PDC
06-06-2006, 06:55 PM
Another beauty from Heinseleit, 4,3kg in the nitro version, incl blades, and later with an electric module too.....I think Heinseleits designs is in its own class, high class.
So many new "must have" heli´s just around the corner, it is harder and harder to make a choice, maybe the best is just to buy one of each :-).
Delivery time for the XL if one make a reservation now is estimated to be late August, and delivery time for the smaller 3DMP is longer as they use their resources on the XL right now.
http://www.henseleit-helicopters.de/index2.html#Menue.html|uebersicht.html
http://www.henseleit-helicopters.de/Bilder/Fotoreihe/MP_XL/gross.JPG
The MP-XL is the successor to the NT, it's a new 91-class model with a rotor diameter of 160 cm.
The basic mechanics and main drive concept is based on the MP because the slanted main gear has proven optimal with regards to efficiency, setup and quiet running.
First the combustion-engined version is produced, due to high demand, but also here (like with the MP-E) an electric module can be fitted later. A special battery sub-module and a motor are being evaluated for this size of helicopter.
I have gathered all positive and negative experience from my 12 years as a helicopter manufacturer, I have also collected wish lists from many pilots and all this has been taken into account when designing the MP-XL.
It has been my intention, independently of any ideological constraints, to combine and optimize every component that has proven itself in the past.
The return to a drive shaft for the tail rotor seemed to me to be inevitable because of the power requirements these days, and the fact that a belt may prove troublesome in this case.
Sadly a belt starts resonating quite frequently and this leads to vibration at certain rpm settings and premature failure.
The drive shaft from the old TD and the Rocket have proven in the past to be almost indestructible and vibration-free at all rpm settings.
The extremely light gear box construction in combination with the already lighter MP tail rotor parts allowed the weight to be reduced so that the all-up weight of the drive shaft system is only marginally heavier than the belt version. The result is that the MP-XL weighs only 4,3 Kg with blades and this is about 100g lighter than the NT in spite of the drive shaft for the tail rotor.
Sadly, the motor position very close to the main shaft necessitated the use of a 350g receiver battery upfront in the nose; without this the MP-XL would be lighter still (about 200g).
The advantage however is that one can use a 3500 mAh NIMH battery, this allows many flights without recharging the receiver battery.
Also the low weight will benefit the E-version because the positioning of the flight pack will allow you to remove the receiver battery and consequently gain 200g.
The receiver battery can now be attached securely upfront to the frame sides and no longer needs to be attached to the cylinder head like on the MP (thus easier mounting when using different engines).
The stable and quick-change front chassis also supports the canopy and protects in case of a crash. All sensitive and expensive electronic components have (as usual in my designs) been integrated at the rear (aft of the main shaft).
Compactness of the main mechanics and short cables are an advantage and even in case of heavy crashes the electronics will escape unscathed (except for broken servo arms).
The desire of many pilots to have a bigger tank to allow even nitro pilots to have 10 mins of flight time has been honored by integrating a 710ccm tank exactly on the center of gravity under the main shaft (this is very important in view of the mass of this amount of fuel).
The canopy is the original NT canopy, just the rear has been opened up to allow pilots to check the fuel level in the tank.
A positive side effect is that the new asymmetric canopy form allows for better view on the position of the helicopter when in flight (a desire for many NT pilots that had difficulty in recognizing the position of the helicopter).
Old NT canopies can be used when the canopy holes are re-drilled slightly (put otherwise: if you have old NT canopies you can re-use them on the MP-XL).
The rotor head has been completely re-worked and optimised to keep the excellent flight characteristics of the MP-head whilst at the same time making the maintenance easier.
The central piece has been designed in such a way so that the flybar is supported axially and radially using only two side mounted guide rails. This way it can now be easily mounted from the side. The whole flybar can be removed by removing one guide rail and one paddle and by turning 90 degrees it can be slid out as a whole.
The whole flybar is no longer one bar but two and these are bolted to the 8mm middle section. This does away with the fiddly removing of the bent flybar after a crash. It often happens that only one side is bent, this can now be quickly replaced, and also the guide rails can be individually replaced in under a minute.
The landing gear spacing has been optimised to allow better, secure stance on uneven terrain.
The exhaust has been designed in such a way so that it starts at the front, is integrated almost entirely in the canopy and is barely visible and still have the required 430mm length for optimal engine performance.
To recap all this:
The MP-XL is a worthy successor to the NT. Lots of parts are compatible to the MP.
Also the smaller v91 version will be adapted to the XL so it will be very easy to convert one to the other in the future.
The E-module to the XL will be ready soon so that the model can be used in a variety of ways and can be fast adapted to customer requirements.
Because of the parts compatibility between the XL and the MP series, replacement parts supply is guaranteed for a long time to come.
Because of the high standard set by the NT many years ago, a quantum leap like with the NT is difficult to achieve but it has been possible to fine tune and hone the flight characteristics to improve the straight-line stability whilst at the same time increasing the agility.
The 8,25:1 gearing, and the improved efficiency of the gears has allowed us to improve engine and autorotation performance.
The whole spectrum, from lazy recreational flying to wild 3D (with or without nitro) is possible without any problems with these mechanics.
The flight characteristics are very sane and because of how it's constructed I expect the allround mechanics (like with its predecessor) to have high robustness and a long service life. This will make sure the helicopter keeps its value for a long time and it ensures a lot of flying fun for a long time to come.
