Doing your First Loops and Rolls
 
Now you've set up your Helicopter lets try a couple of manoeuvres...
First up let’s go with the simple loop. At this stage I hope all attempting this are atleast flying a circuits. If
you are flying circuits then your revolution mix should be somewhere near correct as well. Unless you’re using a
heading lock gyro then you won’t have to run any pilot authority mixes.
Now fly out downwind click into your new stunt mode and check that your stunt trim is not pitching, rolling or yawing
your helicopter.
 

Think of the loop in 6 sections:-
 

 
 

1.   Turn your model and fly directly at the wind at a minimum of about 30 metres (100 feet). Trying to build up as much
speed as you can get.
2.    Pull a small amount of up elevator and see how well the nose pulls up.
Some helicopters come standard with too light a fly-bar set up and pitch the nose up wildly.
Other helicopters have too heavier fly-bar set up and don’t pull the nose up very quickly, or you might not have enough
control throws. If it responds nicely to the up elevator continue with the loop.
3.    On the 2nd quarter slowly relax the pitch back to about ½ way or less. This will stop the helicopter from dropping
from the top of the loop. In a strong head wind you will have to pull back a little further or the loop wont look round
4.   On the 3rd quarter you can start feeding in the power again, if there is a strong head wind you will have to have a
bit more power on as it will get blown down wind. Depending on the wind and helicopter set up you may also  have to
pull a little more up elevator in this quarter.
5.   The 4th quarter should find you with full power back on and easing off the elevator stick completely
6.   Pull out with the helicopter in a slight nose down attitude and exit the loop. If leveled off completely then the
helicopter will loose speed and will have to drop the nose again to pick its speed back up again, looking untidy. Easy
Eh!

 
Now let’s try a roll.
This time we will do the manoeuvre down wind, unlike an aeroplane a helicopter has no form of forward propulsion,
except keeping a nose down attitude. Flying downwind during a roll helps keep the helicopter moving forwards.
Keep in mind that we will break this manoeuvre into 6 parts as well.
 
 
 
1. Fly downwind at full forward speed above 30 metres (100 feet).
2. Start rolling the helicopter to the right hand side for clockwise rotating helicopters, and left for anti-clockwise
rotating helicopters. For the first roll give it full aileron stick to see the roll rate. During the roll to 90 degrees pull
the pitch stick back to 0 degrees. If you don’t then you will end up with more of a barrel roll than an axial roll.
3. During the 2nd quarter you will have to pull the pitch back to almost full negative pitch depending on how fast the
helicopter is rolling. The slower the roll the more pitch required.
4. During the 3rd quarter pull the pitch back to 0 degrees. During this quarter listen to the engine if it is loading too
much you may require more throttle in the bottom of your v curve or a higher percentage in a aileron to throttle
mix.
5. On the 4th quarter push back to full power and ease off the aileron stick leaving the model upright.
6. Drop the nose slightly to build up speed again.
 
How did that look?