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Walkera Dragonfly 4 training tips

Having bought your Walkera Dragonfly 4 electric rc helicopter, and having successfully set it up, it's time to test your nerves and start enjoying it!
However, the thing to understand is that you won't be getting airborne straight away. The first few times you operate your Dragonfly 4 should be at ground level, and here's why....

Electric rc helicopters such as the DF4 are not toys! They may not be on the same level as larger 6-channel CP helis, but they are not that different when it comes to fundamental controls.

Spinning rotor blades can do a lot of damage to walls, furniture, dogs, cats, people etc., and even small 4-channel Fixed Pitch rc helicopters have a relatively steep learning curve.

So, because of this, learning how your heli responds to your stick movements on the ground is your primary objective.

Your flying area

If you haven't already read this section then please do, and return here.
To recap, you need to choose your flying area well and ideally it needs to have a smooth and slippy (ie non-carpeted) floor. Padding around the walls helps, and the area obviously needs to be clear of any furniture, clutter, pets etc.

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Incidentally, this page assumes that you really have gone through the setting up/switching on page, that you've fitted your training skids and that you are completely ready to start learning how to control your heli.
If you haven't followed the guidelines then you're not really ready - so please don't try anything until you are!

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OK, everything set? The first point to remember is that all your early maneuvers are going to be done 'tail in' - with the helicopter directly in front of you and the nose pointing away from you. This way, left is left and right is right.
The photo shows how you should be seeing your helicopter just before you start.

You're going to power up your Dragonfly 4 just enough to take the weight off, so that the heli skates freely over the floor on the training skids.
The way to do this is to increase the motor speed slowly. There will be a 'kick' as the main blades gather speed and straighten themselves (this is why you didn't tighten them fully in the blade holder), but they only do this once and it happens in a second.

Gently keep feeding in the power until the heli starts to move around - once it is moving don't increase power; keep the tx stick at that point and be ready to close the power completely if the heli starts shooting towards a wall, or your feet!
If it looks like the heli is going to get airborne, reduce power slightly.

While you're adjusting this power, play with it a little at the same time. This will get you used to the approximate power required for take off. After a few minutes, you should be able to get a 'feeling' of how much power your little Dragonfly 4 needs to get the weight off the skids, and how much you need to increase/decrease this power to keep it at that level of control.

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Incidentally, never watch your fingers on the sticks - this is so important! Take a quick glimpse if you're curious, but watch the helicopter all the time, not your thumbs!

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OK, so you're getting used to the amount of power needed to get your Dragonfly 4 off its skids, but you also need to control the directional movement at the same time.
You'll see straight away that as soon as you power up the heli, it starts to spin in the opposite direction to the blades. This is where you need to learn yaw control, to act against the natural torque force that's causing the helicopter to spin.

Yaw is on the same stick as the throttle (for tx Modes 1 & 2) and is controlled by tail rotor speed.
The amount of yaw control needed is directly influenced by the main rotor speed - more speed generates more torque, so more thrust is needed from the tail rotor to balance this torque.

So with the heli just lifting off the skids, have a play around with the yaw and get used to how it responds. You'll soon notice that you don't need much input on the stick to get the heli spinning round one way or the other. You only need to do this a few times, and you'll quickly get the hang of balancing the yaw with the power to keep the helicopter heading straight.

Once you've mastered the basic use of power and yaw, the cyclic is the remaining control to try out.
This is the forward/aft and left/right movement of the helicopter and is completely controlled by the other stick of the tx.

Again, get the helicopter riding on its skids and keep the yaw under control so that the nose keeps pointing dead ahead, and away from you.
Gently play around with the cyclic stick and get the helicopter moving sideways and forwards/backwards a little. Don't go mad - you just want to do the same as you did with the power and yaw, get the basic feel of how moving the stick effects the model.

The following video shows you how your heli should be skating around the ground, for these first important steps...
[Click once anywhere within the screen, then click Play. Expect a small amount of download time, then click Play until it starts.]

Launch video in external player Buy a Walkera Dragonfly 4

This power/yaw/cyclic control at floor level is all you need to concentrate on for now - get used to how your Dragonfly 4 handles on the ground before you move onto the next step....

Getting airborne

This is what it's all about!
Skating your helicopter around on its skids should have got you used to how the heli responds to your stick movements, and you should also have a good idea of how much you need to move the sticks to get the required amount of movement from the heli.

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Incidentally, you may or may not have had practice on a rc flight simulator. If you have, then you'll have a good idea of what to expect.
For the purpose of this page, I'm assuming that you haven't put in any practice on your pc.

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With the training skids still attached and the helicopter in the controlled position that you're now used to (ie directly in front of you, pointing away from you and the weight just off the skids), increase power and the heli will begin to lift off the ground.
The rate at which you increase power is quite critical - too slow and the helicopter will move around too much, too fast and it'll be hitting the ceiling before you know what's happened!

As it rises, it will drift and wander all over the place. This is what helicopters do! The chances are that it will drift across to the left, and this is normal for a helicopter such as the Walkera Dragonfly 4.
This is because of the sideways thrust being generated by the tail rotor. Even though this thrust is intended to only control the yaw, it is more than enough to push the helicopter completely sideways.

Don't panic!...

Once airborne, the helicopter will do what it wants to do, not what you want it to do! As it starts to swing from side to side, and yaw left and right, it's your job to control those movements - and this takes time!

