RC Helicopter Controls Explained - Cyclic, Collective, Tail Rotor, Throttle.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Want to learn more about the hobby of RC helicopters? Please visit my website: www.rchelicopterfun.com

[@chuckoslaboratory3451]

Awesome RC info. Learned a lot from your video as a beginner!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad it was helpful - thanks for watching 👍🙂

[@ahwayzcool4630]

I learned all about helis and how to fly because of your website 8 years ago. I now fly hardcore 3d. 🙂

[@carlos64030]

That was a great video, John. The best video I've seen so far that actually gives a good explanation accompanied with great visuals as to how a FBL heli works. I'm just getting into this hobby and this video really helped A LOT. One of the key things to learning how to fly is knowing how components actually work. THANKS!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Hi Carlos, glad you found the explanation helpful. I should point out to anyone interested, that the exact same control principles and stick/swashplate movements apply to both mechanical (flybar), and electronic (FBL) cyclic stabilization methods : )

[@Drumbone71]

Just got a Blade 230Sv2 First flight was a stable hover one battery. Successful flight! Gonna use this training on Realflight. Thanx John

[@Drumbone71]

Multiple flights still in one piece. I broke the landing gear trying to take cover off. Thinking about a TB40….

[@Sassonic]

I hadn't flown for a long time, so thanks for the refresher. I have the same transmitter.

[@madeljacky]

Interesting to see how a mode 2 radio works, i fly helicopters on mode 1 collective on the right stick and forward/back cyclic on the left, its just the way i learned it

[@Vikram-wx4hg]

Super tutorial! I am a total beginner, and this video really sets me off. Thanks John!

[@nazar5489]

This was a very good explanation sir! Thank u for making this video.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad it was helpful 🙂

[@robb8773]

John, Great explanation and video!! Thanks

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Very welcome

[@moparmagnum928]

Thank you for explaining it !

[@Rchelicopterfun]

My pleasure

[@skfarhan3396]

I haven't flown my rc helicopter many days but now when I flew my helicopter it is not flying but the propellers are rotating. What to do? Please suggest me

[@evilspeed3101]

Thanks a lot for your videos! But I still have one question. I started practice in AccuRC and one thing seems wrong to me. Let's say I have a helicopter in the perfect hovering position. Then I pitch down in order to fly forward. And here is what makes me crazy. While flying forward (and keeping the pitch in the same position) I yaw 90 degrees to the left. And the helicopter still flies in the previous direction! WHY??? It should have started flying left as well. Did I do something wrong with the settings or real RC helicopter behave the same way?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Normal. A helicopter behaves like a marble on a plate. The fact it's free floating and has mass, it therefore has momentum and inertia. As for what you are doing wrong, my guess is you are not learning correctly by first understanding how to hold a banked turn and coordinating with tail rotor. Covered on day 8 of my flight school: www.rchelicopterfun.com/translational-lift.html This article explains the marble on the plate concept: www.rchelicopterfun.com/are-rc-helicopters-hard-to-fly.html

[@evilspeed3101]

@@Rchelicopterfun thanks a lot!

[@anishadhikari2192]

Why is the cyclic controls centering one unlike of real heli?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Two primary reasons: 1. Because we don't get rotor disc feedback like full size where you can feel when the cyclic is centered either by blade force or by hydraulic servo centering force. It is however possible to fly an older flybrared RC heli without radio stick centering, but man is it hard, and it's easy to get into trouble fast. 2. With today's flybarless electronic stabilization systems, you must have a centering cyclic stick so the radio is outputting a perfectly centered cyclic (swash level) position signal while at neutral. If it's off even a little bit from dead center, the FBL system will creep off center, even to full deflection due to PID control loop positive feedback.

[@quinnovashinski6150]

Can someone answer my question - Im thinking of buying maybe a 150 dollar hobby grade rc helicopter, I am going to go to a hobby shop for this, will I be getting a controller with the helicopter? Or do I have to buy it seperately? Also What can I be expecting for 150 dollars?

[@nilayanand1904]

Hey I want to buy this helicopter but unfortunately there is no shop in india which can deliver it to my home.can you suggest me how can I get these toys at my home? I want to buy it

[@priyankasingh300]

You are very ❤❤❤

[@sebasti666]

Woooooooow, what a wonderfull explanation! Dude! Thanks from Argentina!

[@scalercheli]

Very details l like your works.

[@sammariti3686]

Nice presentation very well done. Thank you!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

You're very welcome.

[@ayssarahmed645]

​@@RchelicopterfunGood evening. What is the reason for the rotation of the helicopter around itself?

[@shawnspencer288]

Who had tail rotors for this size helicopter?

