Whirlybird9

Hi and thanks in advance of your time and info!!! I just received my Walkera 5#5 today, and the Chinese instruction pamphlet is VERY vague as to how the helo is supposed to be checked out and adjusted for flight!!! For example, the pamphlet says the rotor blades aren't supposed to be too tight or too loose, and the rotor blades are looser than ever right out of the box, so loose that they won't stay inline with each other!!! Are they supposed to be THIS LOOSE or is it necessary to tighten them up a tad bit to the point that there is slight resistance??? I do know that for the larger helis, the rotor blades are set to just loose enough for them to be able to move about a tiny bit when slight prssure is applied to one side with a finger , and not locked down tight, so does the very same apply to this coaxial heli??? Anything else you can add of help for this 5#5 will be MUCH APPRECIATED!!! The swashplate, gyro sensitivity, extent, and blade tracking adjustment procedures are also MUCH to be desired, and if you could help by describing what they didn't say or explain the right way, as per making these preflight adjustments, I will be GREATLY APPRECIATIVE!!! Before attempting to fly this bird, I want to make sure it's ready to go, adjusted and trimmed out RIGHT!!! Thanks once again in advance!!!

jaketrouble

i have a 5#5 too.. yea,, the blades should be snug but not too tight.. just like the big ones... as far as your other questions just make sure all the trims are centered and give it a go.. these birds are pretty stable.. one thing i do know is that the tail booms are pretty easy to break.. i just now put on my forth one..

good thing is they only cost around 4-5 bucks.. you should be able to fly it right out of the box with out doing much set up.. give it a try and let me know... jake.

Whirlybird9

H Jake and Thanks much for your assistance!!! I do have some bad news about my 5#5, and that is I attempted to correct the rotor blade tracking since the lower rotor blade was not parallel as it should have been to the swashplate, causing the bird to fly to one side when throttling up, and while attempting to adjust the servo/swashplate linkages, one of the cheap weak plastic swashplate ball connects broke off, so now I need to buy a new swashplate right off the bat!!! GRRRRRRR!!! Makes me wish I had of known about the 5#8 that has the METAL swashplate, as the TINY replacement VERY POORLY MADE "WEAK" 5#5 swashplates are VERY EXPENSIVE, considering what they are!!! On Ebay, just ONE of these swashplates is going to cost me a minimum of $12.00, and MOST of that is for SHIPPING!!! RIDICULOUS!!! Then, from what I can SEE, it's going to take ALOT of VERY VERY CAREFUL WORK in order to replace the swashplate, and this bird IS NEW and hasn't even been FLOWN YET!!! GRRRRRRR!!! Am VERY GLAD that I also have this Esky CP2 to work on and fly, as IT TOO needed adjustments VERY BADLY right out of the box, as the blade tracking was HORRIBLE, as well as having WAY TOO MUCH positive pitch!!! The rotor bar paddles were also in need of adjustment, as they weren't level as they should have been, relative to and parallel with the swashplate!!! I'm finding out NOW, before even getting to FLY one of these birds, that if it isn't one thing it's another!!! SO, as for these READY TO FLY RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX helis, I can see how they ARE more CRASHABLE right out of the box than they are FLYABLE!!! LOL Am glad I've had quite a bit of prior RC experience in fixed wings, to FLIGHT CHECK WELL prior to flying, as by checking the NEW helis out, I saved myself from having a VERY BAD DAY, or at least from a worse one, as that swashplate breaking didn't make me jump up and down for JOY!!! LOL Have you had to replace any swashplates, and if so, do you have a more reasonable parts supplier than what I've been finding on Ebay??? I did find an Ebay seller, located in HONG KONG selling the swashplates for $3.70 each, with a shipping cost of $10.00 or $15.00 each, which is WAY BEYOND that of ridiculous, as then there's about a few weeks to a month of waiting for the part to arrive!!! I am SO bewildered already with this 5#5!!! Hopefully when I get it back to where it needs to be to fly and FLY RIGHT, it will be a real JOY to fly, and will make it all feel worthwhile!!! Thanks again Jake, and have a VERY HAPPY and SAFE New Year!!! Gerry

jaketrouble

gerry,,, join the club... i have only been into helis for about 4 months now.. i still can only barely hover... these things are very hard to fly and maintain as you are finding out.. the 5#5 is pretty much the only one of my birds that was rtf.. i have 1 black hawk 450, a honeybee king 2 and a honeybee fp... i bought the bh first and when i got tired of crashing it and buying parts to repair it i bought the hbfp to practice on..

