Copycat 500 build

[JettaManDan]

Well guys and gals....my 500 #2 is nearing completion....got it mostly finished mechanicially last night..and the servo's and swash adjusted to my liking....next day or 2 will be locktite-ing stuff...getting my wires run cleanly and attached..and finishing my programming....

build pics to date..

head built....plastic and metal...



Frame started...and servos being installed




head on for a trial fit..tail setup installed...



then i stopped taking pics till last night! lol! motor is in..ESC is on...tail servo is in and setup (but i'm changing it out) skids put on...and the basic mechanicals are complete...



gotta say this build stuff is getting way easier (never thought i'd say that!!)

really do like the quality of the OEM Align stuff....pretty confident in the buiild..have an hour or 2 more of stuff to do..and then ready for a 1st spin up and tracking adjustment..hoping by sunday to get a hover in and see how it is...

wish me luck!

Dan

[Oldladypilot]

Originally Posted by KeithT

Hey boys & girls - how's it going over here?
Thought I'd pop in & see what progress you are making

Funny isn't it - the 'plank disease' is obviously spreading far & wide - got myself a second hand Multiplex Twinstar to learn on. First job was obviously to crash it good & hard to see how much it cost to repair Amazing things aren't they....
A few dollops of CA and some bits and pieces and they're back in the air
Not quite like helis
ANOTHER Raptor 50 crash on (not)Good Friday This time the tail belt split lengthways - no-one's ever heard of that so I am claiming a manufacturing fault and going for the £140 repair cost from the belt supplier. I was just about to land when the tail gave out, so it's not too badly damaged. One minute earlier & it would have been 100ft up and doing about 50mph. Probably no chance with the claim, but worth a try.
Anyway, message to OLP is - don't get depressed - flying these darm helis is frought with difficulty and very very few manage it. Stick at it and join the few not the many. By the sounds of it, flying real planes, you're a million jumps ahead of most of us anyway

Take care all...

Keith

Thanks Keith! I'm not giving up...just taking a step back for awhile!


JMD, The Trex looks great! I like that canopy!
I wish you the best of luck on the maiden flight!

[JettaManDan]

Originally Posted by Oldladypilot

Thanks Keith! I'm not giving up...just taking a step back for awhile!


JMD, The Trex looks great! I like that canopy!
I wish you the best of luck on the maiden flight!

Wish i was closer to you OLP..I would help you out..i was supposed to be in your neck of the woods this weekend but had to cancel due ot my wife's surgery..but trust me i thought if i had been able ot make it to have you out and look over your setup! lol! I'll update everyone once i get this bird flying...

[Oldladypilot]

Wow! That would have been great!
I have a sister in Lancaster PA. If I ever get to go visit her I might be able to make a side trip to MD. Plenty of room in my Ford Escape to take along a heli!

[JettaManDan]

Originally Posted by Oldladypilot

Wow! That would have been great!
I have a sister in Lancaster PA. If I ever get to go visit her I might be able to make a side trip to MD. Plenty of room in my Ford Escape to take along a heli!

I have close cousins in Harrisburg..we can definately make a trip up there and meet up! keep me informed! lol!

Dan

[KeithT]

Originally Posted by Luke Warmwater

OMG!

Look who it is!

Hows tricks these days?

Good thanks Luke - hope you too!

Some real smooth flying indoors there - good height control. Are you getting much outdoor flying? Since moving on to bigger helis, I can't just fly when I want, like I used to with the ol' HBFP V1 or even the K3 for that matter

The Twinstar is like a B52 man - it's slow & huge - just what I need

Keith

[Luke Warmwater]

Had about 3 outdoors sessions this year; but with the evenings getting lighter and lighter, that will increase.

I love my P-38 Lightning. She can be a bit fragile on landing (belly landing puts stress on the twin booms) and I have had to do a couple of epoxy repairs....but flying she is a dream. Love twins engines now!

I'm building my first balsa build now (just a Davy Systems Fly Baby), but I have spotted a nice Mosquito balsa kit....hmmmm.......

[JettaManDan]

well....all i can say is that i must have been born under a lucky star or something!

Got my Trex 500 GF buttoned up last night....so today i had the chance to do a initial spin up and a hover test. Took it out..and got it hovering without too much trouble, It was a little pitch sensative...but i adjusted it a bit and no problem. Probably did about 8 short hops..moved it around a bit...flew for 5-6 monites total...and called it quits. I was happy the build went well and it flew! But...

