9/5/10

This vice has got to be worse than crack!

And for me the fix is much longer in coming as I gotta wait for some one to either build or repair my heli. Yeah, I lost my arms 23 years ago. My flight jacket was caught in the PTO shaft of a farm tractor I was using to erect a fence around our local airport while working my way through school. Nylon just doesn’t tear.

Then last year, a fighter jock friend of mine gives me a copy of RealFlight and says, “Here, try this.”

I got even w/ him.

I designed a foot control system. He built it. I bought a Heli Max Axe 400 and proceeded to wreck it. He fixed it. I wrecked it again. He fixed it again. I wrecked it at least seventeen more times. By the time Tom was ready to kick me out of his life, I could at least hover upright all orientations, including nose in, and fly figure eight circuits.

Then I found the HK 450 : hard to be cheaper for a 450 thread. I read it all (yeah Rocket, every post, though you’re correct early posts are no longer applicable). I did however, buy three kits when I was about 1/3rd through, and all electronics by the time I was half through.

I wish I had waited as you folks’ advice on the thread just kept getting better and better. I think my servo and motor selection suffered.

My gear:

HK 450 V2
Turnigy Typhoon 2215H w/ 11 tooth steel pinion (so quiet!)
TURNIGY Sentry 40amp Speed Controller
3x HXT 900 cyclic servos
DS 480 tail servo
HK401B gyro—DS switch ON, 35% Tx gain, 125 gyro pot limit
Heli Max 325MM wood blades
Futaba 6Ex-2.4 GHz Tx
Futaba R617FS 7 channel Rx

All head setup as per Finless
N Throttle: 0, 40, 80, 90, 100
N Pitch: 46, 48, 50, 75, 100
I Throttle: 100, 90, 80, 90, 100
I Pitch: 0, 25, 50, 75, 100 (-10 deg. to +10 deg.)
Turnigy 2200 3S 25C

AUW 839g

MAIDEN FLIGHT

Preflight complete. New batt. Tx all charged up.
Hover to one foot altitude in normal throttle and rate gyro mode. Beautiful! Steady as a rock. Blades perfect track.
One minute into flight—un-commanded sudden pitch upward w/ slight right aileron. What the. . .?
Recover, land, check all linkages and servo movements. All ok!
Hover 1 ft. altitude in normal throttle and HH gyro mode. Gorgeous hover!
Few seconds into flight—lightning fast, out of control fast, un-commanded clockwise single piro. What the. . .? (Out of the package the gyro delay pot was in a vertical 12-6 o’clock position. Preflight I had Mel turn it 170 deg. CCW so the 12 o’clock now read 7 o’clock. I wonder if it was already on “off” and I inadvertently turned on some huge amount of delay. But would this cause such a monster piro?)
Recover, land, check all linkages and servo movements. All ok, including tail gear. No slip.
Hover 1ft. altitude in normal throttle and HH gyro mode.
Few seconds into flight— un-commanded throttle pump five ft. upward w/ hard left aileron.
Recover, land, check all linkages and servo movements. All ok!
Try one last time. Hover 6 in. altitude in normal throttle and HH gyro mode.
Few seconds into flight— un-commanded downward pitch pump slams heli onto ground causing minor boom strike.

Slight dent to boom, split ends on one blade, possible bent feathering shaft though main ok.

I try to scratch my head, but I can’t. So I decided to talk to you guys.

All opinions welcome.

Attached pictures are of my rig. It’s called the LMNH. Guess why.

Thanx guys.

Fascinating post

LMNH - Lost My New Heli?

On the base between the feet pads it looks like a calculator?

Timer I assume?

Your problems seems sort of random in nature, if it was just the tail thats one thing, but pitch-pumps? I think it might be electrical interference? Can't think of anything else causing those problems, unless its more than one problem that is. Maybe a bad servo, and the tail issues come from quickly changing pitch? Just throwing ideas around.

Originally Posted by 126jp

Attached pictures are of my rig. It’s called the LMNH. Guess why.

I almost feel bad about laughing at that. Almost. That's damn funny!

Sorry, I can't help with the heli, though.

That is amazing. I can't even fly heli's WITH MY HANDS! I can't imagine how I could even begin using my feet. Are the foot rests rudder control(?) or do they just slide back and forth?

HT

Finally got the meaning of LMNH! Good stuff

Originally Posted by HawkerTyphoon

That is amazing. I can't even fly heli's WITH MY HANDS! I can't imagine how I could even begin using my feet. Are the foot rests rudder control(?) or do they just slide back and forth?

HT

HawkerT, they are slides. The toes don’t have the range of motion that fingers do so I sometimes have to move my whole foreleg. The heel pads ride on Teflon sheet so the action is smooth & effortless.

Jules

Originally Posted by 126jp

HawkerT, they are slides. The toes don’t have the range of motion that fingers do so I sometimes have to move my whole foreleg. The heel pads ride on Teflon sheet so the action is smooth & effortless.

Jules

Oh, see,

thanks,
HT

wow! that is such a cool, and innovative solution! keep on flying and trying! (sorry - cant help at all with the heli issues - i have a bad record of killing then stupid things. - see my username )

Helifryer