R/C Helicopter discussion!

[EvolizePhoto]

**Kevie88 Edit**

I split these posts out of the Rc helicopter groupbuy thread so we wouldn`t clutter it up too badly, and I think we can help each other out with these more advanced heli`s.

Any `Hobby Grade`rc helicopter discussion is welcome!

If I missed anyone`s posts, just cut and paste post em here.

**Kevie88 Edit**

Went out with the guys from calgaryheli.com to see some "real" heli's fly lol.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/4591132614_d2efc41c1f.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4590512793_b2a6ff88c9.jpg

This hobby is so addicting.

[kevie88]

So after a few weeks of flying mine (bought in the states before I saw this thread) I got pretty good at flying it, so I stepped up and bought a Blade MSR.. what an awesome little chopper. So responsive and fun to fly. If you're looking for the next step after one of these, go get one!

[Mitsu3000gt]

Last night I removed the lead nose weight, nose LED, and snipped the LED wires. That, along with the removal of the tail supports makes a noticeable difference in flight time and responsiveness. It also helps counteract the front weight bias that exists when only the tail supports are removed, causing the heli to always move forward slightly even when hovering. It still moves forward a bit while hovering, but to a lesser extent.

As for battery life, it stays in the air longer due to slightly less weight, and now instead of the last 3-4 minutes of battery life basically making the heli act like a hovercraft, it will actually fly until it is only about a minute or so away from being completely dead.

I have 2 of these things now and I find they perform identically as follows:

First ~3min: Extremely responsive & powerful, can quickly hit the ceiling while hovering under full throttle without any forward movement. Backwards movement does not cause a loss of altitude.

Next ~5min: 75% power available, can easily fly around, and can gain altitude slowly while hovering. Gains altitude rapidly when forward movement is combined with full throttle. Forward flight without increasing altitude, like in the first few minutes, still requires you to back off the throttle slightly. Backwards movement causes a slight loss in altitude.

Last 1-2 minutes: Noticably less power, needs lots of forward movement to gain altitude, slowly loses altitude while hovering. Backwards movement causes a significant loss of altitude. Eventually cannot lift of the ground and is basically a hover craft, and less than a minute later the battery is dead.

Also, letting off the throttle briefly allows the heli to spin on its axis MUCH quicker, but it's harder to recover quickly unless you have a nearly full charge so it can "catch" itself.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I'm getting pretty good with these things, have only crashed a couple of times, and can reliably land on a 6X6 inch landing pad I have set up. So, I was looking more into getting a Blade MSR but after seeing how fast those things go, even though they are really small, it looks like ideally you need to be outside on a calm day or in a gymnasium to fully enjoy them. I might cause more damage than good in my condo :).

For you R/C guys: What do you think about the Blade MCX with the "Cusker" aluminum performance kit addition? Apparently, from what I read, it transforms the heli into a much better performer while maintaining its forgiving nature. I was thinking that might be a better alternative to the MSR given that I don't have a giant open space to fly it in.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Picking up a Blade MCX 2 tomorrow! They are brand new (only learned of their existence today) and of the few shops I called none have them yet but Action Hobby is getting 8 of them in tomorrow (in case anyone else wants one) so I put my name down for one. It appears to be the perfect step between the S107 and the MSR or similar. The RTF version is $124.99 I was told. Looks like some nice upgrades over the original MCX/S300 including more power, full body, optional CF tail boom w/adjustable weight, bigger battery, included charger, etc.

It looks like when you're bored of the MCX2, you can buy the MSR BNF for a reduced price because you already have the radio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2blE32Ng6DI&feature=related

http://www.blademcx2.org/

[kevie88]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Last night I removed the lead nose weight, nose LED, and snipped the LED wires. That, along with the removal of the tail supports makes a noticeable difference in flight time and responsiveness. It also helps counteract the front weight bias that exists when only the tail supports are removed, causing the heli to always move forward slightly even when hovering. It still moves forward a bit while hovering, but to a lesser extent.

As for battery life, it stays in the air longer due to slightly less weight, and now instead of the last 3-4 minutes of battery life basically making the heli act like a hovercraft, it will actually fly until it is only about a minute or so away from being completely dead.

