need help tracking blades...please.

[jlsider@rogers.com]

Hey all,
I have a question for you guys regarding the tracking of the blade 400 blades. I am used to tracking my cp pros blades for which I simply marked the blade tips with markers, spun it up on my bench the held a peice of paper until it lightly touched the blades....then adjusted accordingly. Can I use this same technique for the 400? This method scares me a little with the head speed of the 400, but I have no one else who can "eye" them for me while hovering. I have tried eyeing them while hovering but find it distracting and can't really focus clearly on both. (still a noob).

Anyways, any pointers would be very much appreciated. I wish I could do the paper method, because it sounds like they are out a little and know I could get them near perfect using that method,

Thanks for any input.

Jeremy

[HeliMix]

Well, I am not sure if it was the right way to do it, but I just set my heli on my kitchen floor, slowly spun it up to the point it wanted to lift, backed it off a tad, laid on the floor and looked at the blades. There they looked good. Then outside, while in hover, I gave them a quick glance and they looked the same as it did on the floor. So, I ASSUMED they were tracking correctly. If I was wrong, I guess I will know as soon as someone that knows better chimes in. :lol:

[jlsider@rogers.com]

yes good idea, but I think for proper tracking it has to be at 75% throttle in normal mode. I could be wrong, but thats how I normally track my cppro. Think it will hurt the heli to hold it down with a weight on the skids doing that?

Jer

[gatherman]

I have a heavy bar that I put through the skid then power up on my bench. When i say heavy i do mean heavy. (about 150lb)

[HeliMix]

I have read here of people using a 2x4, stuck through the skids to hold it down. I cannot really think of any reason why you cannot do that. If you were stopping the motor from trying to turn I could see it doing some damage, but keeping the heli down, I think that would be ok. Then again, I already assumed once and look what that did. :oops:

[LockMD]

Hey all,
I have a question for you guys regarding the tracking of the blade 400 blades. I am used to tracking my cp pros blades for which I simply marked the blade tips with markers, spun it up on my bench the held a peice of paper until it lightly touched the blades....then adjusted accordingly. Can I use this same technique for the 400? This method scares me a little with the head speed of the 400, but I have no one else who can "eye" them for me while hovering. I have tried eyeing them while hovering but find it distracting and can't really focus clearly on both. (still a noob).

Anyways, any pointers would be very much appreciated. I wish I could do the paper method, because it sounds like they are out a little and know I could get them near perfect using that method,

Thanks for any input.

Jeremy


I used to do the same thing with the pro (must have saw the same video) as I moved up in size this method doesnt work and is not safe. I ran a 2X4 through the skids of my 600 and clamped it down to a table. The whole table would shake like the bed in the excorcist. So now even for the smaller birds I do them all this way.

Put tracking tape on and hover at eye level, just remember you are 'flying' and dont loose track of orientation, sometimes I concentrate so much on the tracking of the blades I forget its in the air LOL -- land and adjust as needed.

[Heli Jim]

That method works but you have to be careful.

You can get an induced vibration that can shake the heli pretty hard.

Just be careful when you spool it up.

[jlsider@rogers.com]

Thanks guys....I think I will give the paper method a shot.

Cheers,

Jeremy

[carlo_the_wonder_frog]

Idle up, hover at eye height, it aint rocket science.

[jlsider@rogers.com]

carlo,

I fully understand it's not rocket science, but when you are still new at flying its hard to concentrate on flying and watch the blades for tracking. Paper methodi find more accurate at my level.

[WizardKing]

I hold my Blade at arm's length and spool up to about 75% throttle, stop and adjust.

Next I goto 75% throttle, verify tracking and ,if ok, briefly hit full throttle to check:thumbup: