-
21.Oct.07 - CSM Carb Smart - take II
David,
Mike and myself have CarbSmarts in our 4 OS SZ machines pictured above.
We've flown them in radically different day to day conditions (humidity
range: low - almost 100% / temp. range: 10c (50f) - 31c (88f) ), typical
weather for Canadian fall - we haven't had to touch the needles since
initial setup and all 4 helis have continued to deliver peak, consistent
power. We have also noticed increased runtimes.
What's also pretty cool is the machines with identical power plants now
sound exactly alike. Another interesting observation is that the MP5 helis
(the two on the left) run best at 100c while the Hatori machines are
happiest at 110c. We currently have the gain pot set at the 2 o'clock
position, for about 75% which has been working very well for Mike. If you've
got an OS SZ and want to consistently get the best power from it you've
gotta try one of these.
Exact configurations...
1.
OS SZ + OMI BigBore carb + Viperhead @ 20thou shim w/ MP5
+ 2x OS#8 glowplugs + PowerMaster 30% + GV-1
CarbSmart = 110C, approx 75% gain w/
Futaba 3101 servo and sensor mounted as shown in previous article
2. OS SZ + OMI BigBore carb +
Viperhead @ 20thou shim w/ SB18 + 2x
OS#8 glowplugs + PowerMaster 30% + MultiGov/GV-1
CarbSmart = 100C,
approx 75% gain w/ w/ Futaba 3101 servo and sensor mounted as shown in
previous article
-
07.Oct.07 - CSM Carb Smart - no more %#$@&^! needles!!
It's been my observation over the
years that...
- most guys can't properly tune a nitro engine if their lives depended on it
- most guys can't be bothered/don't have the patience/are incapable of
making the constant fine adjustments required to keep the motor peaked. Very
few actually enjoy this and for many this is THE most consistently
annoying, frustrating
part of the hobby.
I fit into both of the above categories, so when I heard that CSM was
working on an automatic inflight mixture control system I couldn't wait to
give one a try. The CSM
CarbSmart works by monitoring cylinder head temperature and adjusting
the air/fuel mix (with the needle valve) to maintain a constant, preset
temperature. The main needle on the OS carb meters fuel flow across the
entire throttle range so it seemed well suited to this type of automatic
control.
The test subject was my everyday nitro machine, an Avant Aurora equipped
with an OS91 SZ w/ OMI big-bore 60K carb, Viperhead and MP5 burning
PowerMaster 30%. I'd flown more than 50 gallons on this machine (and
struggled with the needles for every one of those gallons) so any CarbSmart
related changes would be immediately obvious.
Installation:
The supplied temperature sensor was secured to the cylinder head with
thermal epoxy as close to the top of the combustion chamber as possible,
somewhat shielded from the cooling fan's airflow by the rear glowplug. The
postage stamp sized controller was mounted to the airframe as shown and
plugged into an available 5.1v port for power, using the supplied 3 lead
servo-style connector. The signal lead was removed from this connector to
avoid problems when plugged into certain Rx ports.
A 'slipper' type control arm was used for the needle valve instead of the
supplied clamp on arm. The 'slipper' allows the needle to be manually
adjusted using a 2mm allen driver, making initial engine setup much easier -
see 'Sep.06 - Needles' for details. We
used a Futaba 3101 'cause that's what we had on hand, but the Futaba 3150
digital mini may be a better choice.
Remove the needle valve ratchet - the needle must be removed for this, so
make a note of it's current setting before doing so. Unplug the sensor and
power up the unit - the servo should move to approx the center of it's
travel. This is the unit's failsafe setting - it will drive the servo to
this location if it looses contact with the sensor. Adjust and install the
pushrod so that the arm on the needle valve is also centered with the needle
at it's manual setting. Follow the remaining steps in the CarbSmart manual
to complete the installation.
Inital setup:
- dial the gain on the CarbSmart down to 0 - the servo should center itself.
- do a flight and manually tune the motor as best as you can - the slipper
will allow this with the arm remaining centered
- dial the gain to approx. 50% and go fly
. Start with
the 90deg and increase the temp setting until you're happy with how the
motor runs
So, does it work? Hell YES
!!
It was 15deg C and dry on the morning of the first flight - the motor been
pulling harder
and been totally consistent
for the last 2.5 gallons regardless of weather conditions -
today it
was 30deg C and near 100% humidity and I still haven't had to adjust the
needles! It's almost like flying electric - arrive at the field, fuel up and
fly - zero messing with needles.
My setup seems happiest at 100C - this is below the recommended 'power'
setting, but the motor sounded *right* on the edge at 110C - consistent, but
not very happy. Mike 'ledfoot' noticed the same with his machine which is
more or less identical to mine.
An extra bonus to 3D guys is that there is no longer the need to back off or
let the motor 'breathe' between maneuvers - as the motor heats up the
CarbSmart with respond by richening the mix to cool things down. This makes
it possible to park the heli in aggressive aileron tic-toks almost
indefinitely without overheating then immediately transition into something
else demanding with no break in between. It also helps out with big open
stuff where the motor may loaded for a long time, making it possible
to make the big stuff a bit bigger.
Another interesting observation is that both CarbSmart equipped helis sound
*exactly* alike in the air. There was also a distinct difference today in
the hot muggy weather between the performance of the CarbSmart machines and
SZ's which just weren't cutting it.
The CSM CarbSmart has FAR exceeded my expectations and has made my last 2+
gallons some of the most enjoyable nitro flying all season. It was very
obvious to all who saw it perform that it makes a *significant* difference
in the way the motor runs. If you can tune your motor to 85% of where it
needs to be, the CarbSmart will take care of the rest, allowing Joe's like
me to finally enjoy a nitro motor tuned like the pros.
-
06.Oct.07 - What's been
going on?
Been flying... a lot. Been
working a lot too. Not much time for the website etc.
Here's some of what we've been playing with...
-
JR's new 8717 servos @ 8v (unregulated 2S) -
after 120+ flights these servos are proving to be the best I've flown to
date
- TST VBlades
-
Spektrum data logger
- CSM Carb Smart - no more frikkin' needle
twiddling
I'll go into detail on what it's been like using each of these, starting
with the CSM CarbSmart
-
06.Oct.07 - TeamBob00 /
Toronto R/C Club Fall Funfly
Good turnout considering the
super crappy weather and thunderstorms in the morning. Turned into a great
afternoon - everyone's flying was on point man. Diego, Glen, Darren
and Mike 'ledfoot' were laying the SMACK down bigtime with some super low,
super fast deck work. Kev 'mr. piro-reverse rappy112' blew everyone away for
power with his Evo25 powered Ion-X2 - wicked reversal stuff man. Shakey,
shake 'rappyfly'.
