Axe CP separations and setup journal

[Ray K.]

Jeb-

From one musician to another (I played bass for about 10 years), equipment certainly counts. I started out with some crappy Fender P-Bass copy that I got for $150 (think ACP here), and moved on through with gradually better basses as I went. In time, I was playing an Ovation acoustic fretless bass (something novel and fun to play), and onto a proper Fender J-Bass Deluxe (think badass .50). I haven't played in a few years, and man do I miss it! If I were to get back into it tomorrow, it would be a Warwick 5-string (can you tell I'm a funk guy?!?!). My point is that using better equipment makes the experience so much more enjoyable- but don't buy something that's overkill for your skill level. And I guess that's the tricky part... you need something that you can grow into, but not something so advanced that you can't make full use of it. That's just wasteful.

For example, it would pretty stupid for any one of us to go out and get something like a Synergy N9, an Avant Aurora, or something similar right now. Could we fly them? Sure. Would it be cost effective? Definitely not. I guess for me, I keep the ACP around as a trainer/beater heli because I only have 2 helis, and it still provides good stick time for me. As long as I'm not trying aggressive 3D or even moderate aerobatics with it, it makes for a good trainer because it's a little bit of a handful to hover, it doesn't handle wind very well, and it forces me to really *fly* the damn thing- there's no powering out of mistakes or anything like that to save it's ass, so it demands good fundamentals to fly it (sorta like playing a fretless bass). That's probably the biggest reason I still fly it. That, and it's cheap to crash.

On the other hand, and like Ed pointed out, helicopters in the T-Rex class of size and performance open up all kinds of new possibilities and also bring new challenges. They also beg you to fly them a little harder, which is good for skills and confidence. So if you have 2 Rexes, maybe you're onto it with setting one up for training and the other as a "normal" (whatever that means) T-Rex. Make the trainer a little under-powered on purpose, and limit it's collective and cyclic authority- that'll help with getting the fundamentals nailed down. And when you're ready to try a new stunt or maneuver for real, take it to the big-boy 'Rex after flying it with the beater 'Rex. That would be similar to the first time I played Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Aeroplane" on the J-Bass... I totally nailed it, and it sounded better than ever. Totally inspired confidence in my ability, and the same goes with flying a helicopter.

So if you feel like you've truly outgrown the Axe, it's time to move on- just make it a reasonable step up. 2 Rexes, properly assigned to their duties, wouldn't be a bad idea. Don't worry about putting anything fancy on the beater 'Rex- decent servos, maybe a GY240 or something like it, wood blades, and no metal in the head. Keep repair costs affordable, and set it up such that it just barely meets your skill level. That's kind of why I'm keeping my FrankenAxe around- I can fly it at 80% effort and it will deliver, but anything after that and it'll let me down. I use the comparatively hot-rod 'Rex to fine-tune my skills, but I don't normally push it to it's limits. This way, I have something that I'm not afraid to crash, and something else that I can validate my ability with- it's a good strategy, and it saves money in the long run.

Enough rambling. I think you're onto it, man. Go for it!

-Ray

[Ray K.]

Hey guys!

I finally got out to the field today.... The wind was a little crazy for the first couple hours I was there, but then the "golden hour" hit. For the first time ever, I flew the SH*T outta the TRex! All the mods I've done proved themselves- the longer flybar, the lighter paddles, and the carbon blades made it all possible. I think it was a couple weeks ago that I mentioned that I was going to attempt a half Cuban-8 and a 540° stall turn. Well, I did them, and flew some nice rolls and loops too. I was shaking so bad that I had to set the heli down prematurely and smoke about 10 cigarettes. And man are TRex 450's FAST!!!!! Holy cow!

