How to set up pitch and throttle curves on an RC helicopter

Two five-point curves decide how your helicopter actually flies. Here is what each point does, what good values look like, and how to tune without breaking anything.

2026-05-16·10 min read

Pitch and throttle curves are the two settings that have more effect on how your helicopter flies than any other configuration choice. They are also the two settings most commonly left at factory defaults, and they are the reason a lot of pilots report their helicopter "feels weird" without being able to say why. This guide walks through what each curve is, what good values look like, and how to tune them safely.

What the curves actually do

Your transmitter has a single throttle stick on the left (Mode 2). When you move that stick, two separate things happen on the helicopter:

The collective pitch of the main rotor blades changes — this is what makes the helicopter climb and descend
The throttle to the motor changes — this is what spins the rotor

These two outputs are connected through your transmitter's curve settings. The curve is a five-point (sometimes seven-point) mapping from stick position to output value, plotted as percentages.

A pitch curve says "when the stick is at 50%, set blade pitch to X degrees." A throttle curve says "when the stick is at 50%, set motor throttle to Y%." Each is independent of the other.

Why have curves at all? Because the relationship between stick position and what you want to happen is rarely linear. A perfectly linear pitch curve would mean tiny stick movements near the hover point cause large altitude changes — twitchy and unpleasant. A flat throttle curve at high values keeps headspeed constant during pitch changes, which is what you want for stable flight.

The flight modes

Modern radios have three flight modes (sometimes called "idle-up" positions): Normal, Idle-Up 1, and Idle-Up 2 (or Stunt 1 and Stunt 2). Each has its own pitch and throttle curves. The reason is that you want different curve shapes for different flight regimes:

Normal mode — for hover, takeoff, landing. Throttle drops to zero when stick is at the bottom. Pitch curve is asymmetric (mostly positive)
Idle-Up 1 — for forward flight and gentle aerobatics. Throttle stays at a high constant value across the stick range. Pitch curve is symmetric around hover point
Idle-Up 2 — for full 3D. Throttle at maximum across the whole stick range. Pitch curve goes fully negative at the bottom and fully positive at the top

The mode switch on your radio toggles between these three. You take off in Normal, switch to Idle-Up 1 once airborne, and switch to Idle-Up 2 only when you want 3D capability.

Pitch curve setup — Normal mode

Normal mode is the mode you take off and land in. The pitch curve should:

Stick at 0% (bottom): -2° pitch (slight negative, so the helicopter sits on its skids without floating)
Stick at 25%: 0° pitch
Stick at 50% (centre): +5° pitch (hover point on most machines)
Stick at 75%: +8° pitch
Stick at 100% (top): +10° pitch (climb)

The exact hover-point pitch varies by helicopter — 5° is typical for a 500-class sport machine, 6–7° for a heavier scale platform, 4° for a light 200-class 3D heli. The number to remember: at the hover point, the helicopter should be holding altitude with the stick at exactly 50%. If it sits at 60% you have too little pitch; if it sits at 40% you have too much.

Throttle curve setup — Normal mode

Throttle in Normal mode should:

Stick at 0% (bottom): 0% throttle (motor off)
Stick at 25%: 40% throttle
Stick at 50% (centre): 70% throttle (hover headspeed)
Stick at 75%: 85% throttle
Stick at 100% (top): 100% throttle

The reason for the ramp is that you want the motor to spool up smoothly as you bring the stick up, with the helicopter actually leaving the ground around the 50% point. Below that the throttle is just bringing the rotor up to speed without producing lift.

Pitch curve setup — Idle-Up 1

Idle-Up 1 is the mode for forward flight and gentle aerobatics. The pitch curve goes symmetric:

Stick at 0%: -5° pitch
Stick at 25%: -2° pitch
Stick at 50%: +2° pitch
Stick at 75%: +7° pitch
Stick at 100%: +10° pitch

This lets you fly forward with the stick at centre (slight positive pitch maintains altitude), reduce altitude with the stick low (small negative pitch to descend) and climb aggressively with the stick high.

