"Danger Will Robinson Danger!!""

[FlyingBlender]

Hi all,

Before I bought my Esky Lama V3, I had visions of flying around the
living room, landing on the stereo cabinet. Flying into the kitchen and
landing on the kitchen table. Back into the livingroom and landing
on a three legged stool.

But now I realize that something as simple as a stool is a very
precarious thing to land on and take off from.
Is it just me or do other have similar experience.
Of course higher objects like the kitchen table have the chance of hitting
the ceiling or maybe the light or something.

But the stool is a bit intimidating.
Theres something happening with the downdraft when you take off from
an object like the table in the kitchen.
Once you leave the surface of the table the heli drops a bit.

I think the intimidating part of the stool is that the heli doesn't just
fly towards it straight and level. It tends to bob up and down running the risk of
hitting the side of the stool.

Understand I am not saying there is anything wrong with the heli.
I just think it's has something to do with the particular dynamic of
helicopter design.

Bottom line, what I am trying to say is: Is anybody else intimidated
by something as seeming simple as landing on a stool.

Thanks
Robert 8)

[eddiemoth]

I can never land on anything as small a stool. It is very hard to land or to keep the heli that small precisely stable when flying around furniture. Crowded furniture can cause turbulence and even small turbulence can affect the helicopter stability because it is so light. So, I am sure you are not alone.

[swatson144]

Coming off the elevated platform, table etc. you suddenly loose ground effect and the heli will settle with out additional power. If it settles into it's own downdraft you get a casualty known as "settling with power" http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/aero/settling.html. So it is best to be climbing when you leave the plateau. On landing on a stool it is the same principle. Elevated platform so you need to be in hover at least 1 rotor span above (perhaps 2 spans for a coax?) then settle down to it. If you get off center the bubble of air you are on will tear off to the side making the heli go that way. Another way is to come in at the right altitude and speed so the increased lift of the front of the rotor disk (when it is suddenly in GE) will start the flair which stops the forward flight and good throttle control from there and you should stay on the stool. (don't know that'll work on a coax).

Without collective pitch it's pretty dang hard to get it planted without sliding off.

Steve