RE: next heli after fixed pitch?
The SR is a great looking, but unfortunately poor flying heli. The best for the money I believe is the classic ThunderTiger Raptor 30 nitro, the ARF one with mounted stone dependable engine and muffler .It's more stable and easily seen than ANY 450. A major deal is it provides [u]15 minute flights[/u] which are invaluable when you're learning, that is a big deal. Parts are widely available and widely VERY inexpensive. A whole lot of guys don't do this, but a whole lot of guys not far down the road from where you are wish they would've :). Doug PS-For a real Bible, and some solid advice whether you go electric or nitro next check out www.rchelicopterfun.com. It's great stuff.
Posted on: 7/29/2012 1:04 PM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11173504

RE: Blade SR WTF!?
Hey acdii , How many succesful flight shave you had on this SR ? Was it bought new ? Is it your first collective pitch heli ? If so, it is a very bad choice, I had one too. It has two things going for it ; It's pretty and being an e-flite heli parts are easy to get and inexpensive. And that's all. My favorite for any new flyer is a Raptor ARF 30 nitro, because no electric can give you 15 minute plus flights and that's how you can really learn to fly and practice -practice-practice. Anyone who flies planes has the field gear, and just over 300 gets you an imcredibly tough ARF airframe with a stone dependable motor and muffler mounted, incredible stability, easy to work on ...all things no little heli can give you and certainly no 450. Oh, the main gears on the SR are prone to being destroyed . The usual cause of a heli suddenly darting one way or the other is a swashplate not dead level post-repair especially. If a newer heli pilot can get a swash leveling gauge for his specific heli he'll be really glad he did :). Doug
Posted on: 7/23/2012 8:54 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11165758

RE: 130x
I wouldn't do a thing to change it. You're happy and you're learning , that's all that matters. Doug
Posted on: 7/10/2012 6:59 PM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11150737

RE: 120 SR intermittent yaw
I suspect the tail rotor motor,and bet that would cure the problem. At any rate I'd replace that before the board, for sure. Doug
Posted on: 6/16/2012 3:54 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11119975

RE: New Blade 450 3D up in smoke!!!
The battery can absolutely touch the motor the way that's set-up, so just keep an eye on that on the next one.
Posted on: 6/8/2012 10:07 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11111336

RE: New Blade 450 3D up in smoke!!!
That's typical service from them, they're pretty darn good. You'd said it was your 5th flight. Was that all on one battery, or were you charging it between flights or what ? How long were your flights roughly ? Glad you took pictures ! Doug
Posted on: 6/8/2012 6:58 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11111149

RE: DX7s battery use
Duh Andy ![;)][;)][;)]. He's right of course. I'll never have another transmitter without a Lipo or something newer and even better comes along,and that'll take some doing. Doug
Posted on: 6/6/2012 1:43 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "JR Radio & Spektrum Radios"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11108303

RE: DX7s battery use
A 4 cell NiCad or NiMH is a 4.8v battery, a [u]5 cell[/u] of either is a 6 volt battery so those figures are fine. You can use that 5 cell pack but he's right to fully charge it you'd have to remove it. The 2 cell 7.4 volt Lipo is different, the internal charger (your radio doesnt have an external charger, that thing is a power supply will work fine on it. Nicads and NiMH batteries and Lipos have different requirements charging wise. Your radio also has the option of reflecting that you have in place a 2 cell lipo, showing 7.3-7.4 on the screen when fully charged and a cut-off/warning about 6.6 volts. When you do install a lipo you'll kick yourself for waiting, the radio will go double plus the time between charges. Doug
Posted on: 6/5/2012 11:51 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "JR Radio & Spektrum Radios"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11107501