but those fp's are the hardest to fly out of the heli's.. so then i got the hbk2 to use for practice because it is also cheaper to fix then my bh.. but as i write this my bh and the hbk2 are [[black hawk down:{] right now i have another black hawk 450 rtf on the way.. i am going to use that one to compare to my original one.. i replaced the whole head unit and dont think i have it quite right.

the 5#5 was the only heli i could fly right out of the box.. mine sometimes will want to take off to the left or right at lift off.. all i ever had to do was just straighten the blades making them parallel to each other and make sure the battery was all the way pushed in.. sometimes the fly bar link came off the little knob on the head too which gave me those problems.. i bought my 5#5 from this guy.. he is a very fast shipper and his prices and shipping are reasonable.. he will also answer any and all questions you may have by email or pm.. tell him i sent you and he [may] cut you some kind of deal.. if you order s swashplate from him i would order a tailboom or 2 because i have broke 3 of them already.. havent broke any in a while so i must be getting better at it:}:}

as far as your other bird,,, are you using training gear?? they will save you a lot of repairs do to crashes and tip overs during take offs... also a simulator is a GREAT investment.. you can crash a thousand times over and it never cost you a penny.. heli's are the hardest of all rc's to operate and fly and set up... expect many crashes.. sorry to say that but it's true.. but i know it can be done... if you need a good link to order training gear or a cheap [20 dollar] flight sim let me know.. meantime here is the link to get the parts for your 5#5.. i have also included a link to radds school.. if you follow this guys lessons to the letter,,without cheating,,, you will learn much quicker and with far fewer crashes/repairs.... hope this helps,,, dont give up...you'll get it:}:} jake.

happy new year!!!!

this is the link for the swashplate.. he also has other parts for the 5#5... tell him i sent you.. might save a buck or two...

[link=http://www.ushobbysupply.com/product_info.php?cPath=31_26&products_id=95]http://www.ushobbysupply.com/product_info.php?cPath=31_26&products_id=95[/link]

this is the radds school...
[link=http://www.dream-models.com/eco/flying-index.html]http://www.dream-models.com/eco/flying-index.html[/link]

another link that might help...
[link=http://www.swashplate.co.uk/ehbg/ehbg-17.pdf]http://www.swashplate.co.uk/ehbg/ehbg-17.pdf[/link] good luck,,jake.

Whirlybird9

Thanks once again Jake, and GLAD to have you as a friend!!! I went to the US Hobby site via the link you provided and made order for 2 of those swashplates, as well as a few of the tail booms so I have them on standby!!! LOL Since there isn't any training setup for the 5#5 like there is for the larger helis, having ALOT of spare replacement parts ON HAND seems to be very much a necessity, and GLAD that there's a REASONABLE place here online to purchase them!!! Smiles!!! Do you know anything about the Honey Bee CP2 helis??? I ask as I noticed there is quite a bit of head wobble, and wondered if this is normal for these helis, or if something is already worn out before I've even gotten it off the ground??? I bought it supposedly NEW from an Ebay Power seller, and the CP2 arrived with damaged canopy and in definite need of adjustments, so I'm having my doubts as to whether or not it IS truly NEW and not a USED RETURN model they received back from another customer???!!! GRRRRRRR!!! If a certain amount of head wobble is normal, then I'll go ahead with attempting a few training flight hovers and see what happens!!! I've had it set on my bed, with it powered up to almost three quarter throttle, and it still doesn't show much of any lift off, and the tail goes off to the left. Says in the instruction book, that if the tail goes to the left, that the rotor speed needs to be increased, BUT after having set the tail motor speed up to as far as it will go, the tail STILL goes off to the left!!! GRRRRRRR!!! Any suggestions??? The tail goes off to the left without lift off into hover!!! These helis are definitely a real trip, to say the very least!!! LOL Definitely a different story than all of the videos here online, that make heli flying look simple!!! LOL Once I do get ALOT of practice, GET OFF THE GROUND, and get really good at flying, I'm SURE this is going to be a real blast of fun, and something I'm always going to enjoy until the end of my days here on this big blue marble!!! LOL One other question - have you ever had to replace your 5#5 swashplate, or have you lucked out??? If you HAVE had to replace it, what is the easiest way to take the heli apart in order to GET TO the swashplate to replace it, or isn't there any EASY way to work on these little birds??? Take care my friend, have a GREAT WEEKEND, and a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Gerry