The stunts that I flew may be nothing super-special, but the thing that makes this story so funny is this: This is the first time I've flown at the field this year, and no one remembered me from last year. My first battery pack was flown under some pretty windy and gusty conditions, and it was all I could do to maintain a tail-in hover. This put the idea in all the guys' heads that I was just a newbie pilot, and I probably wouldn't be very much fun to watch. So when the wind finally relaxed and I decided to fly again, it pretty much stunned everyone when I did a full collective punch-out on takeoff and went into some fast circuits. Then I started flying my stunts, and I have to say that they were the cleanest stunts of their type that I've ever flown- cleaner than on the sim, even. When I set her down and was walking back to the flight line, I was met with high-fives and a couple people even clapped! I think they were pretty much stunned that I apparently pulled that kind of flying out of my ass and made it look good, too. And the best part: NO CRASHES!

Ray had a pretty darn good day today!

Laters!

-Ray

p.s.- So did you guys sell your Axes yet? You've got me thinking about selling mine now... even just $200 would buy me an OS .50 Hyper and get me started on the next bird....

[Edwinssiv]

Congrats Ray! Sounds like fun! I have been working on helis all day getting them back into the air...I got one pack on the TRex this evening...but 17mph winds kept me pretty much to FF and basics...
I am having a tracking problem with my Black Hawk. I went to fly it this morning and was crusing around with its new motor and CF blades and was doing great. SO I went into idle up and did a back flip...the baldes went out of track...but then came back in line...so I kept flying. Then I went for a front flip and the blades went out of track again but this time they did not come back...so I had this tremendous vibration....I landed and went over everything again on it...checked everything on it...re-tracked the blades and went and flew it again....it was fine...went into idle up...no problems until I did a roll and then it went out again...so I am going to tear in to it tomorrow morning and see if I can't figure out what is up with it.
I have to finish up the Axe, get it flying on the stock radio and get it out for sale...still needs a little work...

[Ray K.]

Ed-

That sounds like a really strange problem....

Is your swashplate bearing up to snuff? The only way to tell after the problem you described is going to require lots of muscle on the swash to see if it'll unseat the bearing... Other than that, I guess just check all your links and balls and make sure that everything is tight. Is there any way that your blade grips are binding on the feathering shaft? While you're at it, check the mixing arms and washout arms too. Any kind of binding on those parts would cause a temporary out-of-track condition. Check your dampers for tears, too.

Good luck dude!

Let me know how you fare...

-Ray

[JEB123]

Jeb-

From one musician to another (I played bass for about 10 years), equipment certainly counts. I started out with some crappy Fender P-Bass copy that I got for $150 (think ACP here), and moved on through with gradually better basses as I went. In time, I was playing an Ovation acoustic fretless bass (something novel and fun to play), and onto a proper Fender J-Bass Deluxe (think badass .50). I haven't played in a few years, and man do I miss it! If I were to get back into it tomorrow, it would be a Warwick 5-string (can you tell I'm a funk guy?!?!). My point is that using better equipment makes the experience so much more enjoyable- but don't buy something that's overkill for your skill level. And I guess that's the tricky part... you need something that you can grow into, but not something so advanced that you can't make full use of it. That's just wasteful.

For example, it would pretty stupid for any one of us to go out and get something like a Synergy N9, an Avant Aurora, or something similar right now. Could we fly them? Sure. Would it be cost effective? Definitely not. I guess for me, I keep the ACP around as a trainer/beater heli because I only have 2 helis, and it still provides good stick time for me. As long as I'm not trying aggressive 3D or even moderate aerobatics with it, it makes for a good trainer because it's a little bit of a handful to hover, it doesn't handle wind very well, and it forces me to really *fly* the damn thing- there's no powering out of mistakes or anything like that to save it's ass, so it demands good fundamentals to fly it (sorta like playing a fretless bass). That's probably the biggest reason I still fly it. That, and it's cheap to crash.

On the other hand, and like Ed pointed out, helicopters in the T-Rex class of size and performance open up all kinds of new possibilities and also bring new challenges. They also beg you to fly them a little harder, which is good for skills and confidence. So if you have 2 Rexes, maybe you're onto it with setting one up for training and the other as a "normal" (whatever that means) T-Rex. Make the trainer a little under-powered on purpose, and limit it's collective and cyclic authority- that'll help with getting the fundamentals nailed down. And when you're ready to try a new stunt or maneuver for real, take it to the big-boy 'Rex after flying it with the beater 'Rex. That would be similar to the first time I played Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Aeroplane" on the J-Bass... I totally nailed it, and it sounded better than ever. Totally inspired confidence in my ability, and the same goes with flying a helicopter.

