honey bee MK3 questions

[teeson]

so i know some of these make look like a complete idiot, but i want to know these things, lol. so this is the the esky honey bee Mark 3 FP from heli direct: do i have to balance the blades? where can i buy the "super skids" for it? what kinda battery does it use? is the Tx able to connect via usb? can i do things like a brushless engine? are CNC upgrades worth it? and is there any upgrades that i should get right away? thanx for any help i can get ;):)

[kerne]

First off, congrats on the new HB FP. I know there are folks who have a negative opinion of FP helis, but I love Just Plain Chris's comment on it.

"I've decided that owning and flying a FP is kinda like dating an ugly girl with...ummm.."special talents". Others who haven't tried it may not understand, but it's all good." - JPC

The following thread should be able to answer all your questions in depth.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=657500

Here's a link to the Honeybee FP wiki:
http://www.eflightwiki.com/eflightwiki/index.php?title=HoneyBeeFP

But before you wade through 500 pages of posts, here are some quick replies:

1. Most of the HB FP kits are fairly well balanced from the factory, but it's always a good idea to make sure your blades and paddles are in balance. Also making sure the entire heli is balanced is important. (The wiki above demonstrates how to do this.)

2. You can get the Super Skids at a number of stores, (like here - http://www.super-skids.com/) but with the stock motor those skids add a lot of weight and can negatively affect performance.

3. The Heli Direct HB FP kit comes with the 8.4V 650mAh Ni-MH pack. It works well, but you will eventually want to upgrade to a 2S Li-Po in the 900mAh range. It'll be lighter and therefore can increase your flight time.

4. You can use the ESky transmitter with a simulator if you purchase a sim cable. I recommend BP Hobbies - http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=W262062&pid=B0928373

5. You _can_ upgrade the humble Honeybee and you will find plenty of comments about that in the RC Groups HB owners thread. A big issue is that the 4-in-1 controller may require some hacking if you start adding individual parts like a separate gyro or ESC.

6. Both the wiki and the thread discuss the best upgrades for your Honeybee. But I strongly recommend flying it stock or with the Li-Po upgrade for a while. It's a great heli right out of the box!

Enjoy!

[kerne]

I see on some other threads you were looking at RealFlight G3. If you haven't already plunked down a benjamin or two for that, check out Clearview RC - http://www.rcflightsim.com . It's only $30, will work with your ESky tx and has a Honeybee FP model available for it!

[trickybit]

Great post, Kerne.
I'd only add that if you make sure the flybar paddles are level, right out of the box, it'll fly.

But the other "first thing" you may need to do is to jury-rig a battery mount up forward, under the 4-in-1, to move the CG forward to a good point. The "Mk3" LiPo upgrade isn't comprehensive...that is, it doesn't include a batter mounting solution that works for the lighter battery.

Happy flying.
Jim

[kerne]

Yup, first thing I did was pick up a CP2 batt tray at my LHS. It's a perfect fit and much more adjustable since it includes forward extensions.

Level flybar paddles are ideal, 'tho it may help a newbie learn to hover with some positive pitch in 'em. :) Thanks for the additional tips!

[teeson]

alright well thanx everbody for the comments, i know i can use it righ outta the box, and i still have to finish reading the wiki, but thanx soo muxh for that link. Its just what im looking for. finless doesnt really deal with these cheaper helis, so thats a big help. Is bphobbies.com where you recommed buying it? i've been told there or heli direct.
thanx again

[kerne]

If you're referring to buying the CP2 battery tray, both stores sell it, but BP Hobbies is currently out of stock.

http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=V019752&pid=NESKV028

Heli Direct has the same tray with a second battery support piece for a bit more at:

http://www.helidirect.com/product_info.php?cPath=256&products_id=708

Do you have a local hobby shop (LHS) that might carry it? Shipping on a $5 item is not usually worth it. :P

[teeson]

i know of a local shop, but i haven't got a chance to look through it yet.
i meant where to buy the whole setup, from motor to battery to heli kit, and yes that included the tray, should i combine it with some other parts?