Tubes

Yep - next weekend I am picking up my first heli! I found a great hobby store about an hour from home and they stock tons of Century kits and parts, as well as Quick, Hirobo, and others. I already have a Futaba Super 7 ( UHPS ) with a 8 channel PCM RX, and all field equipment. Here is the plan for my setup, let me know what you think.

- GY401 with 9253
- 4 S148 servos with BB upgrade - already have
- OS 32 SX-H
- BB upgrade from Century

Q uestions for you guys are, what do I need to look out for when building? I know about the JB weld on the E clip. I have threadlock from Great Planes. It is in a red bottle, but should I get the "red" and "blue" from Century? I also read that ALL crews in the kit should be checked for tightness and threadlocked if not tight. This includes parts already assembled from the factory! The owner of the shop said to bring the kit to him after I am finished building, so he can check it out - for free!

I have gained so much confidence about this in the last month, after reading this forum. It seems that somone is always able to answer the questions put up here.

I look forward to your responses!
Thanks

rotordoc

Welcome to the World of R/C helicopters. The combination you have should prove a great choice.

You will find the JB weld is no longer required to secure the pitch plate to the slider, Century have now machined a little slot in the slider into which the secure clip fits. Great idea.

Most bolts are secured by locknuts, so these should be fine. But check through the manual and check those that tighten into other metal (e.g. allen grub screws.

Also be sure to set the limiter (LTR) pot on the gyro to insure the t/r pitch plate does not contact the bellcrank pivot at full throw.

Enjoy, this should put a lot of smiles on your face in the future.

Bert

CyberPilot

My Feedback: (2)

When I was building mine I found that the quick build guide and the full instructions didn't always match. I e-mailed Century tech support and they said to always follow the full instructions.

HTH,
C.P.

ThBrtmn

Make sure you only pull the part out of the bag when you need it. Pay attention to this cause you will notice that the Directions jump around back and forth to the bags. A piece here, a piece there...
Blue locktite is mostly what you will need for all of the metal to metal screws. I only used Red on my Crank shaft nut on my engine after I spun it off once. Be sure not to get the Locktite on the Bearings(sp). you can get it at your local Auto parts store.
Have fun.

sodflyer

My Feedback: (1)

I would change one thing on you're list... get the TT 39 engine I have 2 now and love them! good luck with you're sport! Jeff.

jordanrx7

I also just ordered Hawk Sport, with a TT 39. I've read more good things than bad about this engine, so I'm hoping it will run well for me. I like the idea of it being a bit more powerful than the os 32. I also ordered the bearing upgrade for it. Hopefully it will keep everything nice and smooth. What kind of battery r u going to be running? 4-cell or 5-cell? What capacity?

rotordoc

jordanrx7

I run a 4 cell 2400 mah in my Falcon with digital servos and 1700's with the others. But I am converting to the 2400 for the extra flight time and more forward cg's.

But I have used as little as 1100mah units.

Bert

Tubes

Thanks for the input guys! I have to say I am an OS man. I have been using them in planes and boats for years with no poblem. To each his own. Good point about the batteries. That is one thing I had not thought about. I guess a 600 mAh pack is not enough. Is CG very important on a heli like it is on an airplane? One more thing, is it worth it to get CNC servo arms from Century so I do not have to drill holes in certain spots on the plastic arms?

Thanks again, Reuben

Lift

My Feedback: (1)

Reuben,
I suggest that if you are in the market for a battery pack that you buy WAY ahead of yourself and get a high capacity pack in the 2000+ range. If you have a charger that can handle this then by all means do it! I am running 2700mah 4.8v NIMH packs. I use the Supernova for charging everything I have form glow ignighters to the battery pack on my starter. The only downside to the NIMH is that in cold weather they tend to drop the voltage quite a bit and 3D with all digitals tends to hammer them pretty good. NICD is a better choice in this scenario. Just something to consider.

CG is as criticle on helicopters as airplanes. But, you won't be as concerned with it till you get to doing inverted manuevers. Then it will become more important because the model will need to be neutral between upright and inverted and it's hard to learn to do this unless you are at that stage. For now, just follow the instructions and don't but a cinder block on the front and you'll be fine.

No, you don't need CNC servo arms. I only recommend Raven CCPM owners use these due to the special requirements of ball placement. CNC servo arms are usually eye-candy upgrades. Just use the plastic horns for now.

midi2

something to look for too is the 401 gyro si quite aggressive for a wire drive and fi you cannot get ride of the hunting you will need to get the carbon drive shaft upgrade available from century. IF you read the literature for the 401 it also tells you the same thing.

Lift

My Feedback: (1)

The 401 is being used on many Hawks and works great. The only thing you MAY have to do is use the "Delay" pot to correct hunting after hard piro stops.

Other than that you can use the wire drive and a 401 just fine. The Century wire drive is the best implementation of it because it uses as wire inside a tube which alleviates alot of flex and wind-up. You still have some but the "Delay" function of the 401 will solve any wire whipping problems.

