Fly Wing H1 Autopilot Review & Flight Test

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Fly Wing H1 Setup Tutorial & Tips Video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYimn4yontl0jqs Learn more about the wonderful & fascinating hobby of RC helicopters: www.rchelicopterfun.com/

[@Zeaiclies]

Love the voice for your flight modes. lol

[@FlyingPanMan]

Putting aside the gimmicky circle, figure 8, and inverted functions, I think the real advantage this unit gives is the ability to RTH at the flick of a switch. I tend to fly too far sometimes and become disorientated occasionally. So far, I've been lucky and managed to sort things out. However, I wouldn't need to wash so much underwear with a Return To Home switch!

[@stanwerner7484]

Amazing---the hobby came a long way since I was flying some 30 years ago.

[@brianheaton5521]

"hangs in the air like dirty odor." Nice, gonna have to use that.

[@keithdriggers9578]

Beautiful scenery John, man oh man to be able to have that view waking up in the morning gives one a sense of reverence for the all mighty!

[@doboy861]

That video was awesome! You have more Guts than I would I guess if I flew as long as you have I would try it. But to hear you laugh so hard was great. Also the idea that someone with a disability could be able to fly again would be awesome. The feeling of doing what they used to it would get them back outdoors. Great video.

[@steveblackbird]

Very, Very late to the party but Thank You for sharing your setup tips with us mate. Very appreciated. I flew RC helis 15-20 years ago and despite being a scale flyer it just got too expensive when I inevitably crashed and watched my heli beat itself to death before I cut throttle. I recently got back into the hobby after learning about the H1 flight controller and as an semi experienced quad flyer, including the very easy DJI camera drones I couldn't resist. Though I will add my PC sim 3D time has been substantial and I've got my thumbs back flying the proper old school way. I'll throw in one small feature, I've seen discussed... if you are flying in 3D mode and fluff things up in a major way and are still a mistake or two high you can flick the switch to GPS mode and your model will become an obedient hovering heli once again waiting for your next input. That alone I thing is a huge bonus. Again Thankyou for sharing your expeience.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

The H1 is a sub par rescue system at best. Half the time it will not save a collective pitch heli if it's really getting out of shape, especially when inverted. I've tested it multiple times in such attitudes and would not rely on it at all when there are much better, faster reacting and altitude gaining rescue systems and protocols on better flying and performing flybarless systems such as the Bavarian Demon Axon, Mikado V-Bar and MSH Brain's/Ikon 2.

[@steveblackbird]

@@Rchelicopterfun Thankyou for the reply John. Noted. Glad you actually tested it with that scenario though. Apparently with the latest software you can have it auto trigger at a preset altitude of your choosing. Still...you've got to be quick enough to flick that switch lol. You've at least got me looking into the other more suited flybarless systems out there. There's a lot to learn with this particular hobby that's for sure.

[@Leimin81]

“Sh!t is about to get real” 😂 Been reading your website from 10 years ago when I first learnt to fly. Came back to flying recently and found your videos. Awesome stuff as usual. Thanks John. 👍🏼

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Thanks back 👍

[@Fran11784]

Thanks John, really enjoyed the review! Reminds me of the "invert switch" we had back in the 80s. I think I might try one of these...... Cheers

[@AboTurkiPro]

15:58 now that's a badass Radio control 😂😂😂

[@HayabusaGSXR-cv6ig]

John Salt I've suffered excessive laughter 😃 watching your video you have put so much time & effort 👌 with great knowledge into this video keep them coming Topman 👍 just excellent work

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@mohdnihal1638]

love to see the full setup video.

[@andre-dx4yw]

im currently learning helis from fixed wing and bought your book[ thought my printer was gonna overheat🤣] and i also have the accurc2 with vr, im trying to give myself the best chance at successfully learning to fly helis, as for this, its a great unit but i will stick with my dji mavic for hands off/on dumb fun, i can definately see a market for this and maybe when im skilled enough to do my intended scale/ sports flying i might get one for lazy days. thanks for the work you put in to get us noobs in the air!

[@GeorgePapadopoulos11]

Man you live in the paradise, thanks for the video.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Thanks for watching

[@EbonySeraphim]

15:58 - LOL that audio for 3D mode is hilarious.

[@charlesstevenson8751]

Yes I want to learn more about setting it up. I have a Align 500X.

[@chrisrenek9152]

I`m a scale flying pilot I think this would help me. And I have poor arm and hand movement .Thank you for such a good video. I am thinking about getting this. Have a good day...

[@Mr_Trixsta]

Fantastic review John. I recently purchased the FW450 which included the H1 already setup. All I had to do is a calibration using the software and it fly’s as it’s intended.

[@robparrington669]

Same for me, great Heli and the H1 flight controller is very good

[@GhostGrus]

Calibration every time you start?

[@RCredman69]

Great video John. A no brainer to fly with the H1. But I think it's great for scale flying. Maybe I will put this H1 gyro in my 600ESP Airwolf. Can't wait to see the set-up tutorial.

