What did you do to your Blade 360CFX today?

[3DLee]

Originally Posted by kronium

Nice. How long you been flying? I've just started on my inverted circuits. Got a long way to go.

this is my 5th year...my first 3 years I flew nothing but the mcpx and mcpx bl ONLY, so this is only my second year flying anything bigger.
I also put in HUNDREDS of hours of simming since I started. And I still sim about 6 hours a week.

[kronium]

Originally Posted by 3DLee

this is my 5th year...my first 3 years I flew nothing but the mcpx and mcpx bl ONLY, so this is only my second year flying anything bigger.
I also put in HUNDREDS of hours of simming since I started. And I still sim about 6 hours a week.

That's some dedication. Looks like I got my work cut out for me! I brightened up my tail today. The carbon didn't take the paint well even though I roughed it up. The 450X tail is white and matted, and only needs one coat of paint.

[C_M_H]

Bought a used 360 from a fellow freak and have been really liking it.

Swapped out the tail servo as it was little crunchy. Used the stockers to test it get the AR7200BX right, then put some Align blades on the main & tail.

And added an Ebay-CF-tube tail boom and some vinyl for fun ( and the red and green help me with orientation, maybe its a crutch? ).

It came with a brand new optional canopy, but I'm keeping the beater on for now.

I was excited to try the 3-blade head it came with, but I couldn't really appreciate it and swapped back the 2-blade. Much pop-ier, and better flight times too.

That's all I think I need, it's a great heli......

[Spielco]

Finally got the parts and rebuilt the tail. This was first rebuild on any bird other than a micro and it was so easy to work around on! I'm so excited to get it out and test tomorrow. I'm expecting plenty left to tinker with but God it was fun putting it all back together and now seeing it back in the hanger w it's other buddies

[kronium]

Originally Posted by Spielco

Finally got the parts and rebuilt the tail. This was first rebuild on any bird other than a micro and it was so easy to work around on! I'm so excited to get it out and test tomorrow. I'm expecting plenty left to tinker with but God it was fun putting it all back together and now seeing it back in the hanger w it's other buddies

Make sure you rotate your belt 90 degrees in the right direction. I recently had it reversed, and narrowly avoided disaster in the air! I came from micros as well. I agree, the tail is a joy to work on.

[3DLee]

Originally Posted by C_M_H

Bought a used 360 from a fellow freak and have been really liking it.

Swapped out the tail servo as it was little crunchy. Used the stockers to test it get the AR7200BX right, then put some Align blades on the main & tail.

And added an Ebay-CF-tube tail boom and some vinyl for fun ( and the red and green help me with orientation, maybe its a crutch? ).

It came with a brand new optional canopy, but I'm keeping the beater on for now.

I was excited to try the 3-blade head it came with, but I couldn't really appreciate it and swapped back the 2-blade. Much pop-ier, and better flight times too.

That's all I think I need, it's a great heli......

Dude, I love that canopy, cracks and all....is speaks loudly and says " I'm ready for some serious scrappin" It has a lot of character and looks like if fights with the winds.

[felixthemaster]

I got it in the mail and I drooled over it and took this picture

That's my old 200 srx on top.

Battery should arrive tomorrow, cannot wait

[felixthemaster]

I've never feared yet respected something more in my life, I was so scared, it was very windy so it wasn't easy to control and I was trying so hard not to die to cut off shrubs. I guess ill try it fully in the field where i have more space and it's more calm. My heart is beating so fast!

It was so windy that my 200 would fly off to another island but I love how much this bird can handle the wind. It did baloon up quickly but it was so quick i assume it's my fingers since I was shaking rather than the wind.

[toadiscoil]

Originally Posted by felixthemaster

I've never feared yet respected something more in my life, I was so scared, it was very windy so it wasn't easy to control and I was trying so hard not to die to cut off shrubs. I guess ill try it fully in the field where i have more space and it's more calm. My heart is beating so fast!

It was so windy that my 200 would fly off to another island but I love how much this bird can handle the wind. It did baloon up quickly but it was so quick i assume it's my fingers since I was shaking rather than the wind.

