Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro

Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro
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Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro - 8/6/2006 11:16:45 PM

lwatson

Posts: 742
Joined: 8/25/2003
From: Fort Collins, CO, USA
Status: offline

Just wanted to post a note to help any one else that is moving from a CX to CP Pro.

1) Check the linkages between the fly rod and the Blades, these control the collector pitch, If you set all your controls to neutral (mid throttle). The blades should be at zero pitch. Mine was shipped with one blade having negative pitch.

2) Use RADD's School of Rotary Flight http://www.dream-models.com/eco/flying-index.html. The surprise was that the chopper is going to drift left, be ready for it. And be displined to stay in control.

3) Learned how to repair and balance blades. Yes, you are going to hurt some blades. I adapted my prop balancer for this and will post some pictures when I get my camera back. Well balanced blades make a big difference.

4) Learned how to put on the Training gear. You can also add a small piece of tubing to the CF support post on the tail, add enough to raise it about 1/16" This lines up with the Training gear and gives a little more room for the tail rotor.

5) Always inspect the chopper for damage. I had to CF the tail boom in place, it kept rotating. And the silicon tubing on the frame is going to move around on you. Keep it balanced.

6) Add a little silicon oil to the moving parts on the rotor.

That is all I know at this point, but I wanted to share. Flying this thing is really hard work, but very rewarding.

Larry

Larry

Post #: 1

RE: Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro - 8/7/2006 2:50:16 AM

Remyrw

Posts: 109
Joined: 7/29/2006
From: Slidell, LA, USA
Status: offline

Gotta agree on all counts, though I went to the CP not Pro so the collective/pitch adjustments are different. They make a HUGE difference between a little off and right.

I want to add that in ground effect the CP and I assume the pro is a bear compared to even another foot up. Get two or three feet off the ground and it is much more stable. Fast and responsive, so you have to be very careful on the controls compared to the CX, but relatively stable. I was trying to practice hovering very low to minimize risk of damage and was having a terrible time, I accidentally hopped about 3 feet up once when I overdid the throttle and was amazed that suddenly it wasn't trying to get away from me.

I have an interface cord from milehighwings.com on the way for this helo and will let folks know how it and FMS (with the blade cp model) work for practice and learning. Based on my experiments with the keyboard the biggest flaw with the sim is that it doesn't include the instability on the ground as you get light on the skids and in ground effect. On the other hand, learning control responses to the automatic level so you don't have to think about it at all and are anticipating the heli will be valuable all on its own, and practicing more difficult maneuvers on the sim to get the inputs down and get a feel for how it'll work is always good. Finding out how to do some new stunt is best done without risking your actual machine

Remy

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Remy - Practice practice practice

(in reply to lwatson)

Post #: 2

RE: Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro - 8/7/2006 4:52:38 AM

joe tower

Posts: 145
Joined: 3/20/2004
From: Saddle Brook, NJ, USA
Status: offline

I too am moving from a CX to a CP PRO.....and not having a good time at it. I'm on my second main shaft....3rd set of blades...and I've busted up the training gear. Everything I thought I could do with the CX....is out the window....I just put it back together for the Second time today. Tommorrow I'm going to take it to the hobby shop and have the guy trim it out for me...It does seem to want to go left on take off. I"ll also be purchasing a SIM this week. This thing will not get the best of me!!!!!!!!!

_____________________________

T MAXX 2.5-TC3 w/ RB turbo power- Blade CX- Blade CP PRO- T REX 450X

(in reply to Remyrw)

Post #: 3

RE: Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro - 8/7/2006 2:27:28 PM

Psikelly

Posts: 1024
Joined: 2/19/2006
From: Ottawa, ON, CANADA
Status: offline

The CP will always drift left when raising throttle on account of the torque of the blades. You have to counteract this by adding just enough right stick to hold straight until takeoff. It will then stop pulling left on you. Check out Radds School of Flight online. http://www.dream-models.com/eco/flying-index.html Even if youre not going to do the course then at least read everything in this because it gives a lot of info that newer pilots dont know.