RE: NEW 450 3D RTF
Doesn't the 450 have Deans or EC3 plugs ? Regardless, if it does, then you need a pair of male banana jacks to plug into your charger and on the other end a male Deans/EC3 or whatever to plug your battery into . These are sold widely already assembled, Google them. On your charger select Lipo, number of cells,(3),and capacity (mah). If it's say a 2500 capacity, then pick a charge rate of 2.5amps,2300 2.3amps,etc.,etc. If your battery says nothing about "charge up to 3c rate" then stick with charging it at the standard rate (eg: 2500mah charge at 2.5 amps). If it did say "okay to charge up to 3c" then you could actually charge that 2500mah battery at 7.5 amps, a lot quicker, if your charger will do it. If that charger is ac/dc it'll charge a lot quicker off a good car battery or power supply instead of the wall cord. Be sure to use your balancing board the charger came with. If nothing on your board fits your battery your hobby shop oughta have the other one that wil for a few bucks. If you're pretty new this is the best web site on the internet, both in its on-line instructional and YouTube videos : http://www.rchelicopterfun.com/rc-lipo-batteries.html For advice with a nd always great deals on quality battery chargers Experience R/C is hard to beat. Doug PS-Your heli is the center piece and the recommended first heli on www.rchelicopterfun.com . Lots of good stuff in there.
Posted on: 6/4/2012 6:59 PM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11106634

RE: Modified - Tower Kaos 40 Kit
[quote]I removed the internal muffler baffle and drilled out the exit pipe on the muffler as large as possible without making the pipe wall too thin. [/quote] You've gotta be real careful with that. If you wind up with the hole in your exhaust tip plus the size hole you now have in the 'baffle' and you compute the total area, vs. the total area of your exhaust port and they are larger than the exhaust port ( the actual engines exhaust port) you will have screwed up the reflective 'wave' that keeps too much of the the incoming fuel/air charge from spewing out the exhaust oon the way up to the combustion chamber. You will have an engine that has a lousy low end and mid-range transition, with a too touchy needle, the top end always wanting to go lean...not good.. A tach reading with a completely stock OS muffler and the modiified one will surprise you, seriously. The tuned pipe, or a Jett type pipe arer a much better idea.The idea behind the tuned pipe like alcarafa is running is not about 'decreasing backpressure" or "opening 'er up". It's about optimizing that reflective wave.His motor rips, your's will be a diog ,and I'm not dogging you :). I'd think over this one a little. Doug
Posted on: 5/28/2012 1:07 PM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11097574

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
[quote]BTW - my DB is very nose heavy, battery (Hobbico 2S 2100 LiFe) is as far back as it can go, gonna need several ounces to bring the CG in the middle of the range. Where is everyone elses balancing? [/quote] Mine was nose heavy too, even with the receiver battery very close to the rearmost former in the radio compartment.. I know all about 'tail heavy planes may only fly once', etc.,etc. but I never fly a new model with the c/g forward of the forward most recommendation, they fly like such pigs and don't want to slow up to land, the knife edge blows,etc.. In this case I went ahead though and flew it with the c/g about an 8th inch in front of the recommendation and the little missle flew just great, it didn't have any of the nose heavy characteristics I'd expect. Hmmm. I'll have to move it back with a heavier receiver battery I guess, I'm certainly open to hearing anyones views on this crates c/g wise or anything. That E-Flight electric gear continues to pleasantly suprise me. I'm not used to going home after a few flights off a grass field with a retract equipped plane with nothing to fix or adjust:). Doug P.S.-patternflyer76 you are doing a helluve job on that electric conversion, very nice work.
Posted on: 5/28/2012 12:53 PM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11097556

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
[quote]said a bit of a dog, it is not a complete dog. And compared to the older OS's it is[/quote] From R/C Report re-printed for O.S. this article says you're wrong : http://www.osengines.com/reviews/osmg0561-rcr.html [quote] I have an HP Gold Cup that will out turn that with a muffler compared to your tuned pipe numbers[/quote] Then you have the only HP Gold Cup ever made to do such a thing. Come on.[8|] Then again, your 65 La is something really special to, isn't it ?[8|] What's with all the BS? Doug
Posted on: 5/23/2012 11:28 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11091891

