team bob00
Canada's #1 3D crew  



Spartan ds760 - Simply the best.

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What's New?

• 30.Apr.08 - So let's get this thing started for 2008
  
  With the cold crap is finally gone it's time to get busy again. Here's short version what's been happening...

  • tried the new Spartan ds760 in my Rex600E about 6 weeks ago.
    I have since replaced all of my Futaba 601/611. Why?
    
    Main reasons...
    - more consistent pirouette rate, esp. while rapidly changing main rotor disk load or with a loaded motor
    - achieves changes in yaw rate faster (better angular acceleration) - makes stuff like hesitation piro-tic-toks easier
    - holds a little better in sideways loops and stuff like that
    
    Other reasons...
    - smaller, lighter - fits everywhere, from Rex450 to Aurora 91
    - works with unregulated 2S (8v)
    - works with any t/r servo - currently using 8900G / 9256 / 9251 / 3400G
    - firmware can be flashed by end user
    
    This is the best gyro I've ever flown - period. And, just like Spektrum these guys seem to have significant momentum behind their development with some really cool stuff coming down the pipe.
    Everybody who's tried them here has immediately put their Futaba stuff up for sale. Spartan can't make the things fast enough.
    More later.
     

  • also replaced all my GV-1's with Aerospire MultiGovs. Why?
    - governor and rev limiter modes, selectable at Tx, can be mixed
    - advanced rev limiter mode does not need flat line throttle curve, so engine won't eat itself if a magnet gets thrown
    - can handle higher headspeeds than the GV-1 could
    - smaller, lighter with detachable backlit screen
    - lots of tunable parameters
    - uses what has become an industry standard sensor
    - advertised to work with unregulated 2S (8v)
    
    I've seen these in use for over a year with great success, so I expect no surprises. More later.
     

  • replaced AR9000's with AR9100's in the 8v helis, Why?
    - 35A rated Rx power bus, 2S lipo connects directly to Rx via 16awg leads - no puny 3A limited connectors
    - built in failsafe switch - Rx remains on of mechanical switch fails
    - will probably swap these out for AR7100's with their built in regulators when available
    More later.
     

  • Got a FASST module and 6014 Rx for my 14mz
     

  • overhauled both Auroras with AR9100 Rx's, Spartan ds760 gyros + 8900G, MultiGov + 8717, 8717 CCPM @ unregulated 8v

  • Toledo was good - the JR/Spektrum 12x is one sweet Tx

  • Neil's indoor funfly was a hell of a good time

  • field renovations have started - facilities are looking really nice this year. Keep them this way.

• 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.
   

• 26.Jun.-7 - More Ion-X2
  
  This machine kicks ASS on 12S Evo25's - 50 flights and counting...
  Early pictures here: http://www.teambob00.com/album/v/x2/
  Lots (about 70) of detailed pictures here: http://www.teambob00.com/album/v/x2more/
   

• 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!!

  Friday pictures

  Saturday pictures

  Sunday pictures

   

• 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 availability / order information.
  
   

• 30.Nov.05 - Got a new toy...
  
  Ok, time to get on the band-wagon now I have a T-Rex . More on this once I get it together.
  
   

• 14.Nov.05 - Killer Raptor website - Team-Raptor.net
  
  Flying a Raptor or thinking about getting one? Be *SURE* to check out the ALL NEW Team-Raptor.net website. This will be the #1 place to get information on the most successful model heli on the planet directly from the people in the know. This is an effort by the TT team to provide the very best online support possible - I expect the quality of the information on their forum to be second to none.
  
   

• 14.Nov.05 - Radix Blades
  
  Curtis Youngblood has another winner. We've put several flights on a set of these thanks to Mike and Dino - these blades ROCK. They track like SAB's, load the motor a little less and seem to have a bit more *snap*.They auto GREAT - aerobatic autos are effortless. The finish on these blades is excellent an the packaging is slick too. The ones we got have a 12mm root with 5mm bolt hole (so they fit the R90SE fine). Included with the blades are bushings for use with 4mm bolts as well as shims for use with 14mm blade grips and up. Awesome job Curtis!!
  Available at www.eastcoastextremehelis.com
  
   

• 14.Nov.05 - Playing catch up...
  
  Hmmm... lots of new stuff since the last update...

  • Mike knows how to work the BBQ actually his family did an amazing job to make the 1st annual teambob00 BBQ a success

  • Enough flights on the OMI "big bore" OS C-Spec + Hatori SB17 to know that it IS the greatest thing since sliced bread

  • Also...

    • Learning to piro-flip RH - 1 year

    • Learning to piro-flip LH - 3 months

    • Learning to full down piro autos - 6 months

    • Landing the heli with zero damage after chopping the tail boom clean off
      while doing some inverted nonsense mid air - priceless
       

• 14.Nov.05 - Gallery
  
  We've setup a real gallery - it will be populated with pics through the years going forward
  Check it out here.
  
   

• 17.Aug.05 - IRCHA 2005 ROCKED!!
  
  Once again Ron K and team did a hell of a job hosting the biggest Jamboree ever with over 460 pilots registered. We had a great time as usual. The flying can't possibly get any lower... unless we dig a trench. The level of flying was unbelievable. Special thanks to Mark Fadely for hooking us up with the bob-mobiles. Congrats to Nathan for winning the auto contest - next year man, next year . It was great to see everybody again and make some new friends. Thanks to everyone who had a hand in making this event as enjoyable as it was - looking forward to IRCHA 2006.
  
  Here some pictures (260+)...
  
   

• 17.Aug.05 - What's been going on?
  Same old same old - busy. Been playing with some really cool stuff over the last little while, most notably

  • new Actro 32-3 / TP Prolite powered Fury Ion-X, possibly the most powerful heli I've ever flown

  • Dessert Wolf RC7200 frequency scanner - feature rich, awesome range

  • Orbit Pocketlader mini charger - strapped 11.1v 6000mah for portable Rx charging - we call it the baby bomb

  • Raptor 90 SE - yup, the Raptor is back and just like the R60 before it's some serious fun

  • GY611 gyro - haven't had a chance to fly this yet but hope to put it in something before the snow flies

  • OMI 60K "big bore" carb + C-Spec + Viperhead + SB17 = the most powerful nitro setup available now

  More on all this later...
  
   

• 15.May.05 - Devil finds work for...
  
  ...Idle hands. This is what happens when you spend too much time in the shop :) Got to thinking about this mod on Friday at the hobby store after joking with David about his "White Gear" posts on RunRyder and HeliFreak. As expected here's what happened...
  
  First, on RunRyder - nothing - 'cause most of the valuable Min Air posters especially the really helpful (I'd say essential) guys like DavidH and ChrisS/MinAirChris have had to give up on RunRyder - sad, 'cause the quality of the Min Air forum here has taken a nose dive - hardly worth checking any more (well, Gordie's still hanging in there and keeping the thing alive). Fortunately the new kid on the block has picked up the slack. If you fly Min Air heli's www.helifreak.com is where you need to be. Anyway, back to the matter at hand...
  
  1. He got slammed + flamed by several so-called Min-Air reps - these guys could learn a thing or two from Curtis Youngblood about "how to be a rep". A few were helpful (Eric Larson and David H come to mind) - most of the others would have been better of remaining quiet. Really disappointing to see our hobby become this polarized - kinda dumb actually.
  
  2. Next came the "I seen blah, blah, blah fly the crap out of this machine and he's the most aggressive flyer in the whole world so, either you don't know what you're doing or you're some kind of dumbass." Real short sighted - 'nuff said.
  
  3. The REAL Min Air guys (ChrisS and David H) show up and provide some REALLY useful info.
  FACT: It has been observed that some re-meshing may be necessary after a few flights. Unusual for plastic gears (not required for Raptor, Vario or Hirobo gears used in this application), but a reasonable non-the less. Chris also pointed out that this was not public knowledge so this was NOT a case of user abuse or improper use, but rather new information about a new product in the field not being widely known. This is what makes Min Air different from many others and why I fly Min Air - I have always gotten a straight answer (good news or bad) from Chris and Tim.
  
  SO, if you're flying one of the new open t/r boxes be sure to check/reset the mesh after the first few flights. This gear box is VERY easy to work on so just do it.
  
  Back to our experiment. David and I were talking gears for a while and comparing t/r gears from different vendors (mesh, contact area etc.) - we'd flown Raptors and Robbe's in the recent past - broke lots of stuff, but never the tail gearbox. Attempting to use gears from one of these machines in the open gearbox seemed like a worthwhile experiment. Raptor gears were chosen 'cause they're plastic - requirement since they have to run dry, so I picked up a few sets + another open t/r box still fitted with black gears from the store.
  
  I really like the open gearbox because inspection is a no-brainer and I can completely disassemble it in under 3 min. I had one busted box waiting for parts, so after taking a few measurements I built the proof of concept part below with left over red gears from my junk box.
  
  
  
  After being satisfied that there would be no major issues fitting or meshing the gears a new open t/r gearbox was disassembled and rebuilt with modified white gears. Next we would need a machine to test it in. A really "crappy" Fury Extreme was assembled from  my worst of left-over parts as a test machine -  a disposable helicopter.
  
