250 Hover Indoors

[Matt]

I’ve got a 7’ x 10’ space in my living room. Should I attempt to try to hover in that space? I’ve got a 200 size heli.

 

[Tony]

I never hover helicopters inside my house unless it's like an mSR or V911 or something that is made for indoor flying. Just not worth the risk IMO. It also creates a LOT of swirling wind which can affect the helicopter.

 

[Matt]

The bigger the heli, the better it deals with the wind, right? (Outside wind)

 

[Tony]

Outside, yes. But inside, the bigger the helicopter, the more swirling wind it will create which exacerbates the issues.

 

[Geena]

I wouldn`t do that, personally. 7`X10`, in my opinion, is just not enough room for error. All it would take is a servo failure, receiver glitch, or anything like that to happen....and that helicopter could be all over you before you could move. A 200 size helicopter seems small and non threatening, but it could hurt you really badly.

Having said that. One of my friends, about 10 years ago, posted a video of him test hovering a T-Rex 600 nitro in his living room. The hover itself was uneventful, but the video ended with his wife screaming at him. So any injuries that he may have suffered... were most likely dispensed by his wife, and not the helicopter.

 

[Tony]

lmao, I remember that video. I didn't watch it to the end though so didn't know about the wife thing lol.

 

[Matt]

Yup, you're right.. not enough room to hover in a 7' x 10' space.. not a good place to hover since the heli is sooooooooooo unpredictable..

I think I've tried numerous times to hover in my living room, and I think each time I conclude it's not a good place to hover..

 

[Geena]

lmao, I remember that video. I didn't watch it to the end though so didn't know about the wife thing lol.

Hahahaha... yeah, she was calling him everything, but a human being. The comedy from that ALMOST made up for the stupidity of firing up a nitro in the house.

 

[Tony]

Kind of reminds me when me and a buddy parked our motorcycles in the living room, then the wife came home.... That was a rather tense night lmao.

 

[Rob Lancaster]

Oh yes,,, that's not much room for a problem of any kind.
I have a slightly larger living room about 15' x 17' … And I do fly my Blade 130S heli in here but like Tony said, the downwash from the blades will introduce all kinds of negative aerodynamic effects on the heli. For example, when the heli is trying to hover half over a table while only 2 ' from a wall and a fan blowing on the tail. Now that's a challenge I got wired. When the fans breeze hits the blades, the sound is delightful.

However It wasn't long ago I got chopped up from this little 130S. I have five scares from that event. it looked like a crime scene over here. If she hit me in the face,, oh jeezo man!

Oh hey Geena, can you, send me the link to that video you mentioned? I got to see that, HA! I'm not married, but I know what that poor guy when through... We MUST keep it very quiet around here when preparing explosives for New Years Eve. That reminds me, the clock is ticking!
Stay safe everyone; that's an order!

 

[Geena]

Here you go, Rob. I present to you, for your viewing pleasure..... a very stupid act by a friend of mine from several years ago. It was flybarred too. It could have gone soooo far South.

 

[Rob Lancaster]

I thought I was highly spirited but yeah my landlord would have my ka honies for breakfast if I pulled a stunt like that... And it was nitro too; oh man! I bet that carpet smelt like exhaust, HA!

 

[Tony]

One thing to remember, Methanol, the main ingredient in nitro fuel, causes blindness. Doing that in an enclosed space is never a good idea. I cant' even do that in a wide open space when there is no wind lol.

 

[Geena]

I thought I was highly spirited but yeah my landlord would have my ka honies for breakfast if I pulled a stunt like that... And it was nitro too; oh man! I bet that carpet smelt like exhaust, HA!

I would imagine the whole house smelled like 30%.... for a LONG time after that.

 

[Geena]

One thing to remember, Methanol, the main ingredient in nitro fuel, causes blindness. Doing that in an enclosed space is never a good idea. I cant' even do that in a wide open space when there is no wind lol.

100% correct, Tony. Not only can it cause blindness, and other health issues. But what about the corrosive properties? I imagine that everything in the house that`s made of metal, had a good coating of rust a couple days after this little stunt.

 

[Rob Lancaster]

One thing to remember, Methanol, the main ingredient in nitro fuel, causes blindness. Doing that in an enclosed space is never a good idea. I cant' even do that in a wide open space when there is no wind lol.

Wow I didn't know that about the nitro fuel. Thanks for cluing me in...

 

[Tony]

But what about the corrosive properties? I imagine that everything in the house that`s made of metal, had a good coating of rust a couple days after this little stunt.

Yes Ma'am, Methanol, like alcohol (it is an alcohol) is hygroscopic meaning it can absorb water from the air, and that water can, and will rust anything it touches. And with a nitro engine, as anyone who has been around them knows, spits out a LOT of exhaust lol.

I bet he still has not lived that down lmao.

 

[Rob Lancaster]

There's that word again, (hygroscopic) ...
Yup living in all this humidity, the various oxidizers I use in my fireworks soaks it up. especially the Strontium Nitrate I use for bright vivid red stars... Fun, fun, fun with a little chemistry.

 

[Tony]

I like that word. Brake fluid in your car is also hygroscopic as well. That is why you should flush your brake system every 2 years or so.

 

[Rob Lancaster]

Yup and that's why you should never shake up hydraulic fluid; you'll introduce a lot of air with moisture and sometimes vog or other contaminants.