But, there is nothing wrong with the torque tube. It's just that a Hawk Sport should be kept true. What I mean is why buy a Hawk Sport and then start adding stuff to it that is already in the Hawk SE V2? Just remember it's a fantastic beginner's heli and leave it at that. Just my opinion....

midi2

i used a 401 combo with the fast survo on a falcon and hawk and turned the delay all the way and and still had hunting. The 401 with a less agressive servo would work well in my opinion. I agree with you in that why spend alot with upgrades for a great helicopter.

skier

Is the Hawk SE V2 a kit or arf... I am leaning towards getting the Hawk sport because it is a kit.

vanguard

My Feedback: (25)

I have to agree with Lift. If you want to upgrade the Hawk Sport just go ahead and get the SE. I have just finished setting up my Sport. Lift is also right about the Fut. 401/9253 combo. I set the gyro sensitivity at 75% and put the delay between the 0 and 25 mark on the gyro. No hunting at all and the tail stops on a dime. I hope the weather is good enough tomorrow to complete the setup. Anxious to start flying this thing. It has already been easier to setup then my Raptor. It was a piece of cake to get the pitch curves setup with the recommended control rod lengths.

rotordoc

Skier

The Hawk SE is a Kit, even more so then the Hawk Sport.

The Hawk Sport is a "Quick build" kit. This means that there are a number of sub-assemblies already assembled (Main Rotor Head, Main-Frame, Servo Frame, Tail rotor gearbox,etc.) you just have to do some minor assembly to these (e.g. install the flybar and paddles, install the engine,clutch system) and assemble them to each other.


The HAWK SE is a very upgraded version of the Hawk Sport that comes in a true kit format only. It comes with bearings everywhere, composite blades instead of woodies, the SE head, metal swashplate, the triple bearing tail rotor system and the low profile heavy duty landing gear are just some of the major differences.

Most other manufacturers will offer a base version of their heli, to which one must add the upgrades that are supplied by the manufacturer (or made by someone else) seperately to get it into the "precision heli" category. These upgrades added seperately can double or even triple the cost of the heli.

Century on the other hand not only offer these upgrades that one can add seperately, but also offer a version of the heli with most all of these U/G's already as part of the kit. This kit will cost a lot less then what it would cost to purchase seperately.

So if one wants a "persision" version of the kit, the prevailing wisdom, which I fully agree with, is to not buy the base kit and add the UG's but to by the SE version outright.

Of note is that the precision SE version of the Hawk, is priced less then the standard version of most other brands.

skier

PRODUCT CODE DESCRIPTION MSRP
CN1041A HAWK 30 SE II ARF $359.95

That was off the Centuary web-site why does it say SE II ARF if it is in a "True kit format"?

This is just really confusing me

Lift

My Feedback: (1)

Skier,
I do believe they have an ARF offering of the SE. Not sure but I think that is the case.

Give them a call and ask for Andrew or Dennis. They can tell you for sure.

One last thing. If you are just getting started and you are looking at the Hawk 30 SE V2 for $359 bucks then I am going to push you to spend a little more here. The key is are you wanting to learn 3D/FAI or do you have scale in mind? I like 30s for getting started and keeping fuel costs down. BUT..... that is all. The 50s cost the same thing to repair and fly a WHOLE lot better. You get more power and a better platform for learning 3D. You do burn more fuel but that is just a cost of being in the hobby.

If you ad $20 bucks you can get a Raven 50 CCPM or $40 and get a Falcon SE V2. You get even more with the 50s in terms of features:
4mm flybar
CF torque tube
Slipper Clutch(Falcon only)
6mm spindle
and a few more things I can't think of.

Put a TT .50 in there and you good to go. Or if you want a gas guzzler with just a small amount of more power then get a OS .50. You will be buying alot more heli and you will not outgrow these machines. They are FULLY 3D/FAI capable and will last for years. I have over 300 flights on my Falcon SE V2 that is now a Raven 50 CCPM(I converted it). Once built and setup correctly it has been the most reliable machine I have ever owned. Just fuel, fly, and rebuild...

If you aren't interested in 3D/FAI then stay with the Hawk SE v2. But if you do want to go this route and buy ahead of yourself get the Raven 50 for 3D and Falcon SE V2 for FAI/Sport. I have had quite a bit of time on both and that is how I stack these up.

I don't mean to steer this thread away from the Hawk Sport but I want people to keep things in perspective here. Try to think of the Century lineup like this:

Hawk Sport - Low cost entry level heli for beginning to mild 3D.

Hawk SE V2 - Top notch 30 loaded with upgrades. Wild perform hard core 3D with a torque tube.

Raven 50 CCPM - Hard core 3D machine with alot of upgrades. Add a constrant drive unit for aerobatic autos.

Falcon SE V2 - FAI/Sport like flying machine with almost all the Century upgrades except the constant drive and CF frames.

syclic

Rotordoc is correct in that the Hawk SE used to also be available in kit form. But Century have discontinued it and now only offer it in ARF form. For those of us who like building kits, it is unfortunate. But the ARF version can be dissasembled into a kit as it comes with full kit instructions.

skier

LOL

I am looking to get into scale helis that is why I was looking at the Hawk sport and I a limit of somewhere around 1000 dollars for everything so I think the SE V2 is too expensive for me... I would rather get better electronics. Does this sound about right? I was thinking Futaba 6XHS radio, 401 gyro, OS .32 engine, and upgrading the servos that come with the radio with the rest of my money. Am I forgetting anything?

