Performance in the wind

[Barf]

Hi all.

It has been pretty windy lately but I have been flying the eco 8 anyway. It has been flying well hovering or flying into the wind.

The problem happened yesterday when I started flying I usually had poor for/aft cyclic response. Unfortunately I started flying down wind and had very little for/aft control causing a landing with a boom strike.

Any ideas why it flys so much better in heavy winds. Rotor head speed?

Regards,
Steven.

[giheli]

If by heavy wind you mean to say "into the wind" as opposed to downwind.
The improvement in control you are expeiencing into the wind is in part due to the rotating blade acting like a wing or rudder in forward flight-just as a gyro copter. Flying down wind drops the pressure bias on the sides of the control surfaces created by this wing effect. The end result is loss of control or at least a reduction in control. Sail plane pilots (myself) constantantly battle this effect. In a powered conventional aircraft you just power through and fly your original airspeed plus the windspeed -pressures on surfaces remains relatively the same. I am sure there are other factors you might research also. To battle this you would benefit in higher rotor speed / available power, but this is where the electric helis probably fall short.

Cheers


[This message has been edited by giheli (edited 10-03-2000).]

[Sture Smidt]

The wind has no effect on control whatsoever. When flying your intertia system is relative (fixed) to the moving air. As long as the wind is not turbulent there is no problem to fly. Turbulence is another matter, however.

In the transition between ground movement and flying (take-off and landing) the inertia system is changing reference from ground fixed to air fixed and that may cause trouble.



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Sture Smidt
RC Pilot
Norway