My Rotary Flight Journey

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  • #244
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Carrying this over from the old forum.

    Original posting: 7/1/2013

     

    I thought I’d take some time to document my rotary flight journey… Maybe this will encourage someone to embark on a similar journey, maybe this will be good for a laugh, maybe nobody will read it at all, but regardless, here we go…

    The beginning….
    Many moons ago (well enough of them anyway) I became infatuated with RC Flight, started with a sailplane the details of which escape me at the moment, got into a fixed wing .40 size trainer, built up a Great Planes F-15, etc… When, RC Heli’s caught my eye.

    I didn’t have anyone nearby in the hobby at the time, and ordered myself a Kyosho Concept 30 (.32 nitro heli) from the paper Tower Hobbies catalog…. That machine ate many dowels and whiffle balls as I learned to hover it. Without a mentor, much of an internet, or simulator, it took a long time to even realize the impact of ground effect / how much more stable things become after the first few feet…. Not to mention how absolutely terrible the stock foam (yes covered foam) blades were.

    That heli (which I do still have) took me into basic forward flight etc… then I fell out of the hobby for a bit.

    Fast forward to the not too distant past, got back into planes with a few ultra micros and a CZ Yak-54, and the infatuation for rotors came back. Picked up a Blade Nano CPx, and spent LOTS of time in Real Flight…

    Nano CPx
    What a great little bird to start learning on. Granted, its about as twitchy as can be, but that little guy will teach some reflexes for sure with VERY little fear of breakage. I fly over grass and have yet to actually break a single thing on it (knocks on wood). Its hit the grass in every orientation possible (and some I didn’t know possible), and continues to live to tell about it. Not saying collective pitch is the best way to begin, but when ready for CP, this little Nano really just can’t be beat. Low intimidation factor, very durable, and if you get proficient with it, moving up to anything else will feel great and much less intimidating.

    Blade mCPX BL
    Another great offering IMO. Plenty of power, a fair bit bigger than the Nano, and also very durable.
    While it is still very small, I’d still guarantee a little pucker factor compared to the tiny nano. While not completely without its quirks, the brushless motors give it plenty of pop, and for a motor driven tail, its pretty stable.
    Call me an infant in this arena, but I still feel the mCPX BL is great for the first flight of the day to make sure the thumbs are in proper working order before lifting off with anything larger.

    Blade 300X
    I’m going by size and not purchase order here, I actually picked up the 300X for a outstanding price figuring if I didn’t really care for it, it was still worth it for the BeastX controller alone to convert my 450 3D to flybarless, but after having it up a few times, I REALLY like the way it flies and the size for my current experience level. I don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon, and if anything, as I move on to bigger and better, this may end up replacing the mCPX for me as my warm-up bird.
    Blown away by the stability and tracking of this heli. As of this writing (though its still relatively small), its the largest bird I’ve confidently rolled, hovered inverted, looped, etc… Very confidence inspiring while still providing decent visibility in the air compared to the micros.
    The only thing I’d consider a mandatory upgrade based on research (thankfully before personal experience) is a frame stiffener. I chose a CF stiffener by Lynx. These have a track record of snapping main shafts without it.

    Blade 450 3D
    Barring the old Concept 30, this is currently my largest heli. I need some more air time with it before I decide if I’m comfortable keeping it flybarred, or will do a FBL conversion on it. Ultimately, it will likely either be converted, or I’ll end up with a 500 series FBL heli and leaving the 3D as is.
    More to report after a few more flights, but the 300X will likely be seeing the most airtime for a bit as I get comfortable with it.

    Blade Nano QX
    I posted another thread on this, but what a cool little quad. Much more nimble than a Coax heli, yet very stable with their SAFE technology. Great orientation trainer, and a blast to knock around with indoors regardless.

    #245
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Original posting: 7/8/2013

     

    Upcoming posts will cover my current birds, their respective set-ups, and my thoughts on them.

    First up is the Blade Nano CPX.

    This was a fantastic purchase for me. Its been in the ground more times than I can count, in pretty much any orientation possible, with VERY little damage.

    Billed as an indoor heli, I’ll say that starting out, you’d need a gym or similar to get comfortable with it inside. Its been an outdoor flyer for me, and as long as the winds are pretty calm, its very controllable. I’ve also been flying it 95% over grass, which provide a nice cushion for unplanned landings of this tiny thing. One caveat is that it doesn’t like taking off from grass, as even recently mown grass is pretty tall next to it. :)

    Its small, twitchy, and pretty quick, but it will teach you a lot about hovering, forward flight, inverted flight, loops, etc.. Very capable for the size, very low intimidation factor, and pretty darned inexpensive to run.

    My canopy has sustained a few minor cracks, but isn’t in need of replacement yet. I’ve put a set of Lynx main blades on (which fly very well), and I replaced the very flimsy landing skids (which I finally managed to crack) with a Lynx CF set. Other than that, absolutely nothing else has needed replacement yet (knock on wood), and I’ve not been easy on this thing.