The CSM Carb Smart equipped helis had no trouble keeping with the ever
changing weather conditions, including the 100% humidity in the evening -
haven't touched the needles in days
- more on
this in a bit.
Thanks to everyone for coming out, will post pictures when I get some.
-
29.Sep.07 - Tri
City Twisters Fall FunFly
(pictures)
This was
one of those *perfect* flying days. Clear blue sky, calm conditions and HOT
flying. Thanks guys.
A few more pictures
here.
-
09 - 12.Aug.07 - Team
Avant!
I am proud to announce that I
have been welcomed to the Team Avant family
.
I've always avoided any sort of affiliation with any particular airframe
vendor, but after flying the prototype Auroras for more than a year I am
convinced that there is nothing I'd rather build, maintain or fly.
-
09 - 12.Aug.07 -
Daniel Jetschin
If you
don't know who Daniel Jetschin is stop right now, go do your homework before
you get back. Daniel's flying style has provided a well needed blast of
inspiration to us - everybody's working on piro reversal stuff now
.
Daniel joined us at our flight station where we got a real good look at his
heli, the FlightPower Evo powered Mikado logo 600 3D w/ vBar virtual flybar
system. We got a chance to fly it - this thing is INSANE!! There is
something really weird just looking at the heli with rotors turning with no
flybar. The cyclic and collective response was unlike anything I've ever
flown before - there is no question that flybar-less is the future.
Daniel, you've just put Mikado on the Canadian map in a big way - I think we
will be getting several of these (600 3D + vBar) in time for next season.
Just in case you didn't know, that makes you officially teambob00 now
-
09 - 12.Aug.07 - IRCHA!!
(pictures)
Best IRCHA yet. This year we did
nothing but fly, hangout and have a good time. This was THE biggest IRCHA -
scratch that - biggest R/C event anywhere, EVER! 720 registered pilots and a
HELL of a good time. This was the year of Spektrum, thanks to their 2.4 Ghz
radio gear which was in use by an estimated 560+ pilots fears of being shot
down, waiting for Fx at the pound were all things of the past.
Thanks to everyone responsible for this landmark event, and once again
thanks to Mark Fadely for transportation.
Can't wait for '08!!
Pictures
here.
-
14.Jul.07 - TriCity Twisters FunFly
(pictures!)
Hey, talk about a FUN fly! This was one of the most enjoyable events I've
been to so far this year. The weather started out real rough with no more
than 1 or 2 flights between rainstorms, but it turned into a *perfect*
evening of non-stop flying - 8 1/2 flights total for me
.
- landing fee: $20
- repair bill for trex600 crash: $100
- an entire evening of flying your favorite stuff 'till sundown with your
best friends in the hobby: priceless!
Thanks to Kay, Kevin and the entire Twister's crew for a real FUN fly.
Here are some
pictures.
-
29.Jun -
01.Jul.07 - T.Dot Smack 2007
(pictures!)
Thanks to
everyone who made this past weekend's event the huge success that it was.
The flying was hot even though the weather was not. This weekend's flying
was *AMAZING*. Just when you think there's nothing more to see, here comes
the "crack-roll".
Special thanks to...
- Mike Wilson for the organization, effort
and plain hard work which made this event possible
- Brian, Mark, Jarek, Dennis and others for ALL the
setup/teardown/transportation/registration/every-thing-that-had-to be-done
work
- all our sponsors for the kits, radios, LIPO batteries and all the other
great prizes
- Mike's family for for their generous hospitality extended to all,
especially our out of town guests and once again hosting the Saturday night
BBQ. Thanks also to Glen, Duane and Nic for keeping the BBQ's going.
- all our guest pilots, including Alan and Danny Szabo, Brian Regular and
Leon Luc, Marcus Kim, Nick Maxwell and his Dad, and Scott Gray for not only
entertaining flying, but the time spent sharing info on some of the
new-not-yet-available products in use, setups and general know how.
- everyone who flew something, 'cause that's what a funfly is all about. I
see some serious local talent developing.
A VERY special thanks to the Toronto RC club for offering the use of their
field, one of the nicest in the Toronto area.
Thanks to EVERYONE who came out to watch, fly or just hang out - we hope you
all had a GREAT time and look forward to seeing you all next year.
Here are some
pictures.
-
-
23.Jun.07
- Flying Tigers 4th Annual Funfly - Hamilton, Ontario
Great time as usual - thanks to Sam, Joe, Duane and everyone else involved.
The day was hot and the flying was hotter. Everyone was looking good doing
their own thing. Congrats to Kay and Carlyle 'the new guy' for taking 1st
and 2nd place in the auto contest respectively.
Will link to some as soon as I get them.
-
17.Jun.07 - An X2
weekend
Great
weekend - put 19 flights on the new X2. This thing takes power to a whole
new level. I really can't honestly tell you how it flies 'cause I spent most
of the time just banging it about and playing with the excess power. Here's
a quick summary...
Range check: Checked out good, but was
unacceptable with the motor running - in the rush to get it done I'd
forgotten to install a ferrite ring on the ESC lead going to the G3 rx. Once
corrected the range check was better but still not great. The problem was
the routing of the full length G3 antenna past the motor - the other Ions
have forward facing base loaded antennas - flipped the antenna tube around
and all was good. The PCM stuff will be gone as soon as the Spectrum MZ
module is available.
Setup: +/-13.5deg of collective and
8deg of cyclic pitch. The CC-HV-110 ESC is setup in GOV mode for 1950 on the
head. At 12S the Actro 32-3 is a VERY powerful motor and has no problems
pulling 710's in slammin' 3D.
First Impressions: Flys like a Fury
Extreme on crack. I've always thought that the Ion's flew better than the
Fury's and this one is the best of the lot - the high, close to centerline
CG may have something to do with this. Aileron tic-tok's very nice.
