust myself to give you a detailed enough instructions
for the auto. Its not as hard as you would think. Your concept is exactlly right.

Pull the plug on the power and fly it in using as little + pitch as possible and then
add the + pitch to slow it down and land.

Nobody is telling you because we dont want to be the one responsible for your helis
demise...

Wind??? My E-Smart doesn't know what wind is, hahahaha

Donnie D wrote a great explanation of auto I can't add anything more. And FD do you have sim. If yes you can try autos on HeliSimRC Sometimes I autorotate on it pretty good and sometimes I am unlucky (depends on the day)

Yes I do have a sim but don't feel that its close to real life!! Now don't kill me on this, as everyone has their own opinion.. I'm not asking then gonna blame anyone for any outcome from anything I do.. I take responcabillity for my own actions.. I'm just trying to get the steps, which I think I know, but more so what the settings so to speak are...like how much neg. pitch I use to keep head speed up... So no one need worry I only have myself to answer to and for... More people should be responcable for there own actions but don't get me started on that!!!

Fatdaddy wrote:

I think I know, but more so what the settings so to speak are...like how much neg. pitch I use to keep head speed up...

I think that is the part only you can learn by watching your blades as you are working
the collective stick. It sounds like you know what to do, the rest you can only learn
by doing it. Good luck and get video....

I am tempted to try it myself and if I do I hope I get it on video....

Should we start a contest??

Who wins? The person that has to replace the fewest parts?

Yea that would be it!!

suriano wrote:

Nobody is telling you because we dont want to be the one responsible for your helis
demise...

Just thought I should say that I was just kidding around. I might seem too serious
but I am not. I thought you might take that the wrong way if you did sorry......

We are all here because we love to fly heli's, to me thats it....

yeah but I like that "Nobody is telling you because we dont want to be the one responsible for your helis demise..." Its just being honest, I don't want anyone to crash their heli because of my advice either, lol

so I'll be the second person to claim "Not It!"

Hah, No worries guys!!1 Like I said, I'm the only one responcable for what I do!!! I am looking for the right info though!! I don't often take things the wrong way, I'm however taken the wrong way!!!!LOL
Its just every review you read like in RCHeli Mag. one of their review things is autorotations!! So there is something to it. I've also read where there are contests to see who can auto closest to a marked spot!!! And there is always comments about the tail being driven or not!!! So it seems like a big thing to some!!! I never said I was ready to try it!!! But I MAY need to someday as we all may!!!
But right now I'm having some with my ar7000 not wanting to work with 6Vs so I think I'm gonna call HH about it..

Whoooo!!! Just by chance there is a guide to Auto in the new RCHeli Mag.!!!! Its about the STOP BLADE AUTO, and thats a little more than I can even think of but it will do!!!!

Just thinking FD, why not try a hover about 10ft up and hit the kill and bring it in.
Increase your distance when you get the hang of it.

I had a accidental one on the esmart, after I landed I hit the engine hold switch, then gave it + pitch for some dumb reason and it took off into the air without the engine running. Lucky for me I was aware of it and gave it the proper inputs and set it back down without damage. I think it only got about 6ft off the ground before I caught it.

I set my engine hold switch for 0 throttle and with a stunt pitch curve(0,25,50,75,100)

Anyway that made me think about doing it while in a hover just off the ground to
see how the heli acts. I had read that article about the blade stop auto and didnt
think to tell you about it because it is not the basic auto and it sounded difficult
to understand.

Nah... I think I have/had a pretty good understanding of it I just wanted to get input!!!
Yea the 10ft. Idea is how you are susposed to start.. But I'm thinkin of doin it up about 30 ft. but not takin it all the way down at first... You know, just cut the power and play with the stick to see what I can do then restore power at bout 10ft.
And I have my T.H. the same as you...

I think you should start as low as possible to get fell of the pitch. Then go higher and higher till you don't see heli

Yea thats it take it so high I can't see it!!1 that would help if I couldn't see it !!!! I think I'd rather start hi up so I can see whats gonna happen BEFORE it hits the ground!!!

One thing in autorotation, is you kill the power while your flying and just descend your heli down uusing a little negative pitch to be able to keep turning your rotor head, and using the cyclic to balance the heli and just when the heli is close to the ground,apply full positive pitch till you land smoothly, Keep in mind that i would not recommend doing this especially if its the first time. I would take P3tras's advice to start doing autorotation at low altitude. emember doing autorotation is very challenging since you will only have one chance to land your heli safely, with the combination of negative and postive pitch. Check this video i found in youtube on how he practices autorotation. Good luck!!!

Yea your decription is exactly what I thought!!! I wasen't going to go all the way down on the first try... My thoughts were to get up bout 30-40 ft. and cut power and let it drop maybe 10-15 feet and play with the sticks to see what is gonna happen, restore power and fly back up and try again... Try using the neg. pitch to keep head speed up for the 15 ft. drop and flair it when still 20 ft up!!! I would do this plenty so I could what happens when I do what!!! Then, when I actully try to land the first time I'd do it from 5ft.