[@johnclarke254]

Hi John. Please, please do a full setup video.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Looks like I'm doing a setup video this week. 🙂

[@andersonjuniodossantos1146]

Congratulations for your work!!! it was the best tutorial I found so far, I already have my controller in hand and I didn't start the assembly for lack of a better explanation, now I'm going to follow your guidelines and assemble on my T-rex450, I liked it and I'm subscribed !!!! thank you friend!!!

[@barneyrebel0123]

I think like you. Learn to fly 3D the right way, then if, as you said, lose loss of hand skills, due to many different reasons, which do happen, at least you can still fly. Maybe another application would be, if you invest a lot of money into a kit, this would be like a SAFE MODE to back you up at the flick of a switch since you can turn it off and on. John I was messaging with someone on RCGroups, and they really love your videos, and might even be a friend, I don't know. But I just got into flying RC Heli's in mid April. Started with a Blade 70S RTF. IMO, best flybarless trainer FP made, and at a perfect price, so if you feel it's "Not your thing", your wallet will still be very heavy. Anyway, he helped me out quite a bit while learning FP, and made a lot of good suggestions, quoting you a lot! He got me on the right path of how to train and progress. I've flown fixed wing RC for 17 years, plus cars and boats, but I was always very hesitant about flying Heli's, as I knew they were the hardest to learn. Well, the technology is at the best I've seen yet, with that little 70S, and I couldn't resist the price. The gentleman even said, quoting you again, that "The RC controller in the RTF with the 70S, is really not bad at all, as it gives you the feel of a real type stick RC controller, and less toy like." Of course that's not verbatim, but, I understood what he meant, being a fixed wing pilot, and seeing some of the crappy "Toy Like" controllers that come in a lot of these RTF Helis. So I just wanted to thank you, and him, for suggesting to watch your vids. I'm now subscribed. BTW, I'm just about to fly my Nano S2 for the first time I received recently. I have over 100 flights on the 70S and hours of sim time, RealFlight 9, flying the 230S V2. I've bought a 230S V2 as well. But it's just going to sit in the box for a little longer, until I can fly the Nano S2 comfortably. I have no doubt I can fly the 230S V2 right now, in intermediate mode, but I would rather learn CP on the little Nano S2 first. No real 3D, some flips of course, and learning to hover inverted as well as flying it that way as well. As you can tell, I'm hooked now. And with that, like my fixed wing planes, I already own 2 Blade 70S's, the Esky 150 V2, (Just couldn't resist that little red LED in the tail when you throttle it up), the Nano S2, and the 230S V2 already. I already have my eye on 2 more. Anyway, again thank you very much!

[@chrisbee5481]

How is it going? I also started this Hobby new last year. Started with the XK K110 and now moved on to the Omphobby m1. Cant believe you didnt get one of these babys to Start. John Also recommends them

[@barneyrebel0123]

@@chrisbee5481 Hi Chris, it's going great! A lot more sim time on my Real Flight 9.0 that I recently upgraded to 9.5 for free, and have been flying my 230 V2 for quite a while now, on the 3rd mode, no more training wheels, and I'm competent doing some 3d. Flips forward and backwards, stationary rolls, waterfalls, but not every trick in the book by far, and I fly 3 mistakes high when performing them, just to make sure. I'm not fully competent with flying inverted full time yet, but I'm still practicing that on both the real heli, and the sim. I don't have as much time as I used to, since the lockdown to fly, as I've started back working again a while ago now, but, I'm still very much into Heli's and feel I'm hooked for life. I've been putting a little bit away in the savings for a Blade 480 Fusion, or something comparable that have parts readily available though. I really want to fly one of the really big boys now. I have that guy on RCGroups to thank, and John as well, or I probably would've never had the courage to just buy one and start flying. By the way, if you don't have a Blade S 230 V2, they discontinued it recently, and now it's called the Blade 230 S Smart. People are having a lot of trouble with the connector on the smart battery you need to fly it, and currently there's no adapter for the proprietary plug, so you can't charge the battery with any aftermarket chargers, even the ones THEY make! The only way to fly and charge it currently is to buy the RTF version, as it comes with the crappy, yet only charger currently on the market that will charge the battery for you.

[@chrisbee5481]

@@barneyrebel0123 i guess you are from north America (somewere on the continent). Horizon Hobby is very popular there. Guess thats why you went for the Blade. Here in Germany you get HH Blade products, but I find rather expensive. Had a blade mcpx long ago. Then I went for a trex 450. Okay, I forgot to mension the piece of crap Esky Belt CP before that. Best decision I ever made was to Start all over again after 8 years break last year. Had lots of time during lockdown. John Salt inspired me and adviced me to the k110 and M1. What I live about the K110 is its crash durability. Most time you can just pick it up and keep going. The 450 class is great. You need lots of space though. Here law regulations are sub 250g if you want to fly just about anywere. I have respect of the bigger Helis. With the micros you can just fly in your garden or park next door. They dont scare people. I never likes sims as much as just flying. With the k110 i practice rolls, flips and inverted and dint have to worry about crashing. Took me a month to get into 3d. So cheap to get one. You should try it. 😉

[@mikesmith1290]

Small helis are harder to fly than larger models. I had a couple of wl toys V977 micro cp helis. In 6 axis mode, it’s easy. As soon as I turn off the accelerometer, the ground comes up fast! My wife bought me a blade 330s for Christmas, but can’t open it till then. In real flight 9.5 it’s much easier to fly than the blade 230s

[@TheBeastFPV]

Yes we whould love you to do a video on setting it up please

[@crazygravy437]

Wow this is what I need. Totally not interested in learning properly. Tired of wasting money on crash & repair. I just want to fly no stress. Thanks for the alternative.

