Headspeed?

[jolio55]

Just curious, as I am a newbie heli pilot. What is more stabile and easier to control, a faster headspeed or a slower one?

My heli flies like it is in ground effect even when it is four feet in the air, it randomly seems to climb and then drop even with no wind and with steady collective. Any ideas why it does that?

[Junkpilot]

what kind of heli are you flying? At four feet you should be departing ground effects unless you have an oversized heli. High headspeed by itself is more stable if it wern't for flybar paddles,As headspeed goes up so does paddle speed and therefore more power to deflect the rotor disc. The disc is more stable but your ability to disturb the stable disc is also more powerful.
All that being said you complain the heli is changing vertical position. That is not a stability issue but is caused by turbulent air changing the lift under the heli. Practice!
Junkpilot

[jolio55]

It's a E-sky belt cp, 450 size.

[Trex Pilot]

It's a E-sky belt cp, 450 size.
This is in RC Heli mag i hope this helps you

HEADSPEED, WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
DEC/JAN 2006 // Issue #2
Headspeed can make a huge difference in how well your helicopter flies or whether or not you'll be able to do the hot 3D maneuvers you want to perform. For the most part the higher the headspeed, the more responsive your helicopter will be. Collective, cyclic, and tail rotor control will all be more responsive. That's why most 3D pilots favor a higher headspeed. Those looking for a less responsive, more controllable helicopter should reduce headspeed. A lower headspeed will make the collective, cyclic, and tail rotor less responsive. This is good for beginners and those who want precise hovering. Higher Headspeed = More precise control Lower Headspeed = Easier to control

[broggyr]

Found this out on my HBK2 when fiddling with the 2 knobs on the radio - if I crank them both 100% clockwise, the required headspeed is much lower with the increased pitch of the blades. The cyclic is much less effective, making it a lot less twitchy, kind of like moving your control links on the servo horn to a middle hole instead of being on the end. If I go about 2 o'clock on both dials, the heli requires a much faster headspeed due to the lower amount of pitch on the blades. The heli responds so much faster to cyclic input, and this can be a bad thing when learning due to the tendency to overcorrect.

[Presto]

Hi guys,

I know that my post count and sign up date both say that I'm new, but I've been flying helis for a while. I just found this site today.

Anyway about the question above; a faster head speed can make a heli feel more stable (kind of like going faster on a bike) because of the gyro effect of the rotor disk. You do, however, have to make an adjustment in your imputs. Cyclics will respond much quicker with higer rpm. The heli will climb and roll quicker, giving the impression of instability. In a hover, however, it will be much more stable. One thing that I have noticed is that most people who are learning to fly are intimidated by the increased head speed, and will wrongly percieve that the heli is uncontrollable. The motor screams and the blades start really making noise on mini and micro helis at around 2200 rpm. That causes some problems for some people. The way to really stabilize a heli is to add more flybar weight. A combination of higher headspeed and flybar weights can be the best solution as well. You will just have to experiment and see what you are comfortable with. I hope this helps.

Presto

[jolio55]

Yeah another thing I have noticed while flying today on my lunch break, is that a very small amount of collective imput makes my heli dive or climb (respectively) way much more than I intended... Anyone know why that is?

[wingmanrc39]

I noticed when I took my HBKII headspeed up the bird held rock solid. This also worked on my 450 and 500 size heli. I would tell you the bigger the heli the less headspeed matters 30 - 50 size fly well at 2200- 2500 RPM the 60 and up fly well on 2000- 2200 Of course this all depends on if your flying sick 3D or not.

I have been getting my nitro's up and noticing that the headspeed is not as high as the Electrics but it is 10 more stable.


BEST OF LUCK TO YA, Steve

[nybbler]

How does everyone measure headspeed? I've seen the tachometers which you look through and fiddle with, which seem like a crash waiting to happen unless someone else flies the heli. Is there a better way of getting the head speed in real time?

[Trex Pilot]

How does everyone measure headspeed? I've seen the tachometers which you look through and fiddle with, which seem like a crash waiting to happen unless someone else flies the heli. Is there a better way of getting the head speed in real time?
this will help you out
http://www.readyheli.com/Online_Headspeed_Calculator_s/81.htm and you could buy a tach

[nexgen]

...How does everyone measure headspeed? ...


I touch the blades with my arm for 1 minute when it is spinning, and then power down the heli, and count how many cuts are on my arm, and divide by 60. LOL J/K

I just use a headspeed calculator for now, dont own a tach yet.

[Trex Pilot]

...How does everyone measure headspeed? ...


I touch the blades with my arm for 1 minute when it is spinning, and then power down the heli, and count how many cuts are on my arm, and divide by 60. LOL J/K
LMFAO :) Dude that was great goto the readyheli web site above ^^^^ and scroll down then click on headspeed calulater.

[Dash C]

2200? not 22000?

2200 seems slow. maybe someone else added an extra zero.

so you don't need crazy headspeed to maintain steady flight..
if you had a heavy chopper would you need to compensate for that with headspeed then?

[nexgen]

yes, you'd want to compensate a bit. I couldnt even imagine what 22,000 rpm would do to the head of an average 450 sized heli.

[Dash C]

lol.. make it fly in many directions probably..
at least if 2200 is ideal. sheesh.
turbo power. imagine the response you'd get from that heli!

[JustinMoore12]

(volts x Kv)/(Main gear teeth/ Pinion tooth count)
Is a rough estimate, then subtract about 200 for load.
Eagletree's rpm sensor is the way to go. Either that or a CC esc with the new firmware that allows you to set a governed headspeed.