Weight:
- 2x 6S Evo20 3700: 10lbs 8oz RTF,
perfect CG
- 2x 6S Evo20 4900: 11lbs 3oz RTF, nose heavy - like an Extreme or
Vigor loaded with fuel
Evo20 3700's: Very powerful and light
- very light, almost too light with 710's. Flew GREAT with the 690's -
flight time approx. 5min 3D
Evo20 4900's: (Trex600 packs)
Powerful, but you can feel the weight a bit - the reduced blade loading with
710's fix this - the nose weight can be felt in stuff like piro-funnels
and piro-flips, but less than I'd expected
Evo25 4900's: (Trex600 packs)
Unbelievable power!! Just switching to these packs resulted 100rpm more on
the head! Ballistic power - bigger loops than I've ever seen any heli fly
before - swings 710's like 600's - heli feels like it weighs 9lbs
So the verdict? Depends on what your flying style. If you want a powerful,
light machine go with 3700 Evo25 and 690's or 710's - if you want
*ballistic* power, go with the 4900/5000 Evo25's + 710 and be sure to get
the double gear
. This heli
is totally different in both configurations and works well in either.
-
09.Jun.07 - Ion-X2
- Actro 32-3 w/ 6mm shaft geared
to 11.63
- CC HV-110 ESC
- Airtronics 94758's for CCPM
- GY611
- 5014 G3 Rx (AR9000 waiting for MZ module)
- FP 2S2P 1600 Evo-Rx pack w/ duralite 6v reg
- FP 2x 6S 3700 Evo20 packs (Evo25's on a UPS truck somewhere )
- 690 v's / 105 v's
- original 4 year old Ion-X canopy
This is one *sweet* conversion kit - with PEM nuts everywhere, the frame set
literally falls together. The conversion kit is very complete, I was able to
build mine to completion from spares and left-overs from previous builds,
leaving my other Ion's intact. The new frame is VERY rigid thanks to a
couple extra channels in the front and the thick carbon side-frame
stiffeners/motor mount rails - the bottom plate is not needed, but I
installed it anyway for looks.
The CG is perfect with the 6S 3700's, the Rx pack could probably be mounted
elsewhere to fix the CG if larger packs are used. It weighs about the same
as the 2 stage Neu Ion on 11S. The pulley setup is real nice and upper and
lower ratio plates make setting the gear mesh idiot proof. The whole
assembly comes apart easily and ratios can be changed in minutes and is
infinitely configurable - great for testing lots of different ratios.
This kit is of the same quality and completeness as the original Ion-X- if
there are no issues introduced with the belt drive it should hold up just as
well. The pushrods and bellcranks should be done later - it should be ready
to go by this weekend, weather permitting.
Thanks to Tim at MA and Clint (Clintstone) for the assembly tips and gear
ratio info - appreciate it guys.
Looking forward to the first flights this weekend.
-
04.Jun.07 - Nobody wants
to hold the camera :(
The flying has been hot, hot, HOT
and low, low, LOW this season - there's some real nice bush on all sides of
the field - you gotta love the stuff. Unfortunately no video 'cause everyone
wants to fly - nobody wants to hold the camera. If you know anybody who'd
like to apply for the position on resident video guy lemme know
.
-
15.Apr.07 - Toledo '07!!
Got back from the Toledo show
early this morning. It was a great opportunity to put faces to names and
catch up with a lot of old friends. There were several products on display
which WILL have a big impact on our hobby this season.
Flightpower had it's new EVO25 lineup on display. Also on display were Bob
"Finless" White and Dan "Debian Dog" Slagle - "Mr. TRex" and "Mr. Video"
respectively. These new packs are even more powerful than the current
generation high performance packs and also deliver more consistent
headspeeds from start to finish. The new EVO30 30C packs are the highest
rated packs available today and boast INSANE power. Julian and L.T. (FlightPower
UK), Clint and Will (FlightPower USA) and Mike (FlightPower Canada) were on
hand with lots of info about the new lineup.
One thing was clear at the show - 72Mhz PM/PCM is the past, 2.4 spread
spectrum is the future - and it is going to happen fast. Both JR and Futaba
had their 2.4G modules and radios on display. The Spektrum based JR radios
are very slick, sporting a DX7 style antenna and a VERY nice module with
recessed bind button where the PPM/PCM module used to be - no external wires
- these are very complete products just like the DX7.
Spektrum, the company the started 2.4Ghz revolution had it's products on
display at the Horizon booth. Of particular interest were the new AR9000 Rx
with it's data logger, and the complete plug-in module line-up, including
the highly anticipated 14mz module.
Min Air, we really missed seeing you
this year but after talking to Clint at length about the new Ion-X2 we're
*sure* that it will replace it's predecessor, one of our all time favorites
the Ion-X as the King of 90 class 3D electric helicopters. I'll have one on
order on Monday.
These things are going to ROCK at IRCHA this year.
-
28.Mar.07 - Make way for
the BEAST - FP3700 11S / Neu 1521 powered Ion-X
I've been wanting to try a greater than 10S
since seeing Clint's pics of the new battery tray. Since it's not available
yet we decided to gorilla something together last night using what we had on
hand. Will suggested that I try 11S a while back so fortunately I had some
6S 3700's ready to go.
Enter the
Millen-Ion-X.
This is THE most powerful heli that I've ever flown. Everyone else who's
flown it or seen it fly seems to think the same thing too
. Here's
what it's made of...
- 11S 3700 FlightPower EVO batteries (5S + 6S pack)
- Robbe Millenium canopy + MA frame-spacers
- Neu 1521 powered 2 stage Ion-X geared at 20:1 (50T secondary) - my
first Ion-X from back in the Spring of 2004
- new MA delrin/alloy t/r gears
- Futaba 9252 CCPM servos
- Futaba GY601 gyro
- FlightPower 1600mah EVO Rx pack w/ duralite 5.3v reg.
- 690 VBlades
- 105 NHP t/r blades
Ready to fly weight around the 10 1/2 lb mark - the sweet-spot.
The Mille canopy was chosen 'cause the stock canopy won't fit with the 6S
and we had a few left over from the Robbe days - not bad looking - may even
put some paint on it.
For some reason I have had exceptionally good luck with my Neu 1521 w/ 50T
secondary gear + HV-110 - I flew that combo pretty hard last year and the
secondary gear shows no sign of wear etc. I've found it capable of
maintaining constant headspeed better then my Actro Ion so it's been flown a
lot more.
Unfortunately we had to rush the test flights as there was a band of bad
weather moving in so there are no videos, but the rest of the crew was there
and finally agree that this is possibly the most powerful heli at our field
now .
Flew 2 flights - pretty much the same routine. We tac'ed and set the IDLEUP
headspeed at about 1950 and went for it.
- the heli was parked in a fast tail down tic-toc in one spot for about 30
seconds - it had no problem maintaining HS, tac'ed at 1910 rpm.
