Cant let webby have all the fun

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$50 or so and a few evenings work we are back in business.

[Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun
 
webbie said:
What will that set you back?
My little crashes with the bigger quad were a bit annoying - it was $66 for a new arm because they didn't sell just the parts I needed.
Click to expand...


That was about a $50 crash. $20 carbon fiber main rotor blades, $9 for bent main shaft and spindle, $15 for the stabilizer bar and seesaw and $5 for new bearings.

The cost of parts for these things is relative to the size, if this where a big electric or gas helicopter it would have been a few hundred...
 
webbie said:
Those things don't look like they are meant to fly. Then again, the same is true of most rotor aircraft.
Click to expand...


The reason they cratered some of the V-22 Ospreys. Not using rotary wing pilots.
 
I know they are just "toys" (like my chainsaws) but this is my fleet.

[Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun
(Click image for larger view)

The little red one is light and fast but easily pushed around by the slightest breeze. The gold one is a little heavier and easier to maneuver but slow to react. We set up courses around the trees in the yard and race to see who can complete 3 loops first.

They have been attacked by the cats, had hard landings in the trees/bushes, and are held together with glue, solder, and wire. Replacement parts are, except for the blades, impossible to come by so they have been jury-rigged several times.

KaptJaq
 
Got out for a nice day at the field today, and flew big planes and the helis. Except for a bad sky (lot of grey overcast makes it hard to see the planes well at a distance) weather was about as good as you could ever ask for, high 70s and nearly dead calm at the start with only a lite 5mph breeze picking up later.

I am starting to get the hang of this heli thing and got some video (stay tuned).

[Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun [Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun


One of the good heli pilots was out and let me fly his Goblin. This thing is over twice the size of mine and I was shaking at the thought of loosing concentration and crashing it. One small mishap easily turns into a $400 repair bill on that.

So all I did was hover it in place and do a small lap up the runway. Its veeeery stable though, larger and has a full 3 axis gyro stabilization system. Man oh man I want one.

[Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun [Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun
 
I told dad that even he could fly the Phantom once I got it airborne. This quadcopter has GPS which keeps it hovering in about the same place and centered controls so that when you leave go of the sticks, it stays where it is.

Here's the proof. He flew it!
[Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun
 
webbie said:
I told dad that even he could fly the Phantom once I got it airborne. This quadcopter has GPS which keeps it hovering in about the same place and centered controls so that when you leave go of the sticks, it stays where it is.

Here's the proof. He flew it!
Click to expand...


Nice Craig!

These days even traditional RC helicopters are fully gyro stabilized. There are some GPS guided systems even but we dont see them alot. In the big guy I am installing a system called the Helicommand 3SX, which is a 3 axis gyro stabilizer that has 3 modes you can select in flight:

  • "RIGID" mode for aerobatics which basically just gyro stbilizes aaginst wind drift.
  • "Hoizon" mode wich is self levelling whenever you let go the controlsand makes it fly as stable as a quadcopter
  • "Rescue" mode - which is on a spring loaded switch. Any time you hit the switch, no matter what position the helicopter is in, it will level itself upright as fast as possible, and then shoot straight up. So literlaly if you are upside down and falling toward the ground it will save you. Use theis to get out of trouble if you get disoriented practicing tricks.

Speaking of the big guy we are getting closer. Almost ready to install the engine and start setting up the electronics :)

[Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun [Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun
 
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Just don't take the top of your head off like the kid in Queens did this summer!
 
Why does everyone want to tell me that ::P


Yeah that one was quite a tragedy... Even worse something similar happened in Switzerland this year as well. Sadly it happens but thankfully is very rare, R/C helicopters like this have been around since the 70s and this is one of hte few really bad accidents I recall... In a way though its gotten more dangerous, used to be you had a big learning curve having to build the thing from parts and practice for years with an instructor to learn how to fly it, which kinda weeded out the impatient and inexperienced. Not to mention they just didn't have the performance for crazy dangerous stunts.

Now anyone with a credit card can go buy one that is ready to go out of the box and will do tricks like a mad bee on steroids and you have these young kids that like to fly crazy 5 feet in front of their face to impress the crowd. Not thinking about the consequences if something breaks. I dont and wont fly like that - I keep it way out at a safe distance all the time and never fly alone.

Same reason that at full scale airshows all the stunts are done parallel to the flight line... if something goes wrong they want the aircraft's momentum to take the crash away from the spectators.
 
It hit nearly 60F yesterday so I couldn't resist the chance to go out and test fly it. I was at our club field with my friend/helicopter mentor Raja who helped check it out.

4 great flights for about 1 hour of flight time on a half gallon of regular 2 stroke mix pump gas. This is just toooooooo much fun.

the videos below are of Raja flying. I didn't get video of me yet. No crazy tricks, just breaking in the engine and checking it out so far...


[Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun [Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun [Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun

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Pretty fine for a maiden flight.
 
Here is that photo....

Yeah, I heard of that machine! A bit rich for my blood......the Phantom I have was $450 and has a digital compass, GPS, return to home, some barometer functions, programmability and can carry a fairly heavy camera. I don't think it does flips, though....

[Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun
 
Wow, I just saw that in my latest model aviation magazine, its the little Estes one? $39 bucks??? wow. might have to get one for kicks.



This was my New Years Eve fun. 22 degrees out but we were having a ball. Electric heated gloves rule!
[Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun [Hearth.com] Cant let webby have all the fun
 
Last edited:
jharkin said:
Wow, I just saw that in my latest model aviation magazine, its the little Estes one? $39 bucks??? wow. might have to get one for kicks.
Click to expand...

Yeah, thats the estes.
People are not enamored with it as it's set up to be somewhat disposable (they don't sell parts).....but you can get around all that. Also, it works much better with a bigger TX (the hubsan tx)....you should have a Hubsan too. For 45 or so, you can fly some inside and have fun!
 
What's it run for?
 
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