i just picked up a quick fly...

[rotorhead58d]

i went to see irwin this morning. what a great person. gave me the 50 cent tour. i got the fly pro kit. the guys in the shop were very helpful, and i threw them a bone by purchasing all the electronics also. i'm going to start the build this weekend. i will post pics as each step is finished(i like to take my time, so don't bug me).

[rotorhead58d]

here is the lower frame and landing skids.

before you begin, sand the rough edges around the cf frame. mark the mounting holes in the landing gear and drill the holes.(they are 58mm apart). i used the screw caps from QWW to attach the skids, and everywhere it goes through the cf frame. the instructions say to use them on the upper to lower frame mounts, but i chose not to. i also went with the raised tail approach, so assemble the lower half of the lower frame first, with the skids, then attach it to the top portion. i also chose not to use the set screws in the skids. slide the skids through, and you are done.

[rotorhead58d]

next up is the right frame side. i used screw caps to install it. you have to grind a small flat on them, as they are a little too big to use. the instructions say to use a nord lock washer, but i liked the look of these screw caps. use of a ball allen driver is best. piece of cake.

[rotorhead58d]

i would also like to add that a cd is included for the instructions. there are even animated assembly steps for some of the components. very helpful

[rotorhead58d]

electronics

spektrum ar 7000 rx

spektrum ds821 servos x 3

futaba s9254 & gy 401 gyro

quick ray power motor 1076 kv 13 tooth pinion

castle creations phoenix 60 brushless motor control

true rc 4000 mah 22.2 volt 6s lipo

the cyclic servos will be replaced by futaba 9252's eventually. i wanted to use the servos that came with my dx7. if i like them, they might stay. flight times should be awsome with this set up. the price on the batteries was $100.00!

[rotorhead58d]

when you order your kit, make sure to order a set of screw caps(lots of colors) and the landing gear dameners. talk to irwin about other things that might suit your flying style. he seems very knowledgable, and has been in the buisness for a long time. lot's of trial and error experience imo.

[rotorhead58d]

i'd also like to say that any suggestions to improve on this build are welcome.

[rotorhead58d]

i installed my servos next. i did not use the rubber gromments to mount them. i put the left frame half on and got my servos all moving in the same direction. i took the left frame back off and installed the motor, with pinion to it's mount, and screwed it in to the frame. i assembled the main shaft, main gear, with the one way bearing and hub, and the bearing blocks. i also installed the anti rotation bracket. the elevator linkage was next. this was kind of tricky, but it only goes in one way. the bearings for it are inserted from the inside of the frame. the flanged ends face towards the mainshaft. a small amount of filing was required to get them seated. it will be loose until the left frame half is installed. there were no instructions showing how to do this, but enough pictures to figure it out. then install the servos in the left frame half. i also installed the frame supports next. i didn't locktite anything but the elevator linkage brackets. then you can install the boom block halves. do not tighten the bolts for the boom block, or the frame support below the boom. i will locktite everything later.

[rotorhead58d]

i got the electronics all done. i put the GY401 up front. i would have had to make a shelf to mount it in the back, and the way the tail blocks are split, it seemed it was a better idea to mount up front. the AR7000 was mounted sideways on the shelf behind the gyro, and the sattelite antennae was mounted under the battery tray. the CC60 esc was strapped to the right side on the battery tray.

i also assembled the swash plate, and all the ball links. then, i set my servos up, and got the swash level. i decided to mount the elevator linkage with the outside link facing down. it just worked better for me this way. all the links have a straight shot to the swash, except for the elevator link. there is a reason for that though.

the tail went together fairly well. i had to play around with some clearances, but nothing it would take a PHD to figure out.(nice machine work irwin). this is one nice tail. very smooth.

the bearings had to be pressed into the head. it comes with thrust bearings, and all the spacing was dead on. kind of a pain, but i'll survive. make sure you are careful with assembling these blade grips.

when i get my camera back, i will post more pics.

[rotorhead58d]

[rotorhead58d]

wiring job almost complete. i re-routed the bec wire to underneath the frame instead of running it between the rx and gyro. douh! i'm starting to work on the head, also.

[rotorhead58d]

if you've never dona a build like this on helifreak or whatever, try it. it makes you take a different look at how you set your machine up. that has to be a good thing, right?

[rotorhead58d]

starting to look like a heli now. canopy went on nice. i had to cut it slightly to bring it back towards the tail. i used quicks canopy mounting thumbscrews. i'm not crazy about this canopy, but it does offer good protection for the inerds. i wonder what else would fit...

[rotorhead58d]

some pictures of the tail. the belt is not tight yet. size comparison with gaui 200

[rotorhead58d]

the head

[rotorhead58d]

next, i'm using the castle link to get the esc set up as per finless videos. i got my fingers crossed. i went over the set up, and from the instructions, it was really close. i went over everything, and made sure all screws were loctited. i only set zero pitch so far. after i get my radio and esc set up, i will set the throttle and pitch curves. i have everything ready to start the field testing on the esc.

[rotorhead58d]

a note:
if you are using the raised tail set up...
when you are setting up the head and the ccpm, make sure to tilt the heli and rest it on the verticle stabilizer. that will get the frame level. it helped me.

[Gr4yb3ard]

She's lookin' sharp Rotor.

Amen on the huge next to the GAUI!

I agree with you on the vids. I also caught Finless's discussion of bubble levels. My old line level was way to large for the paddles on the GAUI, but I found some small ones that should work next time.

Any idea of when you'll fly her?

***yb3ard

[rotorhead58d]

Any idea of when you'll fly her?

***yb3ard

when i can bring my 450 home in one piece more than not. i'm waiting on a friend who has an optical tach to help me set up the CC60. until then, i can't fly it. also, i'm mounting the tail servo on the boom. where the servo is mounted now, i can't get the throw i'd like to have.(full) the servo arm hits the bottom of the tail boom block, so i'm using a servo mount from a trex 600. that is on it's way. i really like the tail on this fly. very smooth. had to finess it a little, but worked out great. i tried to spray bomb the canopy, and it ended up looking like a dog's breakfast. i might have to recruit some help on that. a few more weeks, and i'll be ready to at least hover it.

[rotorhead58d]

<--------waits for the usual QWW bad comments by helifreak support..