- same for four-point-tic-toc, esp. nose down - effortless
- sustained piro flips (right hand, full rudder stick) were effortless with
no bogging or loading up
- tac'ed at 1910 in BIG fast funnels / tail down snakes
- had to adjust my sloppy timing on continuous piro tic tocs to avoid
climbing
...the biggest surprise was how little HS was lost when loaded up. HS was
wickedly consistent from start to finish, tac'ed at 1900 rpm in the last few
seconds before landing. Both flights were only about 4 minutes, no time to
charge the packs before leaving for the office so I don't know how much
they'll take - a quick check with the voltmeter showed both sets packs above
nominal after use.
The current setup is 2 speed, about 1500 in NORM and 1950 in ID1 & 2. In the
past when I'd used AIR mode a delay value of "20" on the throttle (14mz Tx)
to soften the transition, I'll prob. put this setting back as the jump from
1500 to 1950 in GOV mode (throttle resp. "low") sounded a bit to hard on the
drivetrain for my liking - will post later on how well this works in this
application.
Hope to put a lot more time on this setup in the next little while. After
today I don't even want to look at 10S again
. Can't wait
to try 12S.
-
28.Mar.07 - If you've
got a Synergy N9 you NEED one of these
One of the biggest PITA things in this hobby
is dialing the clutch stack. Unfortunately the N9 has proven to be a more
difficult than most mostly due to it's 1-pc clutch/starter shaft assembly.
It was not uncommon to hear guys talk of taking anywhere from 20 minutes to
several hours to get runout down to acceptable values. Enter
www.hyperformancerc.com and
their very unique colletless fan hub upgrade, the HyperHub. My HyperHub
installed in less than 5 minutes (including time taken to read the
instructions) and dialed in at 0.0005" (1/2 thou) - bolted the
clutch/starter shaft assembly on and it dialed in at 0.0005" too - MUCH
better than the best I could get with the stock parts and all with ZERO
special effort.
The result? A super smooth running engine - the fuel in the tank was dead
calm both in a low rpm hover and at 1900 rpm.
Congratulations to Jim Stark and company for an innovative solution to an
age old problem.
You gotta GET IT!
-
28.Mar.07 - T-Rex 600
just keeps getting better and better
If you
fly your 600 hard then you NEED this. Align's torque tube upgrade for the
TRex-600 is THE best money you can spend on this heli. Not only does it put
an end to the belt skipping and inconsistent piro-rates under load, but
gives the 600 one of the most powerful t/r systems on any heli available
today.
You gotta GET IT!
-
14.Feb.07 - PowerMaster
Fuel - The "secret sauce"
David and I couldn't figure out why Mike's
motors were able to run leaner, cooler and produce more power than ours last
season. Our motors were all setup the same and flying at the same location
so why did his motors seem to run that much better? The answer - he was
using PowerMaster 30%. 70 gallons latter his motors were still
outperforming ours and looked great when taken apart of bearing changes etc.
So we tried some of the stuff and man what a difference - MUCH harder to
overheat the motor in sustained high load situation that usually called for
an auto to cool off with the fuel we were flying before. We were also able
to lean the motor a bit more, improving power and throttle response. This
stuff ROCKS!! We've already spoken to the local hobby stores and it will be
widely available for this flying season.
-
10.Feb.07 - FlightPower
I am
pleased to announce that I am now part of the Team FlightPower USA family
and will be using a wide range of their excellent products for all my Lipo
needs this season. These new formulation (NF) EVO packs unbelievable power
from start to finish, deliver the goods, and can really take a beating.
Expect to see even more of the big electrics at the field this year 'cause
both the power-to-weight ratio and the fun-factor just went WAY up! Thanks
to Will James and Julian Cox for the opportunity.
-
10.Feb.07 - Spektrum DX7 first big public test in Vegas last weekend - "A"
Mike "ledfoot"
Wilson and David "rappyfly" Chu got back from Vegas today. Both said that
the performance of their DX7's was flawless and that possibly 50+% of the
140+ registered pilots attending the event were using DX7 radios. Everything
worked like it should in the crowded environment and neither regretted
leaving his 14mz at home, so DX7's first big public test gets an "A".
-
10.Feb.07 - Spektrum DX7 - THE biggest advancement in hobby technology in
decades
This is
the most important advancement in
hobby technology since I've been involved with RC. It will simplify the way
we do things and is set to drastically improve the RC experience. I'm not
going to go into detail on spread spectrum theory (Augusto already did an
excellent job here),
instead let's look at what it's been like using it for the last little
while, so here goes...
I managed to get one of these a week after it's US release. It's pretty much
a JR 7202 minus RF deck with Spektrum spread spectrum technology. This
simply means that it is a very basic 7 channel radio with a superior data
link to the receiver. There is more - I am told that it has ball bearing
supported gimbals, can't say for sure if this is the case but the do feel
really good. The Spektrum transmitter section is also very tightly
integrated, the result being MUCH lower latency (time between making a stick
input and seeing it at the servo) that any radio on the market. It is
actually faster than the 14mz in this regard and this can be felt in
the air. Anyone who's ever programmed a JR 7202 or 8103 will feel right at
home with this radio.
First test flight in a Fury named "Glitchy"...
So how does it work? For the test flight I installed the supplied AR7000 Rx
in a Fury Extreme. I've flown this heli for several years with a JR10x and
most recently the 14mz - it also suffers from a glitch which I gave up
looking for since it's hardly flown anymore - perfect test machine. The
difference was obvious within the first few seconds of flight. The model was
*silkly* smooth. kinda like the first time flying the 14mz but more
so. We did the following to check it out...
-
time critical maneuvers (piro-flip, piro-funnel,
piro-tic-toc) - less lead time was needed on the cyclic inputs making the
model seem easier to fly. A little less than the 14mz, significantly less
then the 10x. This is due to the reduced latency.
-
range was not a problem - I took the Fury up
to where I could just barely see it and auto'd down multiple times -
everything was fine
-
shadowing
was not a problem - Again, climbed to where the heli was just visible and
did sustained slow piro flips - the goal here was to find out if we could
shadow the Rx with the model in any orientation and produce a lockout - no
luck - it worked perfectly
...then in the Aurora
After getting several more flights I was confident in the system's abilities
and installed an AR7000 in one of my Aurora for a REAL comparison with the
14mz. I have flown these helis for the last several months so I'd be sure to
notice the slightest change. It's twin was also identically configured but
with a 5014 G3 Rx so a good back to back comparison would be possible. The
results...