  Again - we are in no way recommending this or any other modification to any helicopter. We're also not recommending or even saying that this improves anything - this is just an extreme case of fooling around with disposable equipment - after all this is still a hobby.
  
  The game plan was to beat the crap out of this thing over the bean field at reasonable altitude for a shot at recovery should the tail fail. The test flight was limited to just 10 minutes total because of rain (didn't want my new tranny to get too wet), but it was 10 minutes of hell (well my version of it) for the gears - all the things you'd NEVER to with your "good" helicopter - and guess what? They actually held . I really expected to trash the machine and it was fun actually trying to break it. Heck, what's one more trip to the bean field?
  
  I'll keep this setup for a while and if it gets to the 100 flight mark in one piece then maybe we'll give it a second look. We'll see what happens when David takes the sticks.
  
  I'll of course continue to use the stock "grey" gears on my Ion's and my "good" Furys, re-meshing when necessary as per Min Air's recommendation - no point fixing something that I haven't broken.
  
  ** NOTE: The information above is provided as-is - we can assume no liability or responsibility for any personal or property damage resulting from use of such information - plain and simple, DON'T DO IT
  
   

• 15.May.05 - The Dark Side, update
  
  Things have been going GREAT with this radio - ZERO regrets so far. The difference between 1024 and G3 is amazing. I've got a 319 rx (pcm1024) in one of my backup Fury Tempest 3D's which always felt great before. Sadly it now feels like CRAP having flown the G3 rx a bit. You HAVE to feel the difference to believe it - feels like a subtle improvement when you first fly it, but make no mistake, there is no going back to an older system after spending some time with the 14mz. The only real problem now is getting more G3 rx's - they're back-ordered everywhere .
  
   

• 07.May.05 - The boogie man is back - to the bean field, again... 
  Today was a strange day.
  
  First David strips the grey gears in his new Min Air open tail box in the air and pulls of one of the most amazing saves we've ever seen - congrats David, you've won yourself a free Fury Extreme. There were no obvious signs of air bubbles or any other obvious voids in the gears - it seems as if the teeth on the gear simply failed - will be switching back to the closed metal boxes until this is sorted out.
  
  Next, Kevin's Dana-X goes in when the rotor head hub breaks in the air - the whole main rotor comes off and chops the boom off as it leaves - incredible. Being the expert pilot that he is he did a great job trying to auto it in with no main or tail rotor - didn't work out so good.
  
  Finally, 2 min into my flight while working on piro'ing loops (new for me this year) I was about 150 ft up and 400 ft out, right-side -up in a slow piro when the engine burped - hmmm, sound like I have a glitch - why are the blades slowing down - oh crap - total lockout - she's in failsafe and not coming back. We watched the blades stop and the heli simply fall out of the sky like a rock. Tried running towards it like a dumbass, but it made no difference - it hit the ground right-side-up, sounded like a gunshot. Amazingly very little damage - broken skid struts, radio frame rail and servo gears <- seems like I change these every time I go out now, maybe I should start keeping a spare set in the car. I was running a non-standard antenna config, so I'll attribute this incident to that for now.
  
  Second flying day = second crash = second trip to the bean field, again
  
   

• 22.May.05 - To the bean field...
  I finally got some time to get out and put some time one the new radio gear and...  crashed within 2 minutes of taking off. I'd settled into a perfect funnel (tail-down-inverted) and had JUST started to enter a piro funnel when the heli twitched briefly, emitted a loud gear stripping noise and started piro'ing like crazy. Now I've had a history of t/r failure of one sort or another with these models over the years so somehow it wasn't completely unexpected, so I hit HOLD and started the 'save'. Amazing - the left hand piro flip was *perfect* (I'm a 'righty') and the model was right-side-up with reasonable headspeed and piro rate. The heli touched down some distance away undamaged - this is when things went wrong.
  
  I decided it was a 'good' idea to kill the engine - this was my first time out with a Futaba radio - things are a little different. I tried hitting the throttle kill switch - seems like nothing happened, then accidentally flipped throttle HOLD off. The throttle stick was still in the wide open position having just flared - it took off like a piro'ing rocket - wasn't so lucky this time - came down hard in the mud on the tail. Crap - that was a brand new open t/r box too.
  
  Some how the lower mast locking collar (Fury) 'moved' resulting in a few millimeters of main shaft up-down play. The clamp wasn't broken or loose (I couldn't force it to move), it just moved - guess this just means I'll have to make them tighter. I was doing some unusually vicious pumping to try to 'feel the difference' of the higher resolution / faster servo data rate. I guess with this new stuff things have to be a bit tighter than before.
  
  I learned a few things from this crash...
  1. the open t/r gear box does not like being packed with soft mud
  2. flipping out of throttle hold after safely landing the heli with the engine still running and the throttle stick in the wide open position is a BAD IDEA
  3. when working with new equipment thing TWICE before flipping anything
  4. the Fury Extreme is one incredibly strong helicopter - don't ask me how I know, you'd have to have been there
  
  First 'real' flight of the 2005 season = first crash = first trip to the bean field = not too happy
  
   

• 03.Apr.05 - Weak signals 51st annual R/C Model Show "The Toledo Show"
  
  Good 1 day road trip - snowed like crazy all the way back. Got some early shopping done and as usual took the opportunity to talk shop with many of my favorite manufacturers (Miniature Aircraft, Hirobo, Futaba, Duralite + many more) and catch up with many of our US friends including the guys from East Coast Extreme Helis. I'll post some pictures later.
  
   

• 26.Mar.05 - The Dark Side - resistance is futile
  
  Thought it would never happen, but I'm now a 100% Futaba guy. I have proudly flown JR for a LONG time and enjoyed their stuff all the way until 2001 when I switched to Futaba servos after a rash of 8411 failures (archives). Switched to Futaba GY601 gyros the following year after 2 of my near new G5000T gyros developed a progressively worsening drift problem - to my surprise at the time I found the GY601 MUCH more to my liking.
  
  All that was left now was the Tranny and the dozen or so receivers - checked out the 9z at the time - nice, but feel right in my big hands, felt kind of "boxy" too. The throttle hold switch was in the "wrong" position - seems like no big deal, but I wasn't about to do surgery on a new high end Tx. Bottom line is I preferred the way my 10x felt and unlike the other JR stuff I mentioned above it has been 100% reliable, possibly the most reliable piece of technology I've owned to date - I've flown it in the rain more than once - it's NEVER missed a beat - would recommend the 10x to anyone.
  
  Enter the Futaba 14mz. I first read about this new radio a few months back - initial impressions?
  blah / plastic "consumer" style case / WinCE - no thanks (I've developed software for Windows since version 1.x, more than 17 years ago - I love Windows, but I have my reasons) / "wireless" channel change - nice, but no cigar / 2048 PCM? better - prove it in the air  / big color touch screen? who cares / from the front it still looked like a box.
  Nothing held my interest, quickly forgot about it. This would make me give up my trusty 10x - all was well and the balance among all things remain the same. Until...
  
  About 3 weeks ago a 14mz showed up at A & J Hobbies. It hadn't even been unpacked yet. Camcorder style battery - (npf-570 to be exact) cool. Poked around it for a few minutes and... still wasn't impressed - nice gimbals though. Didn't pick it up or mess with it much.
  
  Returned to the shop a few days later - it was still there, hmmmmm. I asked Jack for a closer look - this time I picked it up and held it and... WOAH!! Someone finally made something that felt better in my hands than my 10x - this couldn't be, let's get the neckstrap... damn, this thing felt good. Put it down right away, drove home and returned with my 10x for a REAL side by size comparison. After about an hour of switching neckstraps etc. I took my new radio home .
  
  I've been busy / sick as a dog for the last couple weeks, but the more time I spend with this radio the more I like it. The PCM G3 boasts a 40% frame rate increase to the servos, plus data for a CCPM servos is now sent in the same packet, taking transmission related latencies out of the loop - I believe these two features make this radio a killer. The difference in precision / response is obvious on the bench - will the difference be as significant in the air? I've heard a BIG YES from everyone I've spoken to about it - still have to prove it to myself though. WinCE turns out to be in charge on only non-critical tasks (Yeah!!) but brings along some nice stuff for "free" CF card reader, GUI, USB etc. I was running out of model memories on my 10x. I now have a whopping 1900+ after adding a $34 CAD CF card from the local computer store (kit comes with a 32MB card but I was curious ).
  
  Moving switches is EASY - took less than 10 minutes to place a switch suitable for "JR" style throttle hold in the "right" position. The operation is 100% solderless (plug-and-play) and is done with the toolkit provided (the stylus is the tool kit - it contains allen keys and the "switch" tool).
  
  The volume of all sounds is controllable and can be made about as loud as the 10x - this means that the timer on this radio will be useful, unlike the 9z which you could barely hear. I chose to assign the volume control to the "rudder trim" lever (not used with Futaba gyros). This is trivial - there's a LOT of WAY cool stuff including great gyro / governor stuff - Tx values match values on controller box now - no more taking the canopy off. "Fine tune" GV-1 speed by say exactly +/- 200 rpm in normal mode to kill mast bumping on a colder than usual evening. View pitch and throttle curves on the same display and move effortlessly between them. Make some settings "global" to all flight modes (conditions in Futaba speak) e.g. pitch curves or choose to make a few condition specific. Much, MUCH more than can be covered right now.
  