Until you start to get the feel of it, you will over-correct the movements. RC helicopters are very sensitive and even small amounts of movement on the tx sticks can send the heli shooting off way more than you'd hoped.
As it shoots sideways, your natural reaction will be to apply opposite cyclic to stop it. And so it starts, the 'pendulum effect' - first one way, then the other.... Don't panic, it's all part of the learning curve!

The following video shows what to expect from your first airborne hops...
[Click once anywhere within the screen, then click Play. Expect a small amount of download time, then click Play until it starts.]

Launch video in external player Buy a Walkera Dragonfly 4

A word about trimming

Trimming an aircraft is 'fine tuning' the controls so that it is as stable as possible with as little input from you as possible.

The small trim levers on each side of the main tx sticks are for this purpose, and they can be very sensitive - just one click can make a difference to the model in flight.

When you're learning, don't attempt to trim the helicopter when airborne - you won't succeed because you'll lose concentration. The distraction of trying to move the trim levers while trying to control the helicopter while trying to see if the trim levers are having any effect will be all too much!

If the helicopter is flying off in one particular direction (more so than you can control it) sit it back down on the ground and move the appropriate trim a couple of clicks.
Take off again and see if it made a difference. If not, or if it did too much, bring the heli back down and have another go.
[One word of warning - don't touch the power trim, leave it fully down].

Of course, when you're experienced enough you will be able to trim in-flight without problem, but until then, play it safe!

Don't run before you can crawl

It's normal for people to want to 'jump in at the deep end' when it comes to learning curves. Trying to do something beyond our capabilities is all part of human nature - we all want to run before we can crawl.
RC helicopters are no different, and you'll be keen to open the throttle and start eating up some serious airspace!

Before you can do this, you need to learn to hover, and hover well.

It doesn't take long if you put in the practice - with a well set-up FP electric rc helicopter like the Walkera Dragonfly 4, a few hours steady practice will see this goal achieved (that's airtime, not 'sitting there looking at it' time).

Learning to hover is crucial to happy heli flying, but it's also one of the hardest lessons to master. This is because all the controls - power, yaw and cyclic - need to be worked together, all in perfect harmony.
What you do with one control drastically effects another control, and during hovering there needs to be a continuous flow of minute corrections and adjustments by your fingers on the sticks!

But with practice, you will be able to hover your helicopter adequately enough, as in the following video...
[Click once anywhere within the screen, then click Play. Expect a small amount of download time, then click Play until it starts.]

Launch video in external player Buy a Walkera Dragonfly 4

Hovering practice - some tips...

Below are a few tips to help you hover your Dragonfly 4 (or similar 4-channel electric FP helicopter) better...

• Keep the training skids on until your are confident.
  
  
• Keep the heli 'tail in' ie in front of you, pointing away from you.
  
  
• Keep a safe distance; 6-8 ft. is a good distance to keep. If the heli suddenly shoots backwards, you don't want to be too close to those blades.
  
  
• Escape the Ground Effect* (GE). Try and keep the helicopter a couple of feet or so off the ground, but keep it below face-level.
  
  
• If you panic, don't kill the throttle completely but reduce it quickly enough to make the heli descend. If you can think quick enough, increase it slightly as it approaches the deck. Cutting the motor completely lets gravity take over too quickly, and broken landing gear is almost certain.
  
  
• Keep the stick movements small and smooth. Over-correction is the biggest cause of accidents when learning to fly rc aircraft.
  
  
• Set yourself goals to improve the accuracy of your hovering.**

*Ground Effect (GE) is an important issue. Spinning rotor blades create serious downwash and if the helicopter is close to the ground this downwash can't get cleared away. It hits the ground and bounces back up, making the heli a lot harder to control as it tries to fight this highly unstable and fast-moving air.

**Setting goals is the best way to learn quickly, but you must not set unrealistic goals that you can't reach quickly. If you do, you'll soon become very disillusioned with the whole learning process, and you'll be putting your helicopter on ebay.
A sensible hovering goal example is to mark out a circle or square on the floor. Make it, say, 6 feet across and learn to hover the helicopter without going outside the marked area.
When you can, reduce the shape to 4 feet across and practice until you can hover within that one.
When you can hold the heli within the 4ft shape, reduce the shape again to one or two feet across - you get the idea.
These shapes can be used for landing practice too, obviously.

Practice, practice, practice

Learning to fly an rc helicopter is a time-consuming process and one that will test your patience! But these early 'hops' are steps that every rc heli pilot has to take, and you must persevere.
At first it will seem as though you'll never have control, but after a few hours practice you'll be able to sustain a controlled hover in a small amount of airspace.

Follow these guidelines and keep practicing - it won't be long before you're hovering well without even thinking about it. Your thumbs will be working on their own, making minute corrections to keep the heli in place.

By this time you'll also notice that you're taking off in a very controlled way - you'll be getting the helicopter under control as it leaves the ground, again without even thinking about it - it quickly becomes second nature.

Once you've got to this stage, you're ready to begin learning to fly the helicopter properly and in mixed orientations.

Then the fun really begins...

Related pages

The Dragonfly 4 - what you get and what to do with it all.

Spares & repairs - useful tips for the Dragonfly 4.

Rotor blade balancing - a crude but effective way if you don't have a balancing tool.

Rotor blade tracking - how to get the blades tracking correctly.

Flybar balance and paddle pitch - more ways to stop vibration.

Main frame replacement - guidelines for the worst job of them all!

DF4 battery upgrade - upgrading to a lipo pack

Index - to all Walkera Dragonfly 4 related pages.