-
DX7 was slightly faster (lower latency),
making time critical stuff feel easier
-
14mz higher resolution (2048 bit vs
DX7's 1024 bit) gave it edge for slow, precise stuff like precision hovering
Some interesting observations:
-
If the Rx
is powered up before the Tx ALL servo
will assume the position they were in when the Rx was bound until the Tx is
switched on. Chances are that if the Rx was bound against a new model memory
before programming the model then the servos are being driven to MCCPM
low-stick settings, resulting in a crooked swash-plate. May also be seen for
a split second when powering on normally (Tx on first) depending on how long
the initial Tx/Rx handshake takes. It is therefore a good idea to rebind
once the model is completely setup to avoid the servos binding in the above
scenario and to ensure that the throttle is set to a safe value for FAILSAFE
-
If the Tx
is then powered off (simulating signal failure) the Rx goes into FAILSAFE
and ALL servos hold their last
position EXCEPT for the throttle which
will move to it's configured position as expected.
-
If the Tx
is powered on and VERY close to the model (or there are multiple Tx's in
very close proximity e.g. on the same bench), the orange lights on the Rx
will come on but will not respond to any control inputs.
The Rx is very sensitive and may fail initialization if swamped. No big
deal, just move the Tx away and power cycle the Rx and all should be well
the second time around.
-
Do
not switch the Tx on with the BIND button
depressed unless you are actually binding an Rx. Doing so will generate a
new GUID for the selected model memory which mean that you will have to
re-bind the Rx before it will work again
-
The
AR7000 Rx will not initialize if the
secondary Rx is disconnected from the main Rx. This is GOOD because you will
know that there is a problem before starting up - system simply wont work
-
The
AR7000 Rx will continue to work if the
secondary Rx becomes disconnected in flight. This is GOOD because it means
that you should be able to land the model safely. The next attempt to
initialize the system will fail - well thought through.
-
If the
tip of the Tx antenna is placed close to a powered up digital servo the
servo will "scream" - useless info
but you may
want to avoid this
Pros:
-
hi end performance / low price - the whole DX7 package costs less than a
Futaba 5014 G3 Rx, and only $30 more than the JR 720
-
vastly superior RF link makes hazards like frequency conflicts,
mechanically induced glitching, a thing of the past
-
solves frequency allocation problems - if there's room to fly, just switch
on and fly
-
tx battery seems to last forever on a charge - 6 hours+
-
no rx antenna wire to route
-
short tx antenna - real short, what you see is all there is
-
range checking is easy - hit the BIND button on the back of the tx and
walk a couple paces
-
less delicate than high end systems - set them down anywhere and use them
in all sorts of messy conditions
Cons:
-
even
though the gimbals feel real good, it is a light plastic radio - those
coming from hi end systems like the 14mz or 10x will most likely not care
for the feel. The neck strap attachment and weight distribution may have
been ok for the 7202 with it's antenna extended, but it's not great with the
DX7's much shorter antenna.
Here's what we did - 6oz of hobby lead weight stuck to the top of the case
on the inside - much better.
(proceed at own risk)
-
rx antennae somewhat fragile - insulation
can pull out of case with normal use - handle with care
-
no way to automatically start the timer - yeah, I know - this is a JR
thing, but would be a nice to have
-
if you
are using Futaba servos etc., you will either have to cut the tabs off the
connectors or take the AR7000's case apart and file slots to accommodate the
Futaba tabs - this is a PITA - again, a JR thing but it would be nice if one
didn't have to do this. Not a problem for the micro AR6100.
Conclusion:
So far the DX7 has proven to be some of the best money I've ever
spent on a RC product. No more frequency concerns when flying at large
events. No more loosing a heli due to RF noise generated by a notchy bearing. This is the
system that the whole crew will be using for all our funfly helis for the '07 season.
...unless of course another even better spread spectrum system shows up -
DX9 anybody?
You gotta GET IT!
-
09.Feb.07 - Crap... Missed Vegas
Still not fit for travel by air (at
least another 3 weeks), 3658km by GPS door-step to door-step so sadly I
can't go. Something says this weekend will be a pretty important one with
some really interesting new products to be seen. Mike "ledfoot" Wilson and
David "RappyFly" Chu made the trip - go get some.
-
07.Feb.07 - The IRCHA 2006 DVD has been...
...cancelled. With the dramatic
increase in piracy (seeing our DVD's with foreign language subtitle was
pretty cool - 'cept we had nothing to do with it) and the rise of good
online video it simply isn't viable to do this anymore. We may still post
videos from time to time but the DVD format is gone for now. I think the
event is now well covered by the online guys so we're going to go back to
doing what we went to IRCHA to do in the first place - fly.
Thanks to everyone who's supported us in the past - much appreciated, it was
a pleasure.
-
07.Feb.07 - SPAM sucks
I'm
having real trouble with SPAM and my bob00@teambob00.com e-mail account. Until this is resolved please use
bob00-at-rogers-dot-com
instead.
-
OS 90 SZ PS -
20thou shim is the 'hot setup'
So here
we are talking about this motor again. I learnt more about nitro engines
last season than I really wanted to trying to make these motor run as smooth
and consistently as the YS's they replaced. I'd been running them with 16
thou shim w/ ViperHeads all season and they'd run great some days and really
crappy on others. They would overheat and run rough as if lean, but were
obviously too rich if the needles were opened up to try to fix the
situation. At IRCHA I asked Jason Krause about this and he suggested trying
at least 20thou - problem solved!!
-
07.Feb.07 - The best products of 2006
- helicopters - part I
A wave of new products hit or hobby
last year. Most of it was really, REALLY good stuff - a bit of a surprise
given how far some of these products pushed the envelope. The list below is
based on our personal experience with the product over a reasonable period
of time AND whether we observed our club members having a good time or
struggling with the product in question. Here we go...
-
Aurora Ultimate (Avant
RC)
Augusto and I spoke for several
hours at the 2004 IRCHA Jamboree about his vision of the perfect RC
helicoptor. Years later and built on the proven incremental steps of the
Avant FX/EFX and the CX Programmable Rotor head, the Aurora Ultimate IS that
vision realized. It's a lightweight, neutral CG, low unique part count, high
performance next generation helicopter featuring an all metal / carbon
airframe (nothing to upgrade) at a very affordable price. Very reasonably
priced spares make this helicopter one of the least expensive to own.
Our crew was lucky enough to be provided with several of these machines last
August. 6 months and countless cases of fuel later, we have
not lost a single machine to mechanical failure
- this is a record for us in recent times. Expect this machine to have a
HUGE impact on the market when it arrives.