[@carlos64030]

That is a freakin' amazing piece of tech for an extremely cheap price! Great video, John.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Agreed.

[@Soryt]

Amazing system , good alternative for the Naza H system in scale helicopters ( as rescue ) , need some updates fore sure . Thanks for review 👍👍

[@calibermix8159]

why do you need it for scale helis if you only do boring circles in the sky like old man ?

[@Soryt]

caliber because i am , so what ? And what can you do to have some fun ? Comment on other people 🤮

[@DemaisLucas120]

This is my dream all I ever wanted, I'm tired to put my helis on the fireplace

[@paulclarke165]

Would love to see a full setup video please

[@daleyoung87]

Been using a NAZA-H for several years. This looks much better.

[@vauny24]

Can you please do a full tutorial set up,

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Working on it...

[@TheDigitalAura]

I guess if you're crop dusting it's useful, we have boring big drones for that though. A gadget for the xbox generation I guess although I hate the 6 axis stabilization systems too as they take all the fun away. Useful for a beginner if it gets away from them unless they forget to flick the switch of course. Quick note about flying with a hand injury. I was born without my left hand, only have about 2 inches below my elbow and I learned to fly, just took determination and practice, like anything. Can't comment if it was any harder for me than a regular flyer.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Very motivational - thanks for sharing your experience🙂.

[@daleyoung87]

Or FPV

[@123windyron]

Ok john just like to mention on the flywing fw450 l to abort the rth on low battery put the switch to home then again to gps and it will then cancel the return to home. Now thats on the radio that comes with the fly wing.that was a almost crash for me in a very confined area .it happened at 36%on a 3300 4s. 100 c battery.long story short it scared the heck out of me when it took off and no controll on the sticks.

[@mlarreategui]

Can you make a video with the complete set up of the h1 and transmitter binding and setup

[@Rchelicopterfun]

I'll be doing a setup/configuration video of the H1 unit, but binding is a function of your specific radio system and receiver, not the H1 unit. You are not binding the H1 unit to your radio, you are binding the receiver. In short binding will not be addressed since it's radio system dependent.

[@jimmym2719]

Wow! Interesting Test! Always wanted to try Dji Naza H. Well, being able to fly 3D already your computer controlled flight really looks unreal & robotic as u mention. Maybe there’s a tweak somewhere to make it more subtle. Thanks for sharing bro💕

[@treverb2948]

thank you again for another great vid please do a setup video please. maybe address the 2 esc wiring for motor tail and motor main.... great vids as always

[@reginaldmcnab3265]

Good job on the review!

[@davidsettles5706]

Well by version 2 it might be worth getting nice vid brother....

[@reginaldmcnab3265]

I saw a video where someone said the tail bobbing can be corrected by increasing the Head-speed to 92 percent gain

[@andreklijn878]

Yes please full setup

[@themusichallacademy2787]

It's an awesome product. Thanks john 👍

[@Rchelicopterfun]

You bet

[@shanehoule9477]

Nice back drop

[@Thejasond1979]

Great review John appreciate it

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Very welcome

[@larrychamel]

I think what you are saying John is basically "a monkey can fly it." Lol I hope you and your Family are all staying Safe and Healthy my friend! Thanks for sharing another great video John. 😍👍🚁

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Yup, I'm the monkey.

[@AlexBongRCFunLand]

this is indeed good tool to help us in rc heli. now single rotor will as stable as the multi rotor drone.😄👏👍

[@generalx5220]

Nice video, if you CG the heli the wobble goes away. I had the same issue and needed to move battery forward.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Thanks for the CG tip to get rid of tail bob. Unfortunately, my CG adjustment had no affect; I had to play with the gains to get the bob sorted.

[@tomoprime217]

Getting here 2 years late, but I guess not everyone has access to live help when starting out. It would have been awesome to see regular manual flight in unison with autopilot, where auto recovery only kicks in while losing control in that you must let go of the sticks to level out. Another option is to have the GPS used like an invisible fence for a number of reasons.

[@tomoprime217]

I was trying to say these would be nice to have features used towards learning instead of this tech leads to developing bad habits and or only helps the handicapped yada.

[@mikesrcgarage]

That's absolutely awesome tech! I flew helis for years all flybars never really got good at 3d. A friend of mine years ago would tease me, yeah I'll wait till the tech to fly autonomous comes out and I'll fly circles around you with a push of a button! Dang it's here! Lol, why when you flew inverted why did the tail bob go away? 🤔 Great stuff but I'm with you on the it teaches you nothing but bad habits! All my helis still have flybars! 👊😎👍

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Not sure? The IMU sensor inside the H1 is apparently floating so perhaps while inverted, the dampening characteristics of the isolation foam the IMU is attached to changed but that is just a wild a** guess. I too am still a fan of trusty flybars even though I only have a few flybared machines left in the fleet. No programming, no PID tuning, no compatibility BS, hassle free & robust - build the heli, setup your pitch & throttle curves, go flying.

