How different from Align 500EFL Pro?

[matthewcornell]

Hi folks. I'm 50 and have been flying my 450 Sport v1 for about 18 months. I can fly all the sport moves along with inverted forward and backward circuits, tic tocs, and 1/2 piro flips. I bought the 500 Pro four months ago and while I like the power and responsiveness compared to my 450, the 500 is still too intimidating. I wonder whether a different and lighter heli like the protos would feel less line the poop-your-drawers experience flying the Align rocket. I've tried the usual techniques to tone the heli down, but I don't like the trade off. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[ROGER G]

I have a Trex 500 (not the pro, though) and the Protos 500. I hardly ever fly the Trex anymore and probly should sell it. You really can FEEL the difference, and that's odd to say, but I guess it's what you SEE with control inputs, that translates to feel. Maybe others can explain it better, but you will feel less intimidated with the Protos. It's my unbiased opinion that:
Align Trex 500 = Ford , Chevy , Toyota

Protos 500 = Maserati , Ferrari , Lamborgini

There all good, but which ones would you rather have ?

Roger

[Dr. M]

If your looking for a slower, more tame heli, the Protos is not it. Compared to a P500, the Trex flies like a tank. Proti are light, nimble, quiet, and shoot up like a rocket when you push full collective.

[scott s]

you can set up just about any fbl heli to be tame as a kitten. lower headspeed and lower agility settings etc. The ones you have to watch are those that use rock hard dampers, Like dfc heads as you can only drop the gearing/headspeed so much on these or they may wobble due to the hard damping.

[ROGER G]

Sorry to disagree with you Dr. M , but he said he has been flying the 450 very well for 18 months and the more heavy 500 for only 4. The Protos will have the same nimble feel to it as his 450 but in a larger package. I think that is the Key. He will feel very comfortable right away with the Protos.

[shadco]

Rock Mulcher vs Swiss Watch comes to mind

[matthewcornell]

Thanks for your replies, all. Very helpful. Dr. M, I definitely want nimble, and I like rockets (worked at NASA on the Shuttle :-) ; I just don't have the vocabulary to describe why the trex is so intimidating. Like I said, toning it down didn't feel good for this reason, which is why I asked your advice re how a different 500 might feel less so. The thing I'd like to avoid is finding out that it's me and the 500 class that don't mix, independent if the model.

Roger, I like your points. Makes me want to buy a kit.

[desertstalker]

Originally Posted by Dr. M

If your looking for a slower, more tame heli, the Protos is not it. Compared to a P500, the Trex flies like a tank. Proti are light, nimble, quiet, and shoot up like a rocket when you push full collective.

Yup, but then you can turn the HS way down and it turns into a very calm relaxed flyer that feels bigger than it is.

Best of both worlds

[dl5973]

Originally Posted by matthewcornell

Thanks for your replies, all. Very helpful. Dr. M, I definitely want nimble, and I like rockets (worked at NASA on the Shuttle :-) ; I just don't have the vocabulary to describe why the trex is so intimidating. Like I said, toning it down didn't feel good for this reason, which is why I asked your advice re how a different 500 might feel less so. The thing I'd like to avoid is finding out that it's me and the 500 class that don't mix, independent if the model.

Roger, I like your points. Makes me want to buy a kit.

I can tell you why the trex 500 pro is intimidating.

High Headspeed. its designed to run at 3000 rpm + headspeed and targeted an 3d guys.

Protos you can run much lower headspeed.

[dl5973]

I have a flying buddy that flies a 500 pro and that thing sounds angry with high headspeed. Its a loud heli.

Protos is much quieter

[Dr. M]

Whatever the HS, a Protos will weigh 100-200g less than a Trex 500, so the lower disk loading will make it feel floaty and responsive. To the OP, the low noise profile and lower rpm of a Protos greatly diminish the intimidation factor IMO.

[MX48]

I am in your age group (55) and have been flying less than a year working my way up the food chain from a Mini CP to now a Mini Protos and Protos. At first they were intimidating as you said but I quickly got used to it.