(Full article to follow)
Pros: Very fast, crisp, precise cyclics / good tracking / phenomenal
tail authority / easy to build and maintain
Cons: Not on the market yet
-
N9 (Synergy RC)
Created by two of the most highly
respected guys in the hobby, Jason Krause and Todd Bennett, the Synergy N9
raises the bar on flight performance to new levels. It's design is simple,
functional and well thought out - the design goal being to produce an
"everyday high performance helicopter" - a robust, easy to build airframe,
requiring little time to keep it flying. This next generation airframe
features massive *everything* (including ball links) - it's built like a
humvee and reasonably priced.
It builds fast, very fast and will put a big smile on your face the first
time you fly it - sounds great in the air too.
(Full article to follow)
Pros: Incredible collective 'pop' / good tracking / good tail
authority / easy to build / transparent fuel tank
Cons: teething pains - QC inconsistencies with some metal parts /
clutch stack difficult to dial for some (solved with aftermarket parts) /
tail drive gears may fail when using a modern gyro like the Futaba 611
if delay values not used to reduce the load on the tail
-
TRex-600 (Align RC)
Align NAILED it. The TRex600 is to
electric helis what the Raptor 30 was to nitro helis. With everything
included in the box it is almost impossible not to build it right. No
messing with gear ratios or motor choices - anybody can pick up one of these
kits and expect to be successful. The 600 has succeeded in breaking the
perception by the nitro crowd that electric helis were...
a) expensive to own
b) fragile
c) too heavy / underpowered for real 3D
Align shipped a good product and has rapidly evolved it into one of the
hottest 50 class machines on the market. Coupled with their very reasonable
kit and spare part prices and wide distribution network just about everyone
I know has one and loves it.
(Full article to follow)
Pros: Low kit and spare cost / reasonable battery cost / lightweight
/ robust / excellent flight performance
Cons: limited flight time - 6+ hovering to 4.5min all out 3D - more a
limit of current battery technology - not for long
-
31.Jan.07 - Ahem - it's
2K07 boys and girls, let's see what happened while the lights were out...
First off, I know it's more then a
bit late, but we'd like to wish everyone the very best for 2007. Several
exciting new products arrived last year which are guaranteed to make this year
one of the most exciting to date. I'll be home recovering for the next couple
weeks, so I'll try to update the website with all the great stuff we've had
the pleasure to use and what we've learned along the way for the last few
months.
Here are some of the things I want to cover over the next few days...
- the
Synergy N9, 6 months later
- the Avant Aurora 6 months later
- Powermaster Fuel - the secret sauce
-
the Spektrum DX7 - the biggest revolution in modern RC
- rise of the electric helicopter
- the anatomy of the "next generation" heli - what make's the next-gen stuff a
big deal
- T-Rex 600 revisited - part 1 (impact of new high C, fast charge Lipos)
- T-Rex 600 revisited - part 2 (upgrades - thrust bearing tail, torque tube)
-
shimming the OS91 SZ PS - monster power, nice 'n smooth
- the TP1010 charger and balancer - the ulitmate lipo charging/maintenance
system
- top products we saw in 2006
Most of the above articles were started but incomplete - now that I'm stuck at
home for the next little while I'll try to get it all done
.
-
21.Oct.06 - more Auroras
It was 8deg, cold and rainy but
that didn't stop the smackdown at the McCowan field this weekend. Our good
buddy Kev "rappy112" and D dropped by to show off their new pimped out ride
(sweet man, very sweet) and remind us who own's the "king of all piro-everything".
Mike "ledfoot" responded by beating his Aurora as if we have truckload of
spares stashed somewhere - you all have to watch this guy, if you think he's
turning heads right now wait until next season. David "rappyfly" tested the
Aurora's ability to fly with just one glowplug... in a Viperhead - that could
have gone better, but he did show everybody just how strong the Aurora
frameset is. Me? Well today I held the camera so while we have some hot videos
I will not be in any of them. Too bad 'cause my Aurora was rippin' - still
holding the daily record for lowest piro flips - come and get it
.
-
14.Oct.06 - Aurora(s)
A couple of
the Team Bob Aurora's hit the "hobby store" tour circuit yesterday. As always
the models were well received and turned LOTS of heads.
We've been having a great time with these machines - they have been solid (we
still haven't been able to break them - still working on it
) and WICKED performers in the air
with *unmatched* cyclic and t/r authority. The cyclic power has to be
experienced to be believed - powerful, crisp, precise and predictable without
loading up the motor while still retaining good tracking through big stuff and
a real locked in hover.
The massive tail rotor system is as powerful as it looks and has proven
capable to maintaining super consistent piro rates when pushed to the limits
at which most other heli t/r systems begin to whip or stall - makes doing piro
stuff (piro-funnels, piro-snakes, piro-tic-tocs) feel like cheating
. The pro guys can make anything look
good, but this heli makes us ordinary Joe's look even better - have a look
http://www.teambob00.com/movies/aurora09oct06hi.wmv .
The last round of kits went together SUPER easy - it's been just as easy to
wrench on too. I'd always thought that a complete kit based on the CX rotor
head would have been THE force to recon with - this is it.
-
14.Oct.06 - Engine Experiments
Tried some stuff I'd always wondered about this weekend, real quick here are
the results...
-
OS SZ PS with OMI
60K Big Bore carb + new SB18
Worked as well as the C-Spec Big Bore, seemed to produce a bit more
power than the C-Spec
-
OS SZ PS with stock
regulated carb with pressurized fuel system (crankcase pressure + check valve)
Immediate results not great - possible it could be made to work given
time, but that is something we do not have a lot of right now
-
07.Sep.06 - Needles
This season
I selected the OS91 SZ PS as my engine of choice - well at least until
something even better shows up. Great running motor BUT you have to tweak the
main needle at least once every session if you want optimum performance from
this engine. For us ex-YS guys this is a bit of a PITA 'cause the YS's were a
real 'set and forget' engine - price of progress I guess... I'd been thinking
of adding a remote needle control to address this and after seeing how well
Mike's worked in his Dyna I was sold on the idea but too lazy and pressed for
time to actually do it until now.
Among the stuff supplied with my Aurora was the optional remote needle servo
mount. This optional item makes it *dead* easy to mount the mixture servo. I
choose a Futaba 3101 - the Hitec HS-85 BB/MG is also a drop in fit. One of the
nice things to have at the needle is a "slipper" so that the needle can be
manually adjusted from time to time. Here's how we made ours...
