post-blade strike advice requested  
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post-blade strike advice requested - 10/10/2003 4:57:14 AM   
zaremba



Posts: 104
Joined: 3/2/2003
From: Elmhurst, IL, USA
Status: offline 		Greetings,

I am a novice Raptor v2 pilot, and am using the stock wood TT blades.

This past Tuesday, the weather here in Chicago was beautiful, and I stayed out too long after sunset and had a minor blade strike in some tree overhang.

I lost depth perception and strayed too far into the big "tree zone" at the edge of my practice area. Well, actually, I was getting cocky and trying to harass some barking dogs, but that's a separate story.

I was too aggressive with the collective and climbed into the lower part of a hanging oak branch cluster. There was a lot of "weed whacker" noise, but I didn't lose too much rotor RPM and was able to safely recover and bring her in for a smooth landing.

Thankfully, there is no apparent damage to the rotor/drivetrain system, i.e. no vibration or noise. The flight characteristics were seemingly unaffected by the accident.

However, I did pick up a lot of green plant debris on the outboard leading edges of the main rotor blades. No impact damage is visible after wiping down the blades, but I did manage to nick off a small piece of plastic coating on the top side of one of the blades. The exposed wood is very small (approx. 5 X 10 mm). There is no impact damage to the wooden surface, just missing plastic coating.

I searched the forums and couldn't find any information about how/if to fix such damage, and whether such damage should make me pull the blades out of service and buy a new pair (ouch)...

Question:
A: Can I repair this damage?
B: What amount of damage can wooden blades sustain before safety dictates that they be taken out of service?

For all those who respond, thanks for your time and insight.

Best regards,
Paul


_____________________________

Raptor 30 V2 - TT .39
Futaba 6XHPS
       Post #: 1

RE: post-blade strike advice requested - 10/10/2003 12:29:10 PM   
polstery


 

Posts: 353
Joined: 9/18/2003
From: west hartford, CT, USA
Status: offline 		ONE HIT on any thing the blades are gone, THROW THEM OUT. The $30 to replace them is not worth the ride to the hospital to get the blade taken out of your face or worst yet a wrecked heli.

< Message edited by polstery -- 10/10/2003 12:29:34 PM >

(in reply to zaremba)
       Post #: 2

RE: post-blade strike advice requested - 10/10/2003 4:53:45 PM   
rozzibandit


 

Posts: 723
Joined: 8/24/2003
From: Clinton, NY, USA
Status: offline 		Buy carbon or fiberglass blades. I chopped down 4 corn stalks in my garden with absolutely no damage whatsoever plus fiberglass or carbon fiber are much more responsive blades

(in reply to zaremba)
       Post #: 3

RE: post-blade strike advice requested - 10/10/2003 5:41:18 PM   
zaremba



Posts: 104
Joined: 3/2/2003
From: Elmhurst, IL, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ONE HIT on any thing the blades are gone, THROW THEM OUT.


Yep, I feared as much...

Good advice...darn it, and I had done such a good job balancing them...

Thanks!

-Paul

(in reply to polstery)
       Post #: 4

RE: post-blade strike advice requested - 10/11/2003 2:52:17 AM   
polstery


 

Posts: 353
Joined: 9/18/2003
From: west hartford, CT, USA
Status: offline 		Just think of the balance practice you will be getting, We have all been there your not alone

(in reply to zaremba)
       Post #: 5

RE: post-blade strike advice requested - 10/11/2003 3:34:17 AM   
raptor_dude


 

Posts: 379
Joined: 7/25/2003
From: ...., NS, CANADA
Status: offline
quote:

Buy carbon or fiberglass blades. I chopped down 4 corn stalks in my garden with absolutely no damage whatsoever plus fiberglass or carbon fiber are much more responsive blades


Don't get CF blades! the stage your at now you wont notice a difference, but your wallet will, the reason rozzibandit's blades are more responsove is not because there carbon fiber, its because of their weight, as a rule lighter blades are more responsove!

Colin


_____________________________

Great Hobbies
Thunder Tiger

(in reply to polstery)
       Post #: 6

RE: post-blade strike advice requested - 10/12/2003 12:58:31 PM   
polstery


 

Posts: 353
Joined: 9/18/2003
From: west hartford, CT, USA
Status: offline 		Same thing goes for CF blade one hit JUNK

(in reply to zaremba)
       Post #: 7

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