High Vis/Orientation Mods (more pics)

[bullaculla]

Okay, I lied in my other thread, Now i'm done :p
The seasoned AP veterans will probably scoff at me, but being a newbie heli pilot, this has really helped my flying :o
I kept getting thrown off by the bightly colored pool noodle on the 360 LG moving around every time the camera operator pans the camera. So I asked Andrey (Askman) to make me some longer thicker mounting strips and came up with this mod. I put dark gray pipe insulation on the pan LG and the bright pool noodle on the strips attached to the heli. That way the bright noodle will stay relative to the heli, and i can ignore the dark foam skids on the rotating camera mount.

long mounting strips with pool noodle.
http://photos.imageevent.com/bullaculla1/heli/large/IMG_4547.JPG

Notice the drilled out camera quick release plate and same swiss cheese effect on select parts of AP mount ;)
http://photos.imageevent.com/bullaculla1/heli/large/IMG_4537.JPG

attached with bungee loops.
http://photos.imageevent.com/bullaculla1/heli/large/IMG_4551.JPG

http://photos.imageevent.com/bullaculla1/heli/large/IMG_4558.JPG

http://photos.imageevent.com/bullaculla1/heli/large/IMG_4562.JPG

and if I want to fly without the AP mount for testing, I can still strap on stock LG, although it looks silly :roll:
If i want to remove mount, all i have to do is cut the little zip ties that keep the bungee in place and slide the bungee loops off.
http://photos.imageevent.com/bullaculla1/heli/large/IMG_4564.JPG

http://photos.imageevent.com/bullaculla1/heli/large/IMG_1750.JPG

Even though I added all this extra weight just for visual reasons, my heli's diet has kept weight the same if not lighter. (under 13lbs) The Tango motor has really saved some weight. the drilling of the G10 didn't make much of a difference but every little bit counts. Now the helicopter with the Tango motor on 10s will pull away harder than my play 600 on 6s! From a 3ft AGL hover, I did a full pitch climbout for 3-4 seconds and the fully loaded heli was gone. It was about as high as I have ever flown before :shock::shock::shock:
Anyway, This addition has really helped me with keeping heli positioned and hopefully will help other noobs like me :D
Thanks again to Askman for sending me the parts to make this possible.
:cool:

[Efliernz]

Nice job.

The only change I would make would be slime green on one side, red on the other. I have found myself looking at the color more and more at altitude. Great hi-vis though :clappp

[crewchief]

Dudes - great minds think alike I guess! Here's one that will get you to 400'+ and stay oriented N-S for pseudo satellite pics. This is great for real estate plat maps. Actually acts as a stabilizer and climbs like a banshee.

[bullaculla]

Hey Bruce, i remember seeing pics of your high altitude trex :)
But i only made mine wide so it'll clear the turning LG. I'm trying to keep everything as close to the heli as possible to minimize the swinging pendulum effect. Also, i dont have a problem with orientation. I dont usually fly really high or far away, so i dont really need different colors for opposite sides. We have way too many low flying aircraft around honolulu for that. I just need help keeping the heli as stationary as possible. I also have the new K&B dream tail blades coming in which will help with visabilty too.

[dreslism]

Dudes - great minds think alike I guess! Here's one that will get you to 400'+ and stay oriented N-S for pseudo satellite pics. This is great for real estate plat maps. Actually acts as a stabilizer and climbs like a banshee.

Bruce,

Just curious what lens/camera you used in those shots?

Thanks

[crewchief]

Scott,
Believe it or not it's just a pocket-sized camera, the Panasonic Lumix FX07 7.2 megapixel with a Leica wide angle lens. A friend of mine who shoots AP told me about it. I'm using the Canon S5 most of the time now but the Lumix produces incredible pictures if you have enough light. It also has a stabilizer, which helps, and can shoot in continuous mode. The only thing about the Lumix is that it's more of a consumer camera and not as straightforward to set shutter priority, etc. I usually just set the ISO to 400 or 800, and it gives me a fast enough shutter, and removes most of the noise. If you've got distinct shadows, the pictures are guaranteed to come out great. At those ISO settings the Canon's pictures are always too noisy. Also the Lumix is so light a T450 could carry it easily.

