Anybody Still Flying?

[Thtasher]

"Other than new servos and gyro, it is stock. Perhaps one of the few flying specimens around".

Good on you and enjoy.

[TowPilot]

I know there are others flying due to the occasional comment when someone mentions it.

[NEOphlyte]

I don't know if I'm too late for this thread - but I'm interested and joined this site to see if anyone wants to continue the discussion.

I bought a B400 in California in 2008 and I crashed it all over the place...repeatedly! So I left it alone for awhile and in the meantime moved to Northeast Ohio (NEO). I was going to throw everything in the trash but decided to give it ONE LAST EFFORT. I did a web search and came up with a guy in Canada who seemed pretty enthused about the B400. I asked him to give me a reason not to head to the dumpster and he sent me some tx settings to ease things a bit.

It worked...for the most part. I knew there had to be a way to tune the thing down but before John, I had no clue how. My Cali LHS and a few people I met there said it already was de-tuned and I felt like a fool for not being able to even hover. Anyway, the tx settings helped but the heli was so beat up that it needed more time and skill than I had to properly repair and set up.

Kids came along and I left it alone for another couple years but I recently got bit by the bug again and I wanted to try it out...again.

HOWEVER, things changed over the years. The B400 seems to be no longer in fashion so I upgraded and bought a 450X. I got immediately afraid to destroy it B400-style so I bought a new/used 4503D to see what I could do.

As I suspected, having a heli set up from the factory with detuned tx settings was a dream. I tried the 450x and it was even more solid.

Now for the current problem: Blade seems to have gotten out of the product line that I have gotten into (What's up with that!!?) And who is interested in these heli's anymore???

That's where you guys come in. Anybody interested? I've glanced at forums recently and have seen one too many people getting ready to throw their heli out because "it's too hard." One person said, "Come on Blade, you have to be better than to build something only the gifted can fly."

That's the way I felt. If I could help one person know that some simple tx settings and 2 wooden dowel rods could save them a ton of money and discouragement, I'll hang out.

If nothing else, I'll post what I know and hope somebody finds it in a search.

[cat5752]

You must be talking about John Salt. I just bought two books from him. Working for the summer in Alaska, but my wife mailed me my B400 and all my tools so when they get here I will set it up by his books and give it another shot. Never crashed it yet, but I can hover with it and that's about it. Never occurred to me to try settings that he recommends. Have watched all of his flight school videos and I think I can do this. I made my own training gear with carbon fiber arrow shafts and wiffle balls.

[islrcr1]

I just bought two like new B400 heli's. now I have four......

[Waxxingibbous]

I have a blade 400
Gy401 hs65 servos
Everything else is stock.


Does anyone have one that flies, anyway I can get a picture of you're mid stick head assembly, I let someone jack up my swash plate so ill level tonight.

Also any help on figuring out swash mix for this heli would be greatly appreciated.

[cdrsteve]

I still have my B400 hanging on the wall. Does not get much love anymore for a myriad of reasons. I am thinking of letting it go soon to someone who will get her back in the air or I may part it out. I also have a metric butt ton of spare parts including a NIP CF frame kit as well as another assembled standard frame. So if any of you B400 pilots looking to get your bird back in running condition need parts - hit me up with a PM. Better to see this stuff used than sitting on the shelf.

[FR4-Pilot]

Took the B400 out for a couple of flights this weekend. There's still a lot of life left in this heli. To my surprise there was another B400 at the field when I arrived - Whoa !

EFlite Blade 400 (5 min 52 sec)

I was messing with my senses and muscle memory by flying my 550, 400 and 180 one after the other - 550 definitely feels 'easier' now . The 400 did great although I forgot how much of a pain the stock canopy is ...

-John

[wattflyer]

Been visiting out in Iowa for the last few weeks, brought the 400 with me along with the Blade 500 3D, the Align 500 (all are flybar) and the Blade 600X. Spun the pinion on the 400 a few days ago and haven't had a chance to check out the problem (lack work space and all).

My 400 has a EXI head, HITEC M65 metal gear servo's and a Futuba 520 gyro, along with the 440 E-Flite motor (4200KV). She's still a flybar and with the higher headspeed, quite a thrilling handful for the four and half minute flite. Using a Pulse 2250 65C battery.

.

[Atlblkz06]

Wow, this thread is kicking.

Yep, I too just pulled the B400 out of the closet, fixed it, and promptly slammed it into a tree...

Now I have to replace a few control rods, main shaft, feathering shaft, etc.

This thing is like crack...

[Nikx]

with jumping into buying a b400, innumerable memories were made, haha , but ever since starting medical school, ive almost forgotten about it for the past 4 years it has been hanging on my wall,until the past few weeks i have got my blade 400 alive and kicking! stock motor ,but with a jr7703d gyro and with fly bar, damn i just forgotten
how exhilarating this hobby can be haha

[helirifick]

I was reading posts on here (via the blade400 bible) about people using the Align Trex 450 SE V2 tail and tail belt on the blade 400.

I think their reasoning was that the Trex tail on the 400 made it much more stable. i cant remember, but did the stock plastic tail suffer from vibrations or something?

does anyone have any experience with putting a Trex 450 SE V2 tail on th 400?

[Waxxingibbous]

Well isn't align torque tube? I think they hold well but tend to be high maintence as those gears strip.

[helirifick]

No, this was a belted Trex 450 SE V2.

The tail belt unit is this one (I think) -- Align p/n H45101A :

http://grandrc.com/p51639/H45101A-Me...duct_info.html

[JoeRuscito]

Just retired mine. Its for sale in the classifieds....

[douglas4]

I bought this from a guy at rcgroups and wow nice smooth flyer. I scored on this heli and couldn't be happier.

All metal Blade 450 Head components. Futaba GY401 / Hitec 5084MG Tail servo combo. Align 35A ESC. (in governor mode, seems to have constant head speed), CF Blades, Orange RX, Stock cyclic servos. (I'm gonna change them to HS65HB's like in my B450 3D). and an Align canopy. Really nice heli. A really light flyer compared to my B450.

douglas

[Waxxingibbous]

ive taken my b400 to 400x status.. just got fbl head fitted in there...just need to setup kbar and she should be ready to eat air.

[icehunter]

After a 2 year hiatus of spending money on heli"s I got my 400 up and running again.Originally I updated to hs 65MG on cyclic,401 gyro,hs 5065 on the tail. Then a buddy of mine sold me his 2 weeks ago for the grand total of $100.00. His had hs 5065 cyclics and a 5085 or something on the tail. He had also upgraded the head and tail with all aluminum parts and I also got about $400 (Canadian) which is about $36.99 (American) box of new spare prts.
Fun it is to get back into it again..

[Creaky Cactus]

They mock me at the field. Everybody else is flying new gear with FBL, while I still have my old, battle scared, flybar, fantastic plastic, B400.

(this is what happens when you take four years off of flying... and come back)

[FR4-Pilot]

LoL - I can relate

And they really don't like the red & green pontoons on the skids either ...