    Once I got more comfortable, this became my “warm up” bird before flying the mCPX, but it is seeing much less use now, and the mCPX has become the warm-up for the 300x. Eventually, I’m sure the 300X will be the warm-up for the 450, etc… Its nice to get the thumbs in line with a smaller heli you’re very comfortable with for at least the first flight of the day.

    Anyway, the Nano CPX gets a big thumbs up for me and held a lot of firsts for me (roll, flip, inverted hover, loop, etc..).

    #248
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Original post: 7/8/2013

    Next up, the Blade mCPX BL.

    This has been a great step up from the Nano for me and has also proven to be very durable in unplanned landings over grass.

    Small as it is, its still notably larger than the Nano. The brushless motors provide ample power for this small bird and the brushless tail holds surprisingly well for a motor driven tail.

    I put MANY not always forgiving flights on this with similarly few ill effects as the Nano. Other than dropping the gyro gains a bit to eliminate some tail way (a necessary adjustment I’m finding from the factory recommendations in Blade’s I’m finding), nothing else was needed out of the box.

    Batteries are pretty inexpensive and its another low cost of ownership model overall.

    This little guy is surprisingly quick and would definitely be a handful without some prior collective pitch experience. Due to its small size, it can get out of comfortable vision pretty quickly, plenty of hovering and orientation training is a must before opening it up IMHO…

    The only problem I experienced with it is one servo connection that was a bit loose (actually came free once and took a nice trip to the left resulting in another unplanned landing). A little hot glue has solved that one… This particular crash was the only one that necessitated replacement parts for me thus far (main gear, and a set of blades).

    If you get comfortable with this, larger birds start to feel like simulators in comparison. Very sensitive, very quick, and only a few odd tendencies. I do find that it “hops” a bit coming out of inverted and moving right into fast forward flight, but that seems to be the nature of the beast, those little BL motors are screaming….

    Over time, the swash seemed to get just a little sloppy so I upgraded with the following:
    Lynx Aluminum Swash
    Lynx Aluminum Center Hub
    Lynx Dampeners
    Lynx Titanium Main Shaft

    While not necessary, these parts do give a noticeably more positive feel.

    I’m also running a set of bright orange Lynx main blades and their 47mm tail blade. The 47mm tail blade gave the tail a much better feel, added some stability even in hover, and required no other adjustment. Bright blades up top and out back add some much needed visibility (did I mention this thing is surprisingly quick??).

    Things to watch for:
    Check the main gear between flights, it sometimes creeps down a bit (I found this happened more frequently with the stock CF main shaft).
    Ensure servo connections to the main board are tight.
    Servos… These micro servo’s benefit from a good cleaning on occasion. Very simple to perform by removing them, taking them apart, and running a pencil eraser along the contact points. Doesn’t take long, but boy are those screws TINY…..

    Overall, another great purchase, outstanding learning tool, and overall, really a pleasure to own.

    #249
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Original post: 7/9/2013

    Ok, next up, the Blade 300X.

    This is what I’ll call the smallest of my “real” heli’s… To say… It has a belt driven tail, full BeastX flybarless controller, etc…

    I REALLY like the size of this bird, a lot… It has the feel of a bigger rotary with much less of the initial intimidation factor, and obviously carries much better visibility than the Nano CPX or mCPX BL. Not a huge fan of the stock red canopy, but that can obviously be easily changed.

    Non-stock items are:

    • Lynx tail blades
      • I’ve heard of some problems with the stockers deforming slightly, and prefer the brighter blades for visibility
    • Lynx CF Frame Stiffener
      • Anyone considering this model should be aware that there have been reports of main shafts breaking due to the relatively soft stock frame. The Lynx stiffener is a pretty inexpensive and easy to install insurance policy here. I’d recommend it before flight 1, just to be safe…
    • Gaui CF Main Blades
      • Stock wood blades tracked and flew fine, but you can only set up to 75% throttle in Idle Up due to stated safety concerns
    • Fusino Tail fin
      • Again, visibility, while it seems like a monster next to the mCPX, its still a relatively small bird
    • Canomod Canopy
      • Fiberglass canopy “should” be more durable than the stocker, looks great IMO, and drastically improves visibility

    I really am impressed so far with this heli. Its a perfect fit for my current skill level. Ultimately, I’m pretty confident that this will end up my warm-up bird for the 450 size (go ahead, laugh, I know 450 is still relatively small…).

    I haven’t had it out in wind of any real significance yet, but it seems like it will handle it very well for the size.

    This is the largest heli (as of this writing) that I’ve pulled inverted and I felt VERY confident doing so. Inverted hover felt just as stable as RU hover. Roll and flip rates feel good to me, etc…

    One thing I will say is that it’s pretty loud. A lot of “whine”. I’ve heard very positive things about the Lynx slant main gear and pinions to quiet this down and will try that out. I’ll post back in here with results / thoughts.

