Top tip to keep your HummingBird in the air.
04-29-2003, 09:03 PM
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Top tip to keep your HummingBird in the air.
Hi all. I have thrashed the pants out of my Hummingbird for the last 2 weeks (just under). I have discovered a few VITAL tips to keeping it in the air. I want to share these tips because I have found out through LOTS of batteries and it's good to share!
1. Balance the blades. Take 'em off screw together in middle with flat head screw head underneath at 90 degrees to blade. Balance on razor blade or model knife and use tape of some sort 1/3 way down lighter blade till it balances. You can get another 3 or 4 mins out of a balanced heli. and it is a SHED load easier to fly. It took me 5 mins to balance my blades and I'd never done it before.
2. If you crash a lot (don't we all?) when your heli won't climb much. Stop, carefully twist the end of the blades to increase the pitch. Fire her back up and she'll pop straight up to the ceiling. But more importantly....
3. No matter how much you twist the blades, if your fly-bar paddles are anything other than horizontal to the heli frame, i.e. flat, she won't fly well and usually won't get off the gound by more than a foot. You will notice lots of noise. This is the turbulence of the paddles sapping all the power away from the motor. I found this out through lots of crashes. They always get knocked from flat and it will not fly if they are not. You would not think so but it's true.
4. The main rotor, when split, can easily be hel together with selotape. Make sure you put the same amount on the other blade to balance it.
5. Waiting for a new tail rotor? Make one with card. My tail is all card selotaped to the hub. I have a tiny amount of hub left. I used a snapped off blade to draw a template on a piece of card. Works a treat, though lots less efficient than the real thing. Flight times go down as the tail is sapping power. Works though :-)
6. Get your confidence with loads of Gyro gain (not so much as to wagg). It sapps power again, but is great for finding your feet.
I'm by no means an expert, and I know a lot of this is dotted around the board here but I thought I'd post something for the many other newbs I see here and want to share what I have learnt so far.
Roger
God is is great when you hover. My GF is getting a bit fed up with my new love :-)
1. Balance the blades. Take 'em off screw together in middle with flat head screw head underneath at 90 degrees to blade. Balance on razor blade or model knife and use tape of some sort 1/3 way down lighter blade till it balances. You can get another 3 or 4 mins out of a balanced heli. and it is a SHED load easier to fly. It took me 5 mins to balance my blades and I'd never done it before.
2. If you crash a lot (don't we all?) when your heli won't climb much. Stop, carefully twist the end of the blades to increase the pitch. Fire her back up and she'll pop straight up to the ceiling. But more importantly....
3. No matter how much you twist the blades, if your fly-bar paddles are anything other than horizontal to the heli frame, i.e. flat, she won't fly well and usually won't get off the gound by more than a foot. You will notice lots of noise. This is the turbulence of the paddles sapping all the power away from the motor. I found this out through lots of crashes. They always get knocked from flat and it will not fly if they are not. You would not think so but it's true.
4. The main rotor, when split, can easily be hel together with selotape. Make sure you put the same amount on the other blade to balance it.
5. Waiting for a new tail rotor? Make one with card. My tail is all card selotaped to the hub. I have a tiny amount of hub left. I used a snapped off blade to draw a template on a piece of card. Works a treat, though lots less efficient than the real thing. Flight times go down as the tail is sapping power. Works though :-)
6. Get your confidence with loads of Gyro gain (not so much as to wagg). It sapps power again, but is great for finding your feet.
I'm by no means an expert, and I know a lot of this is dotted around the board here but I thought I'd post something for the many other newbs I see here and want to share what I have learnt so far.
Roger
God is is great when you hover. My GF is getting a bit fed up with my new love :-)
04-30-2003, 02:23 AM
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Top tip to keep your HummingBird in the air.
Dodgey99,
I'd like to thank you for sharing your experience. I've been struggling with getting my Hummingbird to stay airborn. It floats around at knee high or less most of the time, but some times, inexplicably, it'll fly a good deal higher and then back down.
I'm guessing now that maybe one of the paddles is loose and is self adjusting in flight.
Thanks again for the good info.
Regards
I'd like to thank you for sharing your experience. I've been struggling with getting my Hummingbird to stay airborn. It floats around at knee high or less most of the time, but some times, inexplicably, it'll fly a good deal higher and then back down.
I'm guessing now that maybe one of the paddles is loose and is self adjusting in flight.
Thanks again for the good info.
Regards
04-30-2003, 05:54 AM
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Top tip to keep your HummingBird in the air.
Your'e welcome Brad!
If my blades need twisting, or a paddle is not straight it will do exatly the same. Be aware that it way not be a loose part. Sometimes it will gain loads of height just because of the slightest draught (indoors as well) or getting in an area where the rotor wash bounces off other objects , or the opposite (I think!). Not worked that out yet..
Roger
If my blades need twisting, or a paddle is not straight it will do exatly the same. Be aware that it way not be a loose part. Sometimes it will gain loads of height just because of the slightest draught (indoors as well) or getting in an area where the rotor wash bounces off other objects , or the opposite (I think!). Not worked that out yet..
Roger
