Most reliable flight power unit

[trillian]

I am curious what you guys think is the most reliable way to go for rx/servo power?

I just got a Predator gasser that is a few years old and has a Duralite regulator with li-ion battery. So far I am a bit frustrated with this Duralite setup because I cannot seem to get the battery to fully charge but I will talk to the guy I bought it from again or maybe talk to Duralite.

But the point is, this is a big expensive and heavy bird and I won't even dream of flying it unless I know all the electronics are rock-solid. And with the cost of the heli itself I am not going to shy away from the best solution to save money.

I know I could treat it like the smaller birds and just put a nicad pack and a voltspy on there but I'd like the most robust, redundant thing I can get (and also because I am using a spektrum rx so it must never never be allowed to drop below it's min operating voltage).

[pgkevet]

I've only had my preddie for a few flights but was suprised by how fast it's sucks juice through it's servos. Ultimately I'll probably fit a generator on board but for the moment while I get used to it I've just gone to one of real raptors 4200 2s mission pack lipos to see how that lasts.. at least charging shouldn't be an issue.

Which part of London.. I fly at Croydon

[aarinsingh]

The Generator is the ticket, nothing else comes close.

[Morty]

Hands down, the only way to fly a large gasser is with a generator. I have had a "Jewel" generator on my bird for over a year now, and it has saved my ass on more than one occasion. I will not even think of flying any heli now without a generator. Here's a link:

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze49gsg/

[trillian]

Which part of London.. I fly at Croydon

I have been flying at a field down in Kent run by a friend, called The Kent Flight School
but he just flies fixed-wing and also it's a bit of a long journey (but he has a workshop
and I can leave stuff down there).

I just checked out a club in Leatherhead that is much easier to get to and is an all-heli
club so I will be looking into that a bit more. It seems like a good option.

What makes it difficult for me is I do not have a car at the moment, so I have to carry
everything on the train. It's no prob with a small 30 or 50 size heli in a gig-bag but I need to come
up with a good way to carry the predator. The plus side is I wouldn't need starting gear but
it's a pretty hefty beast to carry for very long.

[pgkevet]

<<What makes it difficult for me is I do not have a car at the moment, so I have to carry
everything on the train. It's no prob with a small 30 or 50 size heli in a gig-bag but I need to come up with a good way to carry the predator. The plus side is I wouldn't need starting gear but it's a pretty hefty beast to carry for very long.>>

Not sure how popular you'll be carrying a smelly preddie and a bottle of petrol on a train..it takes a while for the last dregs to vent out even if you plug the lines at the end of a day..

You could put preddie on a wheelie skid and pull it by the tail (and I do mean make up something it sits on with own handle as opposed to exactly the above but it's a good description)

[Forced_Induction]

do these gassers smell that strong after flying? Id think nitros would smell worse.

[pgkevet]

<<do these gassers smell that strong after flying? Id think nitros would smell worse.>>

I've never had a nitro so can't compare but only option here is what you call 'pump gas' - petrol to real english speakers - and there's always some left in the carb lines, dregs in the tank and in the hand fueling pumpUunless I give Preddie and hour to dry off on the field then I can smell it in the car on the way home - quite strong. Plugging the lines stops that but then storage at home.. my garage is a bit cold for long term storage - would risk corrosion. On nice days i leave it out to evaporate then bring it in.. next winter it might have to spend a few hours in a glasshouse before coming indoors. It keeps wifey sl less miffed at the hobby:roll:

[Forced_Induction]

I guess. sorry for thread jacking as well.

[trillian]

Yeah for some reason the nitro smell does not linger too much and also it is a more pleasant smell and/ or not a smell people will imediately identify.

We shall see. Maybe if I can get some kind of carry bag for it that is airtight but I'm really not too worried about the smell, I am more concerned with just carrying something kinda awkward.

I have a keyboard gigbag that I use for the Raptor and that works really well but the Preditor is much bigger.

[pgkevet]

.. a canvas, glue and duct tape job then..

[trillian]

.. a canvas, glue and duct tape job then..

I just got a very nice bag made just for helicopters. The brand is 'Plusminusten' . It will work very well for getting the bird down to the field but without taking the blades off it will not zip up all the way due to the height at the back where the blades sit on the holder, so won't be air-tight. I'll be on the train when it's not very busy anyway. (it does, however, zip up completely for smaller helis like the Raptor 30).

[pgkevet]

it will not zip up all the way due to the height at the back where the blades sit on the holder, .

...canvas, glue, and hook-loop tape for a 'Preddie Blade Bump':lol::rolling

[brunobl]

I give Preddie and hour to dry off on the field then I can smell it in the car on the way home - quite strong.

This is one of the reasons I fly on Avgas - evaporates instantly and even when it is still there, it doesn't have that recognizable auto-shop smell. If anything, it smells like aviation.

At home it goes absolutely unnoticed.