Botanist

Lets face it, I'm learning to fly my dragonfly and it is not easy. I'm hovering OK for about 3 seconds, and then I loose it and crash or if I'm lucky land (most of the time a little rough) The problem is the damm tail rotors, they keep breaking on my (and they are not very cheap) any sugestions on how to solve this, pleasssse. A duct fan will be a solution, does anyone know where to buy here in Europe. How about carbon tail rotors, are they stronger?. Or maybe a DYU upgrade?
Thanks in advance.

HB flyer

Dont use carbon fiber tail rotor if you are still on learning stage to hover, it is very expensive! Ducted tail rotor or direct drive system would be great to chose, but remember to put all of your electronics components all the way to the front side the get the right COG!
I'm sorry, I dont know where to get it in Europe, i live in United States.

HB Flyer

Super-Hornet

Your tail skids suppose to protect your tail blades when hard landing... Do u have that one connect?

If you really want to protect it, maybe Ducted fan is the right solution for u.

Super-Hornet

Botanist

Ja, the tail skid helps for hard landings, but it does not protect from my table legs, sofa or subbuffer ;o) It hits them from the side and it just breaks. A ducted fan sounds good, but I could not find a seller in Europe (from the states it takes too long and the taxes here are very high, the same goes from hong kong) I need to get them from inside Europe.
Super hornet- Could you post the picture of your home made ducted fan again?

Thanks.

Super-Hornet

Ja (or Yes) Ok.. Here is the picture.

Anyway... if you don't a bit of ugly looking, the easiest way is to poke/drill/heat melt 2 holes and just slot the tail boom end into it. U no need the bracket anyway.

Super-Hornet

bokx

How is the ducted fan beter than the tail rotor? other than the fact that it protects the blade.

Super-Hornet

Hi

If you comparing Ducted Fan with stock motor design, of course DFan/Fan Tail is more powerful...therefore more authority.

Super-Hornet

pgitta

My Feedback: (3)

Save the money on the tail rotors, and get a couple of 3/16" wooden dowels about 12" long each and cable tie/tape them in an "X" to the bottom of the skids.

$1.50 will save you $100.00!

And use a bigger room!

mcdoong

I have my dragonfly for about 2 months and I can hover for more than 3 minutes now. And I only break 1 tail rotor so far. I crashed a lot before. But everytime before it hit anything, I shut down the thruttle completely. It falls to ground directly from 2 feet height several times and nothing breaks. So, don't wait until it is too late. Shut down the thruttle COMPLETELY if you feel the heli is out of your control and going to hit something.

mcdoong

crazhorse

My Feedback: (2)

I've busted 2 or 3 stock tailblades on my HBs....... went with the DD tail on my stocker, I've went through 2 orange props for it... but at $1 a prop its cheaper than the stock taiblades

glennT

That's the trick! I always cut throttle in time and have never broaken any blades. Your heli will be fine even to fall from the height of your ceiling.

gshoaf

Where can I get one of the ducted fan tail rotors? Anyway, I made a guard that has reduced tail rotor breakage a lot. I trimmed off about 1/4" of the tail skid, I used a piece of aluminum tubing that would slip over the tail skid snugly, secured it with CA, and hand bent the tubing to form a loop slightly larger than the radius of the tail rotor blade, and CA'd it to the boom in front of the tail motor. Bend an "L" and flatten it to fit the boom. Scotch tape in addition to CA helps hold it to the boom. Shape the tubing before you CA in place. You'll have to slide the battery forward a bit to offset the weight.
I don't know if the image will open or not. the drawing is crude, but you get the idea.

VinceHerman

Have you read RADD'S SCHOOL OF ROTARY FLIGHT?
It is a big help.

gshoaf

Yeh, I've read it. Does help.

Xperimental

Hey... i've had a dragonfly for a month...had lots of crashes... some very bad but never broken my tail rotor...
Maybe it's because i always turn down the throttle everytime it's gonna crash... i was never afraid of breaking the tail rotor... i was just afraid of damaging the tail motor....
But anyway.... i don't seem to crash butt (wahaha) i mean tail first anyway.... usually the fuselage either in the skid parts or main blades part (since it's the widest component) takes the heaviest blow....

Maybe you're crashing it the wrong way? .... and i'm crashing the right way??? Wahahaha... no such thing....
But there is flying the right way... and the wrong way....