jaketrouble

well,, if you have head wooble on your hb then i would say it probably is a bent main shaft... if the canopy was damaged it sounds like it wasnt new as advertised... thats why i would rather spend a couple extra bucks and buy brand new.. that is unless the seller has a GREAT reputation. even then you take a chance.. if it is a bent main shaft they are cheap to buy and not too hard to replace.. i would take some pictures of what it looks like now so you have something to go by when putting it back together.

the tail pushing to the left is normal,,, all helis do this.. you have to counter that by using the left stick,, actually both sticks but the left one controls the tail.. and 3/4 throttle is close to being right before take off.. you can use the little slider right next to the throttle to give you more power.. i usaully keep mine about half way... so center all your sticksnd try itagain but be ready on both sticks.. that is the heli i would use the training gear on.. if it is used,,which it sounds like,,, the guy that had it before you probably had one to many blade strikes and finally gave up on it.. they are tuff to fly..

as far as the swashplate,, i guess i got lucky.. never had to replace one on the 5#5.. trying asking mike from ushobbysupply.. he is on the forums a lot and should be able to help you more and i'm sure he will,.. i looked at mine and it does seem to be a little tuff but im sure you can do it.. just take your time... mike may even have a diagram on how it goes.. he's pretty good.

check out this guys videos on setting up a honeybee king 2... bsically all heli's work on the same principle... anymore questions just ask brother... do all i can to help.... happy holidays to ya... be safe!!! jake..

start out watching set up #1 and then go on from there.. this guys videos taught me a few things..
[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh30iHwx4GY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh30iHwx4GY[/link]

jaketrouble

gerry,, i just looked at my 5#5.. it looks like to change the swashplate first you have to take off the landing gear ..then there is a little screw holding on the main gear/shaft.. it looks like if you just take off that screw and disconect the linkage the head/shaft looks like it will pull right out.. then from there the swashpalte should just come right off from the bottom.. doesnt look that hard once you really get in there and look at it.. let me know how it goes just in case [knock on wood] i should ever have to change one,,,jake.

Whirlybird9

Thanks Jake - much appreciated!!! Will definitely let you know how it goes once my parts get here!!! Hopefully they won't take too long, and will hopefully be shipped out TODAY as he said he was going to do on his site, and am having them sent to me via Priority Mail so hopefully may get here before New Years' Eve. In the meantime, I've been checking out my CP2 more, and still wondering if the head wobble I've been seeing is normal for these helis, and not caused by a slightly bent main shaft??? Also, about how much positive pitch is required at neutral position, when the throttle stick is completely in down position??? I'm asking because, I did take and adjust both blades to absolute ZERO pitch for neutral, and then powered it up to check tracking which was perfect, and then gave it up to 3/4 throttle, and it didn't even give the slightest sign of liftoff 9light on the skids, so to speak)!!! I have symmetrical blades , not flat bottom, so possiblyI need to give the blades more positive pitch at neutral position, so that it WILL have lift off when I get to 3/4 throttle, instead of just sitting there with the blades humming away and no sign at all of being light on the skids!!! When I've been up to 3/4 throttle, my throttle trimmer has been in the fully down position, so may that be the problem??? Should I bring the throttle trim up a bit and see what happens as I bring it up to 3/4??? What is the normal position for the throttle trim lever, after the heli power has been connected, or is the trimmer always supposed to be in the fully down position at all times no matter what??? Talking about WEIRD!!! I went to disconnect the heli power plug the other day after some powered up testing, with my transmitter fully ON of course, and the darn main rotor somehow powered up for a second and the blades bit my one hand a good one!!! HOW that happened I don't have a clue, as the transmitter was a good distance away with throttle stick and trim FULLY DOWN, and it shouldn't have bit me at all!!! It's like the control system had a momentary GLITCH, and my one hand caught the blunt of it!!! GRRRRRRR!!! Well, thanks again my friend, and will keep you informed of my success with the 5#5!!! Happy New Year!!! Gerry