Hehe. Sounds exactly like me. That feeling did not go until a few packs later. I started off on Normal and had those nasty TH jump issues so quickly progressed to full head speed. I love how it handles the wind. I think it was the third time out there was a relatively strong wind that made me doubt whether to fly it or not. It handled it at full head speed like nothing. It was more my lack of expertise on the collective that made it jump up and down but the cyclic was very smooth and stable. I love this bird if only I knew how to fly it better and if I could get the parts after my last crash. I sometimes regret having it since it is not meant to be a CP trainer I just wanted just like you a 450 size heli. I got me a 230 S yesterday (back ordered) and I will be putting lots of hours on that. I can't afford the pieces for the 360 anyways I spent less buying the 230 than the parts for the 360 and I don't feel the parts are that expensive I just hit it hard on its side.

[felixthemaster]

I was thinking of getting a spirit fbl in jan with my second student loans but you know, getting a 230 or 260 with safe might be a better option! sort of like, training on the sim and then use those moves on the 230 and then use those moves on the 360. I'm scared to crash this as well, seems very expensive which is why i didn't want to get blade stuff.

[toadiscoil]

Originally Posted by felixthemaster

I was thinking of getting a spirit fbl in jan with my second student loans but you know, getting a 230 or 260 with safe might be a better option! sort of like, training on the sim and then use those moves on the 230 and then use those moves on the 360. I'm scared to crash this as well, seems very expensive which is why i didn't want to get blade stuff.

The 230 has a full safe auto leveling mode. The 270 only has rescue. I like the size of the 230 perfect for backyard practice and also the first fully assisted mode is better. I have spent so much on crashes that if I had spent that money on helis I would have broken helis and a Goblin 380 by now. Now I have hit my limit on spending on helis. The 230 was a stretch for me but I feel more comfortable I will not crash it on fully assisted mode since I was able to fly my 200 SRX fairly well on Intermediate High Rates before the wind took it away out of range to a nasty high altitude crash that created a wobble I cannot get out of after replacing all damaged parts.

[felixthemaster]

I don't need self leveling, I don't see the point in a CP heli xD. IKR a goblin with spirit fbl safe? Would be amazing.

That's exactly why I never used beginner or intermediate modes on my 200, I had no control, wind took it everywhere. The the day of flying expert was filled with crashes but after I got used to teh sensitivity, I crashed a lot less since I had more control over the heli.

With the 200, I increase throttle and i ask it to start climbing up where as with this heli(360) it's like, I control it's location in space xD I am not used to this responsiveness to altitude control.

[toadiscoil]

Originally Posted by felixthemaster

I don't need self leveling, I don't see the point in a CP heli xD. IKR a goblin with spirit fbl safe? Would be amazing.

That's exactly why I never used beginner or intermediate modes on my 200, I had no control, wind took it everywhere. The the day of flying expert was filled with crashes but after I got used to teh sensitivity, I crashed a lot less since I had more control over the heli.

With the 200, I increase throttle and i ask it to start climbing up where as with this heli(360) it's like, I control it's location in space xD I am not used to this responsiveness to altitude control.

Moving from a FP to CP is like that. I also had the issue that on the 200 there is no negative pitch but throttle down. So by instinct I was getting dangerously close to the deck when first flying the 360. And yes it is so sensitive. Changes in pitch are incredibly responsive not like changes in engine speed like the 200. I really understand why some people don't recommend starting on a FP but going to a CP as newbies. The only downside is I believe it would be much easier to crash as a newbie on a CP than it is on a FP specially SAFE assisted like the 200. The 230 to me is the perfect evolution and mix of that. I feel like I am starting all over again as I should once I get my 230 on the mail.

[felixthemaster]

After reading your statement, I am starting to regret it xD But I have been putting off a 450 in a while and I'd always wonder "what if". But great idea. I think 200 is a better alternative simply because low number of parts. A lot of newbies like myself, are overwhelmed with repair and tinkering so starting on a cp would be hell.

[kronium]

The 230 looks cool, but has some issues if you read through their forum. Horizon is still sorting out the firmware. The Spirit is pretty great. It's a learning curve to set up, but you can really dial the responsiveness to where you want. Great support from Tomas, the creator too. With the Spirit, you also get various inverted stability and rescue modes.

