Training gear

From RC Helicopter Wiki

A device attached to the landing gear of a model helicopter to help learn the controls without crashing the model.

A typical training gear consists of two crossed rods, about a rotor diameter long, with balls on the ends of the rods. The better training gears have the rods angled down from the connecting point, to allow the helicopter to transition into a low ground effect hover before the training gear leaves the ground.

The purpose of the training gear is threefold:

• The balls allow the helicopter to slide in all directions quite freely, thus allowing the trainee to build up their cyclic and tail control instincts, and also helps prevent the helicopter from catching on the ground and rolling over;
• The larger base allows landings to be performed at more extreme angles without the main rotor contacting the ground;
• Finally, raising the helicopter away from the ground helps cushion heavy landings.

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Training gear on an Esky Belt CP