Faifa vs TDR

[wadders248]

Thanks both for the info! I'm going to start with a 4525-520, though not looking for silly head speeds.

@TommyBear: What pinion are you using at the moment?

[TommyBear]

Originally Posted by wadders248

Thanks both for the info! I'm going to start with a 4525-520, though not looking for silly head speeds.



@TommyBear: What pinion are you using at the moment?

I was using a 15t pinion with a pyro 45 and Jive on mode 4.


On my other TDRs, I was using an Xera 4530 500KV and a Black Edition Pyro 52 both on 14t pinions.

[wadders248]

That's great thanks TommyBear!

I'll have to check what pinions I have, but I've also got a Xera 4530 500KV to try :-)

It's weird, but 1,700rpm sounds really low, though I love flying the Faifa like that, so maybe that's the TDR magic.

Originally Posted by TommyBear

I was using a 15t pinion with a pyro 45 and Jive on mode 4.
On my other TDRs, I was using an Xera 4530 500KV and a Black Edition Pyro 52 both on 14t pinions.

[jiminator]

My ID1 is 1750 and actually I like it better than my ID2 at 1900. Its just cool to see it fly by, silently, with a little bit of Ferrari-like sounds coming from the blades. I could fly pack after pack doing that.

[wadders248]

Yep, everyone gets so hung-up on modern high head speed machines, you forget how nice it is to just have relaxing flights. I think that's why low head speed flying has become the 'new' thing!

[trillian]

Similar colours and general design although not exactly the same, both done by Phil Buckley here in the UK.

[wadders248]

The TDR canopy looks great... really like the light colour for 'window' part! Nice matching tail fin too :-)

[trillian]

Originally Posted by wadders248

The TDR canopy looks great... really like the light colour for 'window' part! Nice matching tail fin too :-)

Yeah it should be great for visibility, but having said that the profile on the TDR is so big it may not matter too much what colour it is. The Triabolo is like that, it's nearly impossible to lose orientation with it.

I think the TDR looks a bit sleeker and longer but I bet it's actually not as long as the Triabolo.

Anyway, it's nice having a shared colour scheme that I like. My fav Dune canopy at the moment though is actually an F-Nine copy of an Insane design :-o

[trillian]

Just to update this thread slightly. As I now have a TDR and have at least done a couple maiden flights.

It's early days just yet but I like the TDR a lot, straight away it has a very familiar and comfortable feel to it. I think this is at least partly due to the FBL unit just happens to be a good fit with one of the stock presets. I found this to be the case with the Triabolo as well and they're quite similar in things like linkage geometry.

I'm intentionally using the same FBL unit on the Faifa and the TDR. I have a Spartan VX1 the original version on the Faifa and the VX1e on the TDR. So at least in theory I can compare them as closely as possible by using similar settings.

I was flying the TDR at about 1310 and 1450 based on Mr Mel's calculator and due to the long gear ratio available on the TDR it is easy to setup to be at max efficiency at a lower headspeed than the Faifa is right now, so it has a bit of an advantage in that regard. What I want to do, just for the heck of it, is get them at the same headspeeds. So if I can get them both at 1350 or something and fly them back to back. For no particular reason really except for me there has always been this mysterious element to the TDR and I can't help but wonder what other helis can fly similarly with the right setup.

This one is a 2009 model and has the more rigid head. I have the lowrider head on the Faifa with the plastic insert. Right now the TDR shows a little nodding tendency at lower headspeeds but it's very minor and might be something that a FBL setting can fix. I also need to try some different blades.

At the moment I appreciate the Faifa's ease of fitting / changing packs and getting the canopy on and off. This is something I'll work out the best routine for on the TDR but at the moment it's more fiddly until I spend a little time with it.

-- Just to add, the weight difference between the two is almost nil. Mine are both oufitted with Jives using the internal BEC and the Faifa has a small buffer pack the TDR has an Opti guard right now. My Faifa weighs 2.97kg with no main blades and obviously no flight packs, the TDR weighs 3.06kg (also without main blades), so they may as well be identical in weight. The TDR is just slightly longer from the tip of the canopy to the end of the tail fin, height is very similar with the Lowrider shaft. If I had to guess I would think the C of G might be a bit higher (closer to the rotordisc) on the Faifa due to one flight pack sitting on top)

[Roebellini]

I find fitting the battery and canopy onto my TDR's a lot easier than doing so with either the Faifa or the Dune where you are in effect having to strap two separate battery packs onto the heli.

