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Posted by Helen Krasner Jul 21, 2008 |
Learning to fly helicopters is difficult. In particular, hovering takes most people a long time to master. While almost anyone can do it, it requires co-ordination and practice..with the associated costs.
Want to save time and money when learning to fly? Then practice on radio-controlled helicopters! Yes, really.
An Example - Student who Flew Model Helicopters First.
Jim really wanted to learn to fly helicopters. But with a young family to support, he really couldn't afford it. then he won £1.5 million on the National Lottery (another story!). He decided to spend some of it fulfilling his dream of helicopter flying, and came to me for lessons. He mastered hovering on his first day, and within a few hours was ready to go solo, which normally takes over 20 hours in a Robinson R22 helicopter.
Jim wasn't unique. I had two or three more people who came for Trial Lessons, and in each case they could hover with all three controls after only a few minutes. This is extremely rare, in my experience as an instructor.
Flying Model Helicopters is Difficult
I've had a go at flying radio-controlled helicopters myself...and it's hard. I can manage it when I'm facing the same way as the helicopter. But once the helicopter turns round and faces me, and I have to use the controls 'backwards', I can't manage it. I have the greatest respect for those can.
Students have tried many ways of speeding up the learning process, particularly when it comes to hovering. A square board on top of a broomstick with a marble on top...I gather it works, but only a little. And there aren't that many helicopter simulators around, at least not at a price that an ordinary person can afford.
But flying model helicopters first most definitely helps, sometimes quite dramatically.