[@mikesrcgarage]

@@Rchelicopterfun Interesting and sounds like a good theory to me. One day I will get a flybarless unit, might get me back to flying regularly! Thanks buddy, have a great day!

[@leonardootero7719]

Great review! I enjoy all your videos! Let me ask you. How do you compare the Blade 150s over the OMP ? For the money? Thank you

[@Rchelicopterfun]

The M2 and now the new M2 EXP is/are a better quality helis (both electronics & mechanics); but, you pay more so that quality increase naturally comes with a price tag attached to it. The new M2 EXP is $280 making it only $80 more than the 150 so the price gap has narrowed. Of course, another cost savings that can't be overlooked with the 150 is the built in RX if you already fly with Speky. Personally, I'd take the M2 or M2 EXP over the 150 for the direct drive main motor technology alone, but that's just my 2 cents and personal preference.

[@davidclancy5787]

Hi I am having some trouble with this I have set the H1 unit up as per the instructions. Everything moves in the right direction pitch set at 12 deg + -but I have a problem, as I raise the throttle the motor slows down a lot. Blades are of the correct way. Stuck.

[@cburgos2]

Imagine this now in a scale model helicopter. Now the fear of crashing it could be eliminated! Nice. What are some good resources to learn more? What aircrafts, transmitters etc can this be applied too?

[@ExSkyCyclePilot]

I'm sixty, and built an Align 470 LP a couple of years ago, but I never fly it because my vision is poor and slow to focus, causing me to lose orientation quickly, and constantly. I've been trying to learn to fly with the Heli-X simulator, and with an old 230S. I do fine with the simulator, but my vision just will not allow me to fly the 230S, due to losing orientation constantly. Something like this would allow me to fly my 470LP.

[@fpvtechnology837]

Hello John. I have the Flywing H1 for my T-Rex 470 LM I made all the settings on my helicopter and the radio control but when I want to take off the engine does not turn. My remote control is the Spektrum NX 10. There is certainly a button to assign to activate the motor but I don't know. Tutorials on KZbin do not explain very well how to set up the H1 with Spektrum radio controls. I have spent many hours trying to get the engine to run without success. Do you have an idea? Franck from France

[@ElecTrev]

Thank you John for your very prompt replies. One last question: do you use governor mode on the ESC? Thanks

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Not on this particular bird.

[@rockyyeung9893]

Tail bouncing seems not having trouble in inverted mode.

[@vauny24]

Hi John How do you cure the tail bob in GPS mode, in your vid whilst flying in 3d mode you had no tail bob, then when you switched it back to GPS mode tail bob returned, you said it could be the accelerometer, are you referring to the (fixed breaking force) function or (Flight speed) function been set to high in the H1 setup wizard. I have tail bob in GPS mode on my align Trex 600 in forward and backward motion. Be interesting to know if you solved the problem in software setup settings. Thanks

[@Rchelicopterfun]

I cover this question in the description below the video.

[@Pitoshi812]

Hello, Mr. Salt. Several years ago, when I am a beginner, I bought two of your eBooks. One is "The RC Helicopter Tips & Setup eBook", the other is "How to build a training gear for RC helicopter". Both worked good for me!. Thank you very much. Now I am not a beginner but an intermediate pilot. Anyway, I have a question. I got H1 GPS and equipped TREX 450 with it. I always check my helicopters using my turning table ("Lazy Susan") BEFORE the maiden flight. As usually, I checked my TREX 450 with H1 GPS. When the collective pitch is positive, the TREX 450 locks its tail completely. When the collective pitch is negative, however, it does not lock its tail, turns anticlockwise. And it flies uneventfully at least when it is NOT inverted (ie., the main rotor is upside and the skid is downside). I am afraid that something catastrophic occurs when it flies inverted. I have not yet tried an inverted flight using H1 GPS. I want to ask you if it is normal that my TREX 450 turns anticlockwise on Lazy Susan when the collective pitch is not positive but negative. Or I hope that you give me an advisory comment.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Hi Hitoshi. Have you tried it without being strapped down? With these fully autonomous flight controllers (actually even normal flybarless systems), the heli HAS to be able to float and bob as it naturally would in the air without any movement restriction. The H1 is looking for feedback from ALL the sensors and if the heli is strapped down to something, it's not going to get that feedback correctly and will do strange things - cyclic and tail drift among them. If you have tried it untethered and you are still experiencing yaw drift, you can contact on my website if you wish for further discussion since I don't sort complex technical issues in the comments section of KZbin.

[@Pitoshi812]

@@Rchelicopterfun Thank you, John, for your quick answer. I will see your website soon.

