Maiden Radikal G20 Flight Today 22 Nov 13

[Gyan]

I just did the maiden flight today...it was cold out! Tested a new radio 14SG / receiver R6303SB combo, and the BD3SX for onboard stabilization. I was using a Bergen FBL head on a 10MM shaft and also a Bergen tail rotor. Head servos, were Align DS610's with a Futaba S9254 tail servo, and a GV-1 governor.

I must say this heli is quite nimble, I was surprised. I'm no 3D pilot but late stages of being a beginner perhaps. Captain Rescue feature of the BD3SX works awesome, I didn't need it but tried it out anyway...wow it sure makes it climb out quick! I did notice some engine hunting, I'm assuming intake leak at this point, the spark plug was a nice dark tan color. The heli responds very well and quick. I may even need to add a bit of expo. But she was smooth & stable even with the wooden blades I'm using for initial testing. They'll come off when I'm happy & comfortable flying it.

But overall...I like this heli

[Dennis P]

That is great news .Enjoy the heli and have fun

[Nitron]

Glad you had a good time and the G20 is working well!

I don't own a G20 or a gasser for that matter, but have often thought about picking up the same machine sometime.
I find that overall, Century machines are excellent helicopters with great value and I really like them. I've been flying them for over 11years!

It's important however, that they are built and maintained by a diligent individual with good attention to detail and patience to really appreciate these helis. If you are the type of person that "doesn't care" and just want to slap it together to fly it, then Century may not be for you.

Sounds like your on the right track. Keep up the good work!

Curtis

[strat1960s]

That's great news. Welcome to the family!

Ted

[Gyan]

Thanks guys. I scoured this forum for build tips & trouble spots. Without people's help on this forum I'm sure this machine would have crashed! The only 2 upgrades I'm looking at for the moment is an Align T-Rex 600 metal swashplate & the G200PU carb insulator.
Looks like I may have to soften up the controls a little bit, I couldn't tell if the heli was jumpin around or my fingers were shaking from the cold! LOL

[MotorRotor]

Originally Posted by Gyan

Thanks guys. I scoured this forum for build tips & trouble spots. Without people's help on this forum I'm sure this machine would have crashed! The only 2 upgrades I'm looking at for the moment is an Align T-Rex 600 metal swashplate & the G200PU carb insulator.
Looks like I may have to soften up the controls a little bit, I couldn't tell if the heli was jumpin around or my fingers were shaking from the cold! LOL

Or you could use a metal swashplate from the Radikal E640éN640

[Gyan]

Originally Posted by MotorRotor

Or you could use a metal swashplate from the Radikal E640éN640

Well I could, but the Century price is $54.95 + shipping say an even $60. I can get the Align 600 all metal swash for half of that with free shipping. Did I ever mention that I was economical? (some may say cheap, but I say budget conscious)

[ngin]

Originally Posted by Gyan

Well I could, but the Century price is $54.95 + shipping say an even $60. I can get the Align 600 all metal swash for half of that with free shipping. Did I ever mention that I was economical? (some may say cheap, but I say budget conscious)

The question may not be one of price, but one of design strength. Century knows that their metal swashplate is up to the task, but are you sure that the Align one will be?

The result of a swashplate that seperates in flight is not pretty.

[Gyan]

Originally Posted by ngin

The question may not be one of price, but one of design strength. Century knows that their metal swashplate is up to the task, but are you sure that the Align one will be?

The result of a swashplate that seperates in flight is not pretty.

Well...no. But I can take an educated guess that if Century knows that their metal swashplate is up to the task then we have to assume that they know their plastic ones are up to the same task and we know that is not the case if their plastic ones are "sometimes" known to fail. (Granted it could be damaged at assembly but my plastic swash came assembled).
So do I know if the Align metal swashplate is up to the task? No. But I do know that the strength of metal is superior to plastic, that's why I bought it. Even if it is not top of the line I've not heard of this swashplate separating. Have you heard otherwise? Also my flying skills will not anytime soon be bringing this swashplate to it's design limits. LOL

[MotorRotor]

The key here is the word "stock". The stock Radikal G-20HD and LT come with flybar heads. These exert a lot less force on the swashplate then does a FBL head. This is also one of the reasons that we use much more powerful servos on our FBL helicopters.

Note that Century has the E640FBL and N640FBL kits using their metal swashplate. That is most probably due to the higher loading on FBL swashplates. Therefore I would be pretty sure they would be a perfect choice for his 640mm bladed Radikal G-20 gasser.

Guys, Gyan is a fellow club member, so I know his basic flight skills. Considering them, I am sure that the stock plastic swash plate, with the stock FB head, would be fine. It is what I use on my G-20LT and I push it a LOT harder then he is capable of pushing his. The stock swashplate on mine has many flights on it now, and has been showing no sign of wear.

I would venture to say that considering how basic his flight capabilities are at the moment, that even with his FBL conversion, the stock plastic one would do the job, (specially if he uses some decent blades that do not lead excessively), so maybe the Align one will be fine for him.

I am the type that likes to keep ANY heli that I build in its' stock form and see how it does over a number of flights. Then, if I find that I want to change anything out, I will. With my G-20 heli mechanics, the only change I made was to install some Rotor Tech 3D paddles to give me a faster cyclic rate. After about 150 flights, all has been holding up well. Now that I have gone FBL on some of my other helis, I may do so on it also, but I have others that are more powerful to convert first.

Gyan, on the other hand, seems to like to change things from stock and experiment with things before first flights. If that is what puts a smile on his face, then that is fine, as he does seem to realize that what he changes out, may cause issues that are not the fault of the heli or its' design.

[MotorRotor]

Originally Posted by Gyan

...... if their plastic ones are "sometimes" known to fail..... LOL

I and thousands of others have been using that same swashplate for many years, and I personally have only seen an issue with one developing some slop between the ball and the inner ring after it had been flying for quite awhile. That same type of slop has been reported with the Align metal swashplate also, some right out of the box. Consequently I wonder where the fear of using it came from?

Could they have been using an FBL set-up instead of the stock FB head? Or was it one fellow who may have had a defective one that would have been exchanged?

[Gyan]

MotorRotor, is right on all counts, my flying skills are at best just past beginning. I've done the maiden flight FBL using the plastic swashplate and all seems well, but as Phil noted there is more stresses on the swash going FBL. Which this machine is at the moment, so there is NO "fear of using it" in stock form. As he also noted I do like doing mods! Being an aircraft mechanic by trade I come by this honestly! I was not suggesting that Century has an inferior part on their machines, I'm not in any way qualified to make this call. But I can say I'm new to this machine & I like it ! I also look forward to improving my flying skills with the BD 3SX I'm using on it.