I have 2 of these things now and I find they perform identically as follows:

First ~3min: Extremely responsive & powerful, can quickly hit the ceiling while hovering under full throttle without any forward movement. Backwards movement does not cause a loss of altitude.

Next ~5min: 75% power available, can easily fly around, and can gain altitude slowly while hovering. Gains altitude rapidly when forward movement is combined with full throttle. Forward flight without increasing altitude, like in the first few minutes, still requires you to back off the throttle slightly. Backwards movement causes a slight loss in altitude.

Last 1-2 minutes: Noticably less power, needs lots of forward movement to gain altitude, slowly loses altitude while hovering. Backwards movement causes a significant loss of altitude. Eventually cannot lift of the ground and is basically a hover craft, and less than a minute later the battery is dead.

Also, letting off the throttle briefly allows the heli to spin on its axis MUCH quicker, but it's harder to recover quickly unless you have a nearly full charge so it can "catch" itself.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I'm getting pretty good with these things, have only crashed a couple of times, and can reliably land on a 6X6 inch landing pad I have set up. So, I was looking more into getting a Blade MSR but after seeing how fast those things go, even though they are really small, it looks like ideally you need to be outside on a calm day or in a gymnasium to fully enjoy them. I might cause more damage than good in my condo :).

For you R/C guys: What do you think about the Blade MCX with the "Cusker" aluminum performance kit addition? Apparently, from what I read, it transforms the heli into a much better performer while maintaining its forgiving nature. I was thinking that might be a better alternative to the MSR given that I don't have a giant open space to fly it in.

I've been flying my MSR a few hours a day now for a week and I've gotten really good at flying it, I only crash once every 2 battery charges or so. I fly in my living room. You can slow down the controls on the stock remote and it's really very stable in a hover. When you wanna boogie this thing hauls ass and it takes a skilled hand to stop it (which I'm not haha) so you can crash it REALLY hard into things if you're not ready. I've absolutely PILED mine into the wall a few times already and all I broke was the landing skid/battery holder ($4.99). Now I fly it slower and with finer inputs.

I think this heli is one of the hardest R/C toys to break that I own. It's tough as nails. so far I've smashed into walls at top speed, crashed from 20 feet up, got hung up in trees ect ect ect and that landing skid is the only casualty so far.

I was looking at an MCX but the performance envelope is larger on the MSR (you don't HAVE to fly it fast) and I was sold on the new 4-port battery charger..I bought 3 additional 150mah batteries for it so being able to charge 4 batteries at once has already come in very handy.

[clem24]

Simulators are good. You can't hook up any of the E-Flite controllers but there are tons of cheap ones on eBay. This is a good site:

http://www.rchelicopterfun.com/index.html

Read the theory section and flight school section. It's funny cause all this stuff only applies to CP helis and NOT coaxials or even the FP MSR.

Or better yet, head out to a meet with one of the local clubs and just sit back and watch! You'll be amazed what these guys can do. With "real" (i.e. CP) helis. And how amazingly difficult things become as soon as you move out of a sterile indoor environment to a dynamic outdoor environment. It took me all of about 10 minutes to smash up a brand new $500 gas CP heli after a big gust of wind came by.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by clem24
Simulators are good. You can't hook up any of the E-Flite controllers but there are tons of cheap ones on eBay. This is a good site:

http://www.rchelicopterfun.com/index.html

Read the theory section and flight school section. It's funny cause all this stuff only applies to CP helis and NOT coaxials or even the FP MSR.

Or better yet, head out to a meet with one of the local clubs and just sit back and watch! You'll be amazed what these guys can do. With "real" (i.e. CP) helis. And how amazingly difficult things become as soon as you move out of a sterile indoor environment to a dynamic outdoor environment. It took me all of about 10 minutes to smash up a brand new $500 gas CP heli after a big gust of wind came by.

Do you know when these "meets" take place? What I think I would like is for someone else to fly my MSR, make sure it is functioning properly, and help me trim it...I can't seem to dial it in so I think I may need to make some mechanical changes. Something has seemed a little "off" with it even right out of the box. It will not hover/fly nearly as calmly as any of the youtube videos I see no matter how gentle my inputs. Of course, it could just be me though.