[@mikesmith1290]

I picked up a thunder tiger raptor 50 for $40, and am scared shitless to fire it up. Been thinking about using a beta flight controller with gps for it, but I’d rather get something made for helis

[@emsman59]

John, were you able to fix the tail jumping issue and how did you accomplish this? Thanks for the video and your time.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Yes. Pretty much the same tuning steps taken to deal with cyclic pitch oscillations on any FBL system with combined cyclic axis gain adjustment, lack of PID access, or lack of elevator (cyclic pitch filtering). I basically tuned the cyclic gains while experimenting with different heads speeds with different amounts of head dampening and blade bolt torque to change the lead and lag characteristics of the blades. With that said, it can be tuned to work well in either autopilot mode or regular gyro mode - not both. To get it to work somewhat acceptable in both modes along a broader head speed range, it's a compromise between stability in one, and vagueness in the other.

[@bcflyer99]

Amazing technology.

[@rcpilots1291]

Brilliant explanatory video. Initially I was super excited, but after consideration it’s not for me. As you explain it can develop real bad habits. It should suit a different segment of the Rc market because the system presents little challenge , even for newbies like me that are building our skills at a super slow rate but finding it hugely rewarding in the process. Happy flying

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Yep, the RC heli instructor in me hates this technology and what negative impact it has the potential to do to our hobby; yet the nerd in me sure appreciates the technology & science involved. 🙃 Happy flying your way too.

[@rcpilots1291]

John Salt - ya the ultimate paradox 🤪

[@ace-gc5xm]

yeah do a setup video

[@joseriverjr6720]

Hello Jhon ! can you check into the new Gps H1 upgrade..just a short video how to upgrde..Thanks..

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Sorry, but I got rid of the H1 shortly after reviewing it in this video. Way too many bad habits were forming, actually surprised just how quickly they were forming. 🙃

[@rl2rem621]

John, the cord on your H1 is as you say about 16" long... the unit I just got and others I see advertised are about 3.5" long. I am building a 505 also and the cord is too short to get past the canopy . Where did you get the one with the longer cord ? Is there an extension ??

[@Rchelicopterfun]

The one I got from Banggood (link is in the description) came out of the box with the GPS pod harness of that length. No idea if there are extension cables & perhaps they decided to change the length of the cable. I don't sell theses things (I don't even recommend them for the vast majority of people for obvious reasons), so I have no idea what they are currently shipping with. Ask FlyWing or the vendor.

[@DMHaley]

First off... Thank you John for the detailed video!!!! do you happen to know if this can be used with Spektrum radios? The SBUS has me a bit concerned

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Apparently yes with a Spektrum receiver that has PPM output such as the AR7700. Channel mapping is wrong as well since the H1 uses Futaba channel mapping (AETR) not Spektrum/JR mapping (TAER) requiring some creative mix programming.

[@rbort07]

note that while inverted it didn't bee bop around at all...??

[@gilsonemidio8511]

Hello friend, can the compass be calibrated indoors or does it have to be in the field?

[@davidsettles5706]

John, have you looked at the newer code. 1.75 is out there. What are your thoughts? Any better? Thanks for your hard work.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

If you've taken the time to look at the 1.75 setup assistant, you will see it's essentially unchanged. Only a few pre-set value tweaks; certainly, nothing earth shattering. Still can't save your individual setups, and they still haven't decoupled the cyclic pitch and roll axis gain settings which were my two biggest critiques.

[@JuniorAngel]

Hi. First of all, very nice video. My question is if you need to take a laptop and "dance" to calibrate the system yet. I've read that they were preparing an app for phones to eliminate this dance. Thanks

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Sorry, no idea as I'm not Fly Wing Tech Support. I only know of Laptop connectivity on the H1.

[@michaeltrager4381]

Hi John, How would you rate this product the Fly Wing H1? Is it a quality product (like my Mikado Mini V-Bar), and have them improved the firmware since you first had it??

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Hi Michael, Not sure I would even try to compare the H1 to any proper FBL system. The V-Bar is a proper and wonderful performing flybarless system, it runs circles around the H1 or any other GPS autopilot in terms of good heli feel and performance. In contrast, the H1 is a GPS autopilot system that turns a potentially dangerous RC helicopter into a mindless drone. Basically giving people with no flying skills at all, the ability to fly a very dangerous helicopter with no training. Yes, I hate these GPS things on collective pitch helicopters because I see how they are destroying our hobby from a legality standpoint. We won't even allow them at our field anymore, but too little too late, MAAC lost it's Transport Canada exemptions this past weekend and I now have no more flying field. Thanks entitled droners! No idea if turd wing improved their setup software, I removed the H1 from this heli and put the Ikon back on within a month because I wanted a good flying helicopter again.

[@passinthru4328]

Good review John. Have to say this thing has no appeal for me as it would take all the fun and challenge (and fear) out of flying a collective pitch heli.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Yes I agree too. Most of us fly CP for the engagement & challenge - this removes much of that. As I said in the video, I see it as a wonderful aid however for folks who have lost the ability to fly for some health reason. I know a few good pilots that after having strokes had to shelve their birds, these things might help them get them flying again.

[@passinthru4328]

​@@Rchelicopterfun Yes, that alone would be a very good thing. Who knows, they may yet build in the improvements you suggest. Will have to keep an eye on this one.

