Setting the pitch on Vbar head

[Taipan]

This is the best way I came up with, just eyeball it so that the bottom (actually top) of the pitch gauge is perpendicular to the main shaft. Pic shows it at 14 degs. How do you guys check your pitch ranges??

Btw a planker mate of mine showed me his electronic control surface inclinometer. You clamp it to a control surface, press zero and it displays the angle! I tried on my heli & it worked pretty well but is just BLING! ;)

[cptsnoopy]

I have a set of blinds on my window. I put the heli on the table and block up the front of the skids and the tail fin with the main shaft as close to perpendicular as possible to the horizontal lines of the blinds. Then I use the blinds as my horizontal reference lines just as I would use the flybar. It is not perfect but it works ok.

[stevehonn]

I sight the pitch gauge with the underside of the headbutton. To find zero pitch fold each blade back at 90 degrees and as you increase the pitch the ends of the blades will rise, when the blades are in line you are at zero pitch, near enough.

[Klinger]

I level the heli by using a small bubble level and the main gear then using the same bubble level on top of my pitch gauge to show level when setting pitch ranges. Seems to work OK.

[Rigalo]

1st I find zero pitch with a pitch guage on each blade, which should be level when eye-balled, or maybe something like Steve.

Once I have sero, I level my guage up with a line in the back ground, like the top of your fridge or top of shelfe, then work 14 degrees from that, positive and negative.

[jamesotron99]

I use the Robart pitch guage, which has a bubble level which you're supposed to hook on the flybar, but I just sit it on the main gear. The gauge itself has a bubble level too. I just did all the linkages last night so that I have +/- 14 degrees and then one of my servos failed! Looks like theres noone who stocks Futaba 9452's in NZ either, so I guess I won't be flying this machine until next year now. :(