KBDD Paddles

[Felt]

Anyone ever tried the KBDD paddles on your 600. I'm looking to speed my cyclic up. Thanks.

[Ah Clem]

600E, not 600N, and yes they sped up the cyclic considerably.

I do not have an "N" to test on, so cannot make that comparison (sorry).

This "E" is equipped with KBDD Paddles, Dampers, and Tail Blades. It was pretty sluggish before:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiw4bYHw9ns

[Felt]

Any chance you can test them on your N?

[GunnyGlow]

The KBDD paddles speed up the cyclic of ANY heli you put them on.

I would be pretty surprised to see someone post anything other than "DANG! These paddles are fast!!!"

They're well worth it!

[Felt]

I also noticed that KBDD paddles weigh 3 grams more than the Align 3K paddles. Would this matter?

[GunnyGlow]

I"ve noticed the airfoil on the KBDD's differs from MOST other paddles out there. I have to assume that most of the 'quick' you get from them is a direct result of this unique design. I wouldn't worry about the 3 extra grams..

There are also two different holes you can use.

[Ah Clem]

Felt,

Sorry, I do not own a 600N, so I cannot make that test for you.

"I"ve noticed the airfoil on the KBDD's differs from MOST other paddles out there. I have to assume that most of the 'quick' you get from them is a direct result of this unique design. I wouldn't worry about the 3 extra grams..

There are also two different holes you can use."

I could not agree more.

The airfoil on the KBDD paddles is entirely different that that of the Align paddle.

The Align paddles are thick, with a very blunt leading edge. They are (IMHO) fairly slow responding in general, but very slow around center.

As GunnyGlow mentioned there are two holes in the KBDD Paddles. The helicopter will be more responsive if the flybar is installed the hole closest to the trailing edge (this is the one I always use).

[Felt]

Ok thank you. I think I'll go ahead and try a set for my 450 pro and 600LE

[Ah Clem]

You will love them on the 450 Pro.

Really quick, really smooth, very locked in!

There are KBDD Dampers and tail blades for the 450 Pro which are excellent as well!

(and yes, I am biased).

[GunnyGlow]

(and yes, I am biased).

Me too! Only....I"m not sponsored by KBDD!! ;)
I REALLY like their stuff b/c it's high quality and affordable. It's good for us 'normal' kinda fellows!


I don't run the paddles on the rear hole.....the front one is enough for me!!
I don't have a 600N...but I do have the paddles(and tail blades) on my R50T and my SEv2.



I tell ya what....you better get some of the blades and paddles. Get ALOT!! Soon, I fear, the Govt. will find out they're using a highly advanced material acquired way back in the 1940's near Roswell, New Mexico. Of course they'll confiscate it and we'll all have to go back to boring 'ol black carbon fiber. :P:YeaBaby:

[Ah Clem]

"Soon, I fear, the Govt. will find out they're using a highly advanced material acquired way back in the 1940's near Roswell, New Mexico. Of course they'll confiscate it and we'll all have to go back to boring 'ol black carbon fiber. "


Oh no! You found out the secret!

ROTFLMAO!

[DominicD]

I don't own a 600N but i gave a set of 450/50/90 paddles to my flying buddy (GForce pilot), he had been running the stock 600N paddles and i got him to try some orange paddles. He says at first you don't really notice a huge difference, a slight increase in cyclic response. He says that after several flights you really start to appreciate the paddles, they seem alittle faster but crisper.

I run a set of the 30-50 paddles on both my 550 and 50 and love them, just make sure to twist them onto the flybar far enough. I am still playing with the dampers, so no thumbs up for them just yet.

[nwmtech]

I've got some mixed opinions on them I guess. For a 450 they're awesome. Best bang for the buck you can do. However, for me, they seem to get less impressive the larger heli you put them on. I've tried them on a 450 Pro, 500, 600N, and a Fury. While on all helis they did increase cyclic speed it seemed to me that they also got a lot more unstable in FFF the larger they got. I loved them on the 450 and 500 becuase I usually kept those helis pretty close and didn't do a lot of high speed flight with them. The 600n and the Fury take up a lot more sky and I think the same feature of the paddles that makes them quick (sharp and long leading edge) also makes them very pitchy when you're haulin' across the sky. Yes, even in the front hole. Do I think they're good paddles for the buck? Absolutely. Do they increase cyclic speed? Absolutely, but I think where they increase cyclic speed they trade off in stability.

[Ah Clem]

NWMtech,

I have them installed on four 450's, a 500, a 550, three 600's and a .90 (700) sized machines.

All of these are rock solid in fast forward and backward flight and they are rock solid and smooth with absolutely no tendency towards pitchiness.

You can see how smooth the helicopter is in the video and it isn't the pilot that is smooth.

I am, admittedly, very biased, but I can't get the paddles to be "pitchy", on any size helicopter.

Always interesting how different people have different experiences with the same things.

[DominicD]

I never fly in one direction long enough to even consider pitchyness :)

[Felt]

I never fly in one direction long enough to even consider pitchyness :)

Me either, that is why i havent tried going FBL yet.

[nwmtech]

Here's an excellent article that I gained a lot of knowledge from regarding paddles and flybar length.

http://www.helituning.com/index.php/setup/heli/477-flybar-paddles-explained.html

[Ah Clem]

nwmtech,

Someone had posted that previously in the same sort of discussion that we are having now (i.e. pitchiness or not with KBDD paddles).

The information is interesting, but not necessarily, totally correct regarding paddle section.

I was flying in the "dark ages" he mentioned (flying Schluter, American R/C, Hirobo, Ishimasa, Kavan, etc.).

Did I mention that I am older than dirt?

The paddles that Schluter supplied for the Heliboy (the first, mass produced helicopter that had aggressive aerobatic capabilities and Bell/Hiller steering) had an extremely thin section and leading and trailing edges so sharp you could almost shave with them, yet the Heliboy, for its time, was very stable (and quick) and had no tendency to pitch up whatsoever, even in very fast forward flight.

Conversely, I had a Hirobo Falcon 707 (looked like a large, yellow toaster), which had very thick, blunt (and heavy) paddles, which would pitch up violently in fast forward flight. I remember bailing out of it by completing a loop, several times, while I was trying to figure out what caused it.

The issue with the Falcon actually turned out to be a combined damping and RPM issue (a friend of mine had also encountered it and showed me how to cure it). Once corrected, the machine was subsequently flown with Schluter paddles (again very thin, sharp, and light) and demonstrated no tendency to pitch up in fast forward flight, whatsoever.

Again, I cannot get the KBDD paddles to be pitchy, on any machine I have flown them on (which is almost everything current I own).

It just looks like we have different experiences with the same product.

[nwmtech]

I can only comment on what I've personally experienced. I flew both the 600 and the Fury back to back with KBDD's one flight and then CY's on the 600 and some lightened MA's that I modifed on the Fury. Both the CY's and the modified MA's are lighter than the KBDD's, have a larger surface area and much blunter leading edge. Both resulted in the same flip/roll rate (tad faster with the CY's on the 600 actually) but a noticable increase in stability. Does it mean I don't like the KBDD's? Heck no. They're awesome paddles for the dollar. I just think there are better out there (although three times the price, LOL)