[AZ ChopperCam]

an added benefit is you now have enough bouancy to keep the entire rig from sinking if you go down in water..... one of my biggest fears.

[crewchief]

an added benefit is you now have enough bouancy to keep the entire rig from sinking if you go down in water..... one of my biggest fears.There's a larger type of pool noodles that look sort of like streamlined dumbells, or those pugil sticks they use in basic training. You could shorten them and they would be ideal for building pontoons. There was a professor at UCLA who was trying to build a camera heli for taping a whale migration documentary, that could land on the water and not sink in the event of an emergency landing.

[bullaculla]

Added pic with new TR blades. These K&B dream blades are really nice. Even tho they are shorter and plastic, the wider chord makes them just as effective as longer CF blades they replaced. plus they only cost $6 :YeaBaby: highly recommended.
the colors match perfectly!!!

[SeismicCWave]

Where do you buy your heli stuff in Honolulu?

[bullaculla]

If i need common replacement parts, Aloha hobbies in Mapunapuna or Hobbitat in Kaimuki...
but usually readyheli.com or esprit model for anything specialized :thumbup:

[SeismicCWave]

Thanks, I am familiar with Hobbitat but Aloha Hobbies in Mapunapuna is more convenient. I have never been there yet. Next time I go to Honolulu I will make a stop to or from the airport.

[speed808]

Thanks, I am familiar with Hobbitat but Aloha Hobbies in Mapunapuna is more convenient. I have never been there yet. Next time I go to Honolulu I will make a stop to or from the airport.

I love Aloha Hobbies. When you buy stuff, the guys over there will bring your item up on the internet and give you internet prices, without the shipping. And if they don't have it, they can order it at internet prices and again without the shipping. Buying at Aloha Hobbies is actually cheaper than the internet for common rc helicopter parts.

[bullaculla]

I love Aloha Hobbies. When you buy stuff, the guys over there will bring your item up on the internet and give you internet prices, without the shipping. And if they don't have it, they can order it at internet prices and again without the shipping. Buying at Aloha Hobbies is actually cheaper than the internet for common rc helicopter parts.

That is if they have it in stock. Most places like ready heli will ship free if its over $100. And I get it 2-3 days after I order it. Plus, I dont have to leave the house :o
Its a little out of the way for me. But if I just need a few things, or have a lot of time to kill, I will go down and hang out. Or i will go down there to make Sheldon solder all my thick wired lipos for me :YeaBaby: Those fat cables are a PITA to solder.

[speed808]

That is if they have it in stock. Most places like ready heli will ship free if its over $100. And I get it 2-3 days after I order it. Plus, I dont have to leave the house :o
Its a little out of the way for me. But if I just need a few things, or have a lot of time to kill, I will go down and hang out. Or i will go down there to make Sheldon solder all my thick wired lipos for me :YeaBaby: Those fat cables are a PITA to solder.

Funny, I asked Sheldon to do the same. I bought (3) lipos and the female connectors and had him solder for me. In fact, when I bought the used Trex 450SE, Sheldon was nice enough to set up the radio and receiver for me.

I guess I'm lucky, Aloha Hobbies is only a 5 minute drive for me, so I shop there a lot.

[speed808]

By the way, 'bullaculla', did you do the aerial shots for the Ko'olani Condo Project? My boss told me that a guy with a RC helicopter took various shots to show the new buyers how their view from their lanai would look like. Was that you?

[bullaculla]

No, it was probably Mike or Urban.
Also, a lot of the Mainland guys like Tabbytabb get hired and fly all the way over here just to shoot.
I haven't made any money with my setup yet :o

[SeismicCWave]

Thanks guys, I stopped by Aloha Hobby a couple of days ago to check them out. They sure cramped a lot of stuff in that tiny space! ;-)