E7 maiden and first impressions

[stevehof]

My new E7 flies great! FFF rolls are axial and standing rolls and flips execute without a hitch. Tail control is excellent too. The light airframe is a joy fly. I have about 8 flights on it now. The Vbar is just about where I want it. Maybe another flight or two to fine tune the tail stops.


I built mine with the head in the lower position with Hacker 470kv, Castle 110HV, Edge 693 FBL blades, full size Vbar Pro, Futaba BLS 253 and 251 and Western Robotics Super BEC. Flying with Futaba 8FG & Sbus.

Flying it at 1800 rpm, as I originally hoped to do didn't work out. It just didn't feel locked in to me. Maybe just because I'm used to slightly higher head speeds. 1950 is fine and 2050 feels even better. Before I tell you flight times with my tiny 3300 batteries you need an idea of my flying style. I'm nearly always moving around so I always have some translational lift. I am usually flying at slow to moderate speeds and down low where I can see the ship well. You could call it old man slow 3D I suppose. So, I am very easy on the collective. I started at 4 minutes at 1800 rpm and gradually worked up head speeds and flight time to 5 minutes. My 3300 35-70 nano-techs still had 3.8 volts per cell after 5 minutes at 2050. I will probably settle on 6 minutes at 2000 rpm. I will probably get some nano-tech 4500 mah 35-70c for when I want to fly a little harder or longer.

Comments on the build and setup: Ray Nemovi built the airframe for me and I did the mechanical and electronic setup. He said the build was easy. I did notice that the swash balls on my kit were slightly larger than the control arm balls. Not having a 5.5mm ball sizer, and the links do need to be sized, I chewed up one of the two spare balls with side cutters and just wound the link around on the cut up ball by hand until it was just barely tight on the swash ball. To my surprise when I popped them on a control ball, they were a perfect fit and noticeably looser than when on the swash balls. I probably should have anticipated this since the swash and control balls are finished out differently. Maybe Matt should include one of his nice three headed link sizers in this kit...:^) I couldn't find one in stock anywhere. And as far as I can tell, it is the only 5.5mm link sizer?

I like that the belt adjustment only requires loosening three bolts. Very nice indeed. Ray didn't have two 4mm wrenches so I dissembled the head and sure enough, no grease on the thrust bearings. If you build one of these, don't assume there is grease and Loctite in all the appropriate places in the factory assembled parts. When you insert the boom into the mount, make sure it is FLUSH with the rear clamp. It is possible to push the boom into the belt guide pulleys.


My E7 RTF minus batteries weighed in at 7 lb 10 oz. The two 3300 nanos bring the flying weight up to 2 ounces under 10 lbs. I realize that these batteries are not going to work for most folks. However, for light sport and mild 3D with 6 minutes of flight time, works for me and I can share batteries with my Align 600 EFL Pro.


This is a very nicely engineered ship and the parts fit and quality seem to be top notch. A fellow flier at our field who has, like me, years of experience had the following comment after close inspection of my E7. "Now this is a real helicopter, no plastic and no wood screws"...nicely said...

[kouasupra]

Thanks for the review. I'm glad you like it.

[ClubCRASH]

Yes you probably like yours like I like mine. Great flying heli.

[ElectricSheep]

Hey Steve, I'm glad your early flights have been good ones. It was a bummer that neither of our E7s were flying at the HeliFreak FF last weekend.

Originally Posted by stevehof

A fellow flier at our field who has, like me, years of experience had the following comment after close inspection of my E7. "Now this is a real helicopter, no plastic and no wood screws"...nicely said...

Are you referring to that circa 1960s Schluter heli that Ray Nemovi flew at the FF? Gotta hand it to whoever owns and maintains that heli. That bird was pretty cool. Plastic? Last time I checked, there *is* plastic on the E7 -- as is the case with all RC helis.