  Am I ready to sell my 10x - NO. Not until this new radio has proven itself as reliable as the 10x has been. My typical test cycle for anything hobby related is a full season without any unexpected failures, after which it's good to go and the fun begins. So far so good, let's see how it holds up. I'll post interesting stuff as I find it.
  
  Futaba's done a GREAT job with this radio - actually got a stubborn old dude like me to pick one up - well now the honeymoon is over - we'll see how it stands up to day to day abuse.
  
  JR's "feel the difference" tag-line isn't working too well for them right now 'cause head to head the 14mz felt better than the 10x - my initial buying decision was based solely on ergonomics - when you use something almost every day subtle improvements make a big difference and the 14mz simply felt better. I'm pretty sure JR isn't standing still - you can be sure that they will rise to meet the challenge.
  
  It's a great time to be in this hobby.
  
   

• 26.Mar.05 - Cough...
  There's a mean Flu going around - don't ask me how I know. The good news is that once it's done with you you'll feel better real quick. The bad news is that this was a perfect weekend to test a few new toys but the pilot was in no condition to fly. Anyways still hoping to make it to Toledo this weekend.
  
   

• 26.Mar.05 - Check out the new kid on the block...
  
  Wanna see some "bling"? Our favorate club in the GTA finally has its own kick-a@@ website. The guys have done a great job getting it all setup. complete with forums and all. Have a look.
  
   

• 11.Mar.05 - It's done!! - "Extreme 3D - IRCHA 2004" DVD - AVAILABLE NOW trailer
  
  Here it is guys - this one is a big dose - 265 minutes (almost 4 1/2 hours) of 3D from the biggest R/C Helicopter event of 2004, the IRCHA Jamboree. Available now.
  
   

• 07.Mar.05 - I'm a new DAD again :)
  My daughter has a new baby sister - she was born on Monday evening. Everything went well - my wife and little girl both come home from hospital yesterday and doing just fine. Going to be another busy year :).
  
   

• 21.Feb.05 - Hibernation
  Ok, time to wake up and get back to heli stuff. The first order of business will be the video - it's been "almost finished" for months, but other priorities have made it difficult to get it done - well as of now it WILL have my full time attention and WILL be out in about 14 days or so. For everybody that's been waiting for this, thanks a million for your patience - we'll be back to our usual ship schedule this year.
  
   

• 23.Nov.04 - What happened? Where did everyone go?
  The last few months have been busy for us all for different reasons, unfortunately none heli related. Professional and family obligations have made it impossible to find time for anything else for the last little while. Suddenly it's the end of the season and I have only 10 empty CP30 jugs to show - add 108 electric flights on the Ion and we have my slowest year on record. Anyway, it's time to get back to business - it's been a great year with the Ion-X and the wicked evil twins (YS91 Extreme/Tempests) and the flying time though very limited was excellent (as long as the weather held up), so I guess it's all good.
  
  I'd done a huge write-up on my experience with the Ion and some other stuff - dunno what I did w/ those documents, but I guess there'll be time to do it all again during the holidays when the family comes to visit.
  
  The IRCHA 2004 DVD is close - the trailer should be up by the end of the week - hey Jeff S., FedEx on the way man - sorry for the delay, will make it up to ya next time we get together.
  
   

• 09.Sep.04 - Quick update - IVAN!!
  
  Got some bad news while at IRCHA this year - my Dad was diagnosed with an extremely serious condition which required immediate surgery, so I returned home (to Jamaica) for a while to help with his recovery. He's doing great, but tonight/tomorrow we will be faced with the most powerful hurricane to hit the island in living memory. Hurricane Ivan, a cat5 storm (this is as powerful as it gets) is expected to hit us smack on early tomorrow morning. It's packing sustained winds > 160mph and moving at 15mph - gonna be a hell of a ride...
  
   

• 25.Jul.04 (Sat.) - Flying Tigers!! - Hamilton, Ontario (pictures!)
  
  Pictures posted!
  
   

• 17 - 18 Jul.04 (Sat. - Sun.) Canada's #1 Heli Funfly - Toronto, Ontario (pictures!)
  
  Awesome funfly - thanks to Brian, Mark, Dennis, Darren, Mike, Sluggo and everyone else who helped put this together - check out the loooonnnnggg flight line. A BIG thanks to all our sponsors for all the great prizes, there was a LOT of cool stuff.
  
  The flying was HOT, HOT, HOT - facilities were top notch - a big thanks to everyone who attended. The Hirobo crew was in full effect - lots to learn from these guys - it was like a college education.
  
  Big thanks to visitors for making the trip - Malorie's "secret weapon" ROCKS - gonna mean trouble for a lot of people later this year. Detroit Steve - you rock man, good luck at 3DM - we'll be rooting for ya - good meetin' you Eric - catch you all at IRCHA in a couple weeks.
  
  A very special thanks to the one and only Sluggo who went way beyond the call of duty to score some of the best prizes I've ever seen at any funfly - thanks man.
  
  Congrats to Kay (KCT) for taking first place in the auto contest. Tom won the timed hover event and Tom (not the same Tom) won the grand prize - an Evo kindly donated by MRC-Hirobo, one of our sponsors.
  
  Click here for pictures.
  
   

• 03.Jul.04 (Sat.) - Flying Tigers!! - Hamilton, Ontario (pictures!)
  
  If you missed it you missed sumthin' - the Flying Tigers first ever Helicopter Funfly was a total success. These guys have a beautiful field complete with facilities - enjoyed by the many pilots and spectators who showed up. Thanks guys - we had a great time and look forward to doing it again next year - been too busy to pick up the pictures, but I should have some posted in the next little while.
  
   

• 01.Jul.04 - Canada's #1 R/C Heli FunFly is just around the corner
  It's gonna be BIG ...and it CLOSE!! We still need help with some stuff to make SURE that things go as smoothly as they have in the past 'cause a few of guys who usually take care of the details aren't available this year.
  If you'd like to be a part making this happen please e-mail funfly@infoinvasion.com  to find out what you can do.
  There will be a prize draw for a special volunteer's prize so sign up early.
  
   

• 01.Jul.04 - Happy Canada Day!!
  
  Confused? It's like 4th of July... but in Canada
  
   

• 22.Jun.04 - Fury Ion update in the works
  
  Things have been going really well with the Ion so far. I'll post a bit about what I've learned so far and my experience with this newer aspect of our hobby later this week.
  
   

• 22.Jun.04 - CONGRATS to our buddy Panos!!
  Pete "Panos" Niotis placed 3rd in the recently held Extreme Flight Championships, popularly known as XFC - the North American equivalent of the 3D Masters. Pete's put LOTS of work into the fundamentals of his flying and clearly this has paid off. Curtis Youngblood took 1st place, Alan Szabo was 2nd.
  Well done Pete!!
  
   

• 22.Jun.04 - Where's Brian?
  Brian, our club's president has been at home recovering from abdominal surgery for the last little while which is why he hasn't been out to the field much this season. With the big FunFly coming up next month we're going to need all the help we can get. Brian is a one-man-dynamo, but this year he'll need all the help he can get - we're going to figure out how to coordinate this on the weekend and take it from there.
  The Club needs YOU.
  
   

• 05.Jun.04 - Toronto SMACKDOWN
  Ever notice how some guys REALLY cut loose the weekend AFTER the funfly? Check out SAL & CY's "kiss of death". Click here.
  
   

• 29.May.04 - Tri-City Twisters "Spring Spin-Up" - Guelph, Ontario (pictures!)
  
  Finally - the season's first FunFly this side of the border - over 20 pilots registered. It was good to catch up with everyone and it was a great day for flying. The guys back from past years have gotten even better (yo Sluggo, you're an old timer now) and the "new" pilots seem to be catching up fast. DJ CY claimed the prize for 3 bush autos in a row, Scotty got a speeding ticket, Sluggo and SAL layed the smack down with their X-Specs - damn those helis sound sweet, Kev defied gravity with THE sweetest Robbe machine flying, Jeff made his Preditor look REAL good, David confused everyone with this piro-flip-funnel-auto-snake, Kay was nailing those piro-flips Mike Z and Mike W were looking smooth - everybody was looking good.
  
  Most amazing save once again went to Darren "DC" Christopher for auto'ing his Fury Extreme to a safe landing on a bumpy field out of sight after it threw a paddle followed by the whole flybar while in the inverted part of a chaos being performed at about 20ft - had to be seen to be believed. Great time out - looking forward to the Fall Fun Fly.
  
  Click the link above for pictures on the Twister's web-site.
  
   

• 24.May.04 - Fury Ion-X in da' house (pictures!)
  
  After my experience with the Raptor 60 v1 I vowed I'd never buy a newly released kit as the joy have having the "latest and greatest" simply isn't worth the hassle of trying to work with pre-released product (I'm a software guy - trust me, I know what I'm taking about here). Well I had to break that promise .
  
