Hi everyone -

I have been trying to get pretty serious about 3D flying of helis.  Obviously, it involves mastering the various "pattern movements" (like hurricane, funnel, piro-flips etc), but beyond these, it also involves blending these moves  in smooth transitions.

To get good with the basic movements, the "Heli Training" part of the most new simulators would be enough to start.  I got a great deal of help from RealFlight G3.x, and Phoenix, lately

For someone eager to do serious 3D, it is of great use to see how the pros do it (yep, people like Alan Szabo Jr, Curtis Youngblood et al.).  So I went on a hunt online, and found a bunch of video resources showing actual stick movement and the corresponding heli movements, all done by some of the best flyers in the world     All these are for mode 2 flyers, so they won't be of much help to the mode 1 flyers.

So, here goes the list (which I will be updating as I come across more and more of these).


Jason Bell - Trex 600 Nitro




Daniel Jetschin - Logo 600




Jason Bell - Trex 450   




Bobby Watts




See,  it is not that difficult to fly like them 

Hi Anwar,

I also heard that very advanced fliers do not look at the heli in itself to fly but rather look at the disc that the blades make to fly 3D maneuvers.. dont know how that would be though!! Yet to have my first taste of a heli!!

- Chan

What I always felt is that the "tail" of the heli has to be a big part of the equation. 

I have seen one heli master ("Curtis Youngblood") explaining his technique as "I try to visualize how the swash plate would move with respect to the plane (disc) of the blades, and use that to determine the input applied".  Such a rule applies regardless of the present orientation of the heli.

I guess the main aspect is practice and more practice, until you only have to think about what you want done, and the fingers make it happen automagically 

And for a beginner in 3D, the biggest realization that needs to happen is to understand that there is enough time to do something about it, even if the heli is only at 3 feet and still going down.

Quote from: anwar on October 20, 2009, 08:04:21 AM
I have seen one heli master ("Curtis Youngblood") explaining his technique as "I try to visualize how the swash plate would move with respect to the plane (disc) of the blades, and use that to determine the input applied".  Such a rule applies regardless of the present orientation of the heli.

That didn't quite make sense to me. Elaborate please.

Quote from: anwar on October 20, 2009, 08:04:21 AM
And for a beginner in 3D, the biggest realization that needs to happen is to understand that there is enough time to do something about it, even if the heli is only at 3 feet and still going down.

There is one thing to watch out for - engine bogging. In an emergency situation excessive loading can bring down the RPM and make the heli sluggish. It may reach the ground before the evasive maneuver is completed. A faster heli helps a lot in this case. I have also found that this aspect improves a lot with practice.

Quote from: RotorZone on October 20, 2009, 11:07:37 AM
That didn't quite make sense to me. Elaborate please.

I knew I had not explained that very well    I had read it a year ago or so, and was having trouble finding it again on the web.

But I did find it : http://www.curtisyoungblood.com/faqs/search.php?id=934     See the answer to [2].

Quote from: RotorZone on October 20, 2009, 11:07:37 AM
There is one thing to watch out for - engine bogging. In an emergency situation excessive loading can bring down the RPM and make the heli sluggish. It may reach the ground before the evasive maneuver is completed. A faster heli helps a lot in this case. I have also found that this aspect improves a lot with practice.

The biggest lesson in becoming a master 3D flyer seems to be controlling of pitch.  Even though most 3D master flyers setup their helis to -13 ro +13 pitch range, they hardly ever hit and stay in those extreme ranges. When they use the extremes, it is for extremely short durations, like to make sudden stops.  It is commonly referred to as "pitch pumping", and is clearly visible in these videos.  If one take  the sticks and pitch to the extremes and keep it there, the engine will get bogged down.

In fact, one would feel surprised bow how little pitch in either direction is needed to keep the heli from climbing or falling. 

So if one is going down, there needs to be a "pitch pump" to stop the motion, and another less than extreme pitch application in the appropriate direction (along with aileron/elevator/rudder etc) to move higher.  Most importantly, it seems to takes the nerves and/or reflexes to do all these !

One more stick cam heli 3D video, this time from a 7 year old "master" ! And his dad is calling out the names of the maneuvers, which helps.

One more :

awesome!!!

Some great 3D training stuff in here :

http://www.smacktalkrc.com/archives/category/learning-3d

A lot of useful videos here :

http://www.smacktalkrc.com  (See the "Download Center" menu).

