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Getting airborne in the bo105

Helicopter flying is completely different from flying a fixed-wing aircraft and thus requires different skills.

Getting airborne in the bo105

Postby chriscalef » Fri Sep 05, 2014 7:36 am

So, I read what I could find for help, but I still pretty much have no clue as to how you get the bo105 off the ground.

I started the rotors, throttled all the way up, played with the "i" ignition button (although it didn't seem to be required, as the "}" key starts the rotors... ?), played with middle mouse button to increase general power although it didn't seem to respond on my system in a predictable way (I occasionally got a message telling me the new power setting, but at irregular intervals), and played with n/N for more engine power, with nothing resulting in enough engine torque to lift the machine into the air. Once or twice through joystick movements and/or throttling back to 50% (which seemed to increase the noise of the engine, not sure if this means more power or not) I actually got it airborne enough to throw itself into the ground, but clearly I need more help than the list of control keys. :-P
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Re: Getting airborne in the bo105

Postby VicMar » Fri Sep 05, 2014 7:46 am

Just to get you off the ground, treat the throttle as if it is working in reverse. The lower you take it (70% + down) the more lift you will get. After that follow the instructions you read in the wiki.

HTH

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Re: Getting airborne in the bo105

Postby Johan G » Fri Sep 05, 2014 9:22 am

Tip: Do not firewall the throttle. You will end up flipping. ;) Been there done that. Dozens of times.

Instead ease it up till the ground is more or less barely touching the left skid (or was it the right). Only use small control movements, even (to some extent) when countering unintended movement.
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Re: Getting airborne in the bo105

Postby Gijs » Fri Sep 05, 2014 10:21 am

In case you didn't find it already http://wiki.flightgear.org/Howto:Fly_a_helicopter is a great introduction to heli flying. The, at first unnatural, use of the throttle (collective) is also discussed there.
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Re: Getting airborne in the bo105

Postby someguy » Fri Sep 05, 2014 3:11 pm

If you're trying to fly a heli using only the keyboard, I'm afraid you're doomed to frustration. Some people can fly with keyboard and mouse, but you really need a joystick with a twist-rudder axis, or a stick plus a pedal set.

There are easier helicopters to learn on, BTW. The BO105 is among the least arcade-like, and thus the hardest to fly.
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Re: Getting airborne in the bo105

Postby chriscalef » Fri Sep 05, 2014 5:58 pm

Thanks everybody! And, wow. That's a pretty squirrely machine, lol. Did get it off the ground (with my Logitech Extreme 3D Pro, definitely would *not* try flying it via the keyboard, hehe). Flew around in the rain for a while and then almost thought I *might* have a chance of putting it back down safely, but... let's just say I'd advise against flying as my passenger for a while. :-)
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Re: Getting airborne in the bo105

Postby Johan G » Fri Sep 05, 2014 7:07 pm

That sounds more than just vaguely familiar. At least you have not fooled yourself into taking a screenshot in a low hover. :roll: My CH Products Combatstick is a bit large so I kind of have to stretch the thumb a bit to reach my screenshot button. Needless to say, that was a fatal mistake. Good thing it was only a virtual life... ;) :lol:
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Re: Getting airborne in the bo105

Postby Hooray » Fri Sep 05, 2014 8:50 pm

hint: once airborne, the standard autopilot/PID controllers work surprisingly well to control the whole thing in-air, despite not being optimized for helicopters, let alone the bo105 in particular. You can basically delegate part of the workload to the autopilot and focus on other things while still learning. You could probably even create your own set of PID controllers for different phases of flight and/or maneuvers/operations - e.g. hovering support should be straightforward to implement as either a PID controller or a Nasal control/feedback loop.
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Re: Getting airborne in the bo105

Postby chriscalef » Sat Sep 06, 2014 5:50 am

Hmm, conceivable but sounds a lot like cheating to me. ;-) Get back to you after a few more hours of practice time.
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