First Crash

[pittsjock]

Well, I kept reading that it had to happen.

So, about 8 tanks into learning how to fly my Raptor 30 V2, I crashed today. I was working on my side hover after two full tank flights and had a boom strike. It was a little gusty so I am not exactly sure what happened. Part of it was feeling too confident.

Not too much damage - boom, main and tail rotors, tail case and a couple of odds and ends. I went through it pretty well tonight and nothing else appears damaged but my tail servo.

So, I am off to the LHS to buy replacement parts tomorrow. I have a Futaba S9254 in the tail and it seems to have broken a gear - there is 1/4 inch play and it grinds a bit when turned on. The boom strike was pretty hard so it doesn't surprise me.

Can I get replacement gears and fix it or do I need to purchase a new tail servo?

Thanks, Pittsjock

[archiebald]

You can get replacement gears for next to nothing. Worthwhile buying two or three sets because they are so cheap.

Make sure to check the spindle shaft (feathering shaft) - 90% chance it will be bent.

[kevntri]

Main and spindle shafts

[vandelescrow]

sorry to hear you had a crash. brush it off and get back in the air.

To help you with side hovers and how I teach people. Bring the heli up into a tail in hover about head high, then bring it back at a 45 degree angle so the heli is on your side, do not turn your body, only your head. The controls are still tail in hover but you are training your mind to look at it on the side.

When you feel comfortable, bring it back in front of you then to the other side.

When you feel good with the heli on both sides, bring it back to your side as before, this time, when the heli is on your side and you feel comfortable, turn your body. There you go, side hovering.

Remember to always have an escape route, your escape for side hover is to use your rudder till the heli is tail in hover. You already know how to do tail in hover and should feal vary comfortable with it. The best escape route is to get the heli back into your comfort zone.

Best of luck

[pittsjock]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I ended up ordering all the parts online today. I should have it back together by the weekend.

Vandelescrow - I like the side hover training technique. As you say, I am comfortable with the tail in and was bailing out of the side hover by getting back into tail in. I will get back on the horse this weekend and work on your method.

I keep trying to figure out what happened to cause the crash (other than hitting the ground :shock:) and I am still not totally sure. The weirdest thing (to my inexperienced brain) is that the main rotor blades are damaged on the trailing edge. The leading edges are clean. The boom strike was on the right side of the helicopter. I don't understand how that happens?

Thanks, Pittsjock

[archiebald]

pittsjock,
Sounds strange and I have a thought for you - Take a careful look at the short double-link that attaches onto the blade grip and make sure they are not broken or cracked.

I had a mysterious boom strike last year while simply hovering about 50cm off the ground. I found that one of the links had cracked and popped off allowing the blade to change pitch at will and drive itself downwards.

On first inspection, I thought it had broken because of the boom strike but since there was nothing else to account for the boom strike, I finally had to assume that its breaking was what caused the crash.

[pittsjock]

Thanks Archiebald. Your story sounds very familiar. One double link is broken - the only damage to the head other than the flybar. At the time of the crash I was in a hover, about 1 foot off the ground - working pretty hard to keep everything going the right direction and all of sudden the heli was doing the flop. The ball link is broken in half at the ball. Prior to the crash, the heli had not been crashed nor had any blade strikes.

Given the damage to the blades - particularly the one that has the broken double link, and the damage to the tail boom - completed crimped where the blade hit, I have to believe that the blade hit at full rpm. It also hit very much in the middle of the boom - looks extreme to me unless the blade flapped to the stop because of the broken linkage.

Thanks for the input.

[archiebald]

You're welcome.

Now I've heard of a second possible occurrence, it makes me think that I will be replacing those links as a part of routine maintenance about once per season.

Anyone else had a mysterious boom strike that might have been caused by the same reason?

[Dave]

Keep in mind that the boom strikes are generally caused by the blades folding rather then flexing to the point of hitting the boom.
Since you are rather new I would also check the tension of the blade grips.

You should be able to turn the helicopter on it's side with one blade going forward and one going back and give it a little bounce without the blades folding. If the move then they are not tight enough.

[pittsjock]

Thanks Dave....

I am one crash past my first and a gallon and a half of nitro. The blades were too loose in the grips, although I am not sure that caused the first crash.

Thanks!