550 ultimate no boom supports

[dominator]

Im about to start a 550 ultimate build and in the manual it talks about not using the boom supports. I like the look of not having the boom supports but im wondering how much of a risk is it? I tend to fly my helis as hard as I can and dont want to risk a boom strike. Was the 550U tested flying hard 3d without the supports? anyone know? Thanks

[rallyant]

It will not add risk to boom strike. But the extra length and torque will flex the boom more.

You might induce 9ft lb or more of torque. Hang 18 lb of weight at the tail rotor and see how much it flexes sideways.

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk

[dominator]

yeah somtimes I "think" I can see my 7hv flexing on hard stops but will it have any negative impacts on how it flies

[quinn]

I'm thinking you might not be able to get the tail gain quite as high without supports. The little bit of extra flex might induce oscillations at a lower gain compared to running the supports. It is a pretty monster boom for a 550 so maybe its just fine. If it says not to run them in the manual I'm sure its fine

[GimpyGolden]

I'd say if you do a lot of piro stuff with hard stops and reversals it's probably a good idea just to reduce wear and tear.
Sport and smooth 3D stuff I can't see it will flex much and should be ok.
The kit comes setup to try both ways so I guess run w/o and see if anything get's loose or sloppy.

[dominator]

Yeah I have about 10 flights on it now some soft some hard but everything seems to be holding up fine without boom supports

[vburge]

Originally Posted by dominator

Yeah I have about 10 flights on it now some soft some hard but everything seems to be holding up fine without boom supports

I am considering a new 550U and would prefer to run it without the boom supports. Have you flown it much since this report and how is it holding up? Has it been a solid heli without many issues?

[Rob43]

Reduce the flex with a carbon boom. Make from 25mm od 100% carbon tube.

[dominator]

I've been flying it pretty hard with no boom supports and it's just fine. At least 50 flights and no signs of any flex or wear. It works fine without them and looks great

[dominator]

It's a very solid heli. Best one I've ever had actually. I've adjusted belt tension one time after it broke in and that's it. This heli will take everything you can throw at it. The only thing I will recommend is not to use the plastic compass servo horns. They were flexing in flight for me and causing wobbles cause the gyro was trying to constantly correct for the flex. Switched to metal and it's perfect now. I would defiantly buy this heli again if I were in the market for a 550 or 600. And it's easy to swap between the two

[vburge]

Thanks, that is great to hear. I really like the look of my Mostro without the boom supports and he needs a little brother. The 550 size seems like a good next step for me since I have owned almost every other size and now have plenty of 5000mah batteries to share with one. I have never owned a compass but have heard some great things about their quality and performance. If I don't own one by then, hopefully I will see some at the Birmingham fun-fly in March.

[Keven Schauz]

I did probably 150 flights without the struts and had no issues or excessive wear at all. The setup is exactly the same with or without the boom supports, I couldn´t get any different results.

Here is a Video from me without the boom supports:

[quinn]

Also been running mine without supports. Its solid. Saves about 50 grams I think.

[soko]

@Keven Shauz: What tail blades are you using on your 550U? I like that they match the red on the canopy. Way better than the yellow ones.

[Stevewashere]

I run mine with out supports, it seems fine as the boom is rigid, and its what attracted me to the Atom 500 and 5.5 originally.

[Keven Schauz]

Hi soko

I use the orange 96mm KBDD Tailblades. They work perfectly for me, great performance on low and high rpm at the same time. I think there is no need for CF Blades on a 550 sized heli, I get the same performance with the KBDDs.

[soko]

thx.
i was looking for red ones but there are only the orange.
u cant tell the difference in your vid tough.

[Keven Schauz]

Well the difference is more visible in real life, but I still think these tailblades fit the look of the 550U canopy really nice.

[FlyBri3]

I run the orange KBDD as well, Almost like they were made for each other. LOL

[Stevewashere]

Andi soko when are you getting the 550U