J-MICHAEL

And that is what will push you through to success... Being confident and maintaining that positive attitude I always have envied from you... I know the feeling of being rusty. I haven't flown anything but the MCX since Oct 3rd, as I didn't want to have to replace any parts from a crash on a heli as I was saving for components for the 500. Almost two months later I completed my task, but found I was also rusty ! But after a few flights it starts to come back to you slowly like riding a bike so to speak. I believe you'll be fine and after a few warm up flights, you'll be right back to where ya left off. I'am so anxious for a video of that Raptor ! That is one IMPRESSIVE heli by far.... I'am jeolous.... [8D] So looking forward to some video Rick... Warm up with the Trex maybe before the Raptor, if it helps any...

Take care sir,

~ Jeff

J-MICHAEL

Going out to dinner, but here is the maiden flight of the 500 from this morning.... Watch it in high quality or it will be blurry as ya already know the drill...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzpZvjNViQQ

Barrrick

My Feedback: (2)

[sm=what_smile.gif]

i need a MUCH better word than : CONGRATULATIONS ! what a GREAT PERFORMANCE
you have left me one whole Century behind.....
I am GREEN with envy
I am BLUE for my clumsy efforts at flying
I am RED with shame for the above

but you are doing FANTASTIC .... the place you fly in, still SCARES ME TO DEATH .....[]

choppersrule

Rick,

Here's your line for the youtube post, "MOVIE POSTED IN YOUTUBE ...........http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhkiXMbu7Bc"

It will work if you didn't have the "......." in front of the http://, take away one period/ . and should look like this.

MOVIE POSTED IN YOUTUBE .......... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhkiXMbu7Bc

Always have a space before the http: thingie!

Loved your video By the way, glad to see ya back in town... We love Ritz crackers in our house,, we actually buy them in bulk.

Dave

crashcrash

well....you didn't hit the table when the battery gave out, that's a good thing. The area where Jeff flies....fantasticly primitive, I love it. You wouldn't catch me dead out there without a .44m on my side and a minimal of 30-06 for a rifle, there's stuff out there that'll kill you (LMAO). Oh...add a pocket sized .22 pistol to that list...."SNAKES!". Just remember...."a man that's not afraid is a FOOL", (unknown author by me).

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Rick, do you want me get you that main shaft for the MCX you gave your buddy? I'm going to the LHS tomorrow. I can send it to you direct an then you can forward it. I don't know if you caught that post last week. Also I guess I should post my home flying area for my planks. Even my airplane friends have issues with my flying in this space.. You just have to pick the correct vehicle for the space. I have picked some that won't work.

What is required to let the MCX survive outdoor flight? I'm tempted to get an E-Bay cx-2 if I can find out if it has adjustable rates to fly outside. Also is there a discernable difference between a cx and a cx2? I can set whatever rates I want for a 72mgz anything.

Off to watch Jeff's latest movie.

Tim

Barrrick

My Feedback: (2)

FERNDALE :

thank you SO MUCH for the offer. It is not the SHAFT that my friend in Argentina needs. In actual fact it would be the TOP BLADEs . The ball that connects to the flybar
is at the end of a VERY thin piece of plastic that comes out of the blade itself. That broke in half. After looking at the deal, and realizing that it would not be possible to
glue it back, I saw that disconnecting the flybar and turning it around 180 deg. one could use the "other connector on the other blade"....and so, the mCX was still
flying when I left the country. Back here, I find that the TOP BLADE set is not available and on BACKORDER. My guess is that they must be curing the super fragile
connector system I have just described.

I did fly the mCX outside, and it is EXTREMELY sensitive to any air movement. The next mCX that I purchased should arrive this coming week. I am going to BIND it
to the DX-7 transmitter which will allow me to INCREASE the responses, add EXPONENTIAL, increase the inputs by 150% etc etc..... I have read that this improves this
tiny heli by a wide margin.

let us all KEEP GOING, and NEVER GIVE UP...... I am going to LEARN HELIS it it hair-lips me

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Rick, it's your call, but I can probably get upper blades as well. My understanding is that the LHS's were asked to cary X number of spares if they were going to carry the Heli. I would happily check for you and buy them if you want. Same deal, just the actual cost. Or a pair of glow in the dark uppers. Just let me know tonight. I'll recheck before I leave tomorrow morning 8-ish PST.

Jeff, great vid and a really awesome spot to fly overpowered planks. I see an aerobat having a blast in that space. Power up, drop in the air and turn and burn. You'd probably want flaperons for landing but with the air currents and the pressure differentials, oh what fun.