[Weapon_R]

I'd also like to know where I can get someone to look at mine. I bought a mid-level heli and I haven't been able to get it off the ground because it immediately banks to the right or left once it gets up. I want someone to take it for a flight and see what needs to be done to balance it properly.

[Jeremiah]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
I'd also like to know where I can get someone to look at mine. I bought a mid-level heli and I haven't been able to get it off the ground because it immediately banks to the right or left once it gets up. I want someone to take it for a flight and see what needs to be done to balance it properly.

Go to PM Hobbycraft.

I have this Heli http://www.pmhobbycraft.ca/store/product/278842/BLADE-CX2-RTF-ELEC-COAXIAL-HEL/

And have broken it a couple times because I couldn't cut it right and had no control. They have workshops to teach you and can show you how to fix it too

[kevie88]

Sorry Mitsu, I missed a couple of your posts when I split this thread out.

[Xtrema]

If you're getting into hobby grade stuff:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_listCategoriesAndProducts.asp?idCategory=320

[kevie88]

This is SICK :eek:

q6F-0rIpLJE

[Mitsu3000gt]

If there are some more advanced heli guys on this forum, is there any way we could get a little meet going to help out us noobs?

I looked at the Calgary RC club website and it looks like you need to pay membership fees to go there, not sure.

I really just need someone to tell me if I'm the problem, or if something is wrong with my heli as there has been something about it that didn't seem right from the beginning.

[clem24]

How far as you guys getting it off the ground? Remember when trimming, especially for such a tiny heli, it needs to be far enough off the ground so the ground effects don't play a part. For the MSR, it's so light and so the rotors spin up so fast that if you throttle up really quickly, the heli will spin around because the tail motor can't spin up fast enough to counteract the torque.

My MSR is perfectly stable. Instead of taking off from the ground, try taking it off from your hand.

To trim mine, all I did was find a relatively open area. Make sure everything is reset (the beep will be a long sound). Then do a hand take off. Give it just throttle. Now see what it does and make the proper trim adjustments depending on which way it drifts.

Again, the MSR will NOT fly like your micro coaxial. But your best bet: take it to PM or wherever you bought it from and let them test it.

To Weapon_R: what kind of heli is it? I'd highly recommend reading up on that page I sent. It's probably normal that you heli is banking one way because the rotors are probably slightly off angle to counteract the fact that they're spinning one way, if that makes sense. If you just give a little throttle and it banks, then I'd suggest try a hand take off with a little more throttle and see if it does the same thing.

I am by no means a heli expert BTW... My dad's friend is though. He's the one that got me into all this. And I'll ask him regarding any meets.

[syeve]

I was at PM Hobby today and they have a bunch of MCX2. The guy there flew one around for me and in my humble opinion it was OK. It was faster and climbed better than the $40 Beyond special, but for three times the cost, I would say it is 10% better...at most. Barely faster, barely more agile. Again, imo.

I will be stepping up to the MSR instead...and yes, this stupid hobby will no doubt costing me thousands. Ugh.

[nonlinear]

Originally posted by kevie88
Sorry Mitsu, I missed a couple of your posts when I split this thread out.

actually, don't Mitsu's posts refer to the Syma, instead of the MSR. or am i mistaken?

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by clem24
How far as you guys getting it off the ground? Remember when trimming, especially for such a tiny heli, it needs to be far enough off the ground so the ground effects don't play a part. For the MSR, it's so light and so the rotors spin up so fast that if you throttle up really quickly, the heli will spin around because the tail motor can't spin up fast enough to counteract the torque.

My MSR is perfectly stable. Instead of taking off from the ground, try taking it off from your hand.

To trim mine, all I did was find a relatively open area. Make sure everything is reset (the beep will be a long sound). Then do a hand take off. Give it just throttle. Now see what it does and make the proper trim adjustments depending on which way it drifts.

Again, the MSR will NOT fly like your micro coaxial. But your best bet: take it to PM or wherever you bought it from and let them test it.

