DarkWombat, Thanks for the information. I managed to get the grips off the spindle. As it turns out, I was just too afraid to damage anything, so I wasn't using enough force. Human Enigma did a great job of explaining this, I just didn't do a good job of following through.

I tried hovering today, if that is what you want to call it.......... This is way harder that 3Ding an airplane!!!!! I thought it may have some similarities, but I have found that I have to think slightly ahead of what the heli is going to do rather than react to what it has already done.

I've noticed my heli is very slow to react to left, right, forward and backward movements. Does this have something to do with the flybar collets being positioned so far out or could it be something else, perhaps that is just the way it is. It seems to me that If it reacted quicker to my inputs, I could maintain a tighter radius hover. Either that or get in trouble faster!!!!

P-factor, if you have training gear installed, it will mud the control of the heli considerably, not a bad thing. If your familiar with fixed wing.. those skills will become more applicable after you learn to hover, and transition into forward flight. Hover takes time.. and your exactly right about thinking ahead. "Predictablity" it will never fly itself, unless you strive to set it up that way.

Whoopie!!! I hovered for about a minute today!!! That was much more gratifying than my first airplane solo. One question I have now that I have "flown". Does the trim constantly need adjustment to maintain heading? I guess this would be rudder equivalent??? It seems as though when I first get off the ground, I'm trimming one way, and once I get about 3 feet off the ground and spool up the blades a few clicks, I'm trimming the other way. I'm not using the training gear, though I probably should be, but I haven't dumped it yet. I'm sure that day is coming sooner than later. With as much trouble and apprehension as I had doing the sticky collective fix, I'm not looking forward to replacing the main shaft, or any other parts for that matter.

As for the learning, what should I be practicing? Right now, I'm just trying to keep steady (about a 5 foot diameter circle is good for me right now). I definitely get lost quick when the heli is not pointing directly away from me........... I just set her back down!!

Thanks for the help guys.

Helidreamer, if there's stil a piece inside the main shaft, and the retaining pin broke in three pieces, then the piece inside the shaft should not be contacting the rotor head assembly, or if it is it will be very minimal. Have you tried pulling the shaft out of the rotor head assembly? IF it won't go out with a good amount of force, then forget that. The next thing I would try would be using a flashlight and finding that pin. However, if part of the pin is still poking out of the shaft and is going into the plastic, then it should be going through the holes in the rotor head assembly where it should go, right? So then if you stuck a paper clip (use pliers to secure it) it should come out.

I did the safety pin switch, but the only problem I had was that the pin was too long. However, since I trashed my last canopy and I had the four rubber mounting grommets, I simply took two of those and stuck one on each side of the safety pin, then closed it. Now it won't flop around or spin easily, the grommets act as a buffer in impacts, and it can be easily removed. If you're using a somewhat large-sized safety pin, give that a try.

Just ordered my replacement servo, along with two main shafts and a canopy...should be in Friday. I bought a replacement rotor head at the shop, and sure enough, the fit was tight. I followed Horizon's advice of using a 5/16" drill bit to enlarge the hole slightly and it fit fine, however there were some plastic shavings from the drilling that were still in the head, so I had to file them out (which didn't get the smaller ones out), then I tried a little compressed air from a scuba tank, no luck, small screwdriver to push them out, no luck.... I had to disassemble the rotor head piece itself and then use a tiny screwdriver to coax the stubborn shavings out. So if you have to do this mod, I recommend you disassemble the rotor head so you only get that central tube piece, and then drill it. It will make the process much easier and it will make centering the drill in the hole easier as well. But make sure you have the rotor head arranged the right way or you'll get the knobs backwards where the pitch links go in!

Wombat out.

Congrats P-Factor! Your hovering practice is going just as it should be (although I HIGHLY recommend the use of training gear, as it will save you skids, help prevent tip-overs and buffer against blade strikes, as well as keep the heli more stable). Have you gotten to the point where you can use both sticks in unison without really thinking about it? Sooner or later it'll just "click" and you'll be at one with the heli, if only for brief moments at first. Keep the tail pointed towards you, and yes if it rotates too much and you start to lose your bearings, cut the throttle. I'm still practicing nose-in (nose pointed towards you) hovering

As for the trimming issues, what you're experiencing is ground effect. You'll find that if you try hovering over an uneven surface (like a lawn) at a couple feet above the ground, it's more "unpredictable" and less stable, because the thrust from the rotor blades that is bouncing off the grass and coming back up isn't coming in as evenly as it would, say, over a wooden porch or a brick floor. Once you get about 3-4 feet up, the ground effect is greatly reduced and you don't see these issues. Because of this, I don't recommend you keep trimming it right now (because trimming it means you're taking your hands off the stick for a brief moment and that's not good when you're learning and you need all the time to react that you can get), just trim it out for flight 3-4 feet off the ground and you should be pretty set, and use the sticks to "hold" it while the heli is under the influence of the ground effect (oh no, it's drugged!). You'll find that with practice controlling the heli even at low altitudes where it was originally more unpredictable will be much more easier. But for now, it's something you'll have to deal with. Practice, practice, practice is all I can say, and soon you'll be at one with the heli, your motions will have more fluidity to them, and you will begin to understand and trust your heli more. For now though, treat it like you're taming a wild, flying snake that's trying to take a chunk out of you (and, potentially, your wallet!) and stay on the defensive, and you will be on the path to bliss. Then you might be crazy like me and start hovering it a few inches from your face, taking walks in the park with it, flying around obstacles and landing on elevated plywood boards.

But you gotta learn how to crawl before you can walk, and you gotta learn to walk before you can run.

Hello all, I just got a BCP and tried to hover last night. I am brand new to flying anything but I couldnt resist getting the BCP when I saw it at the hobby store. It is stock and I have added the training gear. I read through the manual and when I tried to lift off i noticed the nose wanted to point down and the heli wanted to roll left. I messed with the trim but I couldnt get it to change pitch or roll. I did get it up in the air and tried to fly it but after about 10 seconds I had to drop it. No damage to the heli. My question is, should it hover even right out of the box or do I need to do some major adjustments?

Thanks and sorry for the newb questions.

pHREDD. I have experienced the same situation with my BCP. I have been an RC airplane pilot for over 30 years so I thought I could pick up the BCP and fly it, no problem. This is a whole new world. Even with the many hours I have on a flight sim. This thing is not easy to fly. I was so sure that there was a problem with the BCP I just took it to my hobby dealer that flies helicopters and has flown the BCP. It is not the fault of the BCP. It is our lack of practice and coordination. This can be overcome by lots of practice. The BCP will scoot to the let a bit on liftoff. I was told that this is the effect of the tail rotor pushing right to equalize all the torque created by the main blades. I will keep trying till I get it. If you have a flight simulator use it. It does help.

Last night a buddy and I were flying our blades alot, these a fun heli's, and are very durable. I think they are fairly easy to fly, the biggest problem with them, is the crappy pitch curve that you cant adjust, and the motor driven tail. Other than that they are a blast.

word of caution.. safety pins are made from spring steel.. if