    #250
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Original post: 7/12/2013

    #251
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Original Post 7/17/2013

    While I haven’t given a rundown of the 450 3D on here yet, I’d be remiss not to add the new project.

    Gently used Blade 450X has been added to the fleet. It came accompanied with an Align 3GX FBL unit as opposed to the “stock” BeastX found in the BNF of this bird. Set-up is def different from the BeastX, but I wouldn’t say in a bad way at all. General settings are pretty straightforward.

    A few minor things I still need to work out:

    • Minor drifting (more than I get on the 300X, also FBL) which I should be able to tune out with the 3GX
    • Small amount of tail drift (going to reconfirm geometry and settings before pushing the gyro gain too much further)

    The only other minor hurdle is that the 3GX seems to be booting before the receiver (AR6200) makes initial connection to the TX in many power-ups. the 3GX makes this very evident by putting a pretty significant tilt in the swash. Pulling the power, leaving the TX on, and reconnecting the power seems to resolve this every time. May not be a way around this one.

    The 3GX will act as a RX if you connect satellites to it, but that requires a 7ch TX (I’m currently running a DX6i, thus the full receiver).

    A few more hours of tuning and test hovers should have her field ready. :thumbs:

    #252
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Original Post 7/24/2013

    More to come once supplies arrive, but I’ve decided to convert the 3D to FBL as well.

    Here’s a quick rundown of what that will mean…

    450X
    The X will get an ikon FBL controller and Castle BEC out of the deal (plus a few other misc goodies like CF tail blades and a brighter canopy). I’ll be running the ikon with one DSMX satellite.

    450 3D
    The 3D will have its head replaced with a Tarot 450 FBL. It’s a direct fit and even keeps the existing main shaft, etc… I’ll be moving the 3GX controller from the X. AR6200 that is currently paired with it will be replaced with DSM2 satellite. I’m not happy with the timing of the 3GX and AR6200 booting up. The 3GX usually beats out the receiver and causes a need to pull the battery and reconnect to sequence properly…

    For now, I plan on running the converted 3D with the stock ESC/BEC which should be sufficient to run the 3GX and stock servos once set to 6v.

    If anyone is interested in full conversion details and items needed just let me know.

    #253
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Original Post: 7/26/2013

    Well, the 450X is 99% set-up with the Ikon and should be ready to go up this evening.

    Still plenty to learn about the Ikon, but overall very simple to set-up and great PC programming software.

    The one thing that gave me pause is that there is COMPLETE flexibility for programming placement in “advanced” mode within the software while only a few “common” options are listed via the basic interface. Until I realized that, the unit was going to have to be mounted inside the frame (behind ESC), but advance mode lets you assign all sensors individually and the unit is now happily up top. The reason mounting up top causes issue with the standard placement settings is that the USB port is on the side opposite the servo connections, meaning it would be facing the ael / pitch servos and inaccessible. The unit needs to be mounted sideways on this bird. Pics to come later.

    The other thing I need to do some reading on is how I should be handling dual rates (yes, I still use them sometimes). The Ikon offers 3 software flight modes, and I’m thinking the D/R switch may be better used to select between these as opposed to programming D/R in the TX. What would be ideal is selecting between 2 modes (either beginner / sport or sport / 3D – won’t know until I get it in the air to see how these feel to me), then mixing the trainer momentary button to access the 3rd flight mode bank with self level turned on.

    Time for a little reading on that topic…

    CF tail blades are on, Fusino bright orange stabilizer fins, and the canopy fits great and actually provides a little more room up front (stockers always seem to be a pretty tight fit against the battery…).

    #254
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Original Post 7/30/2013

    Just a quick update.

    The 450 3D conversion is pretty much ready to roll barring some larger ball links needed for the swash. Once those are in, mechanical set-up and a double-check of the 3GX set-up and she’ll be ready for maiden. Overall, conversion was very simple (let’s see if I say that after lift-off), though the Tarot head did need a complete going through, nothing was tight or appeared to have any threadlock used in factory assembly.

    Lifting the 450X off with the ikon was pleasantly uneventful. Though the field was quite busy and I was time constrained so not much more than confirming all is well so far. The “beginner” settings in the ikon are very mild for sure. I’ve changed my set-up a bit and am going to run a median between Sport and 3D for “bank 1” and Sport with self level for the second bank which have been assigned to the gear switch as having it opposing the TH switch is easy to hit and logical to me.

    I decided that I’m (hopefully) at a point where I don’t really need the additional bank which would to some degree act as dual rates, though I’m toying with having 2 expo settings for cyclic programmed on the Elevator D/R switch.

    I’ll test out the self level on my next trip to the field and see how she does. Holding in hand in various orientations then flipping into the bank with SL on certainly seems to produce expected results.

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