basmntdweller

My Feedback: (9)

I had a minor screw up yesterday. I was putting my tx strap over my head and hit the throttle. I had forgotten to flip it into hold. Anyway, it went to full and the head tried to wrap up the blades and both blades cracked the trailing edge where they hit the blade holders. It doesn't look like it was real strong there to begin with. Do you think they are still safe to fly with? I don't do 3D, mostly practicing the beginner pattern maneuvers and sport flying.
I took a pic but I really need a macro lens to get a good shot. You can see the nick in both blades. the far blade is better focused but too far away to see and the near blade is closer than my camera can focus. I may try to blow up the far blade in photoshop to see if I can get it any clearer.
Thanks,,,basmntdweller
The blades are MA 700 carbons if that matters

Furyflyer2

My Feedback: (117)

Yes their fine.

basmntdweller

My Feedback: (9)

Not much better but some.

Woody218

My Feedback: (24)

Not good, having nicks in the blade roots, that's where all the force is located. If it was me, I'd get new blades.

manilaheli

Tough call. Politically correct way would be to change them, but for practicality, I think you just need to put some CA on it so the damage does not spread. As long as you take it easy as you said "no 3D", I think they'll hold up till the next incident when there's no question they need to be changed.

Furyflyer2

My Feedback: (117)

What ? If that where the case I better stop doing death spirals and piro flips etc. with the same nick's on my blades. The nick will do nothing to hurt the blades integrity. Where talking nicks not fracture cracks.

Woody218

My Feedback: (24)

Yeah, but how much would it take for those nicks to develop into fracture cracks? Not much. I saw a Raptor 60 throw a blade that had a nick at the root, and the blade went into the side af a guy's flight box. Call me overly cautious, but it wouldn't be hard to imagine that flight box being someone's head.

Look at what happens when guys don't glue the blade roots on a 30 size heli. It can throw the blade. There is a whole lot of stress concentrated in the roots of the blades, and those nicks could be the point where the blade lets go.

Just my $.02 worth

Lift

My Feedback: (1)

Woody,
Was that a composite set that you saw depart the machine?

Woodies tend to splinter easily if doinked but composites are much different. Their construction is not based on dead tree cells. Rather, composite blades are only as strong as the reinforcement fiber they are made of(fiberglass, carbon fiber, kevlar...).

So, if you have a nick on a set of composites generally the problem is isolated to the dried resins in that area. But, if it is deep enough and appears to have torn the reinforcing fibers(fiberglasse, carbon fiber, kevlar, etc...) then it would be wise to replace the blades.

Based on the pics is see above I would be more concerned over simple plastic link failing than those blades. You hear of far more crashes caused from other inferior parts than a nicked set of rotor blades.

basmntdweller,
I say fly em as long as the trailing edge is not separated AND you do not see any deep damage to the weave.

Just MHO. I'll leave it at that

Ergo60

My Feedback: (1)

While I am not saying that anyone is wrong here, I would not fly with them. Not that anyone else who said go ahead is wrong, it is just my opinion, and its only another 100.00. And in the grand scheme of things, its a small price to pay.

Remember all the talk about safety? I know that when I worked on helicopters in the military, we would not have used a blade with dammage like that.

wjkillay

Well lets see... $50 to $100 now for a new set of blades, OR less depending on the brand... OR a LOT more later if you crash it, or worse yet it comes apart in flight and hurts somebody.

Saftey First!!

I crewed Blackhawks in the Army and if there was even that amound of damage on one of our $250k per blade blades, they would have been pulled and repaired and/or replaced. It never hurts to be safe.

I pulled my woodies because of the covering splitting on them. Until I can recover them, they are pulled and I have a different set on there.

Saftey First!!!!

Just my .02 on the matter...

pietermx

Replace them... You don't want them to brake of during flight. I guess they are safe, but safety first!

Isaac F

Yes, you can use your blades like that.
I have been using a lots of blades with this type of nicks without ANY PROBLEM.

Isaac

volare

My Feedback: (1)

$250k is like a centabo to the government

wjkillay

Tell me about it, we would drop that much and more like it was nothing, they did this all the time. I was out at NTC and watched a pilot put 2 sets of blades into the ground, they not only replaced all 4 blades twice, they then put that bone head back into the heli and let him go fly under goggles some more... I was very thankful to just be the crane driver that trip...

green river rc

My Feedback: (2)

My woodys look worse than that! L.O.L. I'm a newby!

=XGC= OzZ

If you have any doubt.
Change them, IF you feel it is OK put CA on the spots ,balance them and fly.
It is you Helli you pay the Bills. :devious:
Penny wise dollar foolish.

twguns

I guess I'll be flyin' with him Saturday morning, and I don't mind those "dings"... They're not bad...


What's my insurance agents number??

Ergo60

My Feedback: (1)

Just refer to this post when the AMA claim gets processed.

And about the government and money. I worked on the CH-46, you knwo the one with two rotor heads, and 6 very long blades. Well, anyways each aircraft after so many hours would go to what was called a "Phase Inspection" and the litteraly gutted the helicopter. Blades off, blade bolts replace, tranny out and replaced, as well as a whole crap load of other stuff. But, this was not waste, it was called "Preventative Maintenance" And I carry that to my RC helicopters even now. I replace the main shaft bearings, and any others that ahve been in there for a while well before they cause any problems, I mean they are only about 12.00 each and it goes a long way towards keeping things smooth. I also go over the helicopter and physically touch each bolt and screw after each flying session to make sure that nothing has worked its way loose or fallen off. That include checking the gear mesh and the tail belt for signs of wear or missing teeth.

In the 6 years I was in the Marines we did not loose any helicopters in my, or the squadrons I was attached to for mechanical reasons.

So to make it breif, Preventative maintenance can really do the trick if you stick to it, and replace things BEFORE they get a changce to cause a problem.

wjkillay

I did not know that RC Heli's had crew members, do they like being touched...

Ergo60

My Feedback: (1)

OK, OK I cant type, just shoot me next time...... My fingers have a mind of their own, and in todays society I do not think I could get away with touching my crew

wjkillay

Sorry, I just could not pass it up... hey it's Friday and all our fingers want to do is fly our birds anyway.... nothing like a long weekend of flying to get the blood to flowing... I get to start the morning tomorrow doing some C.A.P. flying and then finish up doing some RC flying... that's the way to spend every Saturday, but then I would likely end up with AIDS (Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome)...

Ergo60

My Feedback: (1)

No problem, check out the post on cleaning a muffler and brown spots, I had to do it, I coulnt help myself.

I am hoping to get in a bunch of flying this weekend as well, but I am on my last gallon, and the next shipment isnt due to arrive until Wed. I am going to be bumming fuel from my other helo buds all weekend long.

wjkillay

OH I Caught it and I replied to yours... your really rolling today...

Got me laughing today...