View Full Version : Air Explosion
Black hawk Down
08-05-2007, 02:21 PM
Flying along just fine about 150 ft off the deck and suddenly I saw 600n parts raining down on the field
in an extremely wide pattern. the heli just stopped instantly in flight. one of the Blades traveled over 300 ft before it hit the ground, just 50 ft from me. I noticed it still had the nut and bolt in the blade. the blade is in perfect shape, both of them, so i know it wasnt a tail boom strike. I do not know if the blade grip gave way and instantly caused the chain of events or the other way around. the tail boom was about 75 ft from the main body, It had broken away at the base. no evidence of hiting a blade. I am a newby to nitro, any thoughts on this? completely ruined, even lost the 611 and the receiver, frame gone. it may look a little worse if I run it over with my truck. again, Instant stop from wide open. appreciate any insight, yes, I am buying another!
I saw a friend of mines 600 e do something similar, but his was due to the lipo sliding up into the blades.
malc1
08-05-2007, 02:39 PM
Sorry to hear of your loss of a fine machine - but we need some photos
Mercuriell
08-05-2007, 05:43 PM
Sorry to hear about your loss - if the blade is in the blade grip and this is detached from the heli then the blade grip bolt and the grip must have becomed detached before impact and is the likely cause of the crash - check to see if there is any bolt remianing in the feathering shaft and the tightness of the otherside M3 bolt - may need to check your Loctite technique and not a bad preflight check to grab the main blades grips and pull and twist before every flight to pick up any incipient looseness - glad to hear you;re not giving up on the 600N :)
Pretty much the only way to spew blades without damage is for a spindle bolt to loosen off. It (spindle) usually stays attached to one side. If the grip fails you'll see it ripped out and a mess left attached to the head. Not sure how you throw a boom 75ft from the frame without striking it. With the supports and everything there, that is hard to picture.
Should be pretty easy to tell what happened by looking at the damage to the head and boom.
Mike
carlos
08-05-2007, 07:14 PM
he said the bolt and nut was still in the blade, which would indicate the blade grip has split and ejected the blade. Causing the heli to then starburst.
The blade grip bolts are not M3 but M4.
Black hawk Down
08-05-2007, 08:34 PM
After the input everyone has given me, I looked at the blade grips, they were still intact, however
the blade that separated with the nut and bolt only, the grip holding that blade pulled right through the grip just a little bigger than the bolt holding it. I am assuming that was the cause. both blades are still balanced and ready to go. I am definitely going to the metal blade grips.
Thanks for the Input!
trex600crasher
08-05-2007, 09:53 PM
Hey Black Hawk Down,
Are you sure the cause of this disaster was not your mad Chaoses one foot off the ground? Just kidding. Can't wait to see the new and improved Nitro in action!!!
Your Tennessee heli-partner in crime, trex600crasher
Mercuriell
08-06-2007, 03:28 AM
Be really interested to see a pic of that split blade grip !
The blade grip bolts are not M3 but M4. - The bolts holding the grip to the feathering shaft are M3.
carlos
08-06-2007, 11:20 AM
- The bolts holding the grip to the feathering shaft are M3.
Not a chance ! M4 x 10mm SHCS.
Yes it would be good to see a pickie to see if this is a valid thread.
There was an insidence a while ago where a 600N blade grip split as you describe but the offending blade grip was from a 600E fitted to a 600N.
BTW I have alloy blade grips fitted.
Finless
08-06-2007, 11:26 AM
Yes please a picture! Also what head speed were you running please?
Finally I notice the plastic grips for the 600n are thicker / different than the E grips so Align did that for a reason. I hope they werent E grips?
Bob
creightoncarr
08-06-2007, 02:55 PM
Not to get too off topic, but just curous what the reasoning is behind more robust grips for the N as opposed to the E version of the 600? Especially since many flying the E's turn higher rpm's on the head than on the N?
Mercuriell
08-06-2007, 05:25 PM
Not a chance ! M4 x 10mm SHCS.
BTW I have alloy blade grips fitted.
Oops - you're absolutely right :o - I thought I'd be OK with the plastic blade grips on the N due to lower HS - now I'm not so sure !
ShuNut
08-06-2007, 07:33 PM
Not to get too off topic, but just curous what the reasoning is behind more robust grips for the N as opposed to the E version of the 600? Especially since many flying the E's turn higher rpm's on the head than on the N?