  I've watched the development of this one since I saw the prototype fly at IRCHA last year. I was impressed with it's performance - seemed to come close to matching the performance of a nitro machine - and this was just the prototype. The development cycle included a LONG test phase which not only stretched my patience to the limit , but convinced me that Min Air team were serious about bring a product to market that was as "right" as it could be. I also learned a LOT from Chris Stephenson, designer of the Ion-X, who gave me a pretty good idea of what to expect and advice on chargers etc. - a big thanks man. Stocking spares was going to be easy because the Ion and the Fury Extreme share a lot in common - just about everything's the same except the frames and secondary gear reduction unit, so in early February I ordered a kit through A&J Hobbies, the LHS.
  
  My kit (#66) arrived with a set of 8000mah thunder Power batteries last Thursday evening - it was ready to go Sat. morning . This is the most complete, easy to build kit I've had the pleasure to work on in years. The frames and power-train went together very easily and the quality of the parts and hardware provided was very good. All the stuff you wouldn't want to do (like soldering connectors etc.) is already done for you as the motor, speed controller and power harness come completely assembled and programmed from the factory - just install it and you're good to go. All required accessories are included - down to zip-ties and double sided tape for mounting the speed controller. I made use of a pre-assembled Extreme head, metal washout unit and t/r gearbox to reduce the build time.
  
  There was only time for 2 flights the following Sunday but aside from the lack of engine noise it flew a lot like my Furys. I was quickly able to drop into my usual routine - the Ion-X cruised through the usual stuff and in a strange way felt MORE powerful than my 90 powered Furys when doing some things (e.g. aileron tic-tocs). It's also amazing how loud the blades sound when you can't hear the engine - takes some getting used to. It's also VERY smooth, with no visible vibration coming from the motor (which turns at over 40000rpm btw).
  
  I'll post more after I've had more time on the machine, but so far so good - well done Min Air!!.
  
   

• 24.May.04 - The perfect Rx battery - take 2
  
  So we got into this Lithium thing at the end of last season and got to believe all the hype about regulated Rx power. The PowerFlite 2400mah prismatic pack worked great because of it's small size and light weight - an easy fit in the Fury. The down side was being limited to 5 flights with no "fast-charge" option, so we decided to look for a solution that would offer increase flying time with a minimal increase in size and weight. There are 4000mah Li-Ion options available, but we were looking for something lighter and smaller. Lithium Polymer (LiPo) was the answer.
  
  These cells share the same chemistry as Lithium Ion cells but differ in construction. LiIon cells are usually packaged in steel or aluminum shell casings and most contain vents, internal fuses and other safety devices. LiPo cells are essentially LiIon cells rolled out flat, packaged in soft vacuum sealed pouches with NO internal safety devices and very thin terminals, making them more fragile and difficult to handle. LiPo packs are the popular choice for powering electric r/c aircraft because of their light weight. Vibration is not an issue with electric powered models so the fragile nature of these packs is not an issue here. Not so with nitro powered models so proper vibration isolation is very important.
  
  The pack shown above is constructed from two (2) 1900mah Thunder Power LiPo packs wired in parallel to create a 3800mah pack. A Great Planes Triton heat sensor (stripped of it's casing) is built into the pack as an extra safety measure during charging - LiPo batteries don't heat up much while being charged (about 2deg towards the end of the cycle is normal), so setting the Triton to terminate the charge cycle if the sensor reads more than 7deg above ambient can't hurt.
  
  So far the results have been good - I don't have a lot of time on this setup, but David (RappyFly) frequently does 7 flights no problem and has done 8 on a single charge with lots of room to spare - been through a couple crashes too . This doesn't make it a solution for everyone - I don't know off anyone who's done an entire season of flying on these things, so until I have they're still experimental in my book, but now when the canopy comes off and you see the little blue box up front you'll know exactly what it is .
  ** NOTE: Working with and use of Li-Po cells is risky business with often catastrophic results when things go wrong. The information above is provided as-is - we can assume no responsibility for any personal or property damage resulting from use of such information - use at your own risk
  
   

• 24.May.04 - eXtreme Helicopters open for business
  
  One of Canada's most talented and capable pilots, Darren Christopher has decided to take the plunge and create the first professional R/C Heli School this side of the border. Darren's not only an excellent teacher, but knows more about R/C helis than most people I know. If you're want to take your flying to the next level this is the man you HAVE to see - be sure to call soon as space is limited.
  
   

• 24.May.04 - What's been going on?
  NOTHING!! The weather this spring sucks (well sucked). Very little flying, so very little stuff on the website - anyway this update is long overdue so here goes...
  
   

• 04.Apr.04 - Toledo! (pictures!)
  
  
  Just got back from the Weak Signal's 50th Anniversary R/C Model Show at the Seagate Centre in Toledo. Awesome trip - we met up with a bunch of the best people in the business and got to check out lots of our favorite stuff. There were tons of new products on display by many manufacturers and lots of good bargains to be had. Some of the new products getting a lot of attention were...

  • Min Air's Fury Ion, Gasser and new t/r gearbox

  • Reflex XTR at the Altec/MRC booth

  • Robbe's Mille 3

  • Thunder Tiger's Raptor 90's

  • Centery's Predator Gasser and carbon frame set upgrades

  There was SO MUCH cool stuff to see - I'll feature some of the coolest stuff we saw over the next little while, for now here the pictures.
  
   

• 04.Apr.04 - Ping
  Decided to get back to business so things have been pretty busy for the last few weeks - hope to have a bit more time now that things have settled down a bit.
  
   

• 29.Jan.04 - The fewer the better
  
  Last year I reduced my fleet from about 10 or 11 sixty/ninety size nitro helis to 3 Furys. The result? My flying progressed more last season than any season before. Why? Because more time could be spent flying the *same* heli with the same gear than messing with a whole bunch of different stuff. Having 3 identical machines meant almost no down-time or wrenching at the field - just flying. It was also much easier to learn stuff by working with clones of the same airframe because they all flew the same (well as close as could be expected).
  
  After a while you'll become so familiar with the subtleties of whatever you're flying that...
  a) you can tell when something is wrong or about to go wrong
  b) you'll automatically compensate for whatever odd tendencies the heli may have and you won't notice them anymore
  
  Stocking spares also becomes 10 easier . Best thing I ever did.
  
  

• 29.Jan.04 - Technology still sucks
  After more than 15 years as a software engineer I guess I should have expected this... The laptop came back last week and worked for about 4 hours before it died with exactly the same hardware fault. Time to give up on that piece of junk (Toshiba Satellite 5100 series FWIW) and move on. Nice to have FrontPage back :), so let's go
  
  

• 16.Jan.04 - Technology sucks
  My main machine (Toshiba laptop) died during the 2nd week in Dec. Lost a bunch of e-mail and some other stuff that should really have been backed up. Still waiting for it to be returned...
  
  

• 25.Dec.03 - MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
  The last 4 weeks has been CRAZY busy with the DVD stuff. The demand was way more than we'd anticipated initially so we had to grow FAST. Although the weather has been mild there has been NO time for flying - not even G2. Anyway, it's all good. This was an excellent season and we were able to really beat on some cool stuff - we'll give the usual best/worst round-up at the end of the year. We also made it out to some great events and I'm pleased to say that this hobby just keeps getting better and better. Didn't make my 120 gallon target, but I'm pretty happy with the 50 that I did burn.
  
  Well enough babble, Happy Holidays everyone and here's wishing you a great 2004!!
  
  

• 22.Nov.03 - IT'S DONE!! - "Extreme 3D - IRCHA 2003" DVD - AVAILABLE NOW - trailer
  
  Same deal - no scale or interviews, just 2 DVDs crammed with Extreme 3D
  If you liked the last one you're going to love this. This, the 10th anniversary IRCHA Jamboree was the biggest and best yet. Shot digitally with multiple cameras this video will take you back to the best 3D flying of this year's Jamboree or show you what you missed if you didn't make the trip. A must have for your 3D collection.
  AVAILABLE NOW .
  
   

• 26.Oct.03 - Li-Ion - the perfect Rx battery?
  
  For the last couple of years 4.8v 2400 sub-c Sanyo NiCAD packs have been our Rx battery packs of choice. The were dependable, capacity was good, you could charge the heck out of them (up to 5amps) and they could deliver massive amounts of current, BUT they were also heavy. A complete 2400mah pack with fast charge lead weighs in at about 8.5oz (240g). This was not a problem in the Robbe machines which are usually tail heavy, but was too much for the already nose heavy Fury so we started to look for alternatives.
  
  All our helis run the same stuff 9252 CCMP, GV-1/9253 throttle, GY601/9251 so a fairly high current draw was expected. The Furys seem to draw an avg. of 2amps in flight.
  
  First we tried 4.8v 2700mah NiMH packs - weight 5.7oz (160g). These look good on paper, but actual results were disappointing. I could get 5 flights on the 2400 NiCADs, but only 4 with the 2700's - sometimes I could even see the onboard voltage monitor flickering in the red while hovering on the 3rd flight!! The controls also felt slightly "softer" than before. Even when fully charged the voltage could be made to sag by moving the collective up and down quickly and working all 3 CCPM servos at the same time. Further testing showed that these packs were not capable of delivering high current on demand without the voltage sagging to unacceptable levels.
  