Rick, I now see what you were talking about for Jeff's flying area. Here's a vid of my 30" Swift2 Wing from the street in front of my house.

http://www.badiusownersclub.com/vide...%20effects.wmv

Tim

choppersrule

Jeff,

Great video and one awesome helicopter. But, being the SNOOPER, and having Mafia contacts, I watched it before you posted it. LMAO

Excellent Job Mister!

Dave

choppersrule

Tim,

Yikes! That was on great video. How do you keep it in perspective? Sometimes it looks like a DOT in the sky...

Loved it, (Keep working on the mCX),

Dave

lookyj

Tim,

there are several differences between the CX and CX2:

the main difference is DSM2 Tx/Rx. With the CX2 you can bind it to any DSM2 Transmitter, like the famed DX7. and with the second generation CX2 the 3in1 and Rx are seperates, letting you migrate the AR6100e to another heli when the time comes.

another difference is are the servos, the CX has S75 (like the Blade CP), the CX2 has S60. The main frame for the CX and CX2 are slightly different as well, to fit the servos.

and finally, the second generation CX2 has mosfets on the main motors to help with frying the electronics.

I would go with the CX2, they are a lot of fun to fly outside, (just watch the wind)

lookyj

Rick,

I'm surprised Jeff didn't answer your questions about binding the mCX to the DX7, for he has become quite the expert on that little heli. and from the looks of his last vid, he's not far behind with the TREX 500.

Anyways, the programming is the Default ACRO setting with all switches set to NORM and the TRAVEL ADJUST set to 150% for AILE, ELEV, RUDD, I only set the THRO to 150% for the H setting and left the L at 100%.

Hope this helps.


JPEE -

how soon 'til we see a vid of your 500?

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Dave, the camera is a bit decieving but I have lost perspective over the cemetary. And since it is a ridge this is usually deleterious to further flight that day. The last time I lost it the plane came down about a 1/4 mile away and it took a week to get in touch with the homeowner. It came down in one of the very few gated homes in town. One of the great joys of a village is that everyone is nice. Enforced by never knowing who the person you are dealing with is friends with, and knowing that there are few "bad actors" about. I think you have sen most of the big(er) plane vids. Here is one of my beloved Bug.

Still working with the MCX. I have had airplane moments with the MCX, but far more terrifing was a heli moment with my texan. For the record, full power does not cause a plane to rise quickly.

http://www.badiusownersclub.com/vide...%209-12%20.wmv

Tim

J-MICHAEL

Rick ~

Your CX2 video looked great ! You hold a better hover especially on side-ins than me. That takes more precision right there than flying... I've found that with flying for me, its a little more challenging to do your side-in hovers, nose-in hovers than with the actual flying. I can hover tail-in no problem, side ins o.k, nose-ins no way, but while flying its more forgiving for me as once the heli is actually moving its easier to control. On my 450 the slower it is going or staying put in a hover in different orientations the more challenging it is. But as I get it up to speed more, the easier it becomes to fly. I've noticed today flying the 500 because of its slightly larger size, its a little easier to control flying at a slower speed than with my 450 which tends to be sometimes a little more quirky at slow speeds until speed it up more it then stabilizes a little more...

I guess its hard to explain, but I suppose you could think of riding a bicycle... When you first get on the bicycle (Or Jer's CBR...LOL..) and you sit on the seat and you then put both your feet on the peddles and try to hold a balance without moving its quite challenging huh ? But once you start to slowly move the bike with your feet still on the peddles, it gets easier to control, and then the faster the bike is moving forward the easier it is to keep balanced and moving forward but also increasing sensitivity a little the faster you go but still much easier than trying to balance the bike sitting still... You just find the sweet spot your comfortable with while moving the bike forward that your comfortable with in relation to the sensitivity that is also now being there but still manageable... The heli's for me are very similiar... It took me a little courage to just go fo it, and send the heli's into forward flight but once I did I found it not so bad, and then just a matter of tuning in your skills and still practicing all sides of orientations in a hover which you seem to be better at than me. You do very well it seems in that dept, so don't think your a century behind as your not doing bad at all and not really that far behind from me... You'll get there you'll see.... I really think your closer than you think...


Crash ~

Its funny you say that about there's things out there that will kill you... LMAO... As when I had walked up to the top of the property in the early morning with it still being almost dark, I had seen some fresh cougar tracks up there. LOL... I thought "Oh great..." But even in Washington State, we have cougars everywhere and when I'am hiking the trails still dark in the morning to get to the fishing spots on the rivers I still never worry and there's tracks everywhere on those riverbanks an I've never had a prob. Knock on wood of course, but I live for the outdoors and everything that is nestled all around in it... I'd have a better chance of surviving in the deep woods or any rugged country than I would in a city where crime and violence, gangbangers, and your drunk-drivers would take ya in faster than any animal would. My chances are much less if I stay out away from civilization as sad as it may seem but holds true the way I look at it, and I apply that... I'd rather die in the woods than in the streets of Seattle or L.A....LMAO... At least then I was a meal for the food chain than wasted away on the streets...LOL..! I'am never afraid in any rugged country, and its always been my domain. Here in California its tame compared to back in Washington.

Oh.... Yeah, I fly nothing on the top of the property like in the video unless its with the DX-7 and the Spektrum RX's... It took me one time, and I trust no other way but the Spektrum gear for a reliable connection, and I also just watch how far out I take the crafts as I don't want to spend all day hiking down the vertical sides trying to locate a craft in the thick brush. I crashed my Challenger once up there and it was close to the sides, and it took me a good while to even find the bright orange craft in that thick brush... I had to use the TX to keep moving the servo's and had to forget about locating it by sight, but then went by sound which clued me into where it was at. The nice thing like ya know with the DX-7 is its aircraft locater beacon, in which during a lost craft you can turn off the TX, and the motor from the craft will emit a high audible alert to help in the aid of the aircraft... Thank goodness I've never had to use that...!


Jer ~

Yeah I wasn't sure on the DX-7 and the MCX, so I left that question unanswered and hoped you chimed in as I know your experience level surpasses mine anyway...LOL.. I'll have to re-think my DX-7 and MCX binding settings then maybe... I have mine set to not Acro, but its set to Heli... And I see on my servo reversing they are set to normal like ya say, but on my travel adjusts I have the throttle for high set to 110% and low still set to 100%. My rudder is still set to 100%, but I see that the ones I changed are Aileron and Elevator in which there set for about 120% as it seems anything more was binding my servos for those controls... But I also tweaked with the positioning of the stock settings/positions of those servos with sub-trim in various places to allow for where I liked them... I noticed on mine the servos were centered more for backward flight than with forward flight, so I corrected there placements and just mocked up what I could muster with the DX-7 and surprisingly it all works well as you've seen in all my MCX videos since I've had it... But I'll have to try what you suggested and see what's going on with that... Thanks for your input there...



Dave ~

Thanks for the compliment, I figured ya watched it already since your the Chief investigator on RCU....LOL...



Tim ~

Great video by far...! You are the king of planks I already knew that for awhile now... I love them to, and will get there someday... Did you know Rick used to fly two at the same time ? A plank and a glider, and while releasing the glider, he then would quickly land the plank, then would fly the glider... Now that's crazy there ! To much skill probably for myself to muster...LOL...




Take care guys... Off to watch Tim's new recent video....

~ Jeff

crashcrash

For those cats....a .357 with a 4"bbl will work. Might not kill 'em, hurt 'em real bad or scare the heck out of 'em if you didn't want to shoot one....NICE KITTY!!![X(].

BTW, the locator beacon....no good if your plane EJECTS the battery like my last F-16 did. Battery was 10ft from point of impact. I tried to use the beacon....dead silent. Took a couple weeks to get it back...it was found on the roof of someones house roof 1/4 mile from the flying field. At least I got all the radio gear and guts of the plane back...the fuse was toast. I bought a bare bones and transferred all the stuff to the new F-16, been flying it every since.

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Jeff, I may have recently touched on intermediate status. But I will admit to having a prediliction for small landing areas. If I can find the video I'll post the one of the micro-cessna that got a guys feathers really ruffled. You can see the utility pole with all the wires and the guy was on my case because I was flying near them. I never got close with my 17g cessna but I traded comments with the guy for a couple of days.

As for the radio thing. I am a solid believer in the Sombra Labs rx's and my Hi-tec tx's. The eclipse7 seems to have a longer range, but no matter what I do the optic 6 is fust fine.

Here's the Vid that caused the "controversy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8pTA...eature=channel

Tim

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Crash, I had the same thought. My turnigy esc's send out help me beeps, unless the crash is bad enough to reset the esc. Been there and done that.