[@armiestone]

Can you advice if this will be good on a 90size gas helicopter like a gsr260s? I had an ace one autopilot but the imu is bad thinking or replacing it with this since the price is very OK

[@AirSniper-SongV]

Hi John, What’s your final setting under GPS mode to stop the tail from bouncing. I’m about to install H1 system on my 505.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

As stated in the description, a compromised setup. I don't remember the exact setting because I got rid of the H1 shortly after and have the Ikon2 back on that heli.

[@sotheamam1244]

Hi will H1 work on trex 500x with spektrum transmitter and receiver

[@Thechandran7]

Hi Jone i have install H1 to trex 600 recently ,everything done the same as you but collective pitch not going up for take off ,just moving around two decree in full throttle can you help me thanks

[@michel3777]

hello minimum number of channels on a radio to install the h1 thank you to you

[@madmac5709]

nice video. would love to see a full set up

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Coming soon.

[@madmac5709]

John Salt that’s great news , been sitting on my trex 550 scared to fly it 🤦🏼‍♂️ been flying my trex ‘s 450 for couple years , decided to upgrade to a 550, feel like it might be too much so i got the h1, now they are both collecting dust lol h1 and taranis tutorial would be amazing 🥳 thank you

[@781coolmind]

Do a setup would like to see it.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Already did. Links in card, description & first pinned comment.

[@richardmaddever2121]

John, I see there is a new update to the software, not sure if they've added much but hopefully enough to remove the tail bounce or a save function...

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Nope, they just tweaked some pre-set settings. If you want a save function with a good flying RC helicopter, get a decent FBL system like an Ikon, Bavarian Demon, Spirit, V-Bar, Futaba etc. and don't even consider this GPS auto pilot crap. By the way & as I said in the video, more tuning was required to address the bounce and after a half dozen or so more test flights, playing with head speeds, the gain values, blade grip torque, and head dampening, the bounce was totally cured; so it's not due to the setup software, although it would be nice to have separate gains on cyclic like every other good FBL system offers.

[@richardmaddever2121]

@@Rchelicopterfun Thanks John, What would be the best "beginners" flybarless system with maximum aid/functionality? I've moved on from a 450 with a directional gyro but I'm really after extra help from a flybarless system like rescue modes. Im not at all confident at 3D yet and I can see the GPS H1 system will cause bad habits. FYI I've read your webpage about the flybarless units...

[@richardmaddever2121]

@@Rchelicopterfun Just re-read your website on FLB systems and your comments above - purchased a Spirit (they now do a GPS option too for some confidence). Thanks!

[@johnblythe6453]

Well John many people give up Heli flying because of all the crashes+expense so really this is a cool bit of kit I have ordered mine from r/c motion "Europe" as bang good pain at the moment I wondered as you set-up with s-bus did you have to change the servos to do this ? as normally s-bus will only work with programme servos .great video you are the tops !!!!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

As an instructor for almost 30 years now, the reason most beginners crash is because they don't follow a skill building, systematic ground up lesson plan, nor do they setup their helicopters correctly for learning on. There is no reason any beginner should ever crash a CP heli when learning the fundamentals correctly. If you think GPS systems like this will prevent beginners from crashing, I have a bridge to sell. Not only are the crashes almost as frequent (again because they simply don't know the basics & overfly their skill level), they are often more catastrophic because the heli is higher, moving faster & can't throttle down at low stick. All that combines to a much greater release of energy. Worst part is, it can be far away when this happens as the close in beginner safety net area where most beginners are confined to due to orientation skills (lack there of) is gone. Now they can get much higher & further away with the equivalence of a flying lawnmower they have *zero control over*. Property damage is the outcome, and another RC flying field loses its uphill battle to secure next years lease from the land owner; and even more over reaching regulations are imposed on our hobby. Look around - it's happening everywhere. It's why we don't allow GPS systems on helicopters at our field and we most certainly won't sign off any student who is relying on one to pass their beginner heli certification. Anyway with my little instructor based and loss of RC field rant over with, S-Bus will work with any type of servo. You most certainly don't need programmable servos with S-Bus RX connectivity. S-Bus is a serial communication protocol only that occurs between the RX and the flybarless system or flight controller; it has zero influence over type of servo that needs to be used. What is important with the H1 as I stated in the video is the servos are rated at high enough voltage that the H1 operates at (ie. HV servos). There are ways around that as well which I cover in the description of the H1 setup video.

[@anthonysmith5979]

Bought the fw 450 with the h1 gps would like to get the Roban uh1 army huey 800 size when they become available, they recommend the Bavairian BestX and I see it's set up has what's missing in the H1

[@Rchelicopterfun]

The H1 would be a horrid system in a big scale ship. I too would recommend the Bavarian Demon 3X - they are one of the best FBL systems for scale in my opinion. I've got a 3X in my Roban 700 super scale AS350 and it flies like a dream. You need lots of cyclic pitch filtering / derivative gain on big scale helis with lots of boom mass (which the Roban 800 UH1 most certainly does) or you will get horrible porpoising. The H1 will porpoise in a standard pod & boom heli just by looking at it the wrong way. The 3X however can handle it no problem.

[@ipadize]

seems to be pretty cool, but i will stick to my vbar neo with vbar control :)

[@Rchelicopterfun]

I would agree!