Maybe that Schluter has wood screws, with the woodie blades and all... (?) Are some Palomar guys putting wood screws somewhere on their helis, trying to keep up with that old school (Schluter?) vibe? LOL!

[stevehof]

Originally Posted by ElectricSheep

Hey Steve, I'm glad your early flights have been good ones. It was a bummer that neither of our E7s were flying at the HeliFreak FF last weekend.



Are you referring to that circa 1960s Schluter heli that Ray Nemovi flew at the FF? Gotta hand it to whoever owns and maintains that heli. That bird was pretty cool. Plastic? Last time I checked, there *is* plastic on the E7 -- as is the case with all RC helis.

Maybe that Schluter has wood screws, with the woodie blades and all... (?) Are some Palomar guys putting wood screws somewhere on their helis, trying to keep up with that old school (Schluter?) vibe? LOL!

The only plastic I can see is the ball end connections, tail control arm and a few other non high stress guides and attachment ends. Wood screws = self tapping screws into plastic... I wasn't referencing the Schluter. I've got nothing against proper implementations of polymer and even some plastics. However, I like the fact that all of the major parts and sub-assemblies on the E7 are aluminum, steel or carbon fiber...

[MaSt0RaS]

i think its a little to the heavy side..

[stevehof]

Originally Posted by MaSt0RaS

i think its a little to the heavy side..

Yes, if you build it as a 600, it will be heavier than most other 600's. However, if you build it with the 700 boom you could fly 650 blades with smaller batteries. Still, it is very light for a 700...

[MaSt0RaS]

Originally Posted by stevehof

Yes, if you build it as a 600, it will be heavier than most other 600's. However, if you build it with the 700 boom you could fly 650 blades with smaller batteries. Still, it is very light for a 700...

i am want it for 600..! for 90 i would like to have 710blades..

[ElectricSheep]

Originally Posted by stevehof

The only plastic I can see is the ball end connections, tail control arm and a few other non high stress guides and attachment ends. Wood screws = self tapping screws into plastic... I wasn't referencing the Schluter. I've got nothing against proper implementations of polymer and even some plastics. However, I like the fact that all of the major parts and sub-assemblies on the E7 are aluminum, steel or carbon fiber...

I was referring to what you said:

** "Now this is a real helicopter, no plastic and no wood screws"...nicely said...**

I simply read it as you and your buddy thought that there was "no plastic on the heli." I was just pointing out that there *is* plastic -- as you've now discovered.

Ah, I didn't get it at the time but I do now -- You and your buddy were referring to a Logo 600.

You like the fact that all of the major parts and sub-assemblies on the E7 are aluminum, steel or carbon fiber... That's cool. I respect that. I like it too. But I guess you *still* believe to this day a Logo isn't a real helicopter (a fake helicopter, I guess? Because the opposite of "real" is "fake."). That's cool, I completely respect that. I really do.

But the last time I checked, I didn't know that a fake helicopter could win the last two XFC competitions, as well as the most recent 3D Masters contest. And the last time I checked, Matt Botos flew his Logo 600 on the second day of the 2010 XFC -- leaving the N9 he flew on day 1 on the bench -- and got his highest scores in the competition with that heli. (Correct me if that isn't correct, Matt, but I'm just going with what Bert Kammerer said. )

Man, that's not too bad for a fake helicopter! And unlike steff and clubCRASH, I'm not selling any of mine. The E7 and Logos have their good and not-so-good points, but they're different enough for me to keep all of them.

But that's neither here nor there, because this is the Synergy forum, not the Logo forum. You might be asking, "why is the sheep guy bring this 'Logo stuff' up?"

I didn't. And I won't ever again because I choose to respect the fact that this IS the Synergy forum.

You brought it up -- it's right there in the last sentence of your "E7 maiden and first impressions" post. Just pointing that out. Again.

[stevehof]

Originally Posted by ElectricSheep

I was referring to what you said:

** "Now this is a real helicopter, no plastic and no wood screws"...nicely said...**

I simply read it as you and your buddy thought that there was "no plastic on the heli." I was just pointing out that there *is* plastic -- as you've now discovered.

