LESSON 4 - NOSE IN HOVER
Nose in hovering is one of the hardest beginners' lesson to master. However, it is a very essential skill that not only need to be learnt, but mastered as well. This is because when you're finally taking the heli into forward flight, you would ultimately have to fly the heli away, turn it around and fly it back to you again. That means that no matter what, there will be times when the heli will be facing you. Nose in will later help you in performing approaches and auto-rotations.
The difficulty in nose-in hovering is that all the controls (except for throttle/collective) are reversed.
The heli's left is on your right, and right is left.
Flying nose in begins from the previous lesson on hovering sideways. While hovering sideways, continue to rotate the heli until the head is now nearer to you than the tail. Add a bit of cyclic if the heli drifts. Remember that at soon as the head of the heli is facing you, the direction where the heli is drifting from where you're standing is no longer the direction of the heli drift itself.
Take a look at the above photo. If the heli starts moving this direction -------->, which way do you correct the cyclic? <----------- This way, or ----------> this way?
When hovering nose in, put yourself inside the cockpit. A movement in this direction ----> is actually the heli's left. In other terms, portside. You should therefore apply right cyclic to correct.
If the heli goes further away from you, it is not really moving away, but moving aft, or backward. Correct by applying forward cyclic.
One other way to thing about things when the heli is facing you nosein, is to apply the stick in the SAME DIRECTION as the movement. ie: heli drifts --->, apply ---> stick to correct.
Sounds confusing? Yes, at first.
Unfortunately, you will need to make a conscious effort as you practice nose in. The good news is that this conscious effort will become instinctive over time with lots of practice. So don't give up.
Practice going into nose in both directions. ie: take it to a hover, then turn the head right, until it is in nose in orientation, then turn the head left and back to tail in. Continue rotating left until it is nose in, then rotate right again until it is tail in and so on.
Once you get the hang of it, rotate the heli one compete circle with the rudders. Again do it both directions.
Lastly, think of your escape plan if something goes wrong.
Also, if you've reached this far...Congratulations! Time to also remove your training skids. |
