Because of that thing called work I couldn’t get back to the helicopter until yesterday (30^th) – remembering the pain I went through trying to rush things on day one, I took it very easy, bring the throttle up until the aircraft was just off the ground and then back down again and making final adjustments on the trim. Once I was satisfied it was time for stage two which is rather sparsely worded in the guide but the intent is to hover to a height of around 3 feet.

Well I tried and tried, bringing the throttle up to full but I could not achieve more than an inch off the ground; of course I am getting really frustrated at this point but, remembering my first lesson, determined not to do anything daft so I stopped, disconnected the battery and had a cup of tea. Then I tried again; I positioned the aircraft  on the ground and gradually pushed the throttle up towards maximum; given the earlier experience I expected to lift off the ground but not by much; I was so shocked when it shot into the air – up it jumped by about 7 feet which would have been OK if it hadn’t also moved about 5 feet sideways towards the conservatory roof. I was so surprised that I did what all the rules say not to do – I panicked and shut down the throttle; which had the effect of causing the aircraft to drop; straight into the conservatory guttering and then down onto the ground. – I’ll let you know how I get on the next time, once I replace the rotor arms.