So if you feel like you've truly outgrown the Axe, it's time to move on- just make it a reasonable step up. 2 Rexes, properly assigned to their duties, wouldn't be a bad idea. Don't worry about putting anything fancy on the beater 'Rex- decent servos, maybe a GY240 or something like it, wood blades, and no metal in the head. Keep repair costs affordable, and set it up such that it just barely meets your skill level. That's kind of why I'm keeping my FrankenAxe around- I can fly it at 80% effort and it will deliver, but anything after that and it'll let me down. I use the comparatively hot-rod 'Rex to fine-tune my skills, but I don't normally push it to it's limits. This way, I have something that I'm not afraid to crash, and something else that I can validate my ability with- it's a good strategy, and it saves money in the long run.

Enough rambling. I think you're onto it, man. Go for it!

-Ray

Cool Ray! Who would have guessed?My dad was musical director at what was the hottest supper club in Miami from 1963 through about 1977. They had Vegas type floor shows and dance bands I started playing drums there on weekends when I was 10 years old! After he left there, we started a band.We had a pretty good family band (my mom sang too!) with 7 pieces for about 15 years and averaged about 2 gigs/weekend, which is great for any local band. We even played for Reagan when he was here in '84. We did over 200 weddings in that time. Of course here in Miami it was mostly latin stuff and dinner music, but I did play in my community college jazz and show bands too. I also used to jam with some friends I met in college while studying music, one teaches guitar now at G.I.T. out in L.A. and another is at B.I.T. and teaches bass! Some of the hottest players in the world come out of there. Anyhow, we did some funk, fusion, pop, and back then we had a bunch of Rush tunes down. That was pretty hot stuff back in the early 80's! Enough of the bibliography. Long story short (too late) my Yamaha 7 piece set sits in it's cases in my garage for years now. Now I play my Ibanez hollow body and learn Joe Pass licks. I remember when I was 7 I used to like my vertibird more than my drum set, I think that's still the case 38 years later! Well, Axe CP sold yesterday, so onward! :YeaBaby:

[markind]

Hey guys I'm still here and just got caught up on all the reads. I'm not happy that all my old buddies are getting bored with my sweet little Axe CP. Is it something I said? :( Do I smell bad??? :confused: Ha ha I'm just kidding. But please go ahead and feel guilty. :D

In my hiatus I got in a few TREX flights and some H9 Raptor flights. Also I am building up a Cap 580 FlatOut kit for my son and I to share. fiddly kit that one, but its almost done.

Also I just got my Plastic Bell Hiller Kit for Axe CP on order. This is the parts kit needed to repair the new V3 Axe CP from a bad crash, which we hope we don't do anymore :D

Once this kit is installed, I'm thinking my trusty Axe will become a good second heli and be a lot more obedient. :bomb:

I also splurged and got her a nice fiberglass canopy. heh, hope that doesn't invite the crash gremlins... :D

Also chomping at the bit for my new ARF kit for the hot new Deuce's Wild. Unngggg its gonna be a fun one that... 61" wingspan, 10 pounds, retracts, swinging dual 12" props. Boooyaaah baby! :D Hit me!! I'm all in!! Dealer busts!!!

[Ray K.]

Mark-

I'm a little envious over that Deuces Wild... what a cool looking airplane! That thing's gotta have some serious power behind it too. I've toyed with the idea in the past of getting a little fixed-wing job that takes TRex batteries so that I'll have a nice change of pace every now and then. Problem is when I try to land a plank on the sim, I have about a 50% failure rate. I can fly the Hell out of them, but coming back down intact isn't exactly my strong suit. Takeoff is optional but landing is mandatory, right?!?! And don't worry about *everyone* selling their ACPs... I'm going to hang on to mine. I think that I'll put the plastic B/H head on it, but that's going to be the last mod I do. So how is your son coming along anyway? Kids are like sponges, they learn so fast... I hope he's doing well!

