Progress Report

[jperkosk]

Thanks, guys. Easily the biggest built project in my life by far, but it was worth the effort. And remember that keeping the Mrs. happy is incredibly important. Mrs. P. has already promised to buy me scale fuse for the 700N . And, unlike my friend Tom, I get to live in the new house, too!!!

[sutty]

Superb Jerry. I'm sure in a week or two when all the dust settles, and you relax into your beautiful new home, all of those sleepless nights will seem as nothing.

Cheers

Sutty

[copterboy]

Jut got back from the field after another 4 packs. Got them on charge and going straight back out again

Wind blowing a good 20-25kph, so was having some affect on the heli. I took it easy and as a result, tried to concentrate on repeating some slower more precise stuff to get a better feel for doing some flips and piro's in a proper wind. Previously, I always tried new stuff when conditions are a bit calmer, but today I just wanted to fly it. So feel a little progress was made if only with confidence.

I did film it but was interupted twice by a couple of dog walkers. Couldn't beleive all that space behind me, and they choose to walk right across where I'm flying about 100yrds infront, just where the back side of doing a circuit would be. Some people are just so ignorant!! Thay do not realise how dangerous these machine can be. Yet they are drawn towards them like flies on a fresh cow pat. Good job us responsible pilots will do the thinking about safety on there behalf. Going to scratch the vids and will try again later. Weather forecast changed again, but actually improved this time

[Tomstoy2]

There's the good pilots, like you said, but there are the bad pilots, like the one who hit and killed that baby girl in China awhile back.
These are the guys that hurt our hobby the worst.
Personally, I hold the originators of that event more responsible than the pilot!

What really gets to me is that there was really very little news generated by that event internationally? Because a model heli was used they didn't jump all over it like they would if an 'evil drone' was used.
I hate that moniker!
It's not a damn spy or weapons platform.It's just another type of flying model.




So glad you are finally enjoying the beginning of the flying season! It's been a long time in returning for you.
Timing was perfect for it, too.
So much easier to enjoy it now that all that pressure is off you and a feeling of permanence has settled in after the remodeling!

Me, I'm up early, (noon). I got a few chores need to be done, then I hope to get a few fpv flights in! Thinking I need to terrorize a few prairie dogs, again.

[Tomstoy2]

Jerry, think we all would like to see some interior pic of your new digs!

Congratulations, by the way, buddy!

[copterboy]

+1 Tom A nice wetroom or some nice tiling I could drool over would be a treat

It did stop raining earlier, but after all the running around chasing my tail, I stopped myself from going out with the 450 for two reasons. The cloud cover was really heavy, so poor light conditions by that time, and secondly, because I had not resolved the issue with the ELEV roll rate.

So made some time to have another look and I think I got to the bottom of it now. The new Hi-Tec servo's have longer servo arms, and I hadn't trimmed the end off (the 4th servo hole). The ELEV servo arm was binding against the top of the tail boom clamp section (just where the foremost screw goes through) when inputting negative pitch and pulling back on the ELEV stick. Exactly where I would be at point 3 of a tic-tok

So all those issue's with the 450 now resolved. Can't wait to give it another try

Also hoping my concerns over the flight times and LVC kicking in should also be resolved by this. A binding servo ramps up the current draw doesn't it?

Cheers

[copterboy]

Narrowly avoided a disaster at the field this morning. Went with 5 packs (4 new, 1 old). Wanted to have a quick practice, cycle the packs and get a fresh charge done on all 6 packs for the trip to the club later.

So I start off easy with the old pack and fly that to the LVC. Noticed how much better the backwards roll rate is now. So happy that issue is resolved.

Went on to the next 2 new packs, flew idel 2 most of 1st pack and still hit the LVC right at the end of 4m40s flight. My voltage reader confirmed 17% charge remained, the lowest cell being 3.715V, the other two just around 3.721V. So flew the 3rd pack in idel 1. Noticed the tail still bobbling with all packs, more than before. Played about with gain again, but made little difference. Starting to suspect the output shaft may have a slight bend. So I am getting more tempted to swap it, as I know it's had a hit.

Also, it maybe because of what I'm about to explain, so I'm going to run a quick test flight in the garden. I got to the end of the 3rd pack and landed, had noticed the headspeed in positive pitch seemed lower than when in negative pitch, like something is binding the drive train. Might still explain why I'm hitting the LVC when I feel I shouldn't be??

If I try to fly a whole pack inverted and do some tic-toks and piro-flips inbetween, then that would probably be one way to confirm it. So I spend the least amount of time with collective servo's in the positive pitch position. Not the easiest test to do

But I suspect, when the servo horn was binding, it was pushing the steel ball of the swashplate against the main shaft in flight. So this could have caused some wear to the main shaft? Don't think that would explain why it's binding a little when positive pitch is applied? Hmmm...Going to pull it out and investigate, and polish the shaft with some kitchen paper. See what I can see. Plus I guess I should check nothing in the head/linkages/mixing arms are binding also.

