Advanced flight /3D - ease vs heli size

[websitedragon]

How do you guys find the size of the heli affects the ease of doing thinks like loops, rolls and 3D?

I ask because I've just bought a t-rex 450 to replace my King v2. It seems a lot less punchy and nimble but a huge amount more stable. I've only been able to have a quick flight (it's getting dark) but first impressions are that it seems a lot harder to do even basic things like turning, you have to give it power throughout because it doesn't seem to float like the smaller King2 does.
My thoughts are that trying inverted for the first time will be more difficult because I need to judge the amount of throttle needed, better.

On a side note, the tail holds perfectly with the 401 :D . The piro rate is insane with the current settings though.

[ifoguy]

websitedragon:

I had a similar reaction to yours when I switched from a Century Hummingbird 3D Pro (a 302 gram micro) to a T-Rex 450SE (an 820 gram mini). When I first switched, the T-Rex felt like an unresponsive brick. This was bad because I was trying to fly 3D.

A couple of months later, I've figured out the solution. First, I increased my cyclic pitch (aileron and elevator) from 6 degrees to 8 degrees. Second,
I increased my headspeed from 2600 to 3000.

Now my T-Rex feels as nimble as my 3D Pro plus it has a lot more power. However, I find that the T-Rex needs more space than the 3D Pro to fly circuits because the T-Rex flies faster in FFF.

[websitedragon]

Brilliant, thanks for the suggestion!

I've just had a proper go at it and I was getting about 5 degrees on the cyclic and 6 degrees pitch. The servo arms are too short. The previous owner hadn't set it up very well although maybe I should have checked that earlier :o .

[ifoguy]

I should have mentioned that my T-Rex has always been set up with +/- 11 degrees of collective pitch.

It isn't necessarily true that the previous owner of your heli didn't set it up well. If he/she was learning to hover then a mild, stable setup is preferable. On the other hand, if you fly 3D then you want a powerful responsive setup.

My T-Rex setup is great for 3D. It's terrible for someone learning to hover.

[ifoguy]

One more thing.

I started with the stock Align head dampers but switched to the Trueblood dampers. I did this because with the stock setup I had a boom strike mid-air! I was pulling out of a botched outside loop. The heli was inverted with full negative collective and left aileron when I heard a smack and saw parts fly sideways.

I'm hoping the trueblood dampers prevent this in the future.

[websitedragon]

I should have mentioned that my T-Rex has always been set up with +/- 11 degrees of collective pitch.

It isn't necessarily true that the previous owner of your heli didn't set it up well. If he/she was learning to hover then a mild, stable setup is preferable. On the other hand, if you fly 3D then you want a powerful responsive setup.

My T-Rex setup is great for 3D. It's terrible for someone learning to hover.One more thing.

I started with the stock Align head dampers but switched to the Trueblood dampers. I did this because with the stock setup I had a boom strike mid-air! I was pulling out of a botched outside loop. The heli was inverted with full negative collective and left aileron when I heard a smack and saw parts fly sideways.

I'm hoping the trueblood dampers prevent this in the future.That's true about the settings although it wasn't just the pitch/collective that brought me to that conclusion ;) .

Thanks for all the suggestions. The Trex is quite what I was expecting; I'm not really having as much fun with it as I did the King2. We''ll have to see how it goes I guess.

[ifoguy]

I'm not really having as much fun with it as I did the King2.
I hear you. For the first month I felt that my T-Rex wasn't as much fun as my 3D Pro.

Part of the problem was the tuning. Because it's so heavy, the T-Rex needed more headspeed and cyclic pitch to feel as nimble as my micro.

Part of it is fear of crashing. Its increased weight and headspeed make T-Rex more dangerous if it hits anyone. My T-Rex crashes have been more expensive and more time consuming to repair than my 3D Pro crashes. I've compensated for this by flying the simulator more frequently, and flying my hardware less frequently but more conservatively.

Part of it is adjusting to the strengths and limitations of the T-Rex. Because of it's weight and size, T-Rex requires more room than my micros. I used to fly circuits and figure 8's in a 50'x50' dirt lot bordered by trees and a chain link fence. I don't try that with the T-Rex. However, my T-Rex is unquestionably better at flying tic-tocs than my 3D Pro. Now I really enjoy practicing tic-tocs with the T-Rex.

At the moment I'm quite happy with my T-Rex. However, at some point in time I'm going to build up a MaxiR to see if I'm happier with something smaller.

[fiveoboy01]

I believe that set up properly, a Trex450 will 3D much better than any micro heli.

Check youtube, there are a few videos of Danny Szabo wringing one out. It doesn't look like it's lacking in the 3D ability department, though the pilot is about 90% of that equation:)

[ifoguy]

though the pilot is about 90% of that equation:)
I agree.

Danny Szabo is so good I bet he could do tic-tocs with a box fan! :D

[zen@lanset.com]

I am interested to note people on this thread who prefer smaller heli's to their Trex's. I fly the Blade CP Pro (one w/brushless, one stock) and a 450SE. As my ability increases (oh, so slowly) I enjoy the Blade more and more.

I fly it at a nearby park with balsa blades and feel little fear of injuring someone else or myself. It is fast and nimble and once I began to lose my fear of flying in wind I can go down the street and fly nearly any time. The Trex is stable and powerful and yes, fast as h*ll in forward flight. I do love flying it, but for practical reasons fly the Blade 4 times as much.

[Twisterested]

my setup usually has headspeeds of 3200 rpm ...thats a great headspeed to do stuff