Hawk Pro with 120 Deg CCPM

[garlonbs]

Hi Guys, I've been lurking for quite a while trying to decide what to move up to for a first nitro heli and need some advice. I've been flying a Trex 450 SE off and on for 3 years and only in the last few weeks did I push past being a hover master and start circuts and figure 8's. Needless to say I'm addicted to Heli-Crack now and have gone to the "Dark Side" if you listen to all the plane only pilots in my club.

Now, for my question. I've pretty much decided on the Hawk Pro for my first nitro heli but I'm only familiar with 120 degree setups having stuffed my rex quite a few times (Finless you are awesome for your videos). It looks like there is a 120 swash for the hawk as an upgrade but what eles is involved in that conversion? Also, since i'm still a noob with regard to heli's, what are the advantages and drawbacks between 90 and 120 swash designs? Is is worth changing the stock setup?

My flying style is pretty much smooth sport flight with some aerobatics. I dont plan on significant 3D flight and at some point next year, i'd upgrade the Hawk from a .30 to a .50. I'd actually like to be able to fly the F3A sportsman pattern with a heli (strange I know) so I want to start out with a good setup but keep it within a budget so my wife wont start looking for a frying pan.

[JustPlaneChris]

IMO, the stock MPM system on the Hawk should be quite sufficient for your flying style, no need to spend the $$ for the CCPM upgrade. I plan to continue to fly my Hawk as-is, and if I feel the need for more aggressive performance I'll just get the Raven (which is a heckuva bargain considering all the nice bits it comes with stock).

[garlonbs]

Thanks Chris, your threads on the hawk and swift were one of the primary reasons i'd decided on a Century heli.

[GyroAl]

The Hawk mCCPM system is very easy to set up.

[JustPlaneChris]

Thanks Chris, your threads on the hawk and swift were one of the primary reasons i'd decided on a Century heli.It's not my fault! I swear! ;) As Gyro Al said, the Hawk MPM (or mCCPM if you prefer) is indeed very easy to set up, so that's another point in its favor. The Hawk the third MPM heli I've owned, but my others are CCPM. At my flying skill level I really can't tell much difference in performance between the two styles.

[garlonbs]

Chris one more question you could answer for me. A fellow club member has offered to sell me a swift 16 sans receiver and gyro, a 2nd complete airframe, 3 4S packs, 2 chargers and loads of spare parts for $750.00 which seems like a sweet deal but that begs the question of how will the swift perform on a 4S setup? I've no idea on the pinion and I'm assuming the 600+ motor but thats a guess. Would you be willing to hazzard a guess?

[JustPlaneChris]

I have only flown my Swift on a 10S A123 setup, so I can't give you direct experience on the 4S performance. However, I've seen some videos of bone-stock 4S performance and it's certainly no slouch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0C7n8a0M-A

The Swift will be lighter than the Hawk, so it has a more "floaty" feel. Even my 10S A123 setup is about a pound lighter than the Hawk, a 4S bird will be lighter yet. As for the pinion, you will probably want a 13T for the 600+ motor on 4S (again, based on what I've read, not my direct experience).

[garlonbs]

Doh! I never even thought to look for videos on the 4S setup. Thats alot harder than I intend to fly so might be worth considering.

[frankreh@rogers.com]

Hi garlonbs

Just for your info I am attaching a link to a 4s setup for the Swift16.
Hoope this helps
Take care and have fun

http://www.centuryheli.com/products/helikits/swift/index.htm?currentid=304

Frank

Toronto Canada