I'm Here...Now What? ;-)

[Brad_sfo]

New to this forum and building my first RC thing-a-majig! It is a TRex 450L (my husband bought it for me for Christmas not realizing how ambitious one has to be to diligently finish such a task!). I'm nearing the finish line, just finalizing the electronics set-up now (got the receiver, 3Gx and radio all on the same sheet of music this aft!). Have to do a lot of the before flight stuff still but I'm sensing the day it is certified to fly!

I'm also working on getting a Solo drone from 3DR to do GIS data collection for my day job...hope to know more about that next week since we have a new set of projects it will be extremely useful for! But, with the software and support that comes with it the drone can fly and survey a site itself (yes, I know...where's the fun in that?!). But, it is efficient and...accurate that way. Hopefully it all works out...more later on that too!

Anyone else flying the 450L Dominator? Say hey!

(As a side note, apparently 'dominator' isn't a word known to my Firefox dictionary. If I click on it for the spell check, "dominatrix" is one of the suggested fixes. But I digress...)

As we said when I was flying the real things (UH-1s and OH-58s in the Army): Keep the spinning side up and the greasy side down!

Brad

 

[trainrider06]

Hi Brad! Welcome to RCH! Thank you for the intro also!
I have an Align 450L myself and love it!
Is yours the 6s version?
One thing I'd do is replace those frame screws where the white bracing is! When I bought mine in pieces from a guy he had cut and tore those braces to pieces to where I had to replace one side of the frame! I bought some stainless steel cap screws and replaced every screw on the thing. With those even if they strip out, you can get a pair of needle nose pliers and still get em out!

 

[Smoggie]

Hi Brad,

The old 3GX can be a bit of a pain to setup so if you manage to do it all yourself give yourself a big pat on the back, you deserve it!.. Many give up and go buy a different FBL controller but the 3GX can work ok once you figure it out.

What transmitter have you got?


By the way... A 450 size collective pitch heli is a very tricky flying proposition for a first venture into RC. I know you can fly the real things but i dont think the full size skills transfer over very well. Models are very different to fly, not least because of the difficulty with orientation. Your best chance of success with least amount of mechanical carnage would be to look up a club in your area or find a experienced heli flyer to help out with the first few flights. But of course it's your heli and your choice, good luck either way.

 

[Brad_sfo]

Answering questions in order of appearance:

Yes, mine is the 6S. Perhaps you could expound on the significance there?

I'm managing the 3Gx setup via a lot of YouTube perusing and such. That's actually what pointed me to this forum, so I think that too will be a good thing now that I feel I'm approaching the day I'll be "spooling it up" for the first time.

Yes, from flying mini toy drones etc. I already know the perspective thing is a challenge. I'll work on that some. And yes, I also know this is an ambitious first model to be flying! Hopefully some of that will translate! I have built a set of training gear. If I feel I'm over my head after doing some ground maneuvering I'll take your advice and look up a local experienced guy and see about that idea! Thanks!

And radio: Walkera Devention 7 with a Walkera receiver.

Thanks for the welcomes! Now I know who to pick on if I have specific questions! And, when things DO get to moving in circles (maybe this aft?) I'll shoot some video to post...or, I'll have someone ELSE take video for me!

 

[Smoggie]

6S is the 'latest and greatest' development in 450 helis. The higher voltage battery often results in a more powerful heli. In the case of the 450L the 6S version also has a number of upgrades such as 360mm blades (rather than 325mm) and better servos. As a beginner to be honest you won't notice the difference but it's always nice to know you have the latest and greatest model!

I think the Walkera radio is ok. The only potential issue is it's not the most widely used so you might have to search hard if you need help with the setup.

 

[Brad_sfo]

Yeah, I'm seeing that (with the radio). And it is not a touch screen version either, but oh well! Clunky menus can still be worked through. It has been a chore though at times. And, I'm being über cautious and have gone pretty slow in the setup and tuning. I'm happy that it seems the end/beginning is in sight!

 

[RandyDSok]

Of the handful of pilots I've heard ( and many more I've read about ) talk about the transition to RC from a full sized airframe... everyone said they think it'd have been easier for them had they not had the full size experience. The most difficult part was their first person perspective verses the third person.

I'd recommend doing some training on a RC flight simulator before you jump in head first. The two top software's are Realflight and Phoenix. Good luck which ever way you decide.

 

[Tony]

Have a look in the link below. It will show you how to do some cool things on the forum like multi-quote messages so that people don't get confused.

http://www.rc-help.com/rch_how_to.php

 

[Admiral]

Welcome to the forum Brad, be keen to hear your thoughts on RC helis after flying 12" to 1 ft scale.

 

[Eggy 71]

Welcome to the group. I've just finished building my 450L and did its maiden flight today. All well so far 15 min in flight and fine tuning going well. I've been flying smaller helis (180cfx size) for a couple years but moving up. I agree with rdsok, a good flight simulator will save you $100's if not more, and help with orientation and confidence big time. Make sure to lower roll rate and limits. It will really help stabilize the heli to let you get the feel for it.

 

[KLA]

Hey Brad, welcome to RCHelp. Congratulations on building your first heli. As everyone else already said, a 450 can be quite difficult as a first CP heli. Very powerful and can be a real handful. You would really benefit to seek some help with your first few flights. Any crash with a 450 can cause a lot of damage and end up costing a lot of money. But, you have come to the right place. All of the members here are very knowledgeable and will try to help you the best they can. Don't get discouraged if the first few flights are difficult. Just take your time and ask any questions and we will all do our best to help. Also, we would love to see some pictures of your Dominator when you get a chance.

 

[Smoggie]

+1 on the pictures. A selection of good detailed photos might also give the members here to spot any potential issues with the build or setup, which can otherwise slip through the new even for the best of heli builders.

When you get to setting up the flybarless controller, one thing that you need to double and triple check is that all the control and gyro correction responses 'go the correct way'. There is probably not a heli flyer who has not at some point got a control or gyro correction response reversed. The outcome of such a simple and easy to make mistake on a 450 size heli isn't pretty.

 

[sneezy007]

Welcome to the forum Brad.

I haven't heard good things about the 3GX.
My suggestion is switch to the AR7200BX for a receiver. Tony has an awesome video on setting it up.

Be very careful with a 450 size heli. It can bite you very quickly, keep it a long way from you. Best of luck.

Cheers,
Dino

 

[Eggy 71]

An AR 7200BX is a great option but the 3GX should still work if you are on a budget.I picked up a 450 L on clearance pricing with a 3gx. Just had the maiden flight and doing some fine tuning. No real issues so far so I'm quite happy with it. Tony gave me a heads up on a couple issues (see 450L tail delay thread). The tipping issue on take off isn't real severe and I haven't had any other issues. I'm running ver5.0 firmware but 3.1 seems like it could be an option too.

 

[RandyDSok]

Welcome to the forum Brad.

I haven't heard good things about the 3GX.
My suggestion is switch to the AR7200BX for a receiver. Tony has an awesome video on setting it up.

Be very careful with a 450 size heli. It can bite you very quickly, keep it a long way from you. Best of luck.

Cheers,
Dino

I don't think that AR7200BX will work with the Walkera transmitter folks

 

[KLA]

The AR7200 probably won't work with a Walkers TX but the Microbeastruth Plus will. You just have to use the Walkera RX as a stand alone reciever.