20.6. Banked backwards turns

20.6. Banked backwards turns
	Chapter 20. Forward and Backward Flight

Banked backwards turns are tricky because the cyclic does not follow the rudder...it is the opposite of the rudder. This requires a bit of explanation.

For forwards flight, a left turn consists of left rudder with LEFT cyclic, because the left side of the helicopter faces the inside of the loop.

For backwards flight, a left turn consists of left rudder with RIGHT cyclic, because the right side of the helicopter faces the inside of the loop.

There are two turns in two orientations, which results in four backward turns:

Right turn where heli is tail-in relative to you (e.g. heli is traveling from your left to your right, then makes a right turn towards you)
Left turn where heli is tail-in relative to you (e.g. heli is traveling from your right to your left, then makes a left turn towards you)
Right turn where heli is nose-in relative to you (e.g. heli is traveling from your right to your left, then makes a right turn away from you)
Left turn where heli is nose-in relative to you (e.g. heli is traveling from your left to your right, then makes a left turn away from you)

The potential for crashing is pretty high, so I highly recommend practicing these in a simulator before trying them on your heli. I recommend learning the tail-in turns before the nose-in turns because the tail-in turns are easier.

When performing backwards turns, there are three things you need to watch simultaneously:

The bank of the helicopter. If the helicopter banks too much then it will lose lift and slide into the ground.
The angle of the tail. If the tail sinks too low then your heli will dive into the ground.
The yaw rate. If you yaw too much, you will wind up merely performing pirouettes, and if you yaw too little the turn will look sloppy.


20.5. Backwards flight		Chapter 21. Backwards Exercises