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
[quote]IMO OS is no longer that well made.[/quote] That is absurd, and there's [b]no[/b] expert, of whom I consider Clarence Lee to be one, in the world who would agree with that statement. Also, the only .61FX that a 65[u]LA[/u] would outperform or even come close to it would be one with a major problem. The 65 LA is a fine little sport motor, but it's a mildly tuned, plain bearing engine. We have two guys in our club with .61FX's that run super, I had one for the last three years I ran the daylights out of before making a trade with another guy in the club for it and it's still running strong. The 65 LA does have the capability of spinning some larger props at good rpm, due entirely to the aforementioned mild port timing. Performance that would be good for slow flying 'Cub' type applications. For instannce it may well turn more rpm with a 14x6 than a motor with more radical port timing and a carburetor that flows tweice the air/fuel. A tuned pipe on a motor with port timing like the 65LA has and with that carburetor would give a performance increase only of the auditory hallucination type. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But not their own facts :). Doug
Posted on: 5/23/2012 11:22 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11091883

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
Maybe there's some confiusion about the .65LA. Like all O.S. motors it's well made, dependable, etc. but it's way down in performance compared to the FSR,SF,FX,AX and it's not particularly close. It's a fine engine for trainers and mellow sport flying. It's got that little air bleed carburetor, all plain bearings and cost a lot less than the others and shouldn't be expected to run with the higher performance ball bearing motors, and it doesn't. Doug
Posted on: 5/23/2012 6:56 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11091615

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
Holy Cow lfinney ! It's hard enough to keep my 55 year old brain leashed to this thing now. Wow. :) :) :) . Doug
Posted on: 5/22/2012 6:26 PM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11091081

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
[quote]What exhaust system are you using on the Rossi? Is the engine the AXE Rossi 35R60?[/quote] Hi, it's the stock tuned pipe and header that comes with the 35R60 with a tuned pipe and header for 289.00. It is a 'muffled" (Not much ,that's for sure !:)) tuned pipe. The manner of attaching the exhaust extension, the header and the tuned pipe itself are all very muchso first rate by any standard. http://shop.vendio.com/RossiEnginesUSA/item/2083574184/index.html I ordered this motor on the phone from the company who rran the ad I posted here and had it in 3 days, West coast to Ohio. I am very pleased with all aspects of this motors performane, how easy it was to dial in, how non-critical the needle is. very ,very nice motor. Plus, the front bearing anyway is a sealed ceramic one...no kidding. I haven't looked at the rear one but as far as the front goes there's no question what it is. Doug
Posted on: 5/22/2012 2:07 PM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11090786

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
[quote]The market has been quite hard on the Glow engine manufactures.. I have read that OS approach was to make many NEW types of motors in the interest of selling "new design motors" to the public, rather than trying to sell there same engines they have had for quite a few years now... With the recent Engines I have seen come from them I wouldn't complain.[/quote] Fact's all. I'm not complaining either ! It's no big deal, .60..61-.65, what's it all matter anyway ? None of us are international competitors or anything of the like. Good engines are good engines two stroke or four. Displacement differences that trivial (.61-.65) don't even really matter, all the other internal stuff is what makes the difference. It kind of reminds me of when Tower will do these silly 'combos' where some high performance aircraft will include a plain bearing trainer type motor [8|]. A .65 LA for instance would not be any advantage over the 60's-61's guys are talking about here. BTW, my new Rossi 60 has been one sweet handling and a.. hauling motor. Don't hesitate if you'd been considering one. Doug
Posted on: 5/22/2012 4:24 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11090088

RE: Blade cp pro
What ATVAlliance said there is true and should be an attention getter. He's right now where you're trying to get. Note what he said about flying it outside, and how much it's like his 450. That heli is a classic already, all those good points and to boot it's capable of absorbing some monster impacts without damage. Amazing. Doug
Posted on: 5/21/2012 4:30 PM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11089424

RE: Blade cp pro
The Blade SR unfortunately was a 'just missed' heli. If it would've come with a belt drive tail it would've been a home run. As it is it's rather a turkey and not a good learning platform. The Blade SR120 on the other hand is a hiome run. They willl fly inside,outside, are good for learning a ton of things, are dependable, tough as hell, and are overall a really good stepping stone to colective pitch heli's. Doug
Posted on: 5/21/2012 5:56 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11088594

