General 450X Test Flight

[trainrider06]

Ah good deal Phil! Looking forward to hearing of a successful flight!

 

[Heliman450]

Hi all, it worked! Successful test following a small rudder change and a bit less pitch to cushion the landing. Weather was excellent although the wind was getting a bit stronger towards the end of my session. I managed to practice my simulator stuff (thanks for the tips in the video Tony). I can report that it was the closest I've seen the real action to that of the simulator.

I'll post my settings in the near future. The tail rudder now has 12 degrees right, not 10. She hovers perfectly all this despite the idiot holding the Tx.

Tomorrow morning my flying club has a scale heli rally. Looking forward to it on my birthday, maybe I might even buy one for myself as a present.

 

[EyeStation]

Tomorrow morning my flying club has a scale heli rally. .

Scale Heli Rally, I just don't believe you. Pictures and Video or it didn't happen!! lol
Good job on getting the heli set and flyin.
And Happy Birthday.

 

[murankar]

Happy Birthday. Yeah, um video or pictures please. See we here at RCH have rule that's not listed see and we have to have these to say it really happened. Lmao

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Forum Runner

 

[trainrider06]

Good deal Phil! i know you are stoked up about that!!

 

[Heliman450]

Happy Birthday. Yeah, um video or pictures please. See we here at RCH have rule that's not listed see and we have to have these to say it really happened. Lmao

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Forum Runner

Hi murankar, thanks for the birthday greeting. I get your point about videos. It's on my list for the future, but I find it difficult enough as it is to fly the heli without holding a camera, too!

Scale heli rally was a bit of an overstatement, a couple of the club members have a reservation twice a year to ensure they can spend a morning uninterrupted by 3D flyers. I had no idea what form the get-together takes. Now I know, I met the guys and we've exchanged contact details for future time flying together. Looks like a good start to my next year of heli enjoyment!

Bye now!

- - - Updated - - -

Good deal Phil! i know you are stoked up about that!!

Hi Rodney, you bet I am! Next step is start practicing for completing one of your circles without a crash!

 

[trainrider06]

Sounds like you had a good few days! Good deal!
I was supposed to fly yesterday, and got all involved in this once nice, now demon possessed heli that I replaced and ESC on....

 

[murankar]

My club has fun flies but they are more of a scheduled meet at the field. I enjoyed it because I got 8 flights in but it did not have that fun fly feel to it.

 

[Heliman450]

My club has fun flies but they are more of a scheduled meet at the field. I enjoyed it because I got 8 flights in but it did not have that fun fly feel to it.

My club's a long established fixed wing and glider organisation founded in 1936. Helis have only been allowed for about 8 years, so there isn't much of a following (about 15 members, I think). Now that I've got a contact interested in Scale helis, I'm sure we'll be able to fix something up for a regular get-together to exchange notes.

The two guys there yesterday have great helis and setups in their vehicles to carry their models around without damage. Lots of tips and tricks to pick up there! Photo below of one of the guy's heli in flight.

By the way, follow the link below to my other thread where I explain my tail adjustment made to my Blade 450X.

Beam E4 Resurrection - Page 2

 

[trainrider06]

That is a beautiful bird! Sounds like you have a great place to fly!

 

[Heliman450]

Well guys, here's an update on the Blade saga!

I went to the field today to practice all my exercises and all was going great. Fitted my second battery and carried on. Still looking good.

Then all of a sudden, no tail rotor control. The servo just died on me, no warning simply dead. The guys down at the local model shop will be putting me on their Xmas card list given how much of our hard earned pension is going into their enterprise recently. Looking on the bright side, however, NO CRASH!

 

[trainrider06]

That's good news! What kinda servo was it?
Upgrade time!

 

[murankar]

Good save. Try the Kat DS215mg servo for the tail. It's a $25 servo on eBay or helidirect. Got a set from Garret Rc eBay store 3 for $66 and do just fine.

 

[Heliman450]

Hi guys, thanks for the tip, I'll have a look around locally to see if I can get this servo over here. The U.S. has great prices but I carry the extra cost of delivery/import duty. Not that I'm against paying it, but if it works out around the same, I always prefer seeing the person I buy from. I'm just a bit old fashioned I suppose.

The dead servo is the original as supplied RTF. However, when I last bought a replacement (cyclic) as per the part number it looked externally much different from the original. I'll soon be getting to my policy of not spending more than 50% of the original heli's price. Everything has undergone the punishment of repeated spool-ups hovering etc. not to mention two crashes and a blade strike. Now that I've entered the world of Align (550), I'm not sure if I'll ever buy another 450 in future, we'll see..........

 

[Heliman450]

Hi all, pictures below showing old and new servos. I decided for the listed replacement as it has metal gears when all the original servos have plastic. I now have two from four are changed out. I'd rather have a full set of the same but as I'm still playing around with my hovering skills I'll wait and see if they die before I decide to reverse the car over the heli and despatch it forever.



Photo on the right shows the plastic gears in the original (cyclic) still giving good service.

 

[murankar]

You can't mix match cyclic servos. They all have to be identtical. Just letting you know.

 

[trainrider06]

You can't mix match cyclic servos. They all have to be identtical. Just letting you know.

Well you can, but you'll probably not have a smooth flying heli....

 

[Heliman450]

Well you can, but you'll probably not have a smooth flying heli....

Hi guys, normally I wouldn't mix and match, but I've not been doing anything more testing than hopping around really. The heli has received a few bumps and knocks during its rather short life. It hovers ok at the moment, even better since I shimmed the body to bring the main rotor shaft vertical. I think if I change the cyclic servos, I'll do all three together. On the other hand, maybe I'll just abandon it as a lost cause and go for a new kit using the best electronics from my two 450's. So many options!

 

[trainrider06]

I ran a different servo on my Blade SR, it flew fine for a long time like that, until one of em took a turn for the worst one day and jacked with the esc. Replaced all with Hitech's now she's coming back around.
I just smacked my HK/Align 450 mutt heli into the ground yesterday, it was amazing the EMax 09 servo's survived without a hitch. Canopy, tail boom all in tact. The beating came onto the frame, it looked like someone just stepped on it smashing it down! My plastic tail gave way and allowed the tail blades to rotate making the heli flip upside down, and I was giving throttle at the time so it went full bore upside down into the ground before I even knew what was going on!
It's all down to parts now, stripped it clean junked the broken head and frame, put the good parts away. Time for a 450 Pro DFC now I think!

 

[Heliman450]

Hi Rodney, I was reflecting on the issue and came to the conclusion that it probably wouldn't take too much to do a big strip down job and bring it all up to top spec. I'm going through ordering the iKon from Helidirect having been unable to find a stockist over here. I'm not going to be able to do anything for about ten days anyway. Maybe the delivery will have happened by then and I can decide what to do first, 550 or 450.

Seeing your list of birds, may I ask why you'd want to get a 450? Once I start with the T-Rex 550E, I doubt that I'll want to bother with the 450s again.