_____________________________

NO I did not just crash!! Im making it flop around on the ground like that on purpose. Its a new stunt.

(in reply to joe tower)

Post #: 4

RE: Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro - 8/7/2006 8:43:12 PM

Gonwee

Posts: 138
Joined: 6/13/2006
From: Grass Valley, CA, USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: joe tower

I too am moving from a CX to a CP PRO.....and not having a good time at it. I'm on my second main shaft....3rd set of blades...and I've busted up the training gear. Everything I thought I could do with the CX....is out the window....I just put it back together for the Second time today. Tommorrow I'm going to take it to the hobby shop and have the guy trim it out for me...It does seem to want to go left on take off. I"ll also be purchasing a SIM this week. This thing will not get the best of me!!!!!!!!!

Drifting to the left is the nature of the helicopter, all helis with tail rotors have this affliction. Its because the tail rotor holds the heli stable with thrust, this thrust not only keeps it from spinning, but also has some rightward thrust, moving the heli to the left. The best way to compensate for this is a little right cyclic on take off. The leftward movment isn't as noticable a 2' or more off the ground.

(in reply to joe tower)

Post #: 5

RE: Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro - 8/8/2006 3:29:53 AM

joe tower

Posts: 145
Joined: 3/20/2004
From: Saddle Brook, NJ, USA
Status: offline

Well I re built it last night.....Went to the Hobby Shop......The owner Trimmed it out. He said that it would have been very hard to fly the way it was set up. I actually watched my Helicopter hover...in one place...It can do it. The worst part of the day when he showed me his T REX 450 SE. It overed like a rock...where the CP PRO was all over the place. He also told me if I can fly the CP...........I can fly anything.

_____________________________

T MAXX 2.5-TC3 w/ RB turbo power- Blade CX- Blade CP PRO- T REX 450X

(in reply to Gonwee)

Post #: 6

RE: Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro - 8/8/2006 3:41:54 PM

lwatson

Posts: 742
Joined: 8/25/2003
From: Fort Collins, CO, USA
Status: offline

The more I read, the better I am feeling about my actual abilities, I have tail in hover, 45 degrees left, 45 degrees right, and sometimes 90 degrees. Head on is still a little scary. And by hovering I am talking 2 inches off the ground indoors in a 3 by 3 foot square. So this is in complete control with ground effect. If I get out of the 3 by 3 square, I shut it down.

I may fly this thing yet.

(in reply to joe tower)

Post #: 7

RE: Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro - 8/8/2006 6:43:47 PM

ct420

Posts: 1177
Joined: 3/26/2006
From: mansfield, TX, USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: lwatson

The more I read, the better I am feeling about my actual abilities, I have tail in hover, 45 degrees left, 45 degrees right, and sometimes 90 degrees. Head on is still a little scary. And by hovering I am talking 2 inches off the ground indoors in a 3 by 3 foot square. So this is in complete control with ground effect. If I get out of the 3 by 3 square, I shut it down.

I may fly this thing yet.

Sounds like you and I are at about the same level. I can hover tail and side in no problem, but nose in is still something else

Lately, I have also been working on throttle precision where I will hover about 1'' off the floor, then race up toward the ceiling, stopping only a few inches from hitting it. I will hold there for a few seconds, then quickly drop back to the floor. I try to stop at about 1'' off the floor without ever letting the skids touch the ground.

Of course, with sticky collective, this becomes a VERY interesting exercise

(in reply to lwatson)

Post #: 8

RE: Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro - 8/8/2006 8:22:17 PM

j beede

Posts: 42
Joined: 2/20/2006
From: Norcal, CA, USA
Status: offline

New CP Pro is en route. Is sticky collective still an issue with recent CP/CPP production?

(in reply to ct420)

Post #: 9

RE: Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro - 8/9/2006 2:46:25 AM

deanwesterburg

Posts: 49
Joined: 7/16/2006
From: West Chester, OH, USA
Status: offline

WOW!! I too just moved up from a CX to a CP PRO! I have a Raptor 30 and a LHM-110 as well but never had much luck with it.

