Pre-Flight

The helicopter has no power switch. To turn it on, you plug in the battery; to turn it off you unplug it. Before turning on the helicopter you should set the throttle to the lowest setting and transmitter throttle reversing switch is correctly set and then turn on the transmitter. Unlike many other RC models, you always turn on the transmitter before powering up the heli. You can power down in any sequence, but again it's safer to power off the heli first. Keep fingers, loose clothes and eyes well clear of rotate-able parts whenever you connect the battery to the speed control.

1. Center all the trims. Move the throttle stick to the lowest position. Plug the flight battery into the speed controller and let the Mini Heli sit for 5-7 seconds until the controller LED illuminates. Do not move the machine while the system is calibrating.

2. When the LED grow green, the electronics are active. Hold the throttle stick in the power off position and check the cyclic controls. Move the elevator stick back and forth and make sure that the swash-plate moves in the right direction. Move the aileron stick from side to side and confirm that the swash-plate is also operated in the right direction. Check the integrity of all controls and the correct operation of flybar paddles along with the main rotor blades.

3. Now, gently apply a tiny amount of throttle. The main rotor will begin to rotate first, then the tail rotor. Throttle down again and un-plug the flight battery.

4. Don't forget to fully charge your flight battery.

5. When you first set up the heli, you want to do it on a smooth surface that it can skid on, like a wooden or linoleum floor. You give it just enough power to get light on its skids, and then set the trim on the joysticks to keep it from going forward or back. It's okay if it goes to the left a little. Make sure the blades are aligned properly. The tension should be tight enough that the blades don't move easily, but loose enough that they can straighten themselves under power, and if they hit something they will rotate. Stand at least six feet away.

6. You want someplace with lots of room to give you time to make corrections, and a place to run if it comes too close. You don't want to launch from grass, because the tail can sink into the ground. You can take a cheap oil drip pan from the garage and put it upside-down on the grass. That gave a smooth surface to launch from, and if the heli crashes it will land in the soft grass or on the pan, which has some give to it and isn't rough like concrete or asphalt.