Parts:
- small Futaba servo horn
or short Dubro horn - we used the one that came with the 3101 - cut away
the unneeded parts
- M2.5 x 10mm socket head screw - this screw will bottom out in the needle
with about 2mm exposed
- a small 2.5mm ID o-ring and a short piece of small ID fuel tube
- some blue loctite
Procedure:
- remove the needle from the motor
- remove the needle ratchet
- clean the bolt and the bolt hole in the needle wit degreaser (e.g. alcohol)
- cut a 2mm section of fuel tube and slip it onto the bolt
- insert the bolt with the fuel tube into the servo arm from the
spline
side
- slip the o-ring onto the bolt
- screw the bolt into the needle - tighten, use loctite
- done!
The o-ring and the fuel tube provide a good friction fit for the servo arm
that will slip as required for manual adjustment. Manual adjustment can be
done with a 2.0mm allen driver. The servo plugs into the needle channel on the
14mz G3 rx or any spare channel if using different equipment. This channel was
then assigned to the unused but easy to reach RUDD trim lever (T4) and the
step set to a course value of 32. With this value 1 click on the trim lever is
approx. 1 click at the needle. This makes it really easy to figure things out
at the Tx - just by looking at the screen you can tell approx how many clicks
rich or lean you are at any given time.
I'll add some pictures the next time I make one of these.
-
26 -
27.Aug.06 - Club C.R.A.S.H annual Fun Fly
Damn - another missed funfly - seems like I
never get to go anywhere these days... anyway Jarek went and had a great time.
These guys reallly know how to run an event. We'll have to do better in the
future.
-
21.Aug.06 - Next Gen in the house
So, I've put a fair bit of fuel through the Aurora
and maidened the N9 today - what do I think?
I must be the luckiest man alive 'cause the performance of the Aurora is
simply *mind-blowing* - the performance of this heli easily exceeds all other
heli's I've owned/flown to date.
I will be spending the entire day (and hopefully more than a gallon of fuel)
with the N9 tomorrow, so I should have a clear opinion of it soon. First
impressions are extremely positive.
I'll to a detailed write-up on both helis (along with the IRCHA article - been
busy flying) - check back soon.
Here are some
pictures.
-
17.Aug.06 - Stay tuned...
Back from IRCHA with lots of hot
new stuff including the two HOTTEST next-gen helis on the planet right now.
FULL update on the weekend (or maybe a little later), until then click the
images above for pictures in the gallery. I'll add new icons for each
completed item.
-
05.Aug.06
- Mississauga Model Flying Club Helicopter Fun Fly
Thanks to Mike and company for a great time. It was a fun event with a very
busy flight line - great to see everybody flying instead of just watching.
T-Rex 600's made a good showing. Everybody had a great time.
-
30.Jul.06
- The Next Generation
Last week was an exciting one with some of the best international talent
competing at the UK 3D Masters, the release of the long awaited Synergy N9 and
the public debut of CarbonXtreme's Aurora. Both these machines mark the start
of a new trend for our hobby.
<INCOMPLETE>
-
30.Jul.06
- Pictures from 3 days at the UK 3D Masters!!
Mike's been at the UK 3D Masters, the world's premier international 3D
competition, for the last 3 days. Here are pictures from the event. Thanks
Mike!!
-
30.Jul.06
- T-Rex 600 CF in the house
Picked up a new toy on Wednesday, built and flew it on Saturday. The quality
of this kit is *significantly* better than what we've seen from Align to date
and represents an amazing value. This carbon fiber / metal kit can be found
locally for $699 CAD or a little less if you look hard enough and includes
motor, ESC, nice carbon tail blades and even an Rx battery, 6v BEC with 5.3v
step-down for gyro servo. All hardware required to finish the kit (tie-warps,
Velcro straps, blade holder etc) is included. However, unlike the 450 series
this kit does not include main blades or tools. Also noticeably absent is a
headbutton which is sold as an upgrade part for $3 USD. So, to complete the
kit you'll need a receiver, 3 CCPM quality servos, gyro w/ servo, main blades
and a 6S lipo battery 4000mah or better. I chose to use a TP 1320 lipo with a
Duralite 5.3v regulator instead of the supplied Rx battery and BEC.
Installed equipment...
3x 9252 CCPM servos ('cause that's what I had)
GY611 w/ 9256
TP 1320 ProLite w/ Duralite 5.3v regulator
SAB 600 main blades
Align 4400 6S2P battery pack
The build was quick and easy - most time was spent trying to find places to
fit stuff and route wires etc. An experienced builder should need no more than
4 hours build time (excluding radio install and setup). Everything went
together well with no real "customizing" needed. The T-Rex 600 uses the same
'Common Axis of Rotation' CCPM system found on Avant helis with push-pull
linkages on all swash controls and near perfect geometry.
The only build issues I found were that threaded shaft on the ball on the tail
pitch slider was a little to long, resulting in slight distortion of the
slider ring causing the bearings to preload and prevent the whole assembly
from turning freely - the solution was to shorten the shaft on the ball by
about 1mm with a file. The other matter was brittle ball links. 2 broke on
assembly and I found 3 more broken while doing radio setup - my solution was
to change all the links to indestructible 'Rocket City' links. I understand
that this matter has already been addressed by Align and should not be a
problem in future kits.
The heli flys great and the Align 4400 pack is a good economical choice for
sport flyers. The new TP 4500 Extreme packs may prove to be a better choice
for 3D as the 4400 looses it's punch early and the tail will start to give.
The model tracks very well and cyclic response is fast and precise. As I
mentioned before the tail is a bit weak (I think stronger batteries will fix
this) and although piro-funnels are possible they require a bit of work and
become progressively difficult as the flight progresses - I'm getting some
help here and will post the outcome.
All in all Align has delivered big time with this kit and it should be very,
VERY popular. It builds easy, flys great, parts are cheap and readily
available. This one's a keeper.
-
14 - 16.Jul.06
- T.SMACK 2006 - TEAM BOB and the TORONTO R/C HELI CLUB 5th Annual Heli FunFly
(pictures!)
Never before have we seen a funfly anything like this nor have we seen flying
like this on Toronto soil. This was an spectacular event which has done
wonders for the hobby locally and raised the profile of our sport
*significantly*. These three days were incredible. Even the weather was good,
*perfect* on Sunday.
Making it's Toronto debut, Align's new T-Rex 600 impressed all, especially in
the hands of Alan, Danny and Nick, and, just in case you didn't know,
Canada is about to become Avant country with Stevie and Tyler giving us a
taste of what we can expect from these next generation machines also seen for
the first time here.