Throttle curve setup — Idle-Up 1

Throttle in Idle-Up 1 should be a flat or near-flat high value:

Stick at 0%: 85% throttle
Stick at 25%: 85% throttle
Stick at 50%: 85% throttle
Stick at 75%: 85% throttle
Stick at 100%: 85% throttle

Why constant? Because in Idle-Up modes you want the headspeed (rotor RPM) to stay the same regardless of pitch. When you go to negative pitch the rotor wants to overspeed; when you go to positive pitch it wants to bog down. A constant throttle and a properly governed ESC (or a proper headspeed governor in the flight controller) holds the RPM stable.

The exact percentage (85% in the above example) depends on your motor, ESC, gearing and battery. The goal is the headspeed you want at hover. Start at 85%, fly, listen — if the rotor sounds slow, raise it to 88%. If it sounds frantic, drop to 80%.

Pitch curve setup — Idle-Up 2 (3D)

Idle-Up 2 is full 3D capability. Pitch goes symmetric and aggressive:

Stick at 0%: -10° pitch (fully negative for inverted flight)
Stick at 25%: -5° pitch
Stick at 50%: 0° pitch (hovering inverted-or-upright is identical at centre)
Stick at 75%: +5° pitch
Stick at 100%: +10° pitch

In Idle-Up 2 the helicopter responds aggressively to pitch input. This is the mode for loops, rolls, tic-tocs and piro flips. Do not switch into this mode until you can hover comfortably in all four orientations in Normal mode.

Throttle curve setup — Idle-Up 2

Throttle in Idle-Up 2 is maximum and constant:

Stick at 0%: 95% throttle
Stick at 25%: 95% throttle
Stick at 50%: 95% throttle
Stick at 75%: 95% throttle
Stick at 100%: 95% throttle

Same logic as Idle-Up 1 but higher. 3D manoeuvres demand more reserve power; the higher throttle setting gives the ESC and motor more headroom.

How to actually tune

The factory curves on most modern helicopters are sensible defaults but rarely perfect for your specific machine, transmitter, and flying style. The tuning process:

Set up the curves as above as a starting point
Hover the helicopter in Normal mode. Note where the throttle stick sits at stable hover. If it is not exactly 50%, adjust the pitch curve so it is — raise the centre pitch if the stick wants to sit higher, lower it if it wants to sit lower
Switch to Idle-Up 1 mid-flight. Note any sudden change in headspeed or altitude. Adjust the throttle value in Idle-Up 1 to match the headspeed you had at hover in Normal mode
Fly Idle-Up 1 forward flight. Listen to the headspeed during pitch changes. If it varies, adjust Idle-Up 1 throttle higher
Only attempt Idle-Up 2 after Idle-Up 1 is dialled in. Switch carefully — the helicopter will respond aggressively the moment the mode switches

Common mistakes to avoid

Throttle hold not set. Throttle hold is a switch that overrides all curves and cuts power to the motor. If it is not properly assigned to a momentary switch, you have no fast way to stop the rotor in an emergency. Set this first, test it on the bench
Different curves per battery condition. Many pilots set up their curves on a fresh battery and find the helicopter underpowered on a half-discharged pack. Use a governed ESC or a headspeed-governor flight controller to compensate
Aggressive Idle-Up 2 from the start. Pilots try 3D before they can hover and immediately crash. Idle-Up 2 is the last mode you set up, not the first
Forgetting to copy curves between models. When you add a new helicopter to your transmitter, copy the curve structure from a similar existing model rather than starting from zero

When to seek help

If you have set up the curves and the helicopter still feels wrong, the issue is usually elsewhere: blade tracking (here is the guide), flight controller gain settings, mechanical play in the rotor head, or a transmitter setting you do not realise is changing things. Find a club instructor and have them fly the helicopter for a minute. They will tell you immediately whether the curves are the problem or whether something else is.

Once dialled in, you should not need to revisit the curves often. Maybe once a season for fine adjustment, or after a major hardware change (new motor, new ESC, change of headspeed). For most pilots, the initial setup is also the final setup.