Ah, I didn't get it at the time but I do now -- You and your buddy were referring to a Logo 600.

You like the fact that all of the major parts and sub-assemblies on the E7 are aluminum, steel or carbon fiber... That's cool. I respect that. I like it too. But I guess you *still* believe to this day a Logo isn't a real helicopter (a fake helicopter, I guess? Because the opposite of "real" is "fake."). That's cool, I completely respect that. I really do.

But the last time I checked, I didn't know that a fake helicopter could win the last two XFC competitions, as well as the most recent 3D Masters contest. And the last time I checked, Matt Botos flew his Logo 600 on the second day of the 2010 XFC -- leaving the N9 he flew on day 1 on the bench -- and got his highest scores in the competition with that heli. (Correct me if that isn't correct, Matt, but I'm just going with what Bert Kammerer said. )

Man, that's not too bad for a fake helicopter! And unlike steff and clubCRASH, I'm not selling any of mine. The E7 and Logos have their good and not-so-good points, but they're different enough for me to keep all of them.

But that's neither here nor there, because this is the Synergy forum, not the Logo forum. You might be asking, "why is the sheep guy bring this 'Logo stuff' up?"

I didn't. And I won't ever again because I choose to respect the fact that this IS the Synergy forum.

You brought it up -- it's right there in the last sentence of your "E7 maiden and first impressions" post. Just pointing that out. Again.

Ouch, why are you giving me such a spanking? The comment was not aimed at Mikado. I never mentioned any other brand names. Actually the comment made by my friend regarding 'plastic and wood screws' was pointed toward the Align kits that he and I are very familiar with. I purposely kept the brand name out of my original post so as to not offend anyone. Guess that didn't work...

[ElectricSheep]

Originally Posted by stevehof

Ouch, why are you giving me such a spanking? The comment was not aimed at Mikado. I never mentioned any other brand names. Actually the comment made by my friend regarding 'plastic and wood screws' was pointed toward the Align kits that he and I are very familiar with. I purposely kept the brand name out of my original post so as to not offend anyone. Guess that didn't work...

Well, I obviously was wrong because I thought the comment about plastic & self-tapping screws was a continuation of our Logo / E7 conversation at the HeliFreak FF. I guess 2 hours of sleep last night sure didn't help much with the digital-to-analog conversion either. Talk about misinterpretation (on my part).

Before I write more, give me a second..

OK, done.

(I just pulled my head out of my arse so now I can see, read, and write better. Whew! Now that's much better!)

Apologies about the misdirected post! I'd still like to meet up & fly these E7s with you sometime -- if, after my brainfart, you'll let me back to your home field...



Tapatalk on iPhone

[stevehof]

Originally Posted by ElectricSheep

Well, I obviously was wrong because I thought the comment about plastic & self-tapping screws was a continuation of our Logo / E7 conversation at the HeliFreak FF. I guess 2 hours of sleep last night sure didn't help much with the digital-to-analog conversion either. Talk about misinterpretation (on my part).

Before I write more, give me a second..

OK, done.

(I just pulled my head out of my arse so now I can see, read, and write better. Whew! Now that's much better!)

Apologies about the misdirected post! I'd still like to meet up & fly these E7s with you sometime -- if, after my brainfart, you'll let me back to your home field...



Tapatalk on iPhone

No problem Gerry. Glad to hear you aren't put out. I don't remember all of our conversation at the HF fun fly regarding Logo vs. E7. The 3D and SE were actually both on my short list. When I decided that I really wanted a 700 the head speed limitation of 1900 on the SE and the 10S max recommendations you hear from Dave Dahl made me loose interest. I really wanted to use the batteries I have. I am now using the 3300 6s in 3 different size ships, which is very nice for sure.