Jeb-

It's funny how many RC aviators are either currently musicians or used to play something. I wonder what a psychologist would have to say about it... there must be something common about the two interests that appeals to folks like us. Maybe it's the blend of technical know-how mated with the freedom of expression... I dunno. It's interesting, though. And by the way, I LOVE Rush! Geddy Lee had a huge impact on my playing style, right up there with Flea, Les Claypool, and Fieldy from Korn. I'm more into metal these days, but if you haven't already checked out Mudvayne, give them a listen. The bassist has a very heavy funk influence, and I think that the drummer would blow your mind- his use of polyrhythms and creative use of the double-bass pedal is pretty amazing- I think you'd really appreciate it. Try "Pushing Through" and "Under My Skin", both by Mudvayne.

Ed-

Any luck with the BlackHawk? I'm eagerly awaiting to see what you found...


I think I've made my mind on what kind of .50 I'm going to get. While the Pantera is a very nice bird, I think that a TRex 600N is where it's at. There are several guys at the field that fly either model, and two of them even fly both. The consensus seems to be that the Pantera is a very nice heli, but the 'Rex would suit my flying style and expectations a little better. That, and parts support at all of my LHSs is pretty good for the 'Rex. I figure I'll start with the base model to save some cash, and slowly feed in upgrade parts as I destroy the plastic parts and also as my budget allows. I'm still sitting on the fence as to whether I want to run an OS 50 Hyper or the YS 50, but I needn't be getting too far ahead of myself....

Talk to you guys later!

-Ray

[Edwinssiv]

Hey Mark...nice to see you back around! :thumbup:

Well Ray...I repaired the problem. I stripped down the entire head of the Black Hawk and rebuilt it from the begining...worked great...got all my pitches just right, tracking was dead on...Took it outside and flew it in idle up for a few minutes...did a flip...tracking stayed in line...I was a happy camper. So I started pushing a little more...FFF with rolls...I was having fun. Then I tried to do a double back flip...first one went great, I was still in line, then went over for the second one...a good gust of wind, loss of orientation and I put it into a neighbors chain link fence...
Here are pics of the carnage and what is left of the BH...it will never fly again I am afraid to say... http://www.helifreak.com/showpost.php?p=711423&postcount=1

I have ordered the Gazaur Mars 480 :YeaBaby: :tongue :smokin: I can hardly wait!!!!! I hope I can fly a little better by the time it gets here...:lol:
Since Sundays horrific crash...I have been flying very easy and going back to basics...Still a little jittery when I fly....even having a hard time doing nose in at the moment

[Ray K.]

Jeezus, Ed, is there anything that *didn't* get trashed?!?! That's got to be some of the most graphic heli-carnage I've seen in quite a while... well, at least since Saturday when I watched a perfectly good Rap 50 torpedo terra firma at about 50 mph. The guy that biffed kept on whining about some mechanical failure, but most of the people that saw it (myself included) agree that it had to be pilot error. Mangled his Mavrikk head and everything attached to it including the feathering spindle and flybar, destroyed both main blades, cracked the frame, stripped 2 servos, killed the one-way bearing, bent the tailboom, and even got a nice not-so-little crack in his canopy among other things. That guy was *pissed*.... I don't blame him! That was easily a $300 crash.

I completely relate to not wanting to push very hard in the air now. It's funny how a crash can do that to you... Look at it this way, though- now you can salvage all the electronics from the BH, and put them on the Gazaur. That should save you at least a few bucks. The longer I'm in the hobby and the more folks that I talk to, the more I realize that crashes are simply a fact of RC life. Be it mechanical failure, pilot error, radio link failure or shoot-down, or just plain Murphy, there's nothing we can do about it. I guess the trick is just to realize that these things happen and simply accept it, and do everything you can to minimize it. Kind of makes one have more respect for full-size helicopter pilots, doesn't it?

You'll have to post pics of that sexy new bird when you get her all set up... I'm excited for you man!