To Weapon_R: what kind of heli is it? I'd highly recommend reading up on that page I sent. It's probably normal that you heli is banking one way because the rotors are probably slightly off angle to counteract the fact that they're spinning one way, if that makes sense. If you just give a little throttle and it banks, then I'd suggest try a hand take off with a little more throttle and see if it does the same thing.

I am by no means a heli expert BTW... My dad's friend is though. He's the one that got me into all this. And I'll ask him regarding any meets.

I would hover mine around chest height, but I can barely look at it long enough to make a change before it flies away on its own in some direction,

Also, how long should it take to rotate against the direction it would want to turn if it had no tail rotor? I would guess mine would take at least 10 full seconds to do 360 degrees. I'm not sure my tail motor was operating as it should.

I don't expect it to be anywhere near as stable as the Syma, but it is so unstable that I am not convinced everything is working properly on my heli which is why I just want someone else to try fly it.

I bought mine at Action Hobby but PM hobby is open until 9 tonight so I am going to head up there and see if those guys will help me.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by nonlinear


actually, I think Mitsu's posts referred to the Syma, not the MXC. or am i mistaken?

All my posts except the last few were regarding the Syma. All the modification posts were about the Syma.

[QuasarCav]

Hi Guys,

I fly a couple of TREX models and I've gone through the whole CX2 - Cp Pro - Blade 400 - TREX progression so I've been in the same boat as a lot of you that were first blown away by RC helicopters.

The number 1 rule that I can share with you, besides not going anywhere near PM hobby is to buy the best heli that you can afford. So many people spend tonnes of cash trying to get an eflite model to fly properly only to be discouraged by the hobby altogther.

You can pickup a TREX 450 clone online for under 100 and have it reay to fly for 400 once you include the pricy radio that you'll need. The learning curve is steep and unless you like doing meaningless drills on the simulator you'll only progress with actual flight time, that is what makes having a good heli so important.

Shoot me a PM if you have any technical questions. We have a couple of good resources in Calgary with the Calgary Heli club (www.helicalgary.com).

I would suggest that you pickup parts at Action Hobby. PM is an expensive place that only serves to steal money from you and the store in the SW reminds me of a poorly run garage sale.

[Cos]

I bought a choper last year from PM, expensive bugger and bought a simulator at the same time. I think it cost me around 400 and spent almost a grand fixing it when I crashed it.

I was given one of the cheapy little ones from im2fst4u and I have been having a blast. Going to get better at it and try again.

[kevie88]

I've never been to Action Hobby. I should go down there for something to do with my baby son today..

[kevie88]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


I would hover mine around chest height, but I can barely look at it long enough to make a change before it flies away on its own in some direction,

Also, how long should it take to rotate against the direction it would want to turn if it had no tail rotor? I would guess mine would take at least 10 full seconds to do 360 degrees. I'm not sure my tail motor was operating as it should.

I don't expect it to be anywhere near as stable as the Syma, but it is so unstable that I am not convinced everything is working properly on my heli which is why I just want someone else to try fly it.

I bought mine at Action Hobby but PM hobby is open until 9 tonight so I am going to head up there and see if those guys will help me.

I had the same problem at first. I would try to hover and the thing went off in it's own direction. What I did was try to counter the direction it was going away in. Once I figured out how to get it to hover with the input, I would counter the input with the trims. For example, I had to hold Left-Front to get it hovering, I'd first trim out the left movement by trimming right. Then it flew with only having to hold front, so I trimmed it to the rear. Now it'll pretty much be holding stable. You'll find you still need to trim pretty regularly, mine will change trim slightly with every battery change. Once you have it figured out you"ll have very little trouble making the adjustments.

[EvolizePhoto]

I have to repair my friends CP PRO he fucked it all up lol.

You guys need to watch this guy fly.

RwHt6LyVBxQ

Ifanybody need help let me know. I'm not a pro at helis but I am able to fly inverted, and in any orientation. I know enough basics that I could help somebody trim in their heli.

[kevie88]

Here's my Blade MSR flying hands off. I've learned that trying to film and fly at the same time is a recipe for disaster! LOL

S_D6kEDfy7U

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by kevie88
Here's my Blade MSR flying hands off. I've learned that trying to film and fly at the same time is a recipe for disaster! LOL

S_D6kEDfy7U

That hovers way better than mine does!

