MegaTech R/C Real World Helicopter Series Manuale Utente Scaricare il pdf (Pagina 54)

FMA DIRECT CD-PILOT

by Rick Bell

I was anxious to test the FMA Co-Pilot in a helicopter, so I used my JR Ergo

Sport 60. The unit's manual recommends that a hole be drilled into the chassis

for the calibration button, but instead, I mounted the button on the front of the

servo tray and secured the control box on the top of the gyro. I attached the

sensor unit to the top of the tail boom and oriented its pickups at a 45-degree

angle to the heli's centerline. I then routed the ribbon cable forward to the con-

trol box and secured it so that it wouldn't become entangled with the pushrods,

bellcranks and other airframe parts. The installation took only a few minutes.

Following the instructions, I plugged the unit into the receiver and then con-

nected the roll and elevator servos to the unit. There are four dipswitches on the

control box, and these must be set in the correct sequence for the unit to give

the correct control inputs.

Calibrating the unit took some effort; I couldn't get it

to function properly the first time I tried to calibrate it.

When I tilted the heli to the right, the Co-Pilot gave a right

roll command, and that was the wrong direction. And

when I switched the unit on or off with the auxiliary chan-

1: mounting the sen-

sor on a helicopter Is

a little different from

mounting ft on an air-

plane; the sensor

must be rotated 45

degrees, and it must

be set horizontally. I

used double-stick

tape and a zip-tie to

secure the sensor to

the tall boom, Instead

of the recommended

hook-and-loop-fastener. 2:1 mounted the control unit onto the top of the gyro and attached the calibration but-

ton to the front of the servo tray. These proved to be good locations for both Items. 3: neatness counts! All wires

are neatly tucked out of the way so they don't interfere with any part of the airframe, and I used zlp-tles to secure

the ribbon cable to the chassis. Installing the Co-Pilot In a helicopter takes only a few minutes.

nel, the trim settings changed considerably.

It was easy to fix the trim changes; during calibration, I tilted the heli to com-

pensate for the changes. The control input problem was also easily solved by

adjusting the positions of the dipswitches. Once I figured out

the sequence, the Co-pilot worked correctly and made the

appropriate inputs.

TEST FLIGHT

After I calibrated the unit, I set the sensitivity at about 50

percent and started the helicopter. I switched off the Co-

Pilot and trimmed the heli for a hands-off hover. For safety,

I climbed to about 25 feet and then hit the switch to turn on

the Co-Pilot. The heli continued to hover and didn't move at

all. To confirm that the unit was working, I gave a right roll

command and released the stick; the heli promptly returned

to a stable hover. With more confidence, I then gave a for-

ward cyclic command, but much more aggressively. The

result was the same-the heli immediately returned to a

level hover. Very neat indeed!

The heli was also very stable in forward flight. I could feel

the Co-Pilot attempt to counter my

control inputs; this was unnerving at

first, but I soon became accustomed

to it. The neat part about forward

flight was that when I let go of the

sticks, the heli quickly stopped and

returned to a hover.

The FMA Co-Pilot is a great tool

to help beginners learn how to hover

and get into forward flight with little

risk to the heli. The possibilities are

almost endless. Learning tail-in or

nose-in hovering, performing aero-

batics or stabilizing a helicopter

camera platform are all easy when

the helicopter returns to a stable

upright hover simply by letting go of

the sticks! Give the Co-Pilot a try;

you'll be pleasantly surprised.

condition was much calmer, and the sun

was out. I recalibrated the unit and

launched the model as before. On the first

day, the IR rating was three; on the sec-

ond day, it was five. Again, the model flew

beautifully with very little input from me.

What a cool experience!

I am completely happy with the Co-

Pilot's performance. If you fly your model

in normal (mildly windy) conditions, it

will easily fly all by itself. Used in con-

junction with an instructor, this unit will

greatly shorten the learning curve for any

beginning pilot. For $119.95, the Co-Pilot

is a great learning aid for the student

pilot. As he becomes more accustomed to

the model's stability, the unit's sensitivity

can be gradually decreased until the stu-

dent can fly completely unassisted. For

experienced pilots, the unit can be used to

enhance the stability of faster models,

especially in gusty conditions. It helps

smooth out final approaches, and that

improves landings. Install the FMA Co-

Pilot in your next model and give auto-

pilot flight a try. You'll love it! ±

JR; distributed by Horizon Hobby Inc.

FMA Direct, 9607 Dr. Perry Rd., Unit 109,

Ijumsville, MD 21754; (800) 343-2934;

fax (301) 831-8987; www.fnuidirect.com.

Hangar 9; distributed by Horizon Hobby Inc.

Horizon Hobby Inc., 4105 Ficldstone Rd.,

Champaign, II. 61822; (800) 338-4639;

www.horiy.onhobby.coin.

Multiplex USA, 560 Library St., San Fernando, CA

91340; (800) 375-1312; fax (818) 838-3127;

www.inultiplexrc.com.

78 MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS

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MegaTech R/C Real World Helicopter Series Manuale Utente Pagina 54

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