So many new "must have" heli´s just around the corner, it is harder and harder to make a choice, maybe the best is just to buy one of each :-).
Delivery time for the XL if one make a reservation now is estimated to be late August, and delivery time for the smaller 3DMP is longer as they use their resources on the XL right now.
http://www.henseleit-helicopters.de/index2.html#Menue.html|uebersicht.html
http://www.henseleit-helicopters.de/Bilder/Fotoreihe/MP_XL/gross.JPG
The MP-XL is the successor to the NT, it's a new 91-class model with a rotor diameter of 160 cm.
The basic mechanics and main drive concept is based on the MP because the slanted main gear has proven optimal with regards to efficiency, setup and quiet running.
First the combustion-engined version is produced, due to high demand, but also here (like with the MP-E) an electric module can be fitted later. A special battery sub-module and a motor are being evaluated for this size of helicopter.
I have gathered all positive and negative experience from my 12 years as a helicopter manufacturer, I have also collected wish lists from many pilots and all this has been taken into account when designing the MP-XL.
It has been my intention, independently of any ideological constraints, to combine and optimize every component that has proven itself in the past.
The return to a drive shaft for the tail rotor seemed to me to be inevitable because of the power requirements these days, and the fact that a belt may prove troublesome in this case.
Sadly a belt starts resonating quite frequently and this leads to vibration at certain rpm settings and premature failure.
The drive shaft from the old TD and the Rocket have proven in the past to be almost indestructible and vibration-free at all rpm settings.
The extremely light gear box construction in combination with the already lighter MP tail rotor parts allowed the weight to be reduced so that the all-up weight of the drive shaft system is only marginally heavier than the belt version. The result is that the MP-XL weighs only 4,3 Kg with blades and this is about 100g lighter than the NT in spite of the drive shaft for the tail rotor.
Sadly, the motor position very close to the main shaft necessitated the use of a 350g receiver battery upfront in the nose; without this the MP-XL would be lighter still (about 200g).
The advantage however is that one can use a 3500 mAh NIMH battery, this allows many flights without recharging the receiver battery.
Also the low weight will benefit the E-version because the positioning of the flight pack will allow you to remove the receiver battery and consequently gain 200g.
The receiver battery can now be attached securely upfront to the frame sides and no longer needs to be attached to the cylinder head like on the MP (thus easier mounting when using different engines).
The stable and quick-change front chassis also supports the canopy and protects in case of a crash. All sensitive and expensive electronic components have (as usual in my designs) been integrated at the rear (aft of the main shaft).
Compactness of the main mechanics and short cables are an advantage and even in case of heavy crashes the electronics will escape unscathed (except for broken servo arms).
The desire of many pilots to have a bigger tank to allow even nitro pilots to have 10 mins of flight time has been honored by integrating a 710ccm tank exactly on the center of gravity under the main shaft (this is very important in view of the mass of this amount of fuel).
The canopy is the original NT canopy, just the rear has been opened up to allow pilots to check the fuel level in the tank.
A positive side effect is that the new asymmetric canopy form allows for better view on the position of the helicopter when in flight (a desire for many NT pilots that had difficulty in recognizing the position of the helicopter).
Old NT canopies can be used when the canopy holes are re-drilled slightly (put otherwise: if you have old NT canopies you can re-use them on the MP-XL).
The rotor head has been completely re-worked and optimised to keep the excellent flight characteristics of the MP-head whilst at the same time making the maintenance easier.
The central piece has been designed in such a way so that the flybar is supported axially and radially using only two side mounted guide rails. This way it can now be easily mounted from the side. The whole flybar can be removed by removing one guide rail and one paddle and by turning 90 degrees it can be slid out as a whole.
The whole flybar is no longer one bar but two and these are bolted to the 8mm middle section. This does away with the fiddly removing of the bent flybar after a crash. It often happens that only one side is bent, this can now be quickly replaced, and also the guide rails can be individually replaced in under a minute.
The landing gear spacing has been optimised to allow better, secure stance on uneven terrain.
The exhaust has been designed in such a way so that it starts at the front, is integrated almost entirely in the canopy and is barely visible and still have the required 430mm length for optimal engine performance.
To recap all this:
The MP-XL is a worthy successor to the NT. Lots of parts are compatible to the MP.
Also the smaller v91 version will be adapted to the XL so it will be very easy to convert one to the other in the future.
The E-module to the XL will be ready soon so that the model can be used in a variety of ways and can be fast adapted to customer requirements.
Because of the parts compatibility between the XL and the MP series, replacement parts supply is guaranteed for a long time to come.
Because of the high standard set by the NT many years ago, a quantum leap like with the NT is difficult to achieve but it has been possible to fine tune and hone the flight characteristics to improve the straight-line stability whilst at the same time increasing the agility.
The 8,25:1 gearing, and the improved efficiency of the gears has allowed us to improve engine and autorotation performance.
The whole spectrum, from lazy recreational flying to wild 3D (with or without nitro) is possible without any problems with these mechanics.
The flight characteristics are very sane and because of how it's constructed I expect the allround mechanics (like with its predecessor) to have high robustness and a long service life. This will make sure the helicopter keeps its value for a long time and it ensures a lot of flying fun for a long time to come.