I remember the first time I spooled up the 360cfx. I came from a Trex150 and my heart was racing as well!

[toadiscoil]

Originally Posted by felixthemaster

After reading your statement, I am starting to regret it xD But I have been putting off a 450 in a while and I'd always wonder "what if". But great idea. I think 200 is a better alternative simply because low number of parts. A lot of newbies like myself, are overwhelmed with repair and tinkering so starting on a cp would be hell.

You have it now. Just take your time sim a lot and hope what I said helps a bit.
As for the 230 S I agree that SAFE does not work perfectly as advertised. Takes some work or knowleddge what can happen and be careful on that.
Back to the 360, I really want you to enjoy it you spent an important chunk of money on it. However it is much more difficult to repair. If you thought the 200 was sometimes bad wait until you have to worry about the belt and shims on the one way bearing of the 360. Only problem with Blade is that they fill the newbie gap of open up the box, charge and fly but that leaves you with no build or setup experience. You will need that for sure on your first crash which I hope happens in a long long time from now. I hated the comment at the time but it probably sounds good now that I am sitting with my heli all messed up. Fly it sparingly on short hovers only (careful with those landings) and I would fly the heck out of the 200 until you excel on the Expert non-SAFE assisted mode. I regret I got impatient and wrecked my nice expensive heli but still happy I have it as I am now looking forward to saving up for parts and probably post a full rebuild thread. I want to tear it all apart and rebuild to really get to know it and set it up right. I will take my time this time around.

[felixthemaster]

Yea I plan on taking it slow! Yea, i have been flying my 200 on expert for a long time. As for the landing, I realize that the throttle hold on normal mode has the same linear pitch as the other two modes so I need to change that. I landed in normal mode, throttled down the heli and then hit TH so that I don't start it up if I nudge the control stick but the heli immediately sunk down and i could see stress on the landing skids since the pitch went full negative. I hope throttle hold pitch curves are different for each mode, i wish HH thought about that before releasing the setupfile/manual.

I agree about the build, I have no idea what parts are on the heli, I only learnt it was belt driven after I inspected it xD I dread fixing it especially since there is no newb friendly guide like with all the fp helis i've owned before (honeybee v2, 200 srx). Is the exploded diagram in the manual the only resource? Hopefully people on here can help me out when the time comes.

[kronium]

Originally Posted by toadiscoil

If you thought the 200 was sometimes bad wait until you have to worry about the belt and shims on the one way bearing of the 360.

Are the shims the ones that come in the plastic bag? I assume you place them on top of the one way bearing to prevent play in the main gear? Thanks.

[felixthemaster]

I tried her properly in the backyard today, almost no wind (5mph) and wow, what a beast, I'm turned on xD It took less than 30% of the number of inputs than my 200 to stay put, it was so smooth (except spool up which I assume was because I didn't straighten the blades correctly)

Surprisingly it was so easy to fly, (normal, med rates-85%) the 200 srx has trained me well. I did some pitch pumps for fun and I didn't know I could bend the atmosphere to my will xD. I need to try on high rates since it seems a bit boring on med. Want to learn to hover and do all that on high (95%)

I never dreamed the tail to be this responsive, i thought that was only because it was a computer program. I guess I underestimated pitch tail blades.

It sucks how the servos stay in place when you move the sticks since thats how an FBL unit moves. I didn't know where the rudder was meant to be left at so when spooling up the heli span to the left until it stopped itself.

I basically did hovering for 3.5 mins then for the rest of the 30 seconds, did some basic slow momentum turns. Can i fly for more than 4 mins if I only do basic hovering and forward flight in normal mode? I assume the 4 mins is for hard 3d in idle 2 but I wanted to be safe and landed anyway. I don't know if breaking in a lipo is a real thing or not so I wanted to be gentle, too.

[felixthemaster]

Originally Posted by kronium

Are the shims the ones that come in the plastic bag? I assume you place them on top of the one way bearing to prevent play in the main gear? Thanks.

I thought it was for the rotor blade