450 Flying With Msh Brain2 Icon

Mda1701d

Member
Hello all,
Sorry for not posting for a while, but been very busy!
I must start flying again this year, and get over the nervous block I got last year!
The question is this.
I have the two Align 450 helis, a pro DFC, and 6s Dominator. Both have been upgraded from 3gx to Brain 2 FBL, and both hover very nicely. What I would like to know is, from other pilots experience, how the models may react when flying. More specifically, I have my idle up switch set separately to the flight styles, the beginner style agility is at 20, sport 50 and 3d 90. Cyclic gain is all at 30.
I wonder, if I leave the style on beginner, and go to idle up (with linear pitch curve) would the model be capable of inverting, without being really touchy on the sticks?
Also, the auto level. I have this set as a bail out, with rescue again on a separate switch. I've been practicing the bail out on the sim ( I have Accurc as well as Phoenix now) but wonder what the heli might do in the real world! I would like to know how much control over the model I may have while in autolevel.
My nerves while flying have a lot to do with not knowing what the model may do!!
I hope someone can help who has been flying with Brain or Icon.
Many thanks, Mark
 

Tony

Staff member
Hey Mark, welcome back!

Your first question

would the model be capable of inverting, without being really touchy on the sticks?

The answer to that is going to vary drastically depending on how nervous you are. I know when I first started to go inverted, I would do a lot of "stick banging". If I saw that helicopter heading towards the ground inverted, I would just plow the stick in the negative pitch range, heli would go up, back to positive, heli would go down, back to negative and so on. The key here is use Accurc and Phoenix to your advantage here. Practice at least an hour a day, don't play it as a game, but as a real helicopter and when you are ready, head outside and give it a go.

I'm not sure if you are more comfortable with nose or tail in while inverted but for me it's nose in. So I will start with a tail in hover and I will usually do a backflip into inverted. You can also do a front flip which is safer in my opinion but I have always done a back flip. Once inverted, try to stay about 15' off the ground just to get a feel for it. Once you are stable, you can piro, raise or lower, or whatever you want to do while inverted.

Another thing that could help is expo. softening up the beginning throws of the sticks to help dampen those stick banging tendencies. But your best friend here is practice and sim time, something that I'm lacking on as well.

Also, the auto level. I have this set as a bail out, with rescue again on a separate switch. I've been practicing the bail out on the sim ( I have Accurc as well as Phoenix now) but wonder what the heli might do in the real world!

I have never used bailout or autolevel on an ikon, I never even set them up because I didn't trust them. But this was on the Ikon 1. I have an Ikon 2 now (thank you @abdulla( syndicate997)) and I do plan on trying out the rescue mode. I still will not use the self level because if I want to use that, I will just fly a quad in angle or horizon mode lol. But it will auto level itself once you release the sticks. Bailout will add collective briefly to gain a little altitude, flip the heli over, and then keep gaining altitude so you are a safe distance from the ground. This can be a problem if you are flying in trees or have overhead power lines you are close to being under.
 

Smoggie

Well-Known Member
I guess everyone is different on how they approach a new stunt like going inverted. A sim is a great idea but personally i find them to boring to spend much time on. I'm a long time fixed wing flyer so i feel more comfortable flying the heli with some forward speed like it was a plane. I started trying inverted by doing a loop and gradually adding some negative pitch as it went round the top and extending the top of the loop. Eventually I was doing a half loop at one end of the field and flying back to the other end inverted and recovering to upright by completing the loop or do 'an Immelman' (half loop with a half roll off the top). This worked for me but might not for others.
 

Tony

Staff member
If you are coming from fixed wing, What Steve does can help out tremendously. With a plane, you MUST keep forward movement to keep air over the wings. Doing a loop is quite similar to the way I go into inverted by pulling back on the elevator and bringing the nose up and over. Only difference is forward flight. But it is a good way to keep the helicopter moving while inverted. And controlling it while inverted until you are on the other side of the field is a great idea as well. Only negative I see (starting out) is that you are side in instead of nose or tail in. But orientation practice is required and this is great practice.
 
Top Bottom