Hi all,

Just had my first tailboom strike with my CP Pro today. I was trying out some new blades, which are made of heavier wood than the stock blades, and I am certain that that was a contributing factor in the strike, it happened on a semi hard landing, but no more so than I have had in the past....

My question is, a pretty knowledgeable guy at my LHS told me once that leaving the blades "loose" in the grips contributes to tailboom strikes, he showed me this heli he was working on, and the blades were pretty stiff in the grips, compared to how I have been running mine, and how I have seen suggested in other literature.

I was examining the heil after the strike, and sure enough, the blades won't easily "reach" the tailboom when they are straight out from the rotor head...but if they are swung back a little, the angle changes, and they seem to be much more likely to hit the boom?

Any comments/experience/advice on this? I really love these blades (HD 1141's from Heli Direct)....they make the CPP much more stable for hovering and slow flight...

Any other comments suggestions (besides not landing hard!) to reduce the possibility of a tailboom strike?

I never had this happen with the stock blades...

Thanks a million all!!

Glenn