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
That sure sounds like something with the OS carburetor was the problem all along, instead of the pump, doesn't it ?Whatever is causing the motor not to start.idle is going to be something very simple, though certainly that doesn't always mean easy to find.[;)]. But it sure can be found. What I've seen out of those particular carbs is an o-ring on the main needle that looks good but isn't, and needing a very patient and high pressure hose clean up of al the passages in the carb itself. That leak in the ST carb could very well be because it wasn't designed to process any sort of significantly boosted fuel supply. I just hate to see you guys lose out on one very sweet running set-up on that O.S., the stock one, where whatever the problem is when you find it you may be tempted to rend your garmernts :). Though not the same thing this reminded me of back in those long-ago days when a new guy would have a minor engine problem often they'd want to dive in and start 'adjusting" the pumps (!!!!). In which case we'd be screaming 'No, don't do it !" :). Doug
Posted on: 5/21/2012 5:50 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11088587

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
[quote]CHeck back earlier in the thread. Some of us are putting a Hayes 16oz oval tank in ours. This should be more than enough foy us to fly our planes as long as we want to, even with a fuel hungry motor.............. [/quote] Yipee ! Thank you !!! Doug
Posted on: 5/20/2012 5:45 PM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11088144

RE: Blade cp pro
Yes, then an MCPX.regardless of cost the CP+ is a bad place to put a cent in. MCPX's will teach you how to fly Collective pitch helis, and as long as the wind is light, which it needs to be when you;re new anyyway, it'll do great. Doug
Posted on: 5/20/2012 5:43 PM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11088142

RE: Screwdrivers?
Do yourself a tremendous favor and get the Japanese Industrial Standard (J.I.S.) set from Central Hobbies, it's on their web site. Many times, most times really, when us hobby types have sworn at the 'cheap,junk little phillips screws', ( also found on motorcycles by the way in bigger sizes) the real problem is we're not using a J.I.S. screwdriver on them. When you do it's like magic. It doesn't matter if you're using a Craftsman, Snap-On, whatever #00,#1,etc. it'll never work on a J.I.S. phillips screw head like even a modestly priced J.I.S. screwdriver. The shapes are way,way different. You'll be glad you did. Doug
Posted on: 5/20/2012 5:38 PM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11088130

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
I agree on the tuned pipes. The one that came with my Rossi is of course well-matched to the motor so it has a very broad, easy to set needle. Only if you've never run one [i]set up at the proper length for your motor [/i] should they ever be criticized. (The information for most any engine appropriate is widely available, from Macs for example and of course other owners.) The reason being is the power increase is not a barely perceptible, 'well, maybe' thing. It's huge,and maybe most importantly it sounds righteous as hell :). When I saw the initial post where someone had posted a picture of the Dirty Birdy ARF not more than 5 minutes elapsed before I ordered it. I love this crate. However, I wouldn;t turn my nose up on the Phoenix 7. Unless there was some huge disparity in build quality or something which I highly doubt coming from Horizon, the Phoenix 7 will be just as good as the original which iis to say it was the standard for many years and was nobody's dog, then or now. I have to figure out how to get a bigger tank in my DB though. This 8 oz tank isn't cutting it at all. A good bit of most patterns is flown wide open and it's 50-50 whether , at least with this gas hog of a motor, will finish the routine in any pattern I've seen. So, who's got the good fix on this ?:) Doug
Posted on: 5/20/2012 5:53 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11087515

RE: Blade cp pro
Save yourself the grief bud. Those were a p.o.s of epic proportions, in the top ten of exquisetly bad collective pitch helicopters. Check out www.rchelicopterfun.com . Get a simulator. Then get a Blade 450 or similar and set it up per the web site I recommended. You'll here sometimes someone engaging in delusional euphoric recall about their CP plus or CP who 'll say "you'll learn a lot". I say you'll only learn how to crash and spend money, along with getting very frustrated with the hobby. They're junk. Doug
Posted on: 5/18/2012 6:14 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11085560