  Next we tried 4.8v 1700mah AU NiCAD packs - weight 5.2oz (146g). These had no problem delivering the juice but 1700mah is 1700mah and the voltage would start to sag by the 3rd flight. This could be seen in the ever so slight degradation in the consistency of pirouette rates and other subtle telltale signs of a low voltage condition. While there was no problem fast charging these at the field, this was not always convenient as unlike 1700 SCR cells, these cells don't like being fast charged at more than 1C (1.7amps). We usually fly about 6 flights a day during the summertime, so most days we'd take 2 helis out to the field. For the 8 / 9 flight days we'd still have to use the fast charger. All in all these were pretty good packs.
  
  Enter Lithium-Ion. These packs have been around for a while but have been slow to gain popularity because of the special equipment, handling and upfront cost required to get going. We got a chance to check them out at IRCHA - the Powerflite guys were pitted next to us and a couple of our flying buddies had put some time on them so we got lots of good info and decided to give them a shot. We chose the Powerflite 7.2v 2400mah prismatic pack - it's small size made for easy installation in the Fury and it's low weight (4.6oz / 129g) placed the CG right where it should be.
  
  Here's what it took to get going...

  • A charger that can handle Li-Ion batteries
    
    This used to mean purchasing a special charger from the battery supplier, but nowadays good general purpose chargers with Li-Ion support are becoming common. The Great Planes Triton has been working well for us so far (there were known problems with earlier versions - see the battery forum on www.rcuniverse.com for details).
     

  • An onboard voltage regulator
    
    Most Li-Ion packs are made up of 2 cells in series - each cell is 3.6 or 3.7 volts depending on manufacturer - this makes for a 7.2v or 7.4v pack - too high for the on board electronics. Most battery suppliers will also supply a regulator which will reduce the voltage to 4.8v or 5.1v (or adjustable) which is what the onboard electronics need. We've logged nearly 100 flights on the Duralite and Powerflite regulators and both have worked great.
     

  • An external voltmeter with a 1amp load...
    
    ...for preflight checks. Most battery suppliers offer products that will do the job and there are several aftermarket products available eg. the Futaba unit shown above.

  Now that you've got the stuff, here's some of what you need to know...

  • Follow all the battery supplier's instructions to the T, yes this means you'll have to read the instructions but you'll be risking fire and/or explosion if you don't

  • Don't discharge the pack below 5v else you risk permanent damage to the pack

  • Test the pack with the loaded ESV like the one shown above before each flight. Your onboard voltage monitor won't be very useful because it will be seeing regulated voltage. If it moves off the first green then you pack is almost completely drained. Most battery suppliers will specify a no-fly voltage (e.g. 6.75v). Stop if you're close 'cause voltage will drop rapidly once the pack is discharged past it's nominal voltage (7.2v - 7.4v)

  With all of this stuff needed to make them work and all the precautions why in the world would we still want to use them?

  • Capacity - Li-Ion Rx packs are available in capacities up to 4800mah at 7.6oz (212g) - still lighter than the 2400mah NiCAD pack at half the capacity. Guys using these high capacity packs report being able to get 10 or more flights per charge. I get 5 - 6 flights per charge from the Powerflite 7.2v 2400mah pack in my Fury.

  • Weight - a Powerflite 7.2v 2400mah prismatic pack weighs 4.6oz (129g), plus another 0.5oz (14g) for the regulator - total 5.1oz, lighter than the 1700mah NiCAD pack and approx. the same size.

  • Redundancy - the pack is constructed using 4 cells 2 series 2 parallel - this means that you can loose a cell and the pack will still function. Testing with the ESV will tell you that something's wrong.

  • No memory effect - no need to cycle Li-Ion batteries, in fact documentation supplied with the pack suggests that cycling may shorten the pack's service life.

  • Regulated power - the voltage remains constant from the first flight to the last and remains a rock solid 5.1v (read at the GV-1 or GY601 display) no matter what - period. The controls feel snappier and have a more linear feel 'cause there's no sagging voltage - the tail has the same consistent feel from first to last flight.

  Duralite (www.duralitebatteries.com) and Powerflite (www.rcpowerflite.com) are the leading suppliers of Li-Ion gear for this purpose with several others gearing up to enter this market segment. Is this the way of the future? I hope so - the difference between unregulated 4.8v and regulated 5.1v Li-Ion has to be felt to be believed. It may seem subtle at first but once you get used to it you won't want to go back - the heli simply feels more predictable which is a big thing when working on maneuvers that are heavily dependent on timing, like fast stationary pirouetting flips - the heli always seems to be exactly where you expect it to be. We'll wait to see how they hold up to a whole season of flying before adding them to the "must have" list, but so far so good.
  
   

• 19.Oct.03 - X-Spec smack (video)
  
  Sluggo gets comfortable with his new heli - looking good -  video
  Hirobo X-Spec / CarbonXtreme 3D dampners, fins / YS91 Viperhead SB16 / GY601
  
   

• 14.Oct.03 - Mille 2 1/2 (video)
  Kevin installed a 7.2v 0.06s servo in his Mille in an attempt to wake up the collective. The results were impressive. Have a look - video.
  
   

• 12.Oct.03 - I missed Michigan this weekend :(
  ...had a BUSY week - not enough energy left to make the trip - guess I'll have to get my priorities straight next time.
  
   

• 07.Oct.03 - Uh, who pulled the plug?
  I'm glad to see that everyone has been enjoying the trailer - it wasn't exactly supposed to be public knowledge for a few days more but it's all good . The overwhelming response has blown our monthly bandwidth quota in just a few days - a first!! Anyways, we're in the process of moving to a bigger, much more capable ISP so there may be a few broken links for a little while - we'll get it all sorted out but not this week 'cause the weather will be great and there's a case of CP30 in the garage that I want to make disappear. Seriously though, Team Bob00 is back at www.teambob00.com - same address, different home - tell all your friends.
  
   

• 06.Oct.03 - Having problems keeping your SB16 properly fixed to your Fury?
  
  Erich Stoltz has come up with a really good product that solves this problem that has plagued many of us this season. It very well made and bolts right up to the Fury - no drilling or fiddly fitting required, yet the muffler can be easily rotated out of the way or removed for maintenance. Most importantly the muffler is now properly secured - no more problems with loose or broken clamps after 12 or so gallons. This is a "must have" if you're still messing around trying to get the Hatori clamps (stock or CNC ones) to work. They should be available from some of the bigger online hobby stores (like Rick's). If you can't find them anywhere drop Erich ( estolz@earthlink.net ) a line or ask Sluggo where to find them (Sluggo knows everything about everything).
  Thanks to Pete "Panos" Niotis for hooking us up with this product.
  
   

• 06.Oct.03 - The McCowan field is OPEN
  ...plus we'll have a week of great weather so get out and burn fuel.
  
   

• 01.Oct.03 - My MISTAKE!! - The McCowan field will be CLOSED from Thur.02.Sep.03 thru Sun.05.Oct.03
  ... due to the Markham fair which will be on at the Markham fairground across the street this weekend. The field will be closed this weekend for safety reasons as per our agreement with the owner and the City of Markham. There is to be NO FLYING OF ANY SORT at this facility until Monday morning. Please respect this and make arrangements to fly elsewhere this weekend. Thanks.
  
   

• 20.Sep.03 - Toronto R/C Club Helicopter Fall Finale (pictures)
  
  A really cool funfly - everyone flew instead of just sitting back and watching the regulars - great to see this sort of participation for a change. There were no competitions and after a whole season of funflys they weren't missed. Dunno what happened to the steak, but the free burgers and 'dogs hit the spot. Thanks to Steve "Detroit Steve" McFall for making the trip and bringing us some Freya and Evo smack - I think we're going to be seeing more of these around - they fly great!! You make an excellent rep man. Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen (Brian, Mark, Dennis, Chris, A&J Hobbies, Pinnacle Hobbies just to name a few). Here are some pictures.
  
   

• 08.Sep.03 - Viperhead - Believe the Hype
  
  One of the goodies I was lucky enough to get my hands on while at IRCHA this year was the new Viperhead for the YS91 by OMI. I'd been happy with my YS91s in stock configuration except for rear bearing problems. They seemed to run smooth enough and produce enough power for me until 2 of my extremes were fitted with Tempest FAI heads. The Tempest head is 34mm wider than the stock head so when fitted with 710mm blades the rotor disk is equivalent to pulling 727mm blades on the stock head. Other blade sizes were tried (690mm and 700mm) but none felt as good as big 710mm blades - the mighty YS91 would need some help.
  
  Enter the OMI Viperhead. This beautifully machined piece is well packaged with clear instructions and is shipped with a .004" shim which replaces the stock .008" shim. Installation was easy and can be done without removing the engine from the Fury airframe. The plan was to use an Enya #3 and an Enya #4 plug, but after speaking with James and Stephen from OMI we were assured that a couple OS #8's would work just fine.
  
  There are some very minor issues when using this head in a Fury
  - the engine is a little more difficult to install and remove 'cause the head is a little longer than the stock head
  - you'll have to make up a tool to change the lower angled plug - your stock plug tool will not work - here's what we made up after a trip to Canadian Tire/Sears...
  
