Hovering on the RF G3

[WeeGraeme]

Hi.

I'm new to the world of model aircraft.

I've recently bought Real Flight G3. Everyone I've spoken to has suggested practising on the simulator first. They further suggested practicing hovering first.

I'd just like to know something.

I've been flying the training helicopter included in Real Flight. As soon as it lifts off, it starts to wander (forwards and / or to the right). Is this normal, meaning I just need to hone my hovering skills more? Or does it mean that something isn't quite setup properly.

I'm just using the standard controller included in Real Flight as I don't actually own a helicopter or transmitter yet.

[tdswan]

They wander more than a married man on boys night out. A few things to make sure of is that the trims are centered on the controller that you're using. This will help, but will not stop it from wandering. You'll always have to be putting inputs into a helicopter to keep it in a stable hover. There's just no way around it. helicopters are inherintly unstable. Yes, hoveris is the first thing you should learn. facing left, right, tail-in, nose-in.....learn hovering at all angles until you're proficient at it. All helicopter flight starts and ends with a good hover.
Good luck.

[WeeGraeme]

Thanks.

That's what I wanted to be sure of before I tried to "fix" anything.

[the_avocet]

Yup, just imagine a big soap bubble.

Your helicopter is precariously balanced on the top of that bubble and it is always wanting to slide off forward or back, left or right. The least little slide will only get worse unless you correct it and the longer you wait to counteract the slide the greater the stick movement you'll have to make to get back on top of the bubble.

At least modern gyros keep the tail steady for ya!