-Ray

[Edwinssiv]

Ray...the Blade400 landing gear survived intact! lol...it was literally ripped off the frame...but it is intact. If the fence was not there, I came close to saving it....I almost had it back around....or at least there would not have been as much damage.
And...of course I will share pics of the heli when it is finished...all nice and pristine...before I fly it of course! rofl

[Edwinssiv]

I actually got in a few packs this evening on the TRex....I still have to finish working on the Axe....but it is tough when I have such a great heli to fly....After Sundays horrific crash, I have been almost too scared to crash....but tonight I loosened up and went back to practicing my flips,rolls and I am working more on my forward flight and nose in control. It was nice to be over that anxiety :o

[markind]

I got 3 perfect flights on my 'Rex this morning - sunny, warm and DEAD CALM!! WOOT!!

I worked on 'inside 8's', hi and low, fast and slow. Looking pretty good.

I just my Plastic Bell Hiller Kit in the mail - the final mod for SoFA in under way!

In other news,

My wife and son got me one of these for Father's Day:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=691

It was on the Consignment Table at our LHS so they picked it up for $250, complete with AR6000 so it was just Bind And Fly. After a few minor repairs and tweaks, of course! :D

I figure I'll fly it around a bit, then sell. It should be good landing practice for my H9 Raptor.

[JEB123]

Awsome Mark! That baby plank looks like fun! I'm looking for one but nothing too aerobatic. I want something slow and lazy that's high wing to relax with like a small Cessna or Tcraft. It looks like you can use your TRex LiPos with the Extra too depending on the setup, that's cool! You should get loooooong flights!
Hey, how are inside eight's done?

[Edwinssiv]

Looks like fun Mark!
Maybe some day I will get into planks...but for now I am having so much fun with the helicopters!
I received my Gazaur Mars 480 on Saturday morning, so that blew my plans to repair the Axe, and have worked on it as I could over the weekend...it is almost ready to fly....I should be able to finish it tonight. I will post some pics of the build and when it is complete.

[markind]

Awsome Mark! That baby plank looks like fun! I'm looking for one but nothing too aerobatic. I want something slow and lazy that's high wing to relax with like a small Cessna or Tcraft. It looks like you can use your TRex LiPos with the Extra too depending on the setup, that's cool! You should get loooooong flights!
Hey, how are inside eight's done?

YEP!! And she is ready for the maiden!! Man it took HOURS to get her landing gear up to my standards. But now she sports some nice big wheels and new, long and sleek fiberglass wheel pants.

You want a Multiplex Minimag! It has a Cessna body type and I still love to fly mine - GREAT aileron trainer!! Nearly industructible!! Super easy to repair if you do manage to somehow damage it! Easy and relaxing to fly!! Super easy to land - she can glide forever and can even catch thermals somewhat.

Ok, the 'inside 8' is what you might learn after circles. Before you learn circles, you probably learn the 'outside 8', because on each end, you are turning away from yourself, mostly staying Tail-In ('lazy-8') the entire circuit. Later, you clean it up and get some real Side-In flying.

The 'inside 8' just goes the other way - the heli makes its turns from the outside, then going Nose-In toward you to make the turn. Its not as easy as it sounds. With practice, you can make the entire circuit Nose-In (don't know what that is called) which is quite fun.

Hey Ed! I am curious about the Gazaur Mars 480 - does it have a conventional rotor head, or did they do some out-of-the-box-thinking design?

I ask because I have seen some 135 degree heads, and some prototype head that look like they are intended for use with linear servos. Well we don't have linear servos in the hobby world yet, so that is some time away.