I went to go pick up up and i usually pick up my CP heli's by the head..i grabbed this and something felt wrong...so i took a closer look and both of the screws for the mixing arms on the washout base were GONE! I don't mean loose..i mean GONE..I was like i had no idea if they disappeared within 5 seconds of flying or 3 seconds before i landed...reguardless there was no way this thing should have been in control at all! Then i went back inside and took a closer look later..and the base pivot arms were also loose! one had the screws missing altogether..and the other the screws were loose! I had lock-tited it all....but it was old lock tite..so wondering if it is bad. Who knows? But still...i had 4 screw gone in the head and 2 others loose...how did this thing fly? seriously i was like

so...i'm thankful all my hard work didn't end up in a disaster!!...and i just spend the last like 40 minutes going through the heli with a new bottle of locktie and re-did the heli..not taking chances!

But it did fly...now when i fly it again maybe it won't feel so pitch sensative

Dan

[Oldladypilot]

Good thing you stopped when you did or you may have had a heli in many pieces!
I'm glad it turned out okay though!

[JettaManDan]

Originally Posted by Oldladypilot

Good thing you stopped when you did or you may have had a heli in many pieces!
I'm glad it turned out okay though!

yeah really! thanks! kinda cool i got #2 500 to fly without much trouble...I spread the build out over the course of about a week to 10 days..and all is well...now gotta dial it in and hope i don't lose any more screws! lol!

[Steemo]

whew, close call JMD. Glad it turned out OK.

One thing I do religiously before I loctite any new part is clean out the threads with alcohol and a twisted up corner of paper towel.

I've found there is often machine oil in the threads of many new parts to help prevent corrosion in storage and I'm lead to believe it can render the thread-locker useless if there is too much oil/gunk in the threads.

[JettaManDan]

Originally Posted by Steemo

whew, close call JMD. Glad it turned out OK.

One thing I do religiously before I loctite any new part is clean out the threads with alcohol and a twisted up corner of paper towel.

I've found there is often machine oil in the threads of many new parts to help prevent corrosion in storage and I'm lead to believe it can render the thread-locker useless if there is too much oil/gunk in the threads.

think that could be part of the cause here..i dodged a bullet for sure! good tip! gonna use it from now on!

[boykintom]

I didn't know about the oil, either. This may explain a couple of loctite problems I've had.

[Steemo]

The one part that it is most of a problem is feathering shafts.
Align package them with a decent amount of oil in the packets, and you would be amazed how much of it winds up in the threads. The last thing you want is a blade grip letting go at 2500rpm

[JettaManDan]

Originally Posted by Steemo

The one part that it is most of a problem is feathering shafts.
Align package them with a decent amount of oil in the packets, and you would be amazed how much of it winds up in the threads. The last thing you want is a blade grip letting go at 2500rpm

i saw that and cleaned mine off...at least i hope i did enough

[Ironrotor]

Originally Posted by Steemo

The one part that it is most of a problem is feathering shafts.
Align package them with a decent amount of oil in the packets, and you would be amazed how much of it winds up in the threads. The last thing you want is a blade grip letting go at 2500rpm

I kick myself for not think about this, my blade grips keep getting loose, I bet this is the case. Thanks.

I have been out of town working for the last month but I am back now, so I am hoping to get some flying in this week; after a thorough inspection!

[Oldladypilot]

Went well. I was flying at a little league ball field and even did a loop! Problem was, when what little wind there was got a hold of of it, I stood there like a dummy and forgot I still had 50% more throttle available to me, and it went outside the field, across the street and into the bottom half of a tree!
Nothing broke though. Not too bad for a maiden flight!

[JettaManDan]

Originally Posted by Oldladypilot

Went well. I was flying at a little league ball field and even did a loop! Problem was, when what little wind there was got a hold of of it, I stood there like a dummy and forgot I still had 50% more throttle available to me, and it went outside the field, across the street and into the bottom half of a tree!
Nothing broke though. Not too bad for a maiden flight!

yeah you have to get out of the heli mindset when you fly! lol! glad you didn't break anything! I've organized a fly-in by me for next weekend..got some advanced plans for a new plane and built it already...now i gotta figure out which of my 28 planes to bring! I can't fit them all!

[Oldladypilot]

Originally Posted by JettaManDan

yeah you have to get out of the heli mindset when you fly! lol! glad you didn't break anything! I've organized a fly-in by me for next weekend..got some advanced plans for a new plane and built it already...now i gotta figure out which of my 28 planes to bring! I can't fit them all!

Great! Post some pictures, or better yet, videos!

[JettaManDan]

Originally Posted by Oldladypilot

Great! Post some pictures, or better yet, videos!

oh don't worry....i have like 4 camera's i'm bringing and my headband mount and plenty of other people bringing cams too...