So the last thing I noticed when I did come into land was one of the screws came loose in the feathing shaft, and one of the main blade holder was literally hanging on by a few turns of the screw Was probably seconds away from my head exploding, so feeling lucky I got away with it

Didn't have my hex driver at the field with me, so came back home with last 2 packs still intact. Going to sort these bits out do a quick test, charge up the last few packs and head upto the club again to try again with the 450 and another attempt with the 600.

Already packed the van so I know everything is onboard. Lets see 600 (check!), fuel (check!), battery (check!), starter (check!), fuel pump (check!), spare glow plug (check!), tool box (check!) Also taking my charger so I could potentially get 8-10 flight with the 450

[sutty]

Any update from tonight's session Denis?

[Tomstoy2]

Got my KK2 board today! Unfortunately, I'm now starting my 3 day work period, so it's going to be the weekend before I can mess with it.
That's ok, as I had to order a usb/isp board to upgrade tot the new firmware, ($6).

Went thru some of the Boobtube vids on how to set everything up. Seems pretty simple, really.

Still thinking I need to order another lc filter and regulator for the fpv equipment.
This will probably require me adding another plate on top to mount all the fpv gear. Real estate is soooo tight on a f330.

Had found an old one piece heli landing gear I added to the bottom plate so I could mount the battery underneath.
It's super light, no idea what heli it came off of.

All this will be in the build thread when I revisit it.

[sutty]

Got home late and had family duties, which were unwelcome, always are, god I'm miserable, so no flying after work yesterday. Working this morning, looking out at the day, and thinking, woo hoo, gorgeous, sunny, totally calm, and moderately warm, maybe 14C or so.

Worked my bits off to be finished in time to fly, and now by the time I have it's overcast, windy, and chilly. Don't get me wrong, it's not unflyable, far from it, it's just not as pleasant as I'd hoped it would be. Still had a blast, but I wanted it to be so much nicer.

One thing is for sure, you have to be far more switched on whilst flying in the wind, especially if it is gusty. If you get confused, and make a micro correction to see what happens, so that you can go the opposite way if it were incorrect, it is hard to see those whilst it is being buffeted around, and it can lead to some interesting moments, lol. Still I managed to get some grass on my blades, and came back inside intact, so it can't all be bad.

Was also trying very hard to emulate Denis, and do those half piro flips into piros, and then over again with another half pitro flip, and into piros again. Had some moderate success, a little messy, and not as good as Denis', but better than in the past. It's good to have inspiration though, and a sort of pressure to try and keep up.

Look forward to the build report Tom.

Cheers

Sutty

[copterboy]

Glad to hear your giving it a go Sutty

Well I've said before, and for the benefit of anyone else reading, what I have practised on the sim recently, is what I learnt in that youtube video called 'piro-flips and transitions' or something like that. Think it might have been Ragge who originally posted it, so try and look it up again. I find if it does go wrong, just keep the piro going but slow it down, until you spot the nose or tail again, then take the quickest way back to safety (inverted or normal), by giving it cylic on the relevent x or y axis. Hope that makes some sense to you!! Think it was grant who explained something like that to you, and you tried to explain it to me previously!!

I've not been upto much the last few days, been to tired after work! Been breaking up a concrete slab and digging drains out, so my arms and back have ached every day. Even charged up my packs last night, and finished early today, but I knew I was to tired. Went home and had a rest, and by the time I checked again, the wind had picked up, so I treated myself to a few beers instead and will wait till tomorrow. I'm off this weekend, and got some chores tomorrow, so will just be out with the 450 then should be more fun with the 600 at the club on Sunday

[redbird300]

Originally Posted by redbird300

Oh yeah, I got a full composite Aura 4 hotliner from another club member, again to thank me for helping him out. It is not the latest model, but has been used in competitions before, and very high quality. The owner didn’t fly it anymore, he said he’s to old for that kind of stuff. He knows I like to fly fast, he’s seen many of my speedflights with the TDR, and said that this is the right plane for me, lol. It already has a German Plettenberg motor, ESC, servo’s and a carbon foldable propeller. It only needs a BEC and a receiver, which I’m putting in now. The pack will be a 6S/3000mAh lipo, and the plane will probably draw around 50 amps. Should be a small rocket. Wingspan is 1,75 meter (5,7 ft). I hope to fly it in a week or so, once the setup has been done properly.

Not on my bench anymore, but at the club today, after a careful, millimeter precise setup of the ailerons and elevator with the previous owner, and also programming a break setting, activated by a switch when landing. And you really need that, believe me.

The measured motor current at full throttle is 63 Amps at 6S. That's around 1500 Watts of real available power for a light plane. And this thing was a blast to fly ! It not only goes up vertically, but even accelerates vertically at an incredible rate. Just a few seconds of power and it disappears in the clouds. After that, you let it glide, and give it a new burst of power when it comes too low. Or you you just keep giving it some throttle, and keep speeding. We only did a single testfligth, to check agility and stability, cornering behavior, expo and all the other settings, but boy I love this plane. And that's something I didn't say anymore since a long time about a plank. Pretty sure it easily outruns my TDR by miles, just to name something.