UPDATE: I replaced the tail motor and now it hovers much more like it should. It looks like I had a defective tail motor to begin with.

[digi355]

I posted in the other thread that I’d grounded my helicopter trying to do mid-air stalls.

Trying to stall the helicopter put pressure on the lower rotor and broke whatever fitting was holding it on the shaft. I think it was just a pressure fitting but I’m not sure, anyway, if your helicopter isn’t getting any lift, the bottom rotor is probably spooling on the shaft, a dab of crazy glue should fix this.

[nobb]

Originally posted by EvolizePhoto
I have to repair my friends CP PRO he fucked it all up lol.

You guys need to watch this guy fly.
....

That's a crazy video! Must take a powerful heli to be able to pull something like that off. Anyone manage to do tricks on the S107? I could have sworn I saw a video of someone flying it inverted, but Im not sure how that's possible if the blades only push air downwards.

[clem24]

Originally posted by nobb


That's a crazy video! Must take a powerful heli to be able to pull something like that off. Anyone manage to do tricks on the S107? I could have sworn I saw a video of someone flying it inverted, but Im not sure how that's possible if the blades only push air downwards.

It takes an amazing pilot to start doing things like that. I think you can probably achieve that with even a Blade CP2 Pro and a few minor upgrades.

Fly the S107 upside down? My guess is you'd need to reverse the blades. But I don't know how the gyro would handle any of these changes, or if it'll even fly.

[EvolizePhoto]

This is a video I took of me on the real flight simulator.
KmAPb0eNBLc

5f42ohslUDs

[nonlinear]

holy shit, that flight simulator is awesome. how much does that cost? where do you buy it?

is this the website (seems to be only for planes): http://www.realflight.com/

[Graham_A_M]

with the S107's, has anybody else have the tail motor go on the fritz? With mine the last time I used it the rear motor was working very sporadically, now it doesn't work at all.
What gives?

[Zhariak]

I keep buying these, nice ones... Keep crashing and buying more.


After the 4th time buying different choppers, I realized I've spent to much on a hobby that was never meant to be! haha

[luxor]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M
with the S107's, has anybody else have the tail motor go on the fritz? With mine the last time I used it the rear motor was working very sporadically, now it doesn't work at all.
What gives?

The tail motor often fail on these things, it's not uncommon. Ebay sells the replacement motor with tail shaft.

[nonlinear]

my tail rotor broke, too. I just got the replacement one yesterday - about $8 with shipping. haven't replaced it yet though.

[v2kai]

tail motor is very susceptible to dust accumulation as well. if yours still turns try running it submerged in rubbing alcohol it's revived to motors for me. the level of electricity is so low it wont damage the motor or short. you can also use water but rubbing alcohol has worked better for me.

[Graham_A_M]

^ No its stone dead at this point. Apparently Toys R Us sells these among many other mini helicopters, would that be a good place to go for any replacement parts? I'll try that alcohol trick.

[nobb]

Is it motor seized? Or do you have a multimeter that you can use to test for continuity (to see if it's burned out). If it's just a seized motor I find that submerging it in motor oil can lubricate it.

[v2kai]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M
^ No its stone dead at this point. Apparently Toys R Us sells these among many other mini helicopters, would that be a good place to go for any replacement parts? I'll try that alcohol trick.

when you try to go fwd or rev does the motor get hot to the touch?

[Graham_A_M]

no, its stays room temp, so I dont think its stuck, I think there may be an internal wiring issue. I'll charge it up and give it another try though:dunno:

EDIT: Just on ebay, wow you can buy the whole helicopter package for $0.74 (plus shipping)... or a replacement motor for $7:nut:

Shipping sure kills it though, but $0.74 for the whole thing, wow... little wonder so many companies outsource products to China, Im amazed they can make it for so little, thats nuts.
Just the ALL the parts here (without assembly) would be $5+, yet its complete and assembled for a fraction of that.