Yeah, Why ???
And wheres the pix ?
carlos
08-06-2007, 08:18 PM
Not sure exactly why but the N is heaver and has engine vibrations to contend with.
I reckon these would be influencing factors.
Yer a headspeed figure would be good.
trex600crasher
08-06-2007, 09:54 PM
I talked to Black Hawk Down today. He did indeed replace the entire Nitro head with one from one of his 600e's. It had probably been crashed more than once (no offence BHD). I think this sheds a little more light on the subject. I did not know that you could not interchange the blade grips from the electric to the nitro either.
Black hawk Down
08-06-2007, 10:56 PM
Yes, after much input from you good heli samaritans, I did replace the grips from the E model and obviously had I thought better I would have never done it, my thoughtful friend trex crasher blew the whistle.
I agree, since its a lower head speed I didnt think much about it.
Thanks again gents for the Input!
watch out , trex crasher just got a new 90 size and is coming after the 600s!
trex600crasher
08-06-2007, 11:59 PM
I hope someone will soon explain why the grips can't be interchanged, they seem to fit fine and it's a lower head speed. Maybe the electric version are just lower grade material/construction. And yes blackhawk, my 90 is looking for your Trex!!! lol
fsusmithc2
08-07-2007, 09:26 AM
Ok, now I'm worried. I'm starting to collect spares for my 600N and I just got a set of plastic grips in from ReadyHeli yesterday. Is there a difference in part numbers? RH doesn't list grips in the 600N section at all so I found them in the 600E section of the site (there are other nitro parts in there too like skids, main gears, etc.). I thought I remember the part numbers matching to what I found in the manual (I have the pdf copy here at work). The card on the bag says "EP Helicopter" but I've seen that before on other parts bags for stuff that can be used on the nitro.
Let me know what to check before I open the package in case I need to send it back.
I picked up a flybar set at Hodges Hobbies a couple weekends ago and was told by the salesman it was the new 440mm one. Turns out he was wrong as I measured it the other day and it's 400. I could drive 6hr round trip to return it....but it only cost like $5 so hmmmm.
:dontknow
Ah Clem
08-07-2007, 11:22 AM
Just to be clear...
The feathering shaft bolt, thrust bearing, and radial bearings pulled through the blade grip?
Or the bolt that holds the blade to the blade grip pulled through he holes in the blade grip.
Sorry to be dense.
(it is what I do best)
Gscott
08-07-2007, 02:38 PM
There is no difference in the grips. According to Align the part numbers are the same for the 600n and 600e. The only known faulty grips are the originals from last summer. If the new ones are failing then it's a new issue that needs to be dealt with.
Finless
08-07-2007, 03:11 PM
Well someone aint tellin the real deal then.
Maybe Align has changed the E grips since around May of this year but this video clearly shows a difference in "E" grips I got in a NEW 600e kit in May of this year (Will James kit) and the grips that come with the Nitro.
So if Align bumped up the grips again sometime early this year and this ius what is shipping in E kits so be it. But this video clearly shows a difference between the grips today and grips supplied with E's earlier this year.
http://video.helifreak.com/?subpath=finless/trex600_nitro&filename=grips.wmv
Bob
scadaboy
08-07-2007, 03:18 PM
Bob - Your Video ended abruptly, not all there:dontknow
joesurf1
08-07-2007, 03:20 PM
The blade grips must be the same for the nitro as for the 600, and there was a recall fron Align, since than I upgraded to the cnc bladegrip, figured it was one less plastic part to fail. joesurf1
Finless
08-07-2007, 03:26 PM
Video Fixed.
The E grips I show in the video are NOT the old recalled grips from last year!! These are the E grips that were shipping earlier this year.
Bob
Finless
08-07-2007, 03:56 PM
Just to confirm I wasnt going nuts I went into the 600E forum and pulled some pictures from the "Show of your 600 pictures" thread.
Here are some I saw on the last page which would be recent kits this year. It took a while to find plastic grip closeups as most everyone had metal but these pictures also confirm up to now that the E grips WERE or still ARE different at one time.
http://www.helifreak.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=23355&d=1185136212
http://www.helifreak.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22771&d=1183914990
http://www.helifreak.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22772&d=1183914902
Bob