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
I'd bet you could use one with the others, like you said, just like servos. The nose gear hasn't caused me any problems as of yet, but it sure looks substantial enough for me, maybe they've been improved. About the vibration...One thing that's really struck me is how darn smooth this airplane is regarding vibration, even at full throttle it doesn't viibrate half of what I expected. Maybe the Rossi's just a really well balanced engine, or that and a combination of a lot of things like a balanced prop, the tru-turn spinner, a substantial motor mount and firewalll, etc. Regardless this thing doesn't vibrate enough in my opinion to wear much of anything out. If that changes though I;ll post it up here right away. Doug
Posted on: 5/18/2012 6:06 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11085550

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
Those Robarts are way too much for a 60 size sport plane,come on. 400 bucks ? They aren't 'Robostrut capable" either, they are Robostrut [b]only[/b]. They're nice gear for sure, but that's crazy money. Robart has an electric set they told me about on the phone that are just like the pneumatics in the manual, and each and every time I've seen that very old plastic body design used on grass fields it has broken. The E-Flites look to have been designed by modelers. They are all metal. They have[i] two [/i]hardened steel set screws holding each high quality strut in the gear, and the struts already have perfect flats in them for the two set screws. They have 2 big ,hardened allen bolts on [i]each[/i] bolt-on axle as well. Heck, they even come with very good wheel collars,and the motor/gearboxes are completely sealed from outside elemennt, fuel, etc. To me that adds up to first rate and they've held up beautifully through 20 some landings on a field that is not very good. My motor is mounted upright and it's been no hassle at all, it was a snap. It's a Rossi 60 w/Rossi tuned pipe. Doug PS-I love how retracts improve performance, how they make the plane 'feel' and how they look. But to newer guys know this- Having a plane with retracts fly off-on a grass field and eventually even a paved one and expecting to not have to fiddle with them [i]a lot[/i] is as close to impossible as something can get . If you have retracts they'll need some maintenance,and they'll need it fairly often. Remember, I'm a fan of them now. It's all been thought of, it's all been tried. They've always taken some regular work and always will.
Posted on: 5/17/2012 9:42 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11084456

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
It may be worth it to get your original pump working. There's not much to those things.Be sure that's the problem and it's not the carburetor. Perry Pumps have been around a long time and there are a lot of useful things they can do. What the two pumps do and how they do it though are not identical. Also the SF carbs and pumps were very carefully matched, had extraordinary handling qualities and performance,and it'd take a lot of fiddling to get anywhere near that performance with something cobbed together. Doug
Posted on: 5/14/2012 8:48 PM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11081034

RE: Dirty Birdy ARF
There are a lot of different sizes for these available, and apparently there's a lot of different people re-badging/re-naming them for re-sale too. They should look familiar : http://www.ebay.com/itm/PZ-15094-Large-Retract-Electric-Landing-Gear-Servo-for-RC-Model-Aircraft-/170789034690?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27c3d1dac2 It's free enterprise though, so go at it :). Very tempting for the price. I went for the E-Flite 3 gear ones after sending a couple e-mails around and getting no response. Don't you hate that ? Anyway, those E-Flights have amazed me with the ease of installation, ultra-smooth and dependable operation, and most of all with their standing up to my landings :). Doug
Posted on: 5/14/2012 9:49 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "Classic RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11080307

RE: Lost 2nd plane using AR9000, 2700mah five cell pack
That sucks Ron, I hope you narrow it down firmly.Unknown drives anyone crazy. I have to agree about the batteries, the NIMH especially so. If it's Nicads and you want to stick with them for high dollar applications especially do yourself a favor and buy an SR. They are still in business, you bet. Anyone who knows what is the cheap way to get a job done in a battery pack and then the more expensive way can take one look at an SR with no cover on it and tell you "these guys cut zero corners". That aside, the new age Li-Ion and Lipo's are awfully hard to beat, especially the Li-ions since they don't have the severe consequence if you leave it on too long that a Liipo does. Thank you very much Barracudahockey on that quiick test on the 9000, I'm going to go check out a 9000 of mine right now,and thanks to you ! Doug
Posted on: 5/7/2012 10:09 AM by Author "Doug47" in the forum "JR Radio & Spektrum Radios"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11071681