Looking for answer

[Jim B]

I have two GPS heli a coast guard 220 size
And a AH 64 apache.. I wanted to know if I unplugged the GPS module.. can it still fly? And if someone could give me an answer that would be great..

[xviper]

I can't give you a definitive answer but using some of my larger (450 size) GPS helicopters as reference, I can tell you that until the GPS unit acquires enough satellites, it will fly but it will fly like any non-stabilized heli. In some cases, the heli won't even arm untill it acquires enough satellites. When I take off before it gets enough sats in those that will arm, it's almost like flying those flybar helis in days of old. It's like balancing a marble on a serving tray while running. It immediately vears off in any direction and is hard to control. I was lucky to get it back down without crashing.
A Google search of the question indicates that some helis will act like it's in ATTI mode and some helis will act like it's in "manual" mode while others won't even arm.

[Jim B]

Thank u x viper
For your information that helps.. I'll just leave it the way it is..
I would fly in the back yard. But I just stress cause of low battery return function I have the house and shop and a tree to avoid crashing in the low power return it has.. have no control of it when it does that.. but if I drive to baseball field it's great place to fly these Gps helicopter lots of area... Just sometimes I'd like to fly in back yard that all..
Again thank u for your time in replying back..

[xviper]

I think in a situation like your back yard, all you have to do is hover it around in a small area that is fairly clear, even if it means hovering in place, just so you can time it with a full battery to see how long your flight time is before it lands itself. If you hover in place, it should land more or less on the same spot you lifted off from. Once you know that, be a little conservative and reduce the time by about a minute or 2. Every time you fly it in your back yard, use the timer and land when time is up or just before. In this way, you should be able to confidently fly it around your trees, etc. and avoid the low voltage RTH. Your cellphone timer should be adequate for this. Just make sure you can hear it. Your transmitter may also have a timer you can set.

[Jim B]

Alright I'll time it... I guess it didn't cross my mind to do that..
Thank u again for your helpful tip...