500 550 X tail wash out on right to left sideways loops

[pvolcko]

Okay, I'm encountering an issue with my 550X. I don't get it on my 300X (same FBL, 7200BX) or my TRex 700E (ikon FBL).

If I get it going at a moderate speed sliding right to left, tail in, when I go to put some collective on it to climb it into a sideways loop the tail will "give out" to the right (nose left). It will hold if I just continue the right to left sideways flight, pretty much no matter what speed I do it at (at least the speeds I've tried it at). It only does this when I start to increase collective to climb it into the sideways loop.

Does not happen on left to right sideways flight or sideways loops in that direction.

Not sure if I have video of this yet. I only really have enough room to try this maneuver at the club field and I haven't taken too much video while there. Hopefully my description explains it well enough.

Is this simply the controller running out of tail pitch room to maintain both the sideways speed and the increasing torque load?

I'll check the deflection end points to see if there's more room. Will also try the tail blades I bought off Tony to see if their increased size will give it the added thrust it seems to need.

 

[pvolcko]

Answered my own question, hopefully. Checked tail setup and there was a surprising amount of adjustment space left for nose right. Not sure how it was so wrong from first setup. Should be good now. Will test it tomorrow.

 

[Tony]

In my experience, first setups are always faulted. Second looks usually provide the answer. Hope it works for you. I remember a member having a similar issue with the 3GX and it ended up being a travel issue in the Tx somehow. Had to make a new model to cure it.

 

[pvolcko]

MY travels are good in the Tx. I think when I brought the completed build into the LHS for a once over, the guy went through things and I remember he did re-do my tail setup instead of checking what I had done before hand. I remember thinking I had spent all that time getting it what I thought was just right and he just went and redid it without even looking to see how I did. I think he rushed it and set it a little too conservatively in that direction (side with the slider nut nearest the tail box wall). I just never had reason to revisit it until I started noticing this behavior during this maneuver.

 

[Tony]

That sounds like what Derek had happen to him. He had his gone over at a LHS and they jacked it up big time.

 

[pvolcko]

I remember thinking to myself I needed to redo that when I got home. Must have never done it. Everything else was fine. He checked my pitch settings and redid the 6 degree cyclic setting, but I was watching and he got that right.

So, just test flew it and all is well now. Did some fast right to left large loops and not a hint of fade on entry now. Also put on those align tail blades I bought off you, Tony. They were maybe 5mm longer than stock and CF instead of stock plastic. Also squared off taper on the ends instead of the curve cut ends of stock, so quite a bit more surface area at the tips now. It was wagging a bit after the change so Dialed the gain back 10 points and all is good there.

Cool beans.