Maiden Flight - Guess the outcome

[macdad]

I am moving to a progress thread here:

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread...84#post5851784

[Waxxingibbous]

so sad to hear that. level swash is key. when its not level it makes hovering w/ rotor wash a nightmare.

solutions;
use sim alot, try and level the swash
and get out of rotorwash as soon as possible especially on maidens, its easier to trim and correct without the dirty air dragging you all over the place. 3-5 feet off the ground should suffice.
OR
look up on youtube these guys build a cheap trim stand where youll be able to test the tail, cyclic, blade tracking without putting the heli at risk.

[macdad]

Man, my last post in this thread was over 2 years ago I have progressed a bit since then. Thanks for the tips though.

[RabbitDFFD]

Are you still flying the 450 or have you made the move up in size ??? I haven't really flown my 500 yet, but I've already picked one up. . it's the first leap in cost of repairs and I've already sent 2 450s to their graves in the last month, so I'm not in a hurry to jump on the 500.. have 2 more 450's to hone finessing the sticks for smooth transitions and flow of flight maneuvers. . I got over the pucker with my 450s just a couple days ago finally . .took my first POS used eRazor that came with a bum Tx and Dr Jeckyl'd it to life with parts from the other two I destroyed. . so I now have a Custom Flybarred FrankenHeli built on an eRazor frame of all frames. . reason for that frame choice is because as soon as I got the heli, I found spare frames for just under $3 each . so I stocked up on them. . They truly are POS's, half the screws and screw holes are stripped right from the warehouse. but for the price and simplicity of them, who really cares. .it'll fly, it'll survive a decent impact with minor damag, usually broken blade grip and bent mainshaft. otherwise pretty fun to just beat the hell out of and that's what's got me making the most progress lately while having the most fun and a lot of laughs doing it. . Just identifying what parts came from what to create my Frankenheli is a laughing matter by itself, there's helimax parts, exi parts, align parts, and of all the gyros I chose to use on it. . I stuck with the dynam gy192. .pretty much because there's absolutely nothing to it. .as long as it holds the tail, I can practice controlling the helicopter. . in about 4 months I've clocked about 170 hours in sim, birthed and murdered 2 450's, murdered 1 v977 micro. . Owl had a small part in that and I'm just waiting for him to catch my last one so I can leave the v977 in the dust and step up my micro to the trex 150 dfc. . Owls are great for learning quick maneuvering and FF flight. . only thing that sucks is the sound of the owl catching a heli mid-air. . very distinctive CRUNCH as talons pierce canopy and destroy control board. . but wth . .we get them to fly and have fun with right? . .

AIM HIGH
AND IF YOU SEE ME DUCK
YOU SHOULD RUN !!!

[macdad]

If you check out my other thread, "Macdad's Flight Progress," you will see that I am flying a few other helis now.

A couple years ago, I happened upon a really good deal on a Gaui X5! Since I was able to afford it, I bought it and started moving up. I have since purchased a couple other 360mm - 380mm blade helis, as well as 3 different 700 size helis. Only 2 of the 700 heli's are still in operation. The other was retired for the last 700 I bought, the synergy 766.

Most of what I have done has been on a "budget" that I could afford. For instance, I saved for close to a year to buy the 766 airframe and blades. That being said, it would take me a couple months to buy the parts if I crashed a 700 heli. I fly them much more conservatively than I do my 450 size helis. To date, I haven't crashed the X5 or any of my 700s (knock on wood).

Keep up the practice on the sim. If you want to go conservative, don't do anything in real life until you can do it flawlessly in a sim for a session (15 minutes for me). I also fly quite high with my bigger helis. Usually 20+ feet. Best of all, the larger helis are much more forgiving. Even a 500 size. If you can afford it, go for it. Keep a 450 size for practicing new stuff.

That is an amazing story about the owl too!

Love you last comments btw. I won't run, but I may hide behind a fence

[ic-racer]

I did not see this thread when it started, but a year ago I started with a Trex 150. That first day was tough, I could only lift off a few inches and then crash, right, left, backwards, or forwards.

However, with the 150 and servo-saver mod, I just picked the helicopter off the ground and started again after each crash. So, if I did it again I'd still start with a small CP heli first.