  Other options include the one shown on the left (thanks to Erich Stoltz). Sluggo's also found a Hirobo tool that should work well with a little modification.
  
  The startup procedure is the same as before - light the top plug, start the engine and go fly - the second plug will light in flight. It may idle and hover a little rough at first but this smooths right out once the second plug lights. If you plan on hovering for a while flip to IDLE-UP briefly to get the second plug going then hover away.
  
  Well was it worth it? HELLLL YES!! The boost in power is amazing. The YS now has no problem pulling 710 blades on the Tempest head even with less than perfect collective management. The engine is uncanny smooth and transitions cleaner than before. Pull into a nice nose-in inverted hover and you'll be amazed at just how smooth this thing runs.
  
  I've flown about 12 gallons of CP30 through all 3 Furys (all 8.45 gear ratio) and the results have been consistent - more power and a smoother running engine. The engine seems to be happier with the SB16 than the MP2. The MP2 seems to produce a *little* more power, but isn't as smooth as the SB16, tuning is more critical and runs hotter. I've heard from guys running lower gear ratios (8.0) that the MP2 combination works VERY well in that configuration, but right now the YS91 + Viperhead + 2x OS#8 + Hatori SB16 seems to be the magic combo right now - WICKED power and unbelievably smooth.
  
  The guys at OMI have produced a great product that works as advertised. This is a "must have" if you want the most from your YS91.
  
   

• 08.Sep.03 - Been really slow around here lately
  ...because we've been out flying . The weather has been great since getting back from IRCHA so we've been trying to make the most of it before it gets cold.
  
  Been working on the new IRCHA DVD "Extreme 3D - IRCHA 2003" - the footage is amazing, thanks to this guy... For those who don't know him this is Kay Thaele - the crew's official camera man. He shot most of the video on the IRCHA 2002 DVD and has done an incredible job at capturing the best of the 3D action at IRCHA this year - you'll see.
  
  
   

• 08.Sep.03 - MAH Paddles - Sluggo's 10 minute installation guide
  
  Here's Sluggo's long awaited MAH paddle installation guide.
  Enjoy - these paddles rock - click here.
  
   

• 14 - 17.Aug.03 - IRCHA 2003 JAMBOREE (pictures)
  
  The BIGGEST R/C heli event of the year just got bigger. The flying was WICKED!! This weekend was true 3D mayhem. We picked up several hot new products including Viperheads (YS91), gen 2 (or 3?) VBlades and a new style SB16 muffler clamp designed specifically for the Fury by Erich Stoltz.
  
  Thanks to Ron Kummer, Dan Monroe and company for doing a great job of organizing and running this massive event. A big, BIG thanks to Jeff "Hitch-Hiker" aka. "Tent-man" Swartz for hooking us up with a GREAT pit location (and a ton of laughs all weekend). ...and of course Big D for a whole bunch of stuff - thanks buddy.
  
  We had upto 4 cameras rolling and shot over 25 tapes (LOTS) of digital video - it's going to be a real job to make this fit on just 2 DVD discs.
  The 2003 DVD, "Extreme 3D - IRCHA 2003" will be available in the coming weeks. Enjoy the 200 or so pictures in the meantime.
  
   

• 09.Aug.03 - Huronia R/C Club Helicopter Fun Fly
  
  Once again this event proved to be a good warm up for IRCHA. Everybody's flying was looking good. No stop blade autos from David (RappyFly) this year though . Darren pulled off one of the most amazing saves I've ever seen. Kevin's Mille threw it's tail pushrod while Darren was at the sticks - the amazing thing is that we didn't even know that something was wrong - it looked like he was just doing his thing - fast piro flips to the left. It wasn't until he landed (pirouetting auto) with a bounce that it was clear that something was wrong - awesome.
  ...this must be my luck field, won the auto contest again .
  
   

• 27.Jul.03 - Tempest heads
  
  What's a 3D guy doing with an FAI head (2nd picture)? I love the way my Fury Extremes fly - the speed of the cyclics and collective power is addictive, but I've always missed the locked hover and precise tracking of my long gone Vigor so I decided to check out the FAI head - Sluggo got the 3D head. Kind of late to get into details now but let's just say that it impressed the hell out of me today in the strong wind (30kph gusting to 45kph) - more tomorrow - until then enjoy the pictures.
  
   

• 27.Jul.03 - Having trouble aligning those MAH paddles?
  These are the best paddles I've flown to date BUT were a real PITA to work with them until Sluggo showed me how he does it - he's promised to write a quick and dirty "how to" - I'll post it here when its ready.
  
   

• 27.Jul.03 - Here's what's happened in the last little while...

  • Jeff Key (Mr. JK Painting) is a new DAD!! - if you didn't already know make sure you congratulate him next time you see him

  • Scott Grey (Scotty) won the NATS - yup, that means he beat Curtis!! Congrats man

  • I've finally posted the pictures from the Toronto funfly - there's over 300 of them - check 'em out
    
     

• 12 - 13.Jul.03 - The Toronto R/C Heli Club's BIG 2 day FunFly - biggest and best so far!! (pictures)
  
  A very BIG thanks to Brian, Mark, Chris, Dennis and everyone else who helped organize and run this event. Special thanks to out sponsors (A&J Hobbies, Pinnacle, Advanced, Hobbytech, others) and others who donated prizes (Min Air, Horizon just to name a few). We had a HUGE turn out both days (good food too) - even though the weather was pretty rough on Sat the guys who turned up kept the flight line busy had a great time.
  
  The weather was *perfect* on Sunday - so was the flying. Scott Grey (current US National Champ), Arden (A&J Hobbies), Darren "DC", Chris "Sluggo", Kevin "Rappy112", David "RappyFly" and many, many others kept the crowd entertained. Seems like everybody was cutting the grass somehow (rolling, flipping, death spiral etc).
  
  Sluggo pulled off an amazing save after a lower boom support bolt on his Fury broke while doing piro flips. The boom support went up into the main blades and was ejected along with half the horz fin clamp. The impact twisted the boom almost 90deg - leaving the tail rotor almost horizontal - auto'd it back to himself as if he meant to do that.
  
  Darren snatched first place in the aerobatic spot auto contest, but only after a tie-breaker round with Kay "KCT".
  
  Tons of cool prizes and wicked flying both days - lots of helis went home with grass stains - excellent event - thanks again to everyone who showed up - easily the biggest (and best) in recent times - very well done guys.
  
   

• 09.Jul.03 - The Toronto FunFly - this one just keeps getting better and better
  The field is right across the street from the Markham fairgrounds - so what's the big deal? Well I've been told that this weekend the grounds will be hosting BBQ Rib-Fest. That means lots and lots of finger lickin' good ribs (and beer) just across the street all weekend long. We'll be running our own grill as usual, but this should be worth checking out.
  
   

• 06.Jul.03 - I tried to kill it but it wouldn't die
  
  Yesterday I reached the end of my rope with Fury #001 - it's been eating crown gears since being fitted with the 0232 speed-up t/r gear (no problems w/ #002). I thought I had the problem licked 'cause it was ok the last few times out, but yesterday halfway thru my first flight while doing RH piro flips "CLACK-CLACK-CLACK-CLACK" - crap - another crown gear - grrrrrrrr. Now let me explain - this machine has been cursed this season (probably by Kev's Robbe).
  
  - First, it started glitching badly out of the blue after over 200 trouble free flights when we were more than 400 miles from home at the Mid-America funfly
  - Next, it started eating crown gears after getting the speed-up gear
  - It then tried to kill itself by spitting the lower main mast bearing while in a hover - the bearing simply fell out - then it started glitching like crazy 'cause with the bearing gone the main shaft was now free to wobble around and make contach with the bearing block
  
  Anyways, back to the story. I landed to verify that the crown gear was indeed on the way out. I had to take off quick 'cause I could hear Sluggo and RappyFly running over - they knew that I was likely going to wreck it, so I punched full collective, climbed to about 200ft up and away from everybody and everything, gave full right t/r, did a few full power flips and let the 601 do its thing. After about 10 sec the RH piro suddenly slowed down and turned into a fast LH piro - I was holding full right stick at the time so this meant no more crown gear - it was going to die and not be able to give me hell anymore.
  
  Then a strange thing happened - I started to feel sorry for it! Even though we have this hate-love thing going, it's still my favorite Fury - watching it up there all alone locked in the LH piro of death seemed kind of pitiful, so I hit throttle hold and brought my old friend / enemy / nemesis down safely. Did a backward auto to give it / me one more chance at killing it - I guess it really wanted to live 'cause although it was a bit of work it came in backward with almost no teeth on the crown gear to a safe landing!
  
  One the way home I realized that it had hypnotized my sorry @ss into saving it and was laughing at me in the back of the truck - I'm such a sucker...
  
   

• 05.Jul.03 - Toronto R/C Heli Club 2 day FunFly next weekend
  Ok guys this is the first 2 day local heli event that I'm aware of - lets make it a big one. If you don't even fly helis but think about doing so, BE THERE. This will be the biggest gathering of top notch pilots (local and US) to date, the flying will be off the hook and you can bet that if you've got questions or a problem heli the best people will be on hand to set you straight. This is the kind of event that will push you to the next level - there'll be tons to learn from the guys present. There'll also be several vendors present with all sorts of cool new stuff. So bring your sunblock, chairs, tables and camcorders (and heli of course) and come prepared for 2 days of non-stop flying and fun.
  