[Tomstoy2]

Raf, that is one sweet bird!

I'm telling you, though, it's just begging for an fpv set up!!! A nano camera in the wing, and a vtx is all it needs.
Better tell me to take a hike. Once you try fpv there is no looking back.

[redbird300]

Originally Posted by Tomstoy2

Raf, that is one sweet bird!

I'm telling you, though, it's just begging for an fpv set up!!! A nano camera in the wing, and a vtx is all it needs.
Better tell me to take a hike. Once you try fpv there is no looking back.

I hear you Tom, I really do ! I just wanna get used to it for now, and perhaps try to find a spot to mount my GPS logger, to see how fast it really is. It's a plane that really keeps you busy, so I'm not sure yet about the FPV stuff. Would you have a link to such a nano camera ? So I could try to figure out if there's any room in the plane for it. The wing is hardly accessible, it's a one piece design for extra strength. And I don't know if it would be a good idea to mount a camera on the fuse, at these speeds.

[Tomstoy2]

http://www.dpcav.com/xcart/DPC-520S-...-520-Line.html

[copterboy]

Only progress I made today was busting a set of main blades. Postponed my trip to the club till this afternoon because of it being much better weather today. So I went to a local field this morning, and at end of the first pack, a ball came loose on the pitch mixing arm and it failed in mid air.

Heli started shaking like hell, so all I could do was hit TH and try to auto it down as best as I could. But the heli tipped over on landing causing a main blade to snap.

I had spare blades in the box, so I swapped them there and then, and it was good to fly again. Tracking ok, so no damage to main or feathering shaft. Notice tail was not holding so well and actually blew out doing a tictok, so landed to inspect. Spent 2 packs chasing the issue, before I landed and noticed tail output shaft had also got damaged, as the pitch slider was jumping back and forth on the output shaft.

So I gently flew the remaining 3 packs, and come home to charge up and swap the shaft before I go to the club with 600 again. Promise you guys a vid later

[copterboy]

Just bought some new shelves to go above the new workbench. Will show you a pic once I get them up, hoping to nip out with the 450 too.

Looks like I should be able to give the 600 another try Sunday. Got my van back on the road, by getting the MOT done, and it didn't cost as much as I thought Still got to book it in for the annual service next week, so I'm not out of the woods yet

[copterboy]

Went out to do my chores, eventually got to the field with the 450.

Spooled up, and tracking was a mile out. Started adjusting the long links, and after about 4 attempts to take off, the tracking was still off by a mile. Looked over the head and noticed the fixed plastic link between FB cage, and washout was broken. So had to pack up and come home to fix it, as the cage needed disassembling to remove it. Hopefully, will try again before sunset. Time to do the shelves

First time in along time, I didn't check it in the garden first. Will not make that mistake again...lol

[sutty]

Bummer Denis. Get it sorted, it's a good day. I just came in from a successful afternoon. My blades are green as I had a little fun trimming the grass, lol. Also felt rather pleased with myself for having completed the mowing this afternoon too. Mainly not with the helicopter though.

Cheers

Sutty

[copterboy]

Unfortunately, my luck didn't get any better. I fixed the link, went into the garden to confirm I had the tracking right, and it was. However, the tail was twitching again, fairly persistently. So for some reason I decided to try rate mode which was not dialled to centre. So as soon as I did, it started a slow piro, and I must have stirred the cyclic a bit, whilst I was using my right hand to try and flick it back to HH mode. It started going towards the house fairly quickly, and I lost orientation/control and before I knew it had to hit TH before it bounced off the roof of the house and fell 30ft to the concrete floor.

Damage:- Main Blades (again!!), Boom, TT, main shaft, f.shaft, flybar. Badly cracked the canopy. Luckily I used an old blue pack, and not one of the new one's (I was saving them for the field ). The old pack was slightly damaged at one end. Not taco'd, but just torn away a corner of shrink wrap, so it's still good for a setup pack, and my 600 engine starter.

Got most things in stock, and I've been busy re-building so it's ready for another test tomorrow. And hopefully good for the club on Sunday. Had to go back to using some old matched GF align blades, and I can't get the tracking spot on. Think I might bin them and go back to those woodies I've not been able to destroy yet.

I seem to be going through alot of main blades, and they are the most expensive part I always seem to damage. Decided to save some cash and stock up on some of those cheap CF HK blades again. They were ok, but I seem to remember the pop wasn't the same as the align one's I prefer. So I may aswell burn a batch of them for a 1/4 of the cost of the Align's. About 4 pairs should see me right before I can convert to FBL.

Glad you had a good day Sutty. Was that grass cutting with the 550 then? I'm hoping to make the most of Sunday now, and get an early start to the club. Tomorrows forecast looks like a washout, might dry up late afternoon so keeping my fingers crossed for then.