Keygrip,
Getting to grips with the controls of a light helicopter at first is much like trying to improve your golf swing, in that filling your mind up with too many facts can be detremental.
However having some of the basics in the back of your mind is advisable.
Small, smooth cyclic inputs are key as the rotor disc is very responsive. Beware of Pilot Induced Oscillations (PIO) due to the time lag between control input and aircraft response. A cyclic control input results in the rotor disc (the plane described by the path that the rotor tips travel (Tip Plane Path)) tilting in the same direction and the aircraft moving accordingly. However the fuselage response occurs sometime after this, once the aircraft gains momentum. This is particularly prevalent in a teetering main rotor system such as that on an R22.
Hence due to this delay a trainee pilot may be tempted to add a further control input in the same direction. This yields excess movement resulting in a knee jerk reaction in the opposite direction. As the momentum of the aircraft cannot be stopped instantaneously, a second opposite input may be applied. This then repeats in the opposite sense. This leads to oscillations in aircraft attitude increasing steadily in amplitude. Definitely to be avoided!
The collective is a position input, this means that collective position demands a set amount of collective pitch and an increase / decrease in this position results in a corresponding proportional increase / decrease in collective pitch.
The anti-torque or yaw pedals are rate inputs in that a pedal input demands a rate of rotation about the vertical axis (Yaw), i.e the larger the input the faster you turn.
The cyclic is an acceleration input. A small input results in a small aircraft acceleration in that direction, and likewise a large input results in a large acceleration.
Above all, the controls are intuitive so if you are co-ordinated just go out there and enjoy!!
Apologies to the seasoned Pros.
Sioux4D