The skill level on display was amazing, Tyler proved to us that he knows
*EXACTLY* where the ground is, Scotty showed us his championship moves, and
both Alan and Danny had the crowd wondering if they were really human! Also
tearing it up were Leon Luc (Team Canada), Nic (of N.D. Hobbies) and many
others, including the regulars. There was even a special guest appearance by
Sluggo.
A very BIG thanks to everyone who made this weekend's event the success
that it was. Extra special thanks to...
-
Mike for the
extraordinary effort, time and attention to detail that it took to pull this
all together.
-
Brian, Mark
and others for the preparation of our new field, the site of the Saturday and
Sunday events.
-
Dennis, Brian,
Mark, Chris, Jarek and many others who did a lot of the
heavy lifting and took care of business like the registration, the BBQ at the
field, pa system, airport pickups etc.
-
The Wilson's,
Mike, Dion, Auntie Bev for turning their house into
party central for 3 days, providing accommodations for more lots of the out of
town guys AND hosting the Saturday night BBQ (and to Glen and Dwayne
for keeping both grills running) - everybody had a GREAT time, thanks a
million.
-
All our guest
pilots, especially Alan and Danny Szabo, "Bad"
Alex Rodriguez, "Detroit" Stevie
Mcfall,
young Tyler and his dad Carl, Scott Gray, Leon
Luc, Nick Maxwell the Montreal guys, the Quebec
guys, and to all the local guys for putting on one HELL of a show - the talent
on display this weekend was amazing.
-
Our special consultant
Darrell "Big D" Bell for teaching us a thing or two here and there
-
All our sponsors
for the biggest prize table I've ever seen outside of the IRCHA
Jamboree!!
Thanks to EVERYBODY who made it out - EVERYONE had a GREAT time.
Here are some
pictures (330+)
I'll post some video this weekend.
THANK YOU ALL!!
See you all next year at T.Smack 2007
-
10.Jul.06
- JR?
The last JR die hard in our crew
just got himself a 14mz - just about all the regulars at our club now fly
Futaba G3 radios (14mz or 12z) - once they "feel the difference" the JR stuff
gone. I keep hearing about this mystery "killer" radio that JR's supposed to
be introducing to be competitive once more - I really want to see what they
can bring to market that will make happy 14mz owners want to switch equipment
any time soon.
-
10.Jul.06
- Latest V-Blades ROCK!!
Looks like Vic Campbell (www.vblades.com) has found
the magic formula. These new blades don't load the motor on cyclic input
nearly as much as previous designs, they're fast, track very well and auto
great. Mike (out local V-Blade rep.) lent me a set of his helicopter to try
the other day. He did not get them back
.
-
10.Jul.06
- OS91 SZ PS - monster in a box
We've been running one of these for
a little while now and so far I am impressed with this motor for it's out of
the box performance. Last year the arrival of the OMI Big-Bore (BB) C-Spec
motors dealt a crushing blow to YS motors in these parts, delivering
*significantly* more power with the same ease of handling and smooth running
as our YS's. The only downside to these mod'ed OS motors was the cost. The new
OS SZ addresses that point by delivering almost the same performance right out
the box. It's kind of late so I'll summarize our experience with the SZ PS in
point form...
-
seems to have more torque in the
mid-range than the BB C-Spec
-
seems very close to (possibly the
same) the top-end power of the BB C-Spec
-
runs great with a Viperhead / 16
thou shims / CP30
-
requires a slightly different
method of tuning to get it dialed in just right (see Jerry's excellent post on
www.runryder.com)
-
don't worry about where the needles
end up, ours sit at 1 or 2 clicks (yes clicks) open on the mid, about 3/8 on
the main, in fact the next time I have to setup one of these I'll take the
advice of many pro-flyers and just close the mid needle and forget about it
-
doesn't like the SB17 muffler
-
likes the big SB18 muffler
-
requires slight trimming of your
GV-1 sensor mount for a proper fit
-
do not use a check-valve on the
vent line
-
some have had problems that muffler
pressure seems to cure, others (ours included) do not
-
10.Jul.06
- Thanks
...for all the kind words on the
passing of my Dad. Thank you.
-
01.Jul.06
-
Flying Tigers!! - Hamilton, Ontario - once again, once again!!
As usual, if
you missed this you missed somethin' special. These guys sure know how to
throw a funfly . They have one of the
nicest fields I've been to and the mood is always real relaxed and laid back -
a real cool vibe.
I'll post some
pictures shortly.
-
22.Mar.06 -
Hibernation's over
Well
the 2006 season's just around the corner so it's time to get the gear in
shape. I been by the field the last couple of weekends and gotten a "taste" of
what we can expect this year and once again the bar is WAY up from where we
left it last year. Everybody's stuff is looking goooood, so if you expect to
get noticed this year you gotta get on the sim NOW and work on all the weak
stuff from last season, 'cause this year it's a WHOLE different ball game.
We've got some of the new stuff for this season in (couple big bore motors,
611 gyro, big NEU for the Ion, 100T gearing for the Actro Ion, new Futaba
9451's, and bunch of parts for the Fury's - yeah, they'll be back this year)
but there's still a bunch more stuff on the shopping list - we're hoping to
score some of this stuff in Toledo in a couple weeks...
-
more 611's
-
5.3v & 6v duralite
reg's w/ safety switch
-
TP 2S
2000mah lipo Rx packs
-
Radix 710's
-
new SAB 710's -
pass, opted for VBlades instead
-
SB-18 mufflers
-
another Castle
Creations 110-HV ESC
-
Synergy N9 - soon
-
CX Avant w/ prog.
rotor head, Aurora(s)
From the
looks of things the Avant will be the hot machine this season - I've
always liked this heli with it's unmatched t/r authority, light weight and
excellent weight distribution - gotta get one NOW! Things will get real
interesting if the Synergy shows up soon. What a great time to be in this
hobby .
-
07.Dec.05
(6:30 pm - 9:30)
- TORONTO R/C HELI CLUB 2005 Winter Indoor Fun Fly
Electric
time! Winter was fun ...
-
30.Nov.05 - It's
DONE!! - the Extreme 3D IRCHA 2005 DVD is available NOW
... 238 minutes (4 hours) of 3D from what we
think was the BEST IRCHA Jamboree we've ever attended. The flying was awesome
- there is NO WAY some of the stuff we saw could possibly get any lower or
faster - a MUST HAVE for your 3D collection.
Click here for
even
though the gimbals feel real good, it is a light plastic radio - those
coming from hi end systems like the 14mz or 10x will most likely not care
for the feel. The neck strap attachment and weight distribution may have
been ok for the 7202 with it's antenna extended, but it's not great with the
DX7's much shorter antenna.