As far as the plastic comment goes, I remember we talked about precision firearms and while I am a big fan of precision metal fabrication I can also appreciate an appropriate implementation of Polymer materials, like the Logo frame... and Glock's pistol frames, my personal favorite pistol. Come down and fly any time. You have my number...

[don-dadda]

Originally Posted by MaSt0RaS

i am want it for 600..! for 90 i would like to have 710blades..

The E7 can use 710's.

[Mystic3D]

I would like to hear more about the E7 so keep it going guys. I would not consider a Logo in the same class(600/700), although I do have a 500SE and it is an awesome proven heli. I would go for an E7 to replace a 700E with a more quality bird, direct to swash, light.

[Gregor99]

Steve,

Glad you are enjoying your E7 so much. Thanks for chiming in on your latest model. I've always enjoyed your posts and found a certain similarity as many of comments resonanted with my own heli journey.

I built mine with the head in the lower position
Did you have to shorten the links? Does this setting give you the low profile you were looking for?

This is a very nicely engineered ship and the parts fit and quality seem to be top notch.
Built my airframe last week and could not agree more. A pleasure to build and no feeling that screws are about to strip.

"Now this is a real helicopter, no plastic and no wood screws"...nicely said...
As a fellow Align owner, it was thier screws I was thinking about when I read this. If you don't strip the heads, you might strip the plastic its threaded into. The E6/E7 hardware is appropriately sized, solid and threaded into metal (except for ball links as you mentioned).

[stevehof]

Originally Posted by gregor

I built mine with the head in the lower position
Did you have to shorten the links? Does this setting give you the low profile you were looking for?

Yes, well, sort of...My Align 500 uses an i2 RC head which is very low. My Align 600 Pro also has a rather short mast up top. So, I guess I'm used to that look. My E7 head doesn't look as low but it doesn't look top heavy either...I just shortened all the links until there were no threads showing on the rods and the geometry worked fine.

[Gregor99]

Steve,

What size tail blades are running?

http://synergyrchelicopters.com/foru...hp?topic=265.0

I picked up the Rail 106 blades last week. I was planning on running 2000 or below. It looks like 110s are recommended for that headspeed.

[Ah Clem]

Steve,

I too, wish you had had it flying at the Fun Fly. I get to see you once a year or so, and I am not sure I have ever had the chance to see you fly. I think we fly in somewhat similar fashion (smooth, slow, at a steady speed).

Have fun with your new machine, my friend!

Gerry,

There is some plastic on the Heliboy (Schluter machine you mentioned), but not much. I had three of them, when they were new. I don't recall any wood screws, but it was only 30 years ago, so I cannot remember for sure.

The canopy mounts (one of which supported a large plastic bellcrank, inside the canopy, I think), the tail gearbox, the elevator bellcrank were plastic, if I remember correctly. That was considered a very "hot" machine in 1978 when I first saw it in the U.S. We thought 1700 RPM was just screaming fast (probably was, for wooden blades).

The servo tray/frame was wooden, and a pain in the neck to cut out and finish.

The tail box was plastic, but the gears were metal (just the opposite of what we usually see today).

I sure wish I had kept one of the three. When I see the one you mentioned flown, it brings back a lot of good memories (although it does remind me of how freakin' old I am, which is not good).

[stevehof]

Originally Posted by gregor

Steve,

What size tail blades are running?

http://synergyrchelicopters.com/foru...hp?topic=265.0

I picked up the Rail 106 blades last week. I was planning on running 2000 or below. It looks like 110s are recommended for that headspeed.

I've seen that post. I suppose it depends on how hard you fly. Originally I had 105 align CF blades on the E7. I just put 106 rail tail blades on. Both seem to work just fine at 2000 rpm. However, I don't load up the disk much. I get some speed up with backward loops and fast backward flight but nothing that really combines collective and cyclic that would stress the tail control. The only time I work both cyclic and collective is with flipping climb outs. So far, no problem with this maneuver. However, I only have 25 to 30 flights on the E7 so far...