[@DesertJeff]

Has the H1 approved any census video was put out? Have they updated its firmware, can you do coordinate of turns?

[@fox5136]

Hi John Would you be so kind to advise whether this system would fit on an omp m2 helicopter? I have fit a flybarless system on a helicopter long ago.Thanks in advance.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

@fox5136 Too big. Pretty much 400 and larger machines.

[@fox5136]

@@Rchelicopterfun Thank you👍

[@hermankoji]

i fly heli with torque tube and belt drive. some how belt drive does the up and down tail boom shakes. not sure on yours heli.

[@ElecTrev]

Thanks for the great review. I ordered mine from BG 8 days ago, so still a while to wait! Couple of questions: you power yours straight from BEC, but in the manual it says you can't do that, the voltage range they give is 6,4-8,4v? Also, we could do with a table of channel assignments, maybe in the setup video. The other improvement would be to make the inverted channel assignable, I don't think ch 6 is used? It would be really good if ch 6 could be for inverted instead of ch 9, then you could get away with an 8 channel system. Thanks again, looking forward to that in-depth setup video.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Depends what your BEC voltage is. The BEC in this hobbywing ESC is programmable and I have it set to 8.0V since I'm running HV servos in this 505. Channel mapping is straight forward (standard futaba for the first 4), and the toggle activation is as shown in the video for ch 5,7,8,9, but I'll cover it in the setup video. Yes, for some reason there is no channel 6, and you can't have a channel 6. Perhaps because that's the collective pitch channel with most radios and they likely left it our for radios that you can't change the output assignments like you can with OpenTX. In short, you need a 9 ch or better TX & RX if you want to use the ch9 invert function.

[@CRUZROYHelicopters]

can you show how to setup frsky radio to helicopters, nothing on fros on X10s

[@CRUZROYHelicopters]

hey john ..love your content...i have the 380 alzrc and the swash is backwards from the 500 and i had to change Left and right servo connections to get swash moving right.... do you think that ok ???

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Consult your FBL manual/setup wizard, it will say what is and isn't okay for servo connectivity.

[@orarachisarangkoon6170]

Hi John, thanks for the review. I have one of this H1 installed and set up by a guy and I like how it works, coming from DJI Naza H. Now, on inverted flight, I've never tried that, does H1 automatically invert the heli for you by just flicking a switch? Or you have to invert it manually then let H1 control the flying on auto mode?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Flick of the invert switch.

[@ian4012]

Hi John. Hope all is well. I was wondering if you could share your radio settings? I'm new to opentx and want to use a radiomaster tx. An otx file would be awesome. Cheers

[@Rchelicopterfun]

As I highly recommend to all folks new to OpenTX... Spend time on OpenTX University's website with radio in hand to learn the fundamentals of inputs, mixes, and outputs. There is a fantastic section in there as well under the heading helicopters in the "non fixed wing" aircraft section on the basics of collective pitch helicopter input,mix,output configuration. open-txu.org/ That is exactly how I learned it and what I base my setups on, along with the actual CP setup values which I've been using for years as both an instructor & on my own birds which is all covered in my setup & tips eBook. I don't share OpenTX heli files for 2 primary reasons. 1. They are all different for every heli because they go hand in hand with the mechanical setup of each helicopter. These are not simplistic quadcopters after all. Mechanical setup of the heli along with the specific flybarless system largely dictates the radio setup in other words. 2. The can of worms it would open because I know a good percentage of people would just fire the file into their radio, bind their heli, and not go though the mechanical & flybarless system setup steps to fine tune the values for their specific heli. Resulting in a crash the moment the skids get light and blame me for it. Been down that road before - no thanks.

[@ElecTrev]

Also, does it do the figure 8 and circle inverted? Are those voice prompts coming from your radio? Do you have to have those? It seems to not have in-flight adjustable gain for the tail gyro? Am I right? I've never heard of a control unit before that didn't have that.Thanks again.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Don't know about the inverted circle & 8. I'll have to try it (maybe for a follow up or the setup video). At the time, I was too floored it even worked at holding the heli inverted perfectly still. The radio has the programmable voice prompts - they have nothing to do with the H1 flight controller or its operation. No remote tail gain adjustment, it's done in the wizard. There are several FBL units on the market that don't have remote tail gain, or they give you the option to disable it to free up other remote features such as cyclic gains, governor gain, or flight mode/rescue selections. For the most part, once you have your tail gain set, you shouldn't have to change it unless you have wildly different head speeds (and thus tail rotor speeds). Of course, the H1 only has a single throttle output, so there is no reason we would have large tail speed variation and need on the fly tail gain adjustment.

[@骆鹏-u6m]

@@Rchelicopterfun Do not attempt to fly automatically in inverted mode, which may result in a crash.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Many thanks. I actually just tired an inverted circle activation yesterday before seeing your reply. I quickly lost altitude the moment I engaged the circle activation toggle with total loss of collective control. I managed to saved the heli a few feet before impact by switching to 3D mode and correcting the flight attitude myself. This is something that needs to be mentioned in the manual.

[@johncgibson4720]

The robot cursed at you at 15:58 .