Tim

crashcrash

I was running the Eclipse7 and electron6 in my MX-400 heli. Too darned glitchy and unpredictable...I went to DX7, never looked back. DX7 does great, even with high tension wires in the immediate area. If I flew over the 220v wires going to my house...the Eclipse7 would black out till I got closer to me...scary. Hasen't happened with the DX7.

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

I got that with crappy rx's, but that was with planks. And that is why I so love the Sombra Labs rx's. Guaranteed glitch-free. So far they have lived up to that guaranty. My other 2.4 plane will cut out when I fly it through a Dish signal.

Tim

Barrrick

My Feedback: (2)

J-MICHAEL

answering your POST 8882
quite an impressive treatise on flying/learning techniques. You write well, and it makes for interesting reading.
Our philosophy on learning RC heli stands at extreme opposites. I have the whole series of HELI from RAY HOSTETLER
plus one more ( 2 DVD ) that are created here in HOUSTON.
The learning process, they say, and show it in the film MUST begin from HOVER. and the process is broken down into
steps : nose out - pointing right - pointing left - over the left shoulder - right shoulder and finally nose in
from there it moves to side (swipes) then gentle "yawing" in both directions, etc. the core of the lesson seems to be that
sooner or later you WILL return to a hover - like for "landing" ... so that if you can't hold a hover, you're asking for trouble.
I have gotten myself to the point where I do not have to think about NOSE IN, it comes fluently and tight.
in my case it's the FastForward that inhibits me. Because I tried it only (so far) with the HBK2, and they get out of sight
so quick, I plunked one down onto high vegetation and wound up with no damage. The TREX ( have 2 of those) haven't yet
had a chance at anything, since I am out of a proper charger temporarily.
I am able to hover the RAPTOR, but have only done 2 1/2 flights with it. The last flight was done 2 weeks ago, there was no
CamCorder and I was very BUT VERY shaky and rusty. So : I have to start again.
Was ready to go out again this morning but the weather has collapsed.
your kind commentary about my flying 2 planes at the same time, makes me smile. It sounds like a BIG DEAL, when it is in fact
nothing remarkable because the plane and the superimposed GLIDER are not flown simultaneously, but SEQUENTIALLY..... to explain :
once the carrier takes the GLIDER up to 500 + feet and released, the glider floats around (in trim) until the carrier plane is brought down
to land, dead-stik. once switched off, the glider flight gets all the attention.....SEQUENTIAL !!! not SIMULTANEOUS

let's get up to KYLE and SZABO levels with these helis...... N O W !!!

one thing stands CLEAR ..... I would never consider flying ANYTHING in the scenario that you fly......just looking at the landscape in the
movies makes my head swim ........ and never mind the animals, snakes, scorpions, tarantulas, pumas, jaguars......R O F L

theradioflyer

Wow, I go away for a couple of days and the catch up reading is immense! I hope everyone had a great holiday. I was down near Dave and if I had more time I would have tried to get together. As it was I felt rushed in every aspect except for the time at the dinner table. Hey Dave have you ever eaten at Grey Brothers Restaurant? When we got to town Wednesday we went there for dinner. My Grandma has a photo of my Granddad holding my cousin and I @ Grey Brother 30 yrs ago, talk about a long standing tradition

Tim you've got the Mcx down pat!

Rick, I love the Bell but no cat to knock it down[] BTW you contribute a lot to the thread. I sent a link of the 3 engine float plane with the different camera views to my Dad, he was in awe of that video.

Jeff, great flying with the 500. Your video edit is amazing[8D]

I probably missed some things, I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!

God Bless Y'all!

Jay

Wnuk

Well, bust my buffers! This thread is moving faster than the Polar Express on its way to the North Pole!

Great videos Tim, Rick & Jeff. I enjoy watching everyone fly as I haven't had the chance to lately. I'm still rebuilding mine, little by little I've been finding small things that I'd like to replace.

After much thinking on the EXI, I passed for now. I'm wanting to go all CNC, either on my B400 or with something else. Maybe after the holiday's I'll start looking again.

Keep up the posts, I read everyone one of them. Hope the Holiday was great for everyone!

Jim

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Hey guys, Barrick check your LHS for the blades. I talked to the manager of my LHS today and he showed me what E-flite sold the stores as a support pack. A 12x12x6 box of parts. They don't normally package them like that apparently.

Oh, and they had the cylindrical flybar. I just had to have one. And I broke down and bought some new heli batteries

Tim

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Double Post. I forgot how much better the cylindrical flybar works. I have started to get the nose in circle. I fly into an opposite blended turn and let the heli settle into the nose in circle. Once the turn is in motion then I add some forward to tighten it up. Is this the normal method?

