Double post removed

Just checking in here to say that I got two of these (black/yellow + white/red) I just got the white/red one bound and flying, minimal trimming on the stock tx, it has had 3 batteries through it now, in my fairly small lounge, and am loving it! Slightly more sensitive around the centres than my old mSR, but think it actually flies a little better than the mSR. What a fantastic deal and price, if anyone is uncertain about getting one, then don't be!

I ordered some higher capacity batteries too. Only downside I can find, is the batteries are slower to charge than the mSR ones...Has anyone found a better way to charge other than using the supplied USB charger?

Cheers

Matt

Originally Posted by Matt Halton

I ordered some higher capacity batteries too. Only downside I can find, is the batteries are slower to charge than the mSR ones...Has anyone found a better way to charge other than using the supplied USB charger?

How slow is "slower"?

Make sure you have the USB charger plugged into a high power USB port otherwise it will take forever. Those little USB A/C adapter phone charger plugs seem to work well and newer laptops may have high power ports.

You could always use a regular lipo charger set for 1S but the stock charger is pretty good and seems to charge at about 2C. Not a good idea to charge faster than that unless you know the battery can take it.

Originally Posted by Killer Bee

Installed the Helios flybar today. It fit tight in the head so I used my dremel to clearance at the fulcrum point . The linkages were also too tight so I used some 600 grit sand paper to gently work down the pivot balls on the flybar. Problem I am now encountering is a fairly pronounced wobble that wasn't present before... or very subtle prior to the modification. I will take it for an outdoor test if I can work out the wobble. So far there is more pain than gain on this one.

Edit: I replaced the main shaft and gear out of a hunch. Now it hovers beautifully but I will have to wait till tomorrow for an outdoor test. Appears this may reduce if not eliminate flybar strikes due to how short it is. Hope the weather holds!

Excellent review there, Killer Bee!

Is the Helios flybar stiffer than the stock V911 flybar? That should help with flybar strikes as a stiffer one won't wobble around like a wet noodle that is the V911 plastic bar.

Also, can you post some pix sometime?

Originally Posted by RoboHeli

That should help with flybar strikes as a stiffer one won't wobble around like a wet noodle that is the V911 plastic bar

The flybar doesn't tilt into the helicopter.

The helicopter tilts into the flybar.

Wobble and wet noodle do not cause flybar strikes. Overcontrol causes flybar strikes. You fly the helicopter into the flybar.

Hmm! Thanks for the post, Ribble. Now you've got me thinking about this.

Yes, you are right that the helicopter flies into the flybar when it tilts. However, when the helicopter applies a forward force (say with FFF), the flybar feels that force at the pivot point. If the flybar were perfectly rigid then the weights would not hit the canopy so long as the maximum pivot angle of the flybar couldn't reach that point. But, since the flybar is flexible, a strong enough force will cause the flybar to bend and come close to the canopy.

So yes, the helicopter flies into the flybar, but it's also pushing the center of the flybar and that can cause the flybar to bend even closer to the helicopter. Thus, from that reasoning, it seems that my statement should still stand that a more rigid flybar of the same length on the V911 should reduce or eliminate flybar strikes.

Though I could be wrong.

Originally Posted by Ribble

wet noodle do not cause flybar strikes. Overcontrol causes flybar strikes. You fly the helicopter into the flybar.

if that were true stiffening the stock fb with braided thread and CA or using the xtreme cf fb would not prevent strikes.

Originally Posted by Bvc

if that were true stiffening the stock fb with braided thread and CA or using the xtreme cf fb would not prevent strikes.

I haven't tried either. Doesn't the xtreme cf fb reduce strikes? I thought MassiveOverkill said that it did in his blog (or was it Erdnuckle2?)

Originally Posted by RoboHeli

Excellent review there, Killer Bee!

Is the Helios flybar stiffer than the stock V911 flybar? That should help with flybar strikes as a stiffer one won't wobble around like a wet noodle that is the V911 plastic bar.

Also, can you post some pix sometime?

It appears to be more rigid but that is probably due to it being shorter and not so much a difference in the material. Tonight I will try to get some outdoor test time in and maybe even attempt to pull out the weights to see what difference that will make. I have a scale that I can use to weight the two as well... didn't think about that yesterday.

Originally Posted by Killer Bee

It appears to be more rigid but that is probably due to it being shorter and not so much a difference in the material. Tonight I will try to get some outdoor test time in and maybe even attempt to pull out the weights to see what difference that will make. I have a scale that I can use to weight the two as well... didn't think about that yesterday.

I've flown my 100mm paddles flybars and could not induce a strike indoors (though I crashed plenty!) However, outdoors in the wind, I did get one strike when a big gust hit the helicopter from the front.

Originally Posted by Bvc

if that were true stiffening the stock fb with braided thread and CA or using the xtreme cf fb would not prevent strikes.

If the flybar can't wobble, the helicopter will.

Originally Posted by Ribble

If the flybar can't wobble, the helicopter will.

Irrelevant to the question of stiffness. The stiffer the fb the less strikes. You were asked if the Helios fb is stiffer. If it is there will be less strikes. Also, if it is thicker, there will be less strikes because it will have less pivot. Put a skinny and floppy SP fb on there and get a lot of tailboom strikes. Shorten it and still get a lot of canopy strikes. It's floppy and because it's not as thick it has a greater pivot. This has been tested to the point that no one can say stiffness doesn't matter and not be corrected.

Originally Posted by Bvc

Irrelevant to the question of stiffness

I am saying that you fly the helicopter into the flybar. Then to avoid flybar strikes, you stiffen the flybar. This stops the helicopter from tilting into the flybar more than is stops the flybar from tilting into the helicopter.

My very first Yellow V911 flight had about 30 flybar strikes and punched a hole in the canopy. The next flight only had a few strikes. Now I get only the occasional Yellow V911 flybar strike. I did not change the Yellow V911, I changed the way I fly it.

Change the flybar and you change the way the helicopter flies.

Change the way you fly the helicopter and there is no need to change the flybar. Flybar strikes are telling you that you are over-controlling the helicopter.

Thanks, Ribble. You and I are in complete agreement then. As you say:

"Then to avoid flybar strikes, you stiffen the flybar"

which was my point about the stock flybar being more like a wet noodle rather than stiffer like the carbon fiber Xtreme Solo Pro flybar. Please note also that the "wet noodle" comment was not an insult to V911s or their pilots but rather a bit of hyperbole on my part (well, the imagery made me chuckle at least...)

" Change the flybar and you change the way the helicopter flies."

Absolutely true!

"Change the way you fly the helicopter and there is no need to change the flybar. Flybar strikes are telling you that you are over-controlling the helicopter. "

Absolutely true!!!!

I have no interest in changing the way I fly. I want a stiffer/shorter flybar to reduce flybar strikes when flying the way I like to fly. But that's just me and to each their own. Hooray for variety and the ability to customize!

Broke a skid last night so I modified a skid from a downed Driftking. I like. Much stiffer. I just got a new bnf yesterday and this little "Stealth" bird is still by far the best flying V911 I have. I don't know why, but she's super smooth. Just a dream to fly indoors. She was originally a red BNF if anyone was wondering.