[@frankpirrone6032]

I know how to fly collective but I am looking for something with rescue for those rare moments when I get confused or distracted. Which unit do you recommend?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Any good FBL system with rescue. Ikon, Bavarian Demon, Maxx, BeastX, Vbar... I go over them and what to look for in a flybarless system on my best flybarless system page: www.rchelicopterfun.com/best-flybarless-system.html

[@djzwo5394]

Hello, I have exactly the same problem as in your video, the helicopter wobbles and rocks like crazy. In your video they say the same thing, flying beautifully is something else. Do you have an explanation for this? Because for me only the 550 T-Rex does that, my 3 Logo 550se don't do that and stand like a ONE

[@rl2rem621]

Sorry, one more question. I have this set up and ready to go. In testing I noticed that in GPS mode with a green light, when I move the swash sticks on the Transmitter, nothing happens. Tail moves, swash moves in normal mode, but not GPS mode. Is this normal ??

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Yes, the unit is in total control in GPS mode.

[@amirsharoni]

hi john, would you say that flying a gps helicopter is good for begginers, while only using it in emergncy cases (for saving the heli from crashing)?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Not good at all. GPS collective pitch helicopters won't help teach a thing - they do the exact opposite - introduce lots of bad forming habits that will be very difficult to break. I have an extensive article on my website that covers this in detail: www.rchelicopterfun.com/are-rc-helicopters-hard-to-fly.html Regardless, the H1 is not meant to be used as a "rescue" or "bail out." It won't work for that at all as it was never designed for that purpose. If you want a rescue feature (ie. self level with a momentary collective pump), get a good flybarless system that has a rescue feature and learn from the ground up with a tame, learning to fly setup so you are developing useful & important flying skills every second you are spooled up.

[@amirsharoni]

@@Rchelicopterfun ok thank you for the advice :-), can you recommand such a flybarless system with self leveling feature?, and one more question... would you recommand M2 EXP heli for begginers...?

[@MegaControltv]

I have a problem .. the H1 in the box say 5v-8.4v but in the manual say 2-6s ...What voltage I can use ?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

@MegaControl - The H1 works at 6.0 to 8.4VDC. Your RX and servos also have to work at that voltage. The 2S to 6S is what flight battery voltage range the H1 can monitor through the monitor power plug. I never use that feature, so don't know how well it works. I ran the H1 in this heli at 7.5V (using HV servos of course).

[@MegaControltv]

​@@Rchelicopterfun thanks John for your help! :D Now I understand. But I have a the problem, my ESC have not BEC :D I need connect by "Y" conector a side with ESC an another side with power supply 7.4 .. but I think this "Y" conector must be have a resistance ?

[@bobbyboy1962]

Great videos. I have been given a raptor 50 that i originally setup new about 10 years ago or so. Would something like this work in a heli that is nitro ?

[@Rchelicopterfun]

electric only

[@RomeoV96]

Hi John, I recently came across your channel as I'm teaching myself to fly a heli. I think you're right on this it doesn't help or teach you to fly however, if you were learning and using the 3 axis gyro then panicked you can flick it into gps to save you? It's like a cheap 3gx? What would your thoughts be? Also I thought the video was great at explaining the programing and everything! I hope flywing take onboard what you said

[@Rchelicopterfun]

This flight control system may work for rescue (clunky), but there are far better FBL units with proper rescue functions such as the Ikon, Bavarian Demon, Spirit, & Vbar. I talk about these FBL units in detail along with "rescue" mode on my Best FBL system on my website: www.rchelicopterfun.com/best-flybarless-system.html

[@kartal56]

Dear Sir This is Alp from Istanbul - Türkiye. I watched and excatly did your H1 setup video but I could not start the Align Trex 700.(I mean can not start motor and any thing else of Heli) I use orginal radio of Flywing FW450 . As you know this heli use same H1 system.What could be problem.Sorry for my English Best Regards

[@Studiopianoforte-2024]

hI, I have a T-rex600 Nitro. I have already bought a H1 autopilot too. I need to know before mounting H1, where to put the throttle servo...i mean if i have to put it into receiver or into the 'esc' of H1. Thanks a lot in advanced for helping me.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

No idea how you could make the H1 work with a nitro? Fixed throttle output with no control over idle or starting throttle position - can't see how it could possibly work never mind not trusting the H1 in a high vibration environment. Contact Fly Wing is all I can suggest.

[@nhsledfreak]

Hello Sir, I purchased the H1 for my Trex 470L. I'm a bit confused on supplying power to the unit. Can I not plug directly from my ESC into the unit? I will be using the Paladin PL18 which came with the receiver that they suggest using for this H1 setup. If you cannot connect it to the ESC I'm confused on how it gets power. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Oh my Trex 470L is using the stock ESC that came with the kit so I believe voltage is in the safe range.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

I cover powering connectivity in more detail in the H1 setup video I did: www.rchelicopterfun.com/rc-helicopter-tips.html Yes, you can certainly power it from the BEC in your ESC (that's how I have it powered in the video). Just make sure your ESC's BEC output voltage is within spec as to what the H1 needs to operate at (6.4 to 8.5V).