Flying a co-axial RC helicopter is as easy as RC heli's get.
But people who have not flown RC must overcome a few predictable hurdles on the road to easy flying. The first challenge is to manage power smoothly while co-ordinating both control sticks to maintain a steady position of the helicopter. The tail should point directly at the pilot.
The first few take-offs and landings may seem tricky because you must pay attention to several unfamiliar chores. The left stick claims your attention as you move it upward to start the rotors turning. As rotor speed increases the helicopter gets light on the skids and moves around. If the tail starts to swing left or the right the left stick must move left or right to bring the tail back into line.
If the heli starts to move away from you, pull the right stick towards you to stop it or bring it back. Whoops! There goes the tail again as motor speed increases. Move the left stick sideways to rotate the helicopter ... but don't let the speed fall off! A little more right stick to keep it from skittering away.
The fastest way to a stable hover is to use enough power to raise the helicopter two or three feet above the floor. Below this height air stirred up by the rotors causes the heli to wander. To fly smoothly just raise the left stick high enough to get the helicopter up out of its own rotor wash.
When the left stick is raised enough that the heli takes to the air the next challenge is to maintain the desired height while using both sticks to keep it in a steady, tail-in hover. As attention is given to the throttle the heli will drift. When the pilot corrects the drift the heli usually goes down or up.
Before long before the helicopter will get close to furniture or a wall—at which point new pilots are apt to panic, slam the left stick down, and watch the heli head for the floor in an uncontrolled descent. Or the left stick will be raised unconsciously causing the heli to head for the ceiling and perhaps hit it. Again, if the first-timer slams the left stick down the heli will drop like a stone.
So what is the best way to begin? Take small steps. Pre-visualize what you are going to do before you do anything. Spin the helicopter up on the floor to see the relationhship between moving the left stick and motor speed. A short take-off and landing is next. Actual time in the air should be brief: five seconds, give or take a few. This is a low-risk way to get the feel of the power, controls, and handling characteristics. Pretty soon you will get a feel for flying your co-axial heli.
The video clips on the following pages show you how to fly each step. Have fun!