Hi everybody,
Well I am certainly glad that I stumbled across this forum as it is turning out to be my saviour. I am getting on at the age of 71 and need all the help available to sort out my Trex 800E Trekker. I bought the kit in August and only now doing the adjustments.
Before I run through what I have done so far with my T-Rex 800E Trekker, a little history about myself. When I met my wife in 1975 I was just starting into rc helicopters at the time. I can't remember the brand of the model I flew (poor choice of words) but it was about a 200-450 model size comparing with today's helis, and ran a methanol motor. I smashed dozens of main rotor blades before I could get the thing to hover. Back then with no electronics whatsoever you had the problem of the thing rotating about the main shaft and drifting off to oblivion at the same time. If you couldn't sort it out, you would panic and drive the thing into Mother earth again. Another set of blades (wooden) and whatever else was smashed.......sigh. The day I got it to hover (sort of) the ABC TV mob were there filming the various models that people were flying when I noticed them walking over to me. I used to fly way over in one corner of the field away from all the others so that I wouldn't kill anybody. Well here's me trying to hover with the camera trained on me when, with all my concentration, I actually performed a hover (sort of). I looked over at the ABC mob and they were walking away. All I could thing of was..... COME BACK HERE YOU B*ST*RDS, look I'm hovering......sigh....once again.
I also built a Kavan Jet Ranger and I think a Schluter rc heli, but was never game to fly them. I just used to love building them, not smashing them. I do remember importing an electronic governor for the motor of the Kavan from the USA. I then lost interest until August last year (2013).
Back to my Trekker. The reason I bought such a large model was that back in 1975 a large model, because of its inertia, would rotate slower, thus allowing you time to sort it out and stop it rotating and thus then control the cyclic drift and perform....yes you have guessed it..DA..DA...THE MAGIC HOVER!!
What I have begun to realise is that we now have....THE GYRO, to control the uncontrollable rotation of yesteryear. Oh well, what's a few thousand bucks every time I fly. I just hope I have it finished before I kark it (Australian slang for "die of old age"). I originally bought an Align APS Lite programable flybarless system (which is now not being used), but now have a Wookong H heli autopilot with GPS system. I am setting the heli up with the Align 3GX ver.4 that came with the kit and for that I thank you Tony..."OH GREAT MASTER", before reverting to the Wookong, assuming there is anything left to hang it off.
Since writing most of the above, commonsense has prevailed. I have decided to buy a T-Rex 450L Dominator Super Combo (not a Pro) to practice on which has a shaft drive to the tail rotor, not dissimilar to the Trekker. I had thought of buying the fully built up and tested T-Rex 450 Plus DFC that comes complete with transmitter, charger and batteries, etc, for A$450.00 compared to A$560.00 for the Dominator, but on further consideration it just seemed silly to end up with a second inferior radio and charger, etc, when I already had a new Spektrum DX9 transmitter (voice activation) and a Cellpro 1344W Powerlab 8 battery workstation driven by a LEAB 30A switchmode battery charger acting as a power supply. I also have a Revolectrix MPA Safe parallel adapter to go with the Powerlab 8. The built up and tested Trex also only had a belt drive tailrotor and was much cheaper in a lot of other areas too. Hope you all agree with my choice. I also have a simulator package to practice on. Lucky I am retired as I think I will need all the time available.
My ultimate aim is to built a large scale heli driven by a turbine motor.
I am also a qualified mechanical engineer and motor mechanic. With Ford closing production of cars in Australia I am looking forward to purchasing (providing my dear wife lets me) the new model Mustang in 2014-2015 which for the first time will be produced in R.H.D. in the USA.
Enough for now, but thank you all for having me.
Ian.
Well I am certainly glad that I stumbled across this forum as it is turning out to be my saviour. I am getting on at the age of 71 and need all the help available to sort out my Trex 800E Trekker. I bought the kit in August and only now doing the adjustments.
Before I run through what I have done so far with my T-Rex 800E Trekker, a little history about myself. When I met my wife in 1975 I was just starting into rc helicopters at the time. I can't remember the brand of the model I flew (poor choice of words) but it was about a 200-450 model size comparing with today's helis, and ran a methanol motor. I smashed dozens of main rotor blades before I could get the thing to hover. Back then with no electronics whatsoever you had the problem of the thing rotating about the main shaft and drifting off to oblivion at the same time. If you couldn't sort it out, you would panic and drive the thing into Mother earth again. Another set of blades (wooden) and whatever else was smashed.......sigh. The day I got it to hover (sort of) the ABC TV mob were there filming the various models that people were flying when I noticed them walking over to me. I used to fly way over in one corner of the field away from all the others so that I wouldn't kill anybody. Well here's me trying to hover with the camera trained on me when, with all my concentration, I actually performed a hover (sort of). I looked over at the ABC mob and they were walking away. All I could thing of was..... COME BACK HERE YOU B*ST*RDS, look I'm hovering......sigh....once again.
I also built a Kavan Jet Ranger and I think a Schluter rc heli, but was never game to fly them. I just used to love building them, not smashing them. I do remember importing an electronic governor for the motor of the Kavan from the USA. I then lost interest until August last year (2013).
Back to my Trekker. The reason I bought such a large model was that back in 1975 a large model, because of its inertia, would rotate slower, thus allowing you time to sort it out and stop it rotating and thus then control the cyclic drift and perform....yes you have guessed it..DA..DA...THE MAGIC HOVER!!
What I have begun to realise is that we now have....THE GYRO, to control the uncontrollable rotation of yesteryear. Oh well, what's a few thousand bucks every time I fly. I just hope I have it finished before I kark it (Australian slang for "die of old age"). I originally bought an Align APS Lite programable flybarless system (which is now not being used), but now have a Wookong H heli autopilot with GPS system. I am setting the heli up with the Align 3GX ver.4 that came with the kit and for that I thank you Tony..."OH GREAT MASTER", before reverting to the Wookong, assuming there is anything left to hang it off.
Since writing most of the above, commonsense has prevailed. I have decided to buy a T-Rex 450L Dominator Super Combo (not a Pro) to practice on which has a shaft drive to the tail rotor, not dissimilar to the Trekker. I had thought of buying the fully built up and tested T-Rex 450 Plus DFC that comes complete with transmitter, charger and batteries, etc, for A$450.00 compared to A$560.00 for the Dominator, but on further consideration it just seemed silly to end up with a second inferior radio and charger, etc, when I already had a new Spektrum DX9 transmitter (voice activation) and a Cellpro 1344W Powerlab 8 battery workstation driven by a LEAB 30A switchmode battery charger acting as a power supply. I also have a Revolectrix MPA Safe parallel adapter to go with the Powerlab 8. The built up and tested Trex also only had a belt drive tailrotor and was much cheaper in a lot of other areas too. Hope you all agree with my choice. I also have a simulator package to practice on. Lucky I am retired as I think I will need all the time available.
My ultimate aim is to built a large scale heli driven by a turbine motor.
I am also a qualified mechanical engineer and motor mechanic. With Ford closing production of cars in Australia I am looking forward to purchasing (providing my dear wife lets me) the new model Mustang in 2014-2015 which for the first time will be produced in R.H.D. in the USA.
Enough for now, but thank you all for having me.
Ian.
. Good radio, nice charger and the Trekker.