3D as far as rotor RPM is concerned anybody wanting to learn 3D a major factor to take into consideration is to get either a ESC or ppl using FBL Gyro to get ones having governor function once you set your RPM the governor handles the rest to maintain head speed  ....use ESC like Castle creation ,YGE ESC or clone YEP from Hobby king ,kontronicks etc head speed governing plays a vital role while performing 3D .....what people dont realize is that how can a motor bog if only a fraction amount of pitch and ail elev travel is used when performing 3D ....all 3D maneuvers require both pitch and cyclic input ....so if u have +12-12 as pitch and 8 degree on cyclic even if you use only 8 degree pitch and 6 degree cyclic you are still using 14 degree pitch in total so that is where the RPM governing comes into play . as far as performing maneuvers your helicopter has to be very agile having a stable heli will make it very difficult to perform 3D ....people using mechanical stabilization like fly bar can achieve this buy increasing pitch and cyclic for example this was my set up on flybared 450 pro  RPM 3200 Pitch +- 13 Cyclic 9 degrees ....people having FBL helis can change agility setting digitally without increasing pitch and cyclic ...dont be afraid to run high RPMS though there are limits to that too ...remember the helicopter rotor disk is like a gyroscope the faster it turns the more stable the helicopter gets so with such a set up u can get stability and agility both and both can be used as and when required cause all 3D maneuvers dont require only agility they require stability too so hight rpm provides that ..yes and you do need very good fast servos and good gyro HTX900 and HK401b wont do any good they are only good for sport flying thats it later you will find your thumbs moving faster and the servos lagging behind ..a very honest advice though people know and follow it but its application while flying a helicopter is crucial keep a free open and relaxed mind while doing 3D practice high so there is time to bail out if anything goes wrong ,when you get good fly low and let it flow  please learning the basics in heli flying it is very important specially nose in hover dont jump direct to 3d without learning all the basics as they play a vital role while performing 3D ..
HELI BASICS
1. Tail In Hover
2. Right side hover
3. left side hover
4.forward then stop then backward then stop(tail in)
5.stall turn
6.circle
7.figure 8
8.nose in hover (most important ) perform last

HELI INTERMEDIATE  (sport)
1. ELEVATOR loop
2.AILERON Roll
3.BACKWARD LOOP
4.FLIPS
5.FIRST INVERT 
6.InVERTED ALL ORIENTATION (NOSE IN,TAIL IN,RIGHT SIDE ,LEFT SIDE
7.Backward upright circuit
8.figure 8

HELI  ADVANCE
1. RAINBOW
2.ELEVATOR TICKTOCK
3.AILERON TICK TOCK
4.INVERTED FORWARD FLIGHT (circle)
5.INVRTED BACKWARD FLIGHT (circle )
6.FUNNEL
7.Hurricane
8.BIG BEN
9. Piro flip
A lot more maneuvers to learn one by one

HELI MANIAC
JUST combine all maneuvers with good transitions and advance maneuvers like mirror ,travelling piro flips ,piro cirles etc
yes and the main thing while doing 3D is the tail  ...so keep calm and tare up the skies

AND GUYS YOU KNOW WHAT IS THE BEST THING BOUT 3D YOU DONT NEED TO FOLLOW OR DO MANEUVERS OTHERS DO U CAN JUST MAKE YOUR OWN MANEUVER AND HAVE FUN
P.S AS LONG AS YOU CONTROL IT 
DONT FORGET TO PRACTICE ON SIM BEFORE PERFORMING IN REALITY 
IF U NEED HELP IN SETUP FEEL FREE TO PM 
SOMETHING TO KEEP THE EXCITEMENT GOING

  Good effort dears! Hope I could use this some day soon 

Hi Shannon,

Nice write up ..please add backward upright flying circuit's, figure 8 under intermidiate flying.

One more important thing is gain your inspiration by watching people  performing 3D
SO DROOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ApL74Tu3_A

alan sazbo

slow  stick movements

so who all reached how far in 3d   ......how far have all of you reached   

Much Improved in 3D in these last few months .But a small break till April due to exams . Still gaining confidence in Inverted Forward and Backward Flying.

chicken 

hahahahha

anyway jokes apart ...guys its high time everybody ups the game n starts with 3d it is fun it is challenging n yes it takes dedication but the thrill is really awesome if u guys need help in anything feel free to ask .....people performing 3d are very few ,in the 3d sector we are not on the map ........ so lets get there

Agreed with you . I was always a Scale Lover but the moment I Performed a Flip , I left my love of scale flying behind .
I still like scale flying but 10% only .

And don't be afraid of crashing hahaha . Here's one of my learning Flip crash .
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF4tEhEhkxM&guid=&hl=en&gl=IN&client=mv-google&persist_app=1&app=desktop&guid=

Don't ask how I crashed .

a hot babe passed by n he was checking her out instead of looking at the heli hahahaha rofl i will never forget this one 

Moral of the story : Concentrate when you Fly and Fly Alone LOL

Lol he was trying to impress her but uh we and she would never forget this one. Lo kar lo baat beta helicopter ko ulta udaane chala tha...

Rofl.... OK now seriously how far have u come Avesh