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View Full Version : building raptor flybar tip


phaed
02-19-2006, 11:41 PM
i'm new, so forgive me if this has been posted before (i searched and didn't see it).

i screwed up my flybar building my raptor .50, and wanted to offer a tip to prevent it from happening to anyone else.

the manual is pretty vague, other than saying start from the bottom up. www.raptortechnique.com has some good tips on it, but i disagree with them on 1 point. they say you should put the flybar paddles on and adjust them to their correct position as the last step. i followed these directions and while trying to get the paddles in equal positions, stripped out the control arm's tightening bolts in their little notches. now, not only are the indentions stripped out, i cannot remove the control arms!

don't make this mistake. in fact, as your first step, grab your flybar and paddles seperate from everything else, and screw them on. grab 1 paddle in each hand and just keep rotating in opposing directions. you will probably hear some clicking, that's normal and just the bar working it's way into the paddle because the damned thing is too tight. be careful not to bend the flybar while doing this.

keep going until you see one in the "window". i call this the "fast" side. here's the crux of the problem, you'll get one in the window before the other one. if you follow the instructions, it's extremely difficult to get the "slow" side in the right position without twisting and over-stressing everything else. now, stick a flat tip screwdriver in the fast side window. keep turning and the "slow" side is forced to catch up.

keep going until you see the slow side well into the window. then back them both out, and repeat the until the tension is managable. leave the slow side in the window (you'll still need to adjust it a bit later, however). then take the "fast" side paddle off, and slide on all the components, and continue to follow the directions.

doing this first loosens up the threads enough to be managable when you assemble it, and won't overpower the locking bolts on the control arms.

iflyraptors
02-20-2006, 02:18 PM
Thanks for the tip. I have not had this problem yet. Sounds like the manufacturer made the holes a little too small. I am on my lunch break right now but will add a note about this in the manual later tonight. With the paddles as tight as you describe it would be very difficult to get them aligned straight as it would tend to jump instead of rotate. Do you think turning them in/out a few times will correct this? Or is it still so tight that it is difficult to position them?

HelicopterJohn
02-20-2006, 03:46 PM
phaed,

When I install the fly bar I place the fly bar through the hub and place the arms on each side. Then I measure the length on each side to make sure they are the same. I then hold the fly bar with a set of ball link pliers (there is a little V notch in them that will hold the fly bar) while you turn the paddles on. I turn the paddles on until the end of the fly bar just enters the window (rectangular slot) in the paddle. I then measure both of the paddles to ensure they are the same length from the outside of the arm to the inside of the paddle. I hold the fly bar with the ball link pliers when I make final adjustments to level the fly bar paddles.

Just something you might want to consider.

:)

Seeker
02-20-2006, 10:43 PM
Yea.. I just put mine together... the trick as John states is to use the ball link pliers to hold the rod as you turn in the paddles.

phaed
02-21-2006, 01:57 AM
thanks for the tip, but i tried that too (the ball pliers). it just wouldn't hold the bar, and it kept rotating inside of it. i think that may just be my particular pliers, however...it's not a real good fit.

ifly, i dunno. i'll see when the new components come in (were impossible to remove from old flybar due to the stripping) and i'll let ya know.

HelicopterJohn
02-21-2006, 02:04 AM
phaed,

I know what you mean. Some of those knock off pliers don't work as well as others.

Wait, until you twist up one of the flybars and try to get it through the inner hub bearings. Some of this stuff is just not fun. Ha Ha

:)