[trillian]

Originally Posted by Roebellini

I find fitting the battery and canopy onto my TDR's a lot easier than doing so with either the Faifa or the Dune where you are in effect having to strap two separate battery packs onto the heli.

Yeah, there was a time when I made up some long sticks composed of pairs of 6s packs bound together with sticky vinyl sheet. This made them very easy to get in and out of the Rave ENV. But when I got the Faifa I had to separate them back into individual 6s packs.

Basically I find that by the time I strap packs onto a sliding tray or into the frames on the TDR I could have them on the Faifa just as easily if not a bit more easily. But it's splitting hairs really. :-)

I need to get better grommets on one of the TDR canopies and then it will be easier to deal with. If I'm using 4000mah packs they fit pretty easily on all the helis but the fat 5000mah Turnigys are definitely much easier to get on and off the Faifa.

---- Just to add, I am going to try using a spare battery tray I had for the Rave, so the idea being I can strap the packs onto the tray and then strap it down to the TDR frames so in a roundabout way having the two packs as one long stick. Anyway, we'll see if that's any easier or better.

[rchelijc]

I've heard if you fly small packs like 3300 on the Faifa, you can fit them side by side on top, bring CG even closer to rotor disk

[TommyBear]

Originally Posted by rchelijc

I've heard if you fly small packs like 3300 on the Faifa, you can fit them side by side on top, bring CG even closer to rotor disk

I've done that.

Couldn't notice any differences at all as the packs are so light anyway.

[rchelijc]

Originally Posted by TommyBear

I've done that.

Couldn't notice any differences at all as the packs are so light anyway.

What kind of flight times you getting, with headspeeds of between 1900 and 2000?

[TommyBear]

Originally Posted by rchelijc

What kind of flight times you getting, with headspeeds of between 1900 and 2000?

Sports flying 6 min.
scorpion competition packs 3300mAH 65C x 2

[trillian]

Originally Posted by rchelijc

I've heard if you fly small packs like 3300 on the Faifa, you can fit them side by side on top, bring CG even closer to rotor disk

I did this with 2650 and 3300mah packs and it worked surprisingly well considering those are the packs I have been flying my 600s with. I flew for 5 minutes and still had a lot left in them. (headspeed around 1450 ish)

[rchelijc]

Originally Posted by TommyBear

Sports flying 6 min.
scorpion competition packs 3300mAH 65C x 2

Thanks TommyBear.

Updated my post here

The scorp 4000 is a perfec fit, and only by a hair's breath.

[TommyBear]

Originally Posted by rchelijc

Thanks TommyBear.



Updated my post here



The scorp 4000 is a perfec fit, and only by a hair's breath.

Your setup is perfect for FFF Speed flying. Your heavy nose and streamlined undercarriage is crying out for speed runs.

[trillian]

Today I got in some flights with a newly rewound Hacker motor. It's supposed to be between 410 and 420KV. I don't know exactly what headspeeds I was getting but it should be very closely matching the gearing of the TDR, roughly a bit over 1300 for my idle-1. I'll know for sure as soon as someone can tacho it.

In any case it flies absolutely brilliant, I am really pleased. The only niggle is an occasional moment where the tail won't piro smoothly. I think it may just be a matter of needing the full pitch range at these headspeeds. It seems to hold just fine and doesn't kick or blow out but if I do a piro at the top of a loop sometimes the tail will stop for a moment and then continue, I am assuming it's the combination of the head being loaded and the forward flight working against the tail.

I did one flight with two Gens Ace 3300s on top. It looks strange but fits under the canopy just fine.

[wadders248]

Looks great, wish I still had some 3000's, then I'd give it a try!

What size tail blades are you using? On the Faifa 800 I use 115mm and would like to go bigger, but I'm at the limit... might have to stretch the tail a bit more. Like you said, I've gone to full travel in either direction, which is just enough.