   

• 05.Jul.03 - Ping
  It's been REAL quiet around here because we been out flying - a lot :). Things are a bit different when you fly the same machines everyday - seems like there is always some maintenance, usually minor, to be done every evening to have both helis good to go for the following day. Also been REALLY slow on e-mail - sorry about that.
  
   

• 05.Jul.03 - 1700mah NiCD Rx battery pack
  The 2700mah packs prev. discussed were replaced with 1700mah Sanyo AU NiCD packs - these have been working well and are seem to be fine for 4 flights between charges. They're also slightly lighter than the 2700 NiMHs.
  
   

• 22.Jun.03 - London Funfly (pictures)
  Guys, we've got to support our local events better than this. Last year was a rocking good time - this year was too, but with fewer faces and even less flying. Thanks to Tom Knight and company for hosting the event - it was a long drive but well worth it. Owen put on a good show with his new X-Spec - nice machine. Chris (Sluggo) was MIA (out of town) but David, Kay, Kevin, Steve and others kept things lively as usual. This was another Fury dominated event - damn, there seem to be a lot of them things around - Kev??
  
   

• 03.Jun.03 - 2nd Annual Mid America Fun Fly ROCKED!! (pictures)
  
  Once again Darrell "Big D" Bell and the MidWest R/C club hosted a killer event. Things picked up nicely on Friday with most people arriving and setting up. The weather on Saturday was "challenging" with 50+ kph winds gusting to 70, cold and rainy, but not even this could stop the fun - guys were flying in these conditions and making it look good. A visit to Darrell's "office" later that day rounded things out nicely . Stewart, Panos, Dave, Jim, Big D and many, many others laid down some of the best executed 3D moves I've ever seen. The Canadians rose to the challenge as Darren, Sluggo and Kevin made up some wicked new <bleep> and put on one hell of a show - Kev even pulled off his first pirouetting funnel! Kay's been working hard to kick Ron Lund's butt in the auto competition at IRCHA this year and did lots of nice inverted pirouetting autos - somehow he managed to shoot over 6 hours of spectacular video that we might have to do something with.
  
  Buzz, the creator of Magnum Fuels was also there - what a great guy - walk up to him and have a chat and you'll see what I mean. His 30% Heli+ was the dominant fuel at the event and runs great - more about this stuff later. It was a GREAT weekend with some of the best people in this hobby - we learned a lot (especially Fury related stuff), made lots of new friends and had a great time. If you missed it don't make the same mistake next year.
  
   

• 03.Jun.03 - MP2 / YS91 update
  Steve H. dropped me a line to say that the newer MP2's are now being shipped with longer bolts - thanks bud.
  
   

• 03.May.03 - 2700 NiMh Rx battery pack - the good and the bad
  Many of us in these parts have run custom made 2400 NiCad packs in our helis with excellent results for some time. I recently fitted the Furys with much lighter AA 2700 NiMh (5oz vs 8oz) to improve the balance of the models - the Fury was nose heavy with the big sub-C 2400 pack up front. The model had a significantly better feel to it with the lighter battery pack and pirouettes were cleaner, requiring fewer corrections due to the CG being closer to the main shaft. There were some concerns about the AA sized cells being able to deliver the current required by a full rack of digitals in a CCPM ship - these were confirmed once the pack was installed. If the collective was pumped quickly enough the onboard battery monitor would dip into the red with a fully charged pack! The pack was used anyway as the collective would NEVER be moved that fast even under the most extreme flight conditions. All seemed well until the 3rd flight yesterday when while hovering close in we noticed the battery monitor showing a low voltage condition. Upon landing (no more flight loads) the battery monitor went back to showing a fully charged pack.The pack was cycled and found to have over 1700mah left. The conclusion is that this pack is unable to adequately deliver the current required to drive the onboard electronics after a relatively short period of time. These packs will be replaced with lightweight NiCad packs next time out.
  
   

• 03.May.03 - Muscle Pipe 2 coming loose on your YS91? Here's what we think is happening...
  The MP2 on one of my YS91 powered Furys come loose last time out. I cut the power within seconds of realizing this, but not before the threads in the crankcase suffered some damage. We decided to have a real close look at what was really going on to see if there was an easy solution. Here's what we found...
  - the MP2 bolts at 12mm are too short - the adapter is about 7m thick so less than 5mm engage the threads in the crankcase - the hole is 11.5mm deep
  - the muffler bolt hole threads in the YS91 are slightly oversized, making it difficult for the short bolts to engage properly
  Our solution was to machine 16mm bolts resulting which seem to be working quite nicely.
  
   

• 03.May.03 - The weekend we've all been waiting for (pictures)
  Just when we thought we'd caught up with him, he shows us just how good a pilot he really is. Darren is back. He's been kicking some serious ass with his R30. Watching him fly the crap out of this little machine makes me want to sign up for some lessons - damn. If you haven't made it out to the field yet, get out soon - you're in for one hell of a show.
  
   

• 03.May.03 - Need stick time
  I'll be leaving the cameras etc. at home for the next couple of weeks - website updates may also be a little sparse. I need to get some serious stick time in. It will be business as usual after 3 or 4 cases. The goal this year is 120 gallons of CP30 - so far I've burnt only 1.5 - not good.
  
   

• 03.May.03 - Missed the symposium again
  Woke up on early enough this time, but was over 3000 miles away on vacation (wife made me go). Heard it was the usual good time. Kaye posted some pictures to his RunRyder gallery - check 'em out if you haven't already seen them.
  
   

• 12-13.Apr.13 - Big boys SMACK down (pictures)
  
  These guys really let it RIP this weekend. This was the most intense hard core 3D flying that this field has ever seen - INCREDIBLE!! I've never seen Kevin fly like that before - EVER. His Mille was ROCKING with that YS91 / SB16 combo - look out Fury, Mille CCPM on the way. Chris was beating the crap out of his Fury - made EVERYBODY stop and watch - unfortunately the heli gods stepped in and "shortened" his 4th flight - get her back in the air man .
  
  David was showing us some real technical sh<bleep>t with his backup Fury (ask him what happened to his main machine ), including his pirouetting flip ground launches - way COOL with mud flying everywhere. Mike Z showed up with the only Vario Extreme in existence properly setup for real 3D. He modified the heck out of this machine this winter, and even designed and built a 80 - 90 gearing kit for it (Vario, you need to get of your ass and call this guy - you NEED him) - time well spent, he was ripping up the sky with the rest of 'em.
  
  Keep an eye on Kevin Robb - he was seen doing a controlled tailstand launch into backwards inverted flight with his Raptor 30 - he was just flying circuits last season, looks like somebody's been G2'ing. This was the day we've waited for all winter...
  
  Me? I was forced to sit and watch this all because my DAMN Muscle Pipe 2 fell off the YS91 halfway through my second flight grrrrrrrrr - more on this later.
  
   

• 11.Apr.03 - Mud...
  The ICE is gone and the field is starting to dry out. Stand in any one spot too long and you'll start to sink.
  Park over at the Markham fairground entrance and walk in. NO driving onto the field until further notice.
  
   

• 06.Apr.03 - Ice...
  No flying this week, the ice storm last Thur - Fri has left a thick sheet of ice on everything. David managed to get into the field somehow and flew 1 tank (mud on the skids to prove it) - damn this guy is dedicated.
  
   

• 06.Apr.03 - Jack's back and look at what he's got (well, more like had - 3 of these bad boys are gone already)
  
  Jack got back from Toledo today with a whole bunch of goodies. Take a good look, that pile won't last long. Also in are more parts and accessories for the soon to be released Mille III Pro. This year is shaping up to be pretty good once the weather breaks.
  
   

• 29.Mar.03 - Roadside smack (pictures)
  
  It was cold, wet, windy and miserable today but that didn't stop the Guelph boys from coming over and laying a little smack down on the McCowan field. I hear it makes the grass grow. Anyway, it was too wet to go into the field so we pitted across the street and got down to business. Chris flew his brand new 9zwc2 Tx for the first time and Kevin put 2 tanks through his Mille, now fitted with the new Hatori SB16 YS91 muffler - very quiet, very nice. David and I were too cold (chicken) to fly so... Toronto-0, Guelph-3
  
   

• 18.Mar.03 - Finally flew the YS91
  
  I finally got around to putting a few tanks thru rebuilt Fury Ex #001, now fitted with a YS91 and MP2. The power is amazing. This engine develops tons soooo much more torque than the other engines before it - seems like no matter what you do the blades just keep on turning. It's not impossible to bog it, especially when running it break-in-rich, but the difference is that it recovers almost immediately instead of getting progressively worse. This is also the first YS engine that's not been too rich to fly with the break-in settings in the manual. By the second tank with both needles just 2 clicks lean of break-in settings I was able to throw it around a bit. The engine had no problems with funnels, climbing tic-tocs (tail & nose down) etc. and produced good steady power with a nice consistent tone all the time. At times during the flight I actually felt sorry for the airframe. Believe the hype.
  