I have found the CP Pro to be a hand full.. I too was on my second pair of blades in as many days, but have not broken a pair since. (got mine on 8/5/06).

Do the following in order:
1) Balance the blades.
2) Check to see that at full pitch you get 12 Deg Posititive.. REMEMEBER to unplug the motors!
3) Add 2 1/16" wheel collars to the outside end of each flybar, just inside the paddle.
4) Check Tracking. Adjust by lowering the pitch of the high blade. I was amazed how much difference 1 full turn made!
5) Check the paddles. Should be parallel to the paddle Frame.
6) get the training gear. (no directions on installation.. Figure it out!)
7) Tweek the Tail Rotor. I had to turn up the gain on mine. I guickly went too far and it would hunt like crazy.. Take your time!

Now I am having fun! Still have to be carefull, but it is MUCH more controlable.. It was about as easy to fly as it is easy to balance a marble on a baseball!

Good Luck!

(in reply to j beede)

Post #: 10

RE: Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro - 8/9/2006 3:34:31 AM

Remyrw

Posts: 109
Joined: 7/29/2006
From: Slidell, LA, USA
Status: offline

how much of a difference did adding more collars make? And did you add two or just one for a total of two by each paddle?
I'm seriously considering that, but figure I'll wait till I see how it is after all the fine tuning I just finished and the new Plasti-blades that came in. Folks have indicated that their higher weight improves stability a bit too.

I'm on a regular CP, and definitely a novice, but I found that making sure that everything is set properly made a huge difference. My flybar was bent a bit and I have replaced that and will replace the blades with the plastic ones before I fly again so I'll find out how much of a difference that makes.

I'm not sure the training gear helps a lot but it can't really hurt. The biggest sticking point seems to be that it is much less stable in ground effect than out of it, but the minute you're out of it the darn thing can fly darn fast and you're that much higher, no quick landings with relatively little risk.

I definitely suggest buying a number of the tail rotor gear kits, and some tubing, the darn thing likes to go flying. The rotor's easy to find, rarely goes far and mine's in great shape for the number of times it's hit the ground. So far I have been lucky and always found the gear but eventually it'll get lost. It's about $4 for the parts bag and having a spare or two around is good. They're such an easy part to lose and replace quickly it seems silly they aren't in the crash kit.

Remy

_____________________________

Remy - Practice practice practice

(in reply to deanwesterburg)

Post #: 11

RE: Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro - 8/9/2006 3:16:05 PM

lwatson

Posts: 742
Joined: 8/25/2003
From: Fort Collins, CO, USA
Status: offline

To get better at head-in and side to side flying I am now putting 3 dots on the floor spaced about 4ft apart and forcing myself to fly from one to the other. Kind of like been bag toss. Sometimes it is in the air, sometimes it is skittering on the ground. I stop at each dot, decide where I fly to next and do it. Burn a couple pack up doing this, until you can fly all the way, land on each dot.

Then try the same thing without landing, hover and rotate at each dot. (I did this exercise with the CX until I got it right) Much harder with the CPP.

(in reply to Remyrw)

Post #: 12

RE: Stuff learned, moved from CX to CP Pro - 8/9/2006 3:22:12 PM

deanwesterburg

Posts: 49
Joined: 7/16/2006
From: West Chester, OH, USA
Status: offline

I added 2 collors to each side for a total of 3 per side. I think it helped, but I progressed some to.. It's hard to measure excatly how much it helped..

I HIGHLY suggest the training gear. I would have been way ahead had I done that first.. It allows for a "not so smooth, controlled crash" landing without tipping over and causing the blades to hit the ground.

I think the tail might have changed in the PRO version.. The blade and the gear attach to each other by 2 pegs and a piece of rubber tubing on the shaft pressing the tail rotor agains the gear. Have not had a problem there yet..

Where can I get plastic blades!! I want some!! These darn wood blades are as soft as a sponge. One time just grazing the tail boom and they have a 1/2 depression in them.

(in reply to Remyrw)

Post #: 13

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