Tim

J-MICHAEL

Rick ~

I bet once you get those Trex's in the air, you'll be able to see a big difference in your flying capabilities I'am betting. I truly understand your troubles with the HBK2 getting small very quick once it gets some distance on ya. I have the same thing even happen with my Trex 450, and the HBK2 is even smaller of yours... All the more reason why I wanted the Trex 500 on hand just for that, and being able to also fly in a little more wind than what the 450 could handle. I love my 450 as you can nearly fly it anywhere, but the 500 needs just a bit more room to stretch her wings. At this point after flying both for a bit now just recently, as I haven't even flown since Oct 3rd, I would have to say the 450 is my favorite just for many reasons. One is perhaps because like you, the size difference is something I will have to just get used to. Although the 500 isn't that much bigger than the 450, its very noticeable in flight to say the least... I couldn't imagine your Raptor, as I think its even much bigger than the Trex 500 I'am guessing....

I Also see the differences between flying/learning techniques between us both... Its expected, as every helicopter and every pilot share there differences in the way they do things. The right way is just what you pointed out by Ray's instructional DVD's and learning all proper orientation stances in a hover, and then progressing from there then to forward flight...

My thing is this : There's the right way......There's the wrong way......And then there's my way...LOL... I always go by my way, and it usually works great for myself, but probably only for myself. The same concept I took with the MCX. Its designed to only fly indoors... I fly it outdoors, and higher than it should be with great success. If someone says ya can't, I say I can, so to speak... Like I said, I can do tail in with the heli's in my sleep. Looking at the heli from the tail I can do a side in from the left side pretty good also. The right side, not so great... And of course nose in's there's no way... But I can fly nose in toward myself in the air however, and can land the heli no prob tail-in, or coming from either side...

In the video below of today's flight with the 450, and 30 seconds from the end of the video, you can see I can do the side in from the left good, but the right side, the bird always gets away from me. (That was for you) In flight, I do fine flying around and have never learned the basics still of nose-in, side-in etc. etc. For me its not a must to be able to fly, but something I'll work on later... I know guys who fly 3-D and can't even do nose-in yet.

Since your proficient in those stances of the different orientations in a hover, you have accomplished the hardest part I believe. The flying to me at least is the easier part, but I know everyone is different in every way with the challenges we encounter of learning to fly. For me, it used to be a fear of crashing the heli. I've found that if you stay very confident and maintain that strong positive attitude, it will take you far and keep things smooth when flying. I don't think about I'am on a mountain with sides that drop 600-900' when flying my heli, or that I will crash, as that will interupt my concentration on flying the heli... I just stay focused, and only focused to the heli. At that time, nothing else matters and I have tunnel vision which is focused on the bird in the air. If there's a cougar behind me that wants to eat me, he's gonna have to wait, as I'am busy flying my heli....LMAO...

Living in the Pacific Northwest I do a lot of Kayaking in the ocean and in our rivers... My step dad used to be an instructor for teaching others also with the kayaks... One thing he always said to the new guys, in which holds true is the more comfortable and relaxed you are, the better of a kayaker you will be while on the water... For me, its the same as when flying the heli's....

Next time out when you go to fly, pretend that all us BOB's are there with you or anything to help just relax you, as I know your so close to being where you want to be. I know you are...... You've came so far, since I've even been on this thread a year ago... Just keep up your positive thinking like you do, and you will be there my friend...I know it...

Oh.... Yeah, I guess I described your plane thing wrong...LOL.. I was going by memory from a year ago when I remembered reading that...Ooops... But still impressive, even though you say its not much. I don't believe it still, I'am sure it still takes great skill... Here's a few pics of my 500 next to my 450, as you can see the size differences. Your Raptor is probably much bigger, and I guess the size diffs we'll both just have to get used to when flying them as we will in time. At least we got our 450's in the meantime to practice with, and they are great heli's......




Here's the video of the 450 today flying.... Rememeber to watch it in high quality or its very blurry if ya don't....Oh..... You may want to sit down for this one... I had her rippin' pretty hard, and its on the mountain...LMAO...(I always think of ya now when I fly up there...LOL..) Gotta love ya Rick...! Yer always lookin' out for us crazy young ones eh ?! Ya got to remember, us young ones haven't acquired all that wisdom yet... That comes with time and experience...





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRelncP6cCs





Take care of yourself Rick,

~ Jeff