What to buy

[Pipes]

I have been flying in the house for a year now the Hirobo XRB Lama and then the XRB Shuttle(Electic helicoptor)this machine helped me learn hoe to balance blades, set pitch and trim. During the winter I got a good deal on the Hirobo lepton EX. This is a little to advance for me at the moment and I will be getting lesson on how the fly it.
My question is I got a Walkera Dragonfly 36 used and after many foums still can't get it to hoover.
Can someone recomend something small than the Lepton that I can lean and practice on that can fly outdoors with a little wind.
And should I buy it new?

[jwz]

If you can hover the lama, you should really get a T-Rex.
Its more stable than many other small models. I ordered the t-rex 450SA, as it is only around $200 with motor and esc. (better than the t-rex 450XL)

[skunkworx]

I second that! The trex is awesome in all forms as far as I'm concerned! If you can handle having plastic parts to start with, these are great helis. Of course, the better stuff you get (the higher model grade/level), The better it will handle.

The Walkeras are a tough nut to crack, but if you change out the radio/electronics, you should be able to get it in the air for a decent price. You'll have to get a radio no matter what, so I'd recommend an Optic 6 (low end) or DX6 (mid) or better yet, DX7 (high end). You can probably get one of these on Ebay if you really want to cut corners (but you have to accept the risk involved), but any way you go, you want to have the best radio you can afford!

[PaulW]

Stock Walkeras tend to be a bit marginal on their motors. The pitch tends to be set too high, resulting in the motor being overloaded and the whole thing slowing down. Certainly on the 60 the standard foam blades tend to be difficult to track and their flexing seems to increase tthe pitch / motor overloading situation. First I would reduce the pitch on the main blades and get as high a head speed as I could. Then slowly raise the pitch untill it started to pull the head speed down a little then back it off. I use the throttel curve exponential function on the transmitter to get a higher head speed around the mid stick position. Next would be upgrade the blades to carbon or even Walkera's glass blades, but be aware if you upgrade the blades and have a blade strike it will almost certainly do a LOT of damage to the head and linkages. After that it I would upgrade the motor and go brushless using LiPo batteries, but you really got to ask if it is worth the expense on the Walkera (Binning the Walkera Radio and using a decent set, especially if your going to stay in the hobby makes a lot of sense and makes flying the Walkera much easier!!

[skunkworx]

Stole the words out of my mouth!!! Stupid foam blades! :arggg: Anyone know if they make wood blades for the DF 52? Totally cool except for the blades! Mine flew right out of the box (although it took a few flights to get it to calm down adjusting the screwy radio!)

I just crashed my Trex the other day. Worst part of the repair was main blades @ $13! Total bill was less than $25! Plus it gave me a chance to put on some much needed upgrade parts!

The Blade CP Pro is a good little heli as well. Just like the Walkeras, you have to ditch the radio, but all the electronics work fine with JR and Futaba stuff really well. Parts support is really good and they can handle a good kick in the teeth once you get started. Starting price is $249, but you might be able to find one in the classifieds or...*Gulp*..Ebay!
Good luck!

[Jermo]

<cut>I just crashed my Trex the other day. Worst part of the repair was main blades @ $13! Total bill was less than $25! Plus it gave me a chance to put on some much needed upgrade parts!

<cut>

Have you tried the Tech Model Products blades? they are cheaper than the Align ones at $27 for a set of 3 AND they come in different colors.
check them out.

http://www.techmodelproducts.com/trex_450_parts.php

Jermo

[skunkworx]

Actually my buddy tppjr (Thomas) uses those! I'll order some but for now, I just got the Align for convenience. How's the balance on them? They don't seem to be as good quality as the Align though. The test numbers show they're prett good though! I need to get a swash leveler more than anything right now. Seems like no-one has the Trueblood version (comes with the link length chart).

Thanks Jermo!

[Jermo]

I have no issues with quality, The balance is easy (I used black electrical tape), the CG on the sets I balanced were so close I didn't need to balance CG just overall. I didn't use a leveler. I see it as an ok idea but I've gotten by with my tubes of business card hehe... 11mm wide at center stick and my setup is solid. The only issue I have is at max pitch because I need to replace a servo arm and nobody seems to carry them or know what's the right set (HS-65MG).

The link length chart in the manual is good, regardless you'll end up adjusting the links to your setup (Refer to The Finless Series CCPM2 video), so to me the length guides are just a starting point.

Im' sure it will work out ;)
Jermo

[skunkworx]

The guy at my LHS said he's never balanced a set of blades on his because they don't have enough weight to damage anything. I'm not sure how critical it is for him, but I like the peace of mind having everything perfect.

The length chart is just another tool in the box! They're great because they get you really close without playing around too much. (K.I.S.S- Keep It Simple Stupid!!!) Like he suggests on the site, write in turn #'s off of the lengths for an even faster setup later. I was really impressed with the speed and accuracy of the whole deal. No more lighting my hair on fire trying to get things going!

[Jermo]

The guy at my LHS said he's never balanced a set of blades on his because they don't have enough weight to damage anything. <cut>

The guy at the LHS is Heli challenged and needs to stick with toy cars. The primary reason to balance the blades is to prevent stresses to the components. Vibration is bad and causes premature wear/failure.

Anyone with even a minor clue on mechanical things can figure that out. I'm not saying you can't fly with imbalanced blades, I am saying it works compenents harder and subjects them to conditions that may cause early failure.
Jermo

[skunkworx]

That's a scary thought, as he's the V.P. of the flying club he is at!!! He might also be using higher quality blades which could be better balanced out of the box.
Oh well, his choice and repairs!

They never seem to have the balancers down there. Seems like just about every supplier I check with are out of stock or don't carry what I'm looking for. Oh well,I suppose you can't win 'em all!