I have seen some linear servos for industry. They are large, fast, smooth, powerful, and accurate to an amazing degree. The older ones used big highly polished worm gears, but the new ones use some kind of magnetic / ceramic system, which works like, well, magic... :confused:

[Edwinssiv]

Mark the Gazaur head is very straight forward bell hiller with 120* direct servo connection to swash plate, very few parts.
The build has been interesting because they now offer it 80% built and have directions for complete build....so there are steps that have some things you have to do in and not others....and some steps you skip completely...a little confusing but I it is coming along nicely now. Over the weekend I only had about 5 hours into it....but I have been taking my time on it. All I have left to do is make sure the swash is level, CCPM interaction, add the fly bar, and blades and she will be ready for test hover...
Here is a picture of the rotor head from the Gazaur web site
http://www.gazaur.com/twe/media/products/Mars_Poseidon480_CF_Photos.jpg
http://www.gazaur.com/twe/media/products/Mars480_CF_Photos_04.jpg

[JEB123]

Ed, that setup really does look super sweet! I love the modern look and simplicity of it. Great. Now you got me going on one of those. Nah, still have another Rex to finish! Good luck on the maiden flight!
Mark, I checked out the Minimag, but I don't like foam planes. I had a brushed electric, the Great Planes Tutor, but I just sold it at the flea market last week. I like to build, so I like balsa. It's way more repairable in the event of a crash. I'd like something brushless too!

[markind]

Mark, I checked out the Minimag, but I don't like foam planes. ... I like to build, so I like balsa. It's way more repairable in the event of a crash. I'd like something brushless too!

I don't like foam either, but Multiplex uses this Elapor material - MUCH tougher than any foam out there. :Bang

And, its easy and fun to repair! You can get this two part foam filler goo. Mix it up and blob it into the damaged area, and watch and wait - it foams up, then hardens into a lightweight, stiff foam that you can sand into shape easily. It also 'welds' very well with standard CA (don't need Foam Safe) and I have yet to see a paint that melts it. Very heat resistant too - my MiniMag survived a LiPo meltdown! :smokin:

It can also be heat-formed for repairs in very hot water with gloved hands. Can't do that with balsa! :DH

And brushless - Of Course! My 'mag has a Mega 16/15/7 which gives plenty of power and long flights with TP 1320 3S packs. 165 Watts at WOT, but you rarely need it. I set my timer conservatively at 15 minutes for half-throttle relaxed cruising although she can go longer with more gliding. This motor bolts right in - no mods required. :lolol

So other than those points, it comes down to personal tastes. I love balsa, ply, spruce and Ultracote myself, but I ALSO really love that MiniMag. Multiplex has an awesome fleet of great Elapor planes - I see a lot of FunJets at my field, a bunch of Easy Stars and Easy Gliders, a few Cularis, and a couple Gemini and Twinstars out there. Plus my Twister and a couple other Twisters out there too! :tongue

I'd say that they are the single most popular make of electric planes at my club field. Multiplex is great! :D

http://www.modelspot.com/mpx/mpxkits.htm


They have new trainers too! Check out their Mentor and Easy Cub. Sweet! Fun and practical! I also am really tempted by the new ParkMaster 3d... hmmm... :bad

[JEB123]

Interesting... I like that little twinstar! Cool! Always loved the sound of twin engines. I really would like a park flyer with clear covering where you see all of the airframe. Always liked that. Hey Mark, with regard to the inside eights, what's the trick for controlled hovering like that? I can't seem to get my bird to stop drifting all over the place. I can hold a very steady hover tail in and even nose in but when it comes to moving around, it seems to drift off wherever it wants easily. Am I doing something wrong other than just needing more practice?

[JEB123]

I just got off half an hour on the sim and I think I just answered my own question. I'm trying too hard. I can do the inside eights easily if I speed them up a hair. It's a lot harder to go very very slowly. I notice it helps a lot to stay back on the cyclic to keep from speeding up and try to control it around the turns. I just proved to myself I need a lot more hovering practice to do it really slowly and gain extreme control of the helicopter. Man I love this hobby!!!! Is it just me, or is this forum dying out? Where is everyone?

[krefi]

Where is everyone?
Maybe since there's started to be as much T-Rex and Gazaur talk here as anything else, the Axe people are all going elsewhere.:confused:

[Ray K.]

Interesting point, krefi....

We do tend to get sidetracked pretty frequently.

I do have some ACP stuff to talk about though....