Lift

My Feedback: (1)

Skier,
I HIGHLY recommend you stay away from the 6ch systems. You will be MUCH better off to get a JR 8103 or a Futaba 9C. Expecially if you are going to be doing scale. You will not only appreciate the # of channels but also the more advanced features such as visible pitch & throttle curves, multiple mixes, 5 point curves, gyro menus, 4 flight modes, etc...

If you have a $1000 budget then you definetly need to stay with the Hawk Sport.

Lets see:
Hawk Sport - $160
JR 8103 PCM System w/GY401 & 9253 - $699
TT .39 - $85

The muffler in the kit is good enought to start with. So, with the above you spent $945. You need a few building tools like a pitch guage, and ball link pliers. You can add the nice hex driver set and blade balancer later.

If you don't have a starter, glow driver, fuel pump, and start wand then you will need these.

All in all you will be close to the $1k amount. The key here is you have purchased a LONG term solution to your electronic needs with the 8103 and 401 combo. Remember, helis come and go but your radio systems and gyros stay with you!! Always cut your costs on the heli and NOT the electronics. You can make a piece of crap heli fly good with nice electronics but it doesn't work the other way around.

Lift

My Feedback: (1)

Oh yeah, forgot to mention. That JR 8103 combo is available at Heliproz and it comes WITH the JR811 digital servos!

So, no need to be upgrading any servos for quite some time!

skier

I have a airplane starter will this work? I have Hex drivers from racing RC cars. And a glow driver and feul pump from airplanes. I have ball link pliers.

I have heard mixed thinks about the TT .39, where as most people like the OS .32 which would be better?

I was looking at the Futaba radio because it is what I have always used. Is the JR better? Would you recommend PCM over FM? PCM is a lot more expensive, $110 in the Futaba 9C

Lift

My Feedback: (1)

Skier,
All the stuff you have will work great. Looks like all you need is a pitch guage(Get the Vario pitch guage with the bubble level on top) and a 6mm hex start wand to put in your starter. I assume you already have a 12v gel cell battery for your starter right?

The TT .39 is a fantastic little engine. It has tons more power than the OS .32 and is just as reliable. Some say it is a not as easy to tune but then again I would be willing to bet they are not good at tuning engines. It looks like you have some glow powered RC car experience so you will do fine no matter what engine you get. If I were starting over today I would get the TT .39.

PCM is the way to go with helis. There are some die hard PPM(FM) guys out there that will tell you PCM is a waste of $$. But, this is due to ignorance for the most part.

PCM is much better at ignoring small interferences that often cause major glitches on PPM. In an airplane where most things are balsa wood the PPM is fine. But, with helis having alot of metal and bearings the potential for interference is much greater. PCM handles this much better.

In addition, PCM is more effective in making use of digital servos capabilities. The pulse rate is much higher with PCM and this creates better performance for a digital servo in holding the position it is told to hold. Digital servos truly make a heli feel sweet in the air. You can hover more precisely and the torque is there for demanding inputs.

Lastly, PCM give you an option called "fail safe". What this means is that you have the ability to control what happens to your servos in the event your model loses signal and locks you out. You can tell any servo in the system to "HOLD" it last known position or go to any position you program it to go to. On helis it's is recommended to set all channels to HOLD and the throttle to go to idle. This way if you hit the ground at least the throttle won't be stuck wide open causing the heli to beat itself to death on the ground.

So, I recommend you do it right the FIRST time and get a PCM 8+ channel system. Especially for someone looking to go into scale flight.

As for which one to get that's up to you. I like JR transmitters due to feel and a more logical interface. The quality seems to be better to me. But, it's more of a Ford vs. Chevy thing more than anything else. Get what you want but I wanted to show you that deal Heliproz has. Basically, you saving ALOT because the JR 8103 PCM system by itself is normally $640 and a GY-401 by itself is ~$200. That's $840 if you go buy it piece meal!!!!! You are saving $140. That's almost as much as the Hawk Sport kit!!!

Your Futaba servos and all will plug right into the JR receivers if you trim off the little tab on the connector. But, you can't use a Futaba reciever with a JR transmitter. Depending on how much Futaba stuff you have I would make a decision on whether or not you want to switch brands. You could get a Futaba 9C PCM for $560 and then add the GY-401 setup separately. That will run you ~$760. So, you would be paying $60 more than the JR setup and you wouldn't get as good of servos because the 9001 are standard analog servos. The JR811s are better.

Anyhow, now that I have written a book you decide. Post back after you get your stuff! Everyone always likes to hear the $$$ damage!!

skier

thanks for the help

Eject

sodflyer ,

Where did you get the T T 39 engine ? Rick's lists a TT 36 , would that be a better choice than the OS 32 for the Hawk ?