Whirlybird9

Hi Jake!!! Hope your New Year has been a good one so far!!! I received my 5#5 and CP2 parts from Mike, and must say he's quite a guy, as instead of throwing in a few CP2 mainshaft collar set screws to replace the one I lost, he instead threw in the entire brand new collar with setscrew, which made the replacement a breeze, as I had to replace the CP2 mainshaft anyway, that I also ordered from him and received along with my 5#5 parts!!! I did BTW, send an email to the seller I bought both helis from, and she's trying to do everything in her power to make it all right, by sending me a NEW CP2 canopy along with one that is slightly used, and some other spare parts for my 5#5 which I DO KNOW I'm more than likely going to need, as that 5#5 is EXTREMELY FRAGILE, and NOT what I would think would be suitable for a BEGINNER RC HELI PILOT, as I would like to think a trainer would be ALOT sturdier and almost bullet proof like the fixed wing trainers normally are, or very close to being!!! The 5#5 just bearly toppled over on the top of my bed while I attempted a take off, and the flimsy tail boom section broke in a few places with hardly any force to it at all!!! I'm VERY GLAD that I now have replacements, as I do know that I'm more than likely going to go through them like toilet paper!!! OR, I could figure out a way of building my own tail section of very thin, very light metal, like tiny aluminum tubing, of the very same weight as a stock plastic tail piece or very close to it, and THEN it WILL LAST or at least by theory SHOULD!!! My question to you at this time, is, are these helis supposed to be pretty stable all by themselves, and require very little control effort to keep them where they need to be when hovering, etc..., or are they always VERY UNSTABLE no matter what??? It makes it exrremely difficult to trim these helis out for flight, when I don't know what one that's perfectly in trim is supposed to feel like!!! If they are supposed to require effort but NOT drastic effort to control, then I would have to say that I have MUCH MORE delicate trimming to do in order for the models to be as stable as they need to be for flight!!! When I try to take off with my 5#5, it goes to one side and then topples over with the mainblades making contact with my bed, as the bed for the 5#5 is my heli pad!!! AND, I've tried to trim it so that it won't go to one side, and it still does!!! GRRRRRR!!! These helis are REALLY TOUCHY to say the very least!!! Another question IS, IF I EVER get to the point of wanting a more upgraded model, which model heli would you suggest - the Walkera 56 or the Esky HBK2??? The lady who sold me both helis is trying to talk me into purchasing a Walkera #56, which she says comes with a larger powerful brushless motor, beefier lipo battery, and is overall MUCH STURDIER than most other helis of it's size and class, which she says is MEDIUM SIZE!!! I have ordered an Esky FMS Kit, and also ordered and received a training kit with those PING PONG BALLS!!! LOL Even with the training unit attached to the skids, it still wants to slid around and go where IT wants to go while ON THE GROUND!!! I figure that I need to be able to keep it stable ON THE GROUND FIRST, before even coming close to attempting stable flight IN THE AIR to any decent height!!! I've at least gotten the head speed up to the point of the skids to leave the ground, and for the heli to skid along the pavement on the ping pong balls!!! Looks like I'm going to have to invest in MORE ping pong balls before I'm done learning and actually FLYING!!! I was trying to get it to remain stable by not using the rudder, and by only using the elevator and aileron stick movements, BUT that didn't work out too well as the nose will go one way or the other. Does this mean I need to do some gyro adjusts to keep it stably NOSE STRAIGHT while increasing throttle??? It seems like the more I increase throttle, the more it becomes unstable, and parameters change!!! These helis are definitely WEIRD as well as difficult, BUT I AM DETERMINED to MASTER these things, and NOT have them DEFEAT ME!!! LOL One last question, and that is, have YOU used FMS for learning, and is it very close or as exact feeling as it is to fly the REAL models??? If so, it will give me a much better feel and idea of what I need to do to trim out my helis, so that they will then fly like they're supposed to!!! I can SEE how it takes MONTHS of regular practice for pilots just to learn how to hover stable, no less actually FLY these things!!! Bye for now, and will be looking forward to hearing back from you when you have the time!!! Take care my friend, and thanks for directing me to Mike for parts, etc..., as he's GREAT!!! So are YOU BTW, as your help has also been MUCH APPRECIATED!!! Your Friend, Gerry