At the field last Sunday, it was actually calm enough to take the Axe out for a spin, and really get some good circuits in with her. This being the first time I've ever attempted full-speed FF with it, I was a little nervous about how the tail would hold up. I am very pleased to report that the current tail setup I've got on the FrankenAxe (GWS tail motor with the 3" scimitar prop and GY240) performed remarkably well. The piro rate is a little soft for my liking, but there were no blow-outs and the tail tracked exactly as I expected. I didn't try any backwards flight, but I think that the tail would probably hold up reasonably well to it. The setup that I'm using now has some strange side-effects.... namely, it's loud and sounds pretty funny. You can hear the TR speeding up and slowing down with a very distinct buzz, even while in straight and level flight. The tail doesn't wander at all, so the gyro is definitely doing it's job. As compared to the 'Rex, everything about the ACP feels soft, but not in a bad way at all. It's just.... smooth and easy, I guess. For what I'll call normal sport-type flying, the ACP flies very nicely, and I'm really thinking at this point that the setup I've got is where I'm going to leave it. I'm sure it could manage a roll with good collective management, and I know it'll flip and loop because I've done it before- it just doesn't do it fast.

If I would have done anything differently during the build-up of the FrankenAxe, I would have put a more powerful motor in. Other than that, all the other mods were totally worth it and I would recommend them to anyone, namely the ball-link conversion and DD tail. Shoot, even HeliMax got the message about the DD tail being better, as it's now standard-issue on the Axe V3.

All that said, I'm still looking for a better way to mount the battery in my Axe. What I'm doing now works okay, but I still feel like it's less than ideal. I'm still making tweaks to the radio setup too, so this thread is far from dead. I'm going to MRC's fun fly this weekend, so I won't be flying again for a few days, but I'll post my freshest setup numbers when I get it dialed in a little better.

And all of us are always here to answer ACP questions! Don't be discouraged by our other helicopter chit-chat- although we probably should do better about keeping it to a minimum.

-Ray

[Edwinssiv]

Sorry krefi...you are right...there have only been a few who post and contribute so it is easy to forget there are others who do read this thread.
I will definitely refrain from posting about my other birds...

On that note I intend to get the Axe flying again soon. I need to straighten a bracket on my tail and replace the feathering shaft and it will be back in the air...maybe I can take care of that tonight.

[markind]

I just got off half an hour on the sim and I think I just answered my own question. I'm trying too hard. I can do the inside eights easily if I speed them up a hair. It's a lot harder to go very very slowly. I notice it helps a lot to stay back on the cyclic to keep from speeding up and try to control it around the turns. I just proved to myself I need a lot more hovering practice to do it really slowly and gain extreme control of the helicopter. Man I love this hobby!!!! Is it just me, or is this forum dying out? Where is everyone?

You learn to ANTICIPATE the cyclic - you really CAN, with practice, know a moment ahead of time what you need to do to maintain a steady hover or slow maneuver.

Focus on guessing ahead of time what the heli wants you to do to it, and be on the correction a hair BEFORE it really needs it. Its a Jedi trait.

You'll find yourself inputting less control and getting a more stable hover, and you can hover within a smaller area without drifting out.

Its easier with the 'Rex - because the Axe CP is 'softer' you will have to anticpate more and the inputs you give need to be 'more analog', if you get my drift. It can be done. With the 'Rex, I can kind of 'tap' at the cyclic and she is very obdient and can hover hands free for couple seconds.

Thread far from dead! I still have yet to install my Plastic Bell Hiller kit (from the V3 Axe CP) on my bird, and that should tighten up the hover quite a bit. Plus I have lots of DX7 settings to fine tune...

[markind]

Interesting... I like that little twinstar! Cool! Always loved the sound of twin engines.

Dude, that Twinstar rocks! My buddy has dual brushless somethings in there, and that bird can take off directly from the grass effortlessly!! Zoom!! Plus it looks BIG in the air, is very stable, has excellent flight character and can glide great with its low weight and big wing area. You can even catch thermals to a surprising degree.

And it has incredible surviveability. Its fuselage is ridiculously tough. And yes, that sound it makes - awesome. Unlimited vertical too, with that setup.