I now have Brains on both and have a bank set up with the self level feature.
I fly at friends farms and can actually let them fly it with no experience at all as long as I watch their altitude so they don't slam it in the ground. It doesn't get much less intimidating than that! Of course you would probably use it only momentarily.

I highly recommend the Protos or equivelent flying heli such as the Gaui X5 (although I crash too much for torque tube gears) or the Mikado Logo 500 Super Combo (great deal if you can ever find one in stock).

Hope this helps,
Moto

[matthewcornell]

Thanks you guys!

Originally Posted by desertstalker

Yup, but then you can turn the HS way down and it turns into a very calm relaxed flyer that feels bigger than it is. Best of both worlds

Ahh - good point. The Pro does not like lower headspeed, and I've seen a number of posts asking how to work around that, e.g., larger tail blades.

Originally Posted by dl5973

I have a flying buddy that flies a 500 pro and that thing sounds angry with high headspeed. Its a loud heli. Protos is much quieter

That makes a lot of sense. Angry is exactly how to put it. The Pro is a beautiful machine that's big, loud, and fast, with one speed: full blast.

Originally Posted by Dr. M

Whatever the HS, a Protos will weigh 100-200g less than a Trex 500, so the lower disk loading will make it feel floaty and responsive. To the OP, the low noise profile and lower rpm of a Protos greatly diminish the intimidation factor IMO.

OK, I'm convinced to look seriously at putting one together. Thinking ahead: Is it crazy to pull the servos (Align DS510Ms and a DS520) and AR7200BX off my Pro and put into a FBL Protos? I have to read the forums to figure out how to find out what kit and head to buy, etc.

[Dr. M]

DS510Ms will work well on cyclic, but I'd suggest a full-size ("standard") tail servo. The 520 will work in a pinch, but it won't offer great performance.

Be aware that there is some debate among the experts on whether the Align stickers on the 510Ms might be blasphemous and incur the anger of the heli gods (search this forum for more details). A simple solution is to just remove the stickers and then you'll have OEM Savox servos

[shadco]

Originally Posted by Dr. M

DS510Ms will work well on cyclic, but I'd suggest a full-size ("standard") tail servo. The 520 will work in a pinch, but it won't offer great performance.

Be aware that there is some debate among the experts on whether the Align stickers on the 510Ms might be blasphemous and incur the anger of the heli gods (search this forum for more details). A simple solution is to just remove the stickers and then you'll have OEM Savox servos

The mere presence of an Align strap has been known to cause crashes.

I'm just saying....


.

[clicky]

Now you have explained why all my autos end with hard tail in occasionally breaking a tail fin. I forgot to remove sticker from tail servo (ds520)

[matthewcornell]

Ha!

[Thalios]

Originally Posted by Dr. M

DS510Ms will work well on cyclic, but I'd suggest a full-size ("standard") tail servo. The 520 will work in a pinch, but it won't offer great performance.

Be aware that there is some debate among the experts on whether the Align stickers on the 510Ms might be blasphemous and incur the anger of the heli gods (search this forum for more details). A simple solution is to just remove the stickers and then you'll have OEM Savox servos

Originally Posted by shadco

The mere presence of an Align strap has been known to cause crashes.

I'm just saying....


.

Originally Posted by clicky

Now you have explained why all my autos end with hard tail in occasionally breaking a tail fin. I forgot to remove sticker from tail servo (ds520)

I ain't no expert, but I know the Heli gods would smite you if you let anything Align on a Prôtos!

[mtuccio]

I find it very interesting how if anyone says that they are going to put an Align servo on a Protos that the heli Gods will look down and frown upon you....

In comparison many people post that they are going to use Align DS610's on SAB Goblins and no one says anything other then these are decent servos but not really the best for a top performing bird...No mentioning of Heli gods frowning upon you or anything like that....

Last I checked they were both Italian designed helis.....

And.....We all know that Align and Savox have a relationship in supplying servos so I just find this very interesting that these feelings can be so different....

No real point here....Just an observation....

[Dr. M]

Well, the Protos has been around much longer, so people have more experience with this sort of thing. Or the heli gods might be partial to the purity of form embodied in the Protos, while they might be ambivalent towards the Goblin. Who knows? Give the Gob a few years and we'll see how it plays out.