[nonlinear]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M
no, its stays room temp, so I dont think its stuck, I think there may be an internal wiring issue. I'll charge it up and give it another try though:dunno:

EDIT: Just on ebay, wow you can buy the whole helicopter package for $0.74 (plus shipping)... or a replacement motor for $7:nut:

Shipping sure kills it though, but $0.74 for the whole thing, wow... little wonder so many companies outsource products to China, Im amazed they can make it for so little, thats nuts.
Just the ALL the parts here (without assembly) would be $5+, yet its complete and assembled for a fraction of that.

i think the reason it appears to be only $0.74 for the whole helicpoter is that they are using the shipping to "hide" the sale price, thus avoiding ebay's final value fees. if you were to buy that helicopter, you would see that the shipping they use is far, far less than the $28 they list in the ads. this is a pretty common tactic, especially with chinese sellers.

[EvolizePhoto]

Does anybody want a new heli?

My buddy is selling his cp pro that needs a new tail boom, and chassis with a nice carry tote duffel bag with straps to hold it in.

$50 403-585-6208

[zieg]

Woah, how did I miss this thread? I'm really into everything RC, including helis. I have a msr and a b400, and I'm at the top of the waiting list for the new 120 SR. That thing should be pretty cool.. more balls than a cx2/cx3, same size, still fixed pitch simplicity (if I want to play with a CP heli I have my 400 for that).. should be great.

Nice to see that some of you guys wanted to move beyond those $40 things. Make sure you guys hop on the helicalgary.com forum and maybe come out to a fly nite some time. You do need a MAAC membership to fly there, but if you are serious enough you'll end up joining MAAC before long anyway.

[Skyline.addict]

If you guys ever need help with heli stuff go to pm hobbycraft and ask for kris (my dad) in airplane department. He is the manager there and will be able to help you out a lot.

[Graham_A_M]

^ I'll ask him for a replacement tail motor, thanks for the heads up!
(did they really change the name from PMS to just PM hobbycraft?)
... kind of a random question I know. :D

[zieg]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M
^ I'll ask him for a replacement tail motor, thanks for the heads up!
(did they really change the name from PMS to just PM hobbycraft?)
... kind of a random question I know. :D

Yes they did. In the 50's it was just a camera shop, called PMS cameras (PMS stood for photo (something) supplies) and then later changed to pm hobbycraft when they expanded out from just cameras. Then in the 70's (I think) they dropped the S because of, well, you know..

[kevie88]

Originally posted by ZiG-87
Woah, how did I miss this thread? I'm really into everything RC, including helis. I have a msr and a b400, and I'm at the top of the waiting list for the new 120 SR. That thing should be pretty cool.. more balls than a cx2/cx3, same size, still fixed pitch simplicity (if I want to play with a CP heli I have my 400 for that).. should be great.

Nice to see that some of you guys wanted to move beyond those $40 things. Make sure you guys hop on the helicalgary.com forum and maybe come out to a fly nite some time. You do need a MAAC membership to fly there, but if you are serious enough you'll end up joining MAAC before long anyway.

That 120SR looks pretty cool! I'll have to grab a bind n' fly when they come out. Hopefully it's as bulletproof as the MSR, altho I'm getting much better and hardly crash at all nowadays so it might not matter.

[benyl]

They still had PMS in the 80s and 90s when they were located by the old Ikea location.

[kevie88]

Originally posted by benyl
They still had PMS in the 80s and 90s when they were located by the old Ikea location.

Yep, I remember going there in the 80's to race at the indoor track they had next door.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I am selling my Blase MSR RTF (Ready to fly) if anyone is interested. Comes with remote, original packaging, 3 batteries, extra blades, extra blade grips, extra tail boom, and extra landing gear. I just never use it, I could use the cash, and it needs more room to fly than in my small condo. Never had any bad crashes. Let me know if anyone is interested.

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?s=&threadid=312346

[zieg]

Well, I just added another to my flock.. the new Blade 120 SR. Much like the MSR but about 1.5x the size. Still fixed pitch simplicity, too. And I must say, it flies very nice. Very stable, dare I say more stable than the msr.

Here it is posing with one of my race cars:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/firebirdman1987/IMG_0007-1.jpg

And the whole flock (of helis anyway)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/firebirdman1987/IMG_0012.jpg


Too bad nobody has batteries in stock yet. I hate all this waiting while I charge!