choppersrule

Just a curious question here.

How tight should the tail rotor blades be in the tail grips? In helis like the HBK 2, HBK 3, Belt-CP, Blade 400, Trex 450's, etc.

I know they shouldn't be tight, but wondering if they should be similar to Main Blade tension, or a tad Loose.

Dave

soloboss

OMG, Dave -That was a Helicopter Question!! You aren't moving from lurker back to flier are you? Well, actually, it would be refreshing to have another flier in the mix.
Be well, buddy.
Solo

J-MICHAEL

Hey Chief ! I've heard this about your question :


Make sure the tail blades are snug and not tight. You should be able to move them freely with your fingers without much resistance from the grips, but when you fold them they should stay put without falling lower than the position you left them.

If they are too tight then the blades do not extend to the fullest and that can cause tail holding or vibration problems. On the other hand if they are too loose, then if you have to auto-rotate to save the heli, the blades might fold and you can loose tail control.

Who needs tail blades anyhow ?!


Take care,

~ Jeff

rotarydoc

Jeff,

Well put, I couldn't have said it better...

Nothing even to add...

Glenn

choppersrule

Hey Jeff,

You explained it perfectly, I checked mine on the Blade 400 and the HBK 3 and both were very loose. Just kinda flopped down.

Thanks for the tip,

Dave


Glenn,

Thanks for the dittos, we all concur. Gonna put the JR servos on the Blade 400 pretty soon, thanks for all your help in that area. I appreciate it. Is JPEE still taking his nap?

Dave

Soloboss / Mark / Dude

I just woke up from a very long nap and realized, I didn't know what the heck I was doing. So, I threw out a question, I had in a dream of mine. Now, I'll be sleeping very well. Thank you. [X(]

Now it's time for some PIE.[8D]

Dave

Wolfpackin

Hey everyone,

I've been running my tail and main blades on the tight side on both the B400 and CX450 V2.
I like them tight as possible without preventing them from self straightening. But I've gotten good at tugging on the tips of the blades and getting them where they need to be.

IMO, when the grips are too loose they allow the blades to flex and twist inside the grip especially on the tail blades.
This decreases tail authority and response and could also cause some wag.

The same is true with the mains. Too loose and they flex/flap in the grip.
I notice tighter main blades improve performance especially in punch outs and flips.
[X(]...That's right, I said flips.

Dave, I didn't know you got a B400, good luck with it. [8D]

goldslinger

Jeff explained it more than well enough, but He knows Me; I always have an opinion or something to add because I like to ! !

Yea, I agree with everything said and will re-iterate Wolf's opinion. With the serious RPM's of the tail, it would have to be pretty tight not to straighten, but getting it too tight can be done easily, but it would be better to error slightly on the tight side than the loose for reasons he already gave.
I would also try to get them as EVENLY tight/loose as one can, so the 'lag' is the same and keeps everything balanced; probably not as important as the mains, though, but why not?

And they do loosen up with time; so check ever so often.

Gary

J-MICHAEL

Ray ~

[8D] Yeah had to go and try it didn't ya ?! Very cool ! For me, the loops are easier than the flips so if ya haven't tried that yet, then go GIT R DUN my friend ! [8D] Amazing where we are at today from where we were back in the old CX2 crazy days huh ?! Congratulations........



Very true....! I've also found that with both my Trex's and the CNC grips with the CF blades that during big temp diffs the blade tightness will change. Going from my nice warm house, the blades are tighter in there grips, while then when I go outside and wait several minutes in the much colder winter temps the blades will be much looser in there grips.

On my Torque Tube drive replacing the belt system on the Trex 500, I go just a tad looser for the rear tail rotor blades for that helicopter for me and my set-up in there grips just to help relieve the possibility of stripping the crown gears in them having contact with anything like a clump of grass in a bad landing scenario....Lol.. But never to loose....

"The blades should stay in place when you hold the heli vertical but pivoting the blades by hand should be easy without much friction."



http://www.raptortechnique.com/bladetension.htm


I would rather have my blades just a tad tighter than loose to prevent what Finless also describes as "sideloading" of the blades in there grips like Ray described above... Its all about finding that happy medium.


Cheers,

~ Jeff

choppersrule

Wolfpackin kinda dude,

Yep, got the Blade 400 about a month or so ago, I've got about a dozen flights on it and lovin' every minute. I purchased it from Ulitmate Hobbies for $369, which I thougt with the DX6i TX was a pretty good deal.

I'm leaning towards your train of thought on the tightness of the Main and Rotor Blades. I remember doing that some time ago on the HBK 2 and it did perform and handle much better..Hmmmm! I think too, that a lot of it has to do with indiviual flying styles also.

Take care, and I do remember your picture of you and Kenn, that was great,

Dave
-

Wolfpackin

Very cool, Dave.
Enjoy the B400 and if you have any issues maybe I can help you out, for a change.
Great deal, BTW.

Hey Jeff,
Yes, we have indeed come a long way...and lovin it!

I found backflips to be very easy. I only tried a couple of front flips before winter returned and they were very ugly compared to the backflips. But I survived them.

Loops are a completely different story for me mentally. I have yet to try them.
I think it's because they are more dynamic than stationary flips, and that scares me.
To date I still have never flown an airplane so a loop is something strange to me and seems to have more involved with it.

As soon as spring returns I'll be out there practicing my new moves so I'm sure I'll throw in a loop eventually.
Good to see all of you guys here.

Later,
Ray