   

• 18.Mar.03 - What an inexpensive, easy way to make your Futaba 9252 servos feel like new?
  If you don't crash too often you may notice that a CCPM machine equipped w/ these servos may begin to feel a bit sloppy and less locked after about 100 or so flights. I noticed this last season when I had reason to fly my other Fury (#002 - new) right after #001 on the same day. The difference was so obvious that even people watching noticed how much better #002 flew. 9252 servos when brand new have as close to 0 backlash as you can get, but after time the geartrain wears and a little free play will develop. The solution is simply to change the gearset (or crash more often). This servo uses plastic gears - a complete gearset costs only a few dollars and should be considered consumable. These servos rock.
  
   

• 16.Mar.03 - More...
  
  All the Guelph boys showed up to help melt the snow with some kick-@ss-on-the-deck-in-the-dirt-YS91-3D. Here are a whole bunch of pictures courtesy of Mr. Kay Thale. Also, a warm welcome to Cyril (hope I spelled your name right bud) - the new guy in the pictures. He's working on an advanced flight control system and will be using models to prototype his work. Be sure to say hi when you see him.
  
   

• 15.Mar.03 - It's on...
  
  The weather finally let up today. It was 4deg at the field, but sunny so the Guelph boys decided to come over and lay a little smack down to help the grass grow. Flying this year is going to be at a whole 'nother level - be prepared for what you'll see. The evil twins are good to go and are identical in every way this year. They didn't get any stick time today because there was a bad case of "FuriousTorqueTubeSlippyitis" affecting the other Furys present and I didn't want either of them to catch it. #003 is on the bench and should be ready to go in a week or so. Here are some pictures from today.
  
   

• 16.Mar.03 - I stole David's colors
  David would not stop ripping off my moves and equipment (and perfecting them) so I ordered new Fury canopy/fin sets from Jeff exactly like David's. Seriously though, orientation is everything when choosing a color scheme and David's colors work really well, even on dark cloudy days, so take a long hard look before stomping on that heli you think is David's 'cause it might not be.
  
   

• 16.Mar.03 - New Futaba 9c Transmitter for sale
  Sluggo's decided to make the jump to a 9Z WCII so he's selling his new (bought last month) Futaba 9c Heli Transmitter with case, neck strap  and two batterys - one stock, the other a 1500man nimh pack. It's in great condition because it's brand new (still smells). He's asking $600cad. If interested e-mail him here kathyandchris@sympatico.ca. 
  
   

• 09.Mar.03 - It's been a while...
  Damn, this winter just won't go away. It's been really slow around here - there hasn't been a lot of time for R/C stuff. Only Fury #001 is finished and ready to go - #002 is still in pieces and #003 is still in the box - not looking good for this late in the year - the -10deg temperatures outside don't help either. Anyways, enough whining - time to get off my @ss and get the web site going again. This is shaping up to be one kick @ss season. Everybody has been hard at work on G2 and the results are showing. I have been told that one of our most capable pilots currently flying another brand currently has a Fury Extreme and YS91 on the way - expect this to radically change the balance of things around here this year.
  The pilots are ready. The machines are ready. The good weather will soon be here...
  LET'S GET READY TO RRRUMBLE!!
  
   

• 09.Mar.03 - We're going to have to break David's fingers
  The Toronto 2003 season hasn't even started yet and David has burnt 2 cases of CP30 already. I've watched him fly twice already this season and he's come a loooonnnnng way since last year - and last year he was pretty good. Well this year he's looking d@mn good and is definitely going to be one of the better guys to watch. I'll post a vid soon. Darren who?
  
   

• 09.Mar.03 - The Piccolo Pro...
  
  ...ROCKS!! I've put about 80 flights on this thing in the basement so far (remember, this is Canada - it's -17deg outside right now) and it has been a hell of a lot of fun. Mine is box stock except for MAH CF blades. It flies like a mini 30 and is a lot more stable and responsive than the older fixed pitch piccolo. With a 9-cell NIMH pack flight tomes were around 6.5 minutes. With the new Li-Poly 3S2P 2040mah (6 cell) pack shown in the picture non-stop flight times in excess of 20 minutes are possible - I don't know how long exactly 'cause I can't fly for longer than 15 minutes or so at a time before fatigue starts to set in. There have been some problems with short tail motor life when using the Li-Poly pack, but it is definitely seems to be the way to go. I'll post more details about this cool little heli in the near future.
  (MAH CF blades and Li-Poly packs are available locally at A & J Hobbies)
  
   

• 09.Mar.03 - 2003 Symposium?
  Haven't heard anything about the annual Flite Craft Heli Symposium this year. In case you don't know what it is, it's the event that usually kicks off the flying season. It's a chance to catch up with everybody and to see all the new stuff everyone's worked on during the winter before it gets all torn up and dirty. I'll post details if I hear anything.
  
   

• 14.Jan.03 - Need Paint?
  
  Jeff has painted just about all the Furys flying in the Greater Toronto Area. He's painted so many of them that he can now do it with his eyes shut. For the best in custom paint work with a real quick turn around, call Jeff Key 905.476.4602 or jeff@wrkey.com
  
  
  

• 01.Jan.03 - Happy New Year !!
  Best wishes for 2003!
  
   

• 01.Jan.03 - The Toronto R/C Heli Club (McCowan field) ...
  ...is closed until further notice due to very soggy conditions. I hear that there is/was 6" of water in the driveway. Even those of us with 4x4's would probably get stuck, so please don't try to drive onto the field until further notice.
  
   

• 2003 - All the 2002 stuff has been moved to the archives.

Reviews

• Curtis Youngblood Muscle Pipe II mini-review

• Futaba GY601/9251 - mini review + quick & dirty AVCS only JR10x setup

• Futaba GY401/9253 - mini review + quick & dirty AVCS only JR10x setup

Archives

• 2002 season

• 1999 - 2001 seasons

• Videos

Clubs

Toronto R/C Helicopter Club

Toronto's BIGGEST and best heli only club - we like to call it home.
The field is located on the south-east corner of McCowan Road and Elgin Mills Road, Markham Ontario. It's opposite the Markham Fairgrounds. The entrance is just south of the intersection on McCowan Road - have a look.

For you guys using GPS systems or MapQuest (www.mapquest.com), the GPS co-ords are...
    Latitude:    43 deg 55' 10" North    or     43 deg 55' 10"
    Longitude:  79 deg 17' 41" West      or    -79 deg 17' 41"

Here are some local area maps...
 

Sponsored by...

• A & J Hobbies
  
  24 Main St., Unionville, ON  (905) 305-1479
   

• Advance RC & Hobbies
  
  Unit 200, 8555 Woodbine Ave, Markham, ON  (905) 946-8088
  

• Pinnacle Hobby
  
  5990 Sixteenth Ave., Markham, ON  (905) 471-9634
   

AJAX RC Club

One of the best flying fields in the Toronto area. Airplanes, helicopters, gliders - you name it we fly it. Also the only fully integrated fixed wing/rotary wing field I know of in Toronto. Click here for details.
 

Toronto R/C Helicopter Association

The West End club - 401 & Mississagua Rd.

Here's a map...

This is a real small group, so make sure that you get in touch with someone before going out or else chances are you'll be all on your own. Closest hobby store is...

• Hobby Hobby
  
  128 Queen St., Streetsville, ON  (905) 858-7978
   

Tri-City Twisters

The Kitchener Guys -  host to some of the best events in Southern Ontario - well supported by team Canada's Steve & Scott Gray. Click here for details. Closest hobby store is...

• Flite Craft Model Co Inc.
  1595 Victoria St. N., Kitchener, ON  (519) 742-7141
  

Links

• Forums

  • HeliFreak.com - new kid on the block and growing fast - need to check this place out, esp. if you fly Min Air

  • RunRyder - currently the most popular R/C Heli forum out there

  • R/C Groups - the BEST source of info on electrics - Motors, LiIon, LiPo batteries, chargers etc.

  • R/C Universe - full featured general R/C (helis, electric, planes etc) forum

  • Rotory.com - Mike Mas' r/c helicopter forum
     

• Vendor Websites

  • FlightPower: www.flightpower.ca
                       www.teamflightpower.com

  • Avant RC: www.avantrc.com

  • Synergy RC: www.synergyrc.com

  • Miniature Aircraft: www.miniatureaircraftusa.com

  • Align RC:  www.alignrcusa.com

  • Thunder Tiger: www.team-raptor.net
     

• Clubs

  • - The Toronto R/C Heli Clib: rcheli.ca

  • The Ajax R/C Club: www.ajaxrcclub.com
     

• Other web sites

  • LittleRotors.com - one of  the BEST sites for great content and information - Simon has done an outstanding job
     

• Zombie Forums (not dead, but not alive)

  • The Schluter (Robbe) Lists: groups.yahoo.com/group/Robbe_Schluter
                                              groups.yahoo.com/group/Schluter-list

  • The Vigor List: www.egroups.com/group/TeamVigor

  • The VoyagerE List: groups.yahoo.com/group/JRVoyagerE

Copyright (C) Rob G. 1999 - 2008 All rights reserved.
Last Revised: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 01:54:29 AM