I was wanting to try out some auto rotations on my Raptor 50 and even attempted them this weekend.
Here is how i started out :
- Baby autos - With the heli hovering at 5 feet. I flicked the hold switch ! The heli stayed there for a brief moment and started descending. Added collective as it came down and it settled nicely. Was fun to note that the heli did not immidiately start descending when the hold switch was flicked.
I did this several times. Since i was aware of how boom strikes can happen when doing autos, i did not really attempt to do this higher up.
But, i did try to do this a couple of times :
With the heli in idleup mode, and the RPM locked by governor, I got the heli up to around 50 ft. then i reduced collective to nearly 0 and let the heli start falling down, At around 8 feet i started feeding in collective that got back to hover at around 5 feet nicely. I did this a few times to get a feel of how the heli looks/behaves when coming straight down.
I do want to practise more autos. But want to know :
1. if having a forward speed is a must ?
2. What are the ways to reduce the boom strike.
3. How much negative pitch should be given,
4. When at bottom and i get the engine back on, how to avoid it from doing piros( i have heard this happens ) , since the engine spools up quickly and the rudder is deflected at one end while coming down .
Thanks !
Gaurav