[@budanemoda3841]

Hi John, there is a phenomenom I never understand in the controls of a heli, despite I have a k110 micro. A heli pitch forward (to the nose) if the blade what point to the tail generates more lift and the other blade which point to the nose generates less lift. At 1:22 it clearly visible when you move the stick up and down the swashplate tilt forward and back but the blades pointed to the nose and tails do nothing. I expect the blade pointed to the tail pitches to the max, while the other one remains neutral or turn to negative (stick forward). From 4:32 you push forward the stick and rotate the blades and also clearly visible the max pitch is when the blade on the right side. What is the explanation if this, please help!! Thank you in advance

[@Rchelicopterfun]

@Buda Nemoda - "Gyroscopic Precession". I cover it in detail in this page on my website: www.rchelicopterfun.com/gyroscopic-precession.html

[@kashyapb087]

Where can I buy this man how much price of this

[@KangleiShinigami]

Tq for your valuable guide.

[@aburayyan4722]

Why tail rotor not center at stan by.. moving with slow to right or left

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Feedback loop.

[@ianreed4636]

I personally have never heard anyone call it the anti-torque control . Even in the flybarless menus it's called rudder .

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Then I guess you've never spent any time around full size helicopters because that's what tail rotor control is reference as in the full size world. The only reason it's called "rudder" in the RC world is because that is conventional RC radio terminology. I personally have never seen a rudder on any helicopter (RC or full size).

[@billathefish]

Great response loll

[@markyozzo1292]

Excellent video for this newbie here.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad it was helpful 🙂

[@hardtobear4876]

thank you for the video, is excelent

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Thank you too.

[@friesm2000]

you mention the helicopter goes the way the swash plate is angled, not entirely true as i see it. there looks be about a 90 degree offset from where the blade push rod is, vs where the actual blade is, basically as i see it, if the swash plate is angled forward, the blade to the left is at the least angle of attack while the right is at the highest. now there may be some built in offset electronically or mechanically, but i wonder how much tail rotor you say have to add to actually make it perfectly fly straight. also the camera angle may not be helping at all either, but from the video's angle, that's what i'm seeing at least

[@Rchelicopterfun]

You are not taking gyroscopic precession into account. www.rchelicopterfun.com/gyroscopic-precession.html

[@atalazs]

If you look closely, the required 90 degree offset is created by the way the blades are hinged at the swash plate. So the actual rotation of the aircraft will be in the same direction as the swash plate tilts.

[@InFocusImmigration]

I noticed that your tail rotor blades turn or rudder servo "drifting away" to one side even when you don't push the rudder stick to that direction. Why is it so?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

The gyro is in a feedback loop and is drifting while the heli is stationary on the table. In the air, while the heli is able to move freely, there is no drift.

[@InFocusImmigration]

Thanks John Salt, I have a similar "effect" but on my swashplate which is slowly tilting around. I have no idea if it will be trouble in the air as I've not flew it yet.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

The swash should not drift off level (even if it's flybarless, ie. it uses flybarless stabilization gyros). You will notice the swash in the video is not drifting at all and stays perfectly level unless I move it. Swash drift is generally caused by the heli moving slightly while the FBL unit initializes, a setting during the FBL unit programming was done incorrectly, your cyclic gain is set too high, having cyclic trim on the radio, or a faulty FBL system.

[@InFocusImmigration]

Thank you, I assume there is something faulty, I will try check all that in some way..

[@Ritik_raj_arts]

And which stick used for controlling the speed of propellers...? 🤔

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Speed is controlled with throttle curve programming, just as I said in the video.

[@Ritik_raj_arts]

@@Rchelicopterfun you mean,, motor can be on or of only by throttle

[@Rchelicopterfun]

No, I mean it's controlled by the throttle curve you have programmed in the radio. It's coupled to the collective stick, but throttle output is dependent on the throttle curve, not the collective stick position.

[@Ritik_raj_arts]

@@Rchelicopterfun OK I understood, if collective pitch is all ready set on a angle, can I control the hight of my heli by controlling speed of propellers?

[@eddie_Za]

Nice. Great video.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@uncletom1971]

Thank you John. I think now that I will be getting myself an RC chopper.

[@saddamhossain-dr9fx]

Excellent explanation!!! thanks

[@thefightingplumber]

Thanks for preparing me for my first flight! 👍

[@mattward8315]

Exactly the video I was looking for. This helped a lot. I would like to learn more about the little toggle switches. I have a specktrum dx6i radio, it would be helpful if you can explain their functions and how they are used. I have a blade 450 3d, the 2 main sticks that control the heli, they all work as they are functioned to do, left, right, forward, backward, and up/ down all move as they should. However if I throttle up to max, heli doesn’t fly up, why? What am I doing wrong? The blades are on correctly. One more thing if you can go over. When starting to fly the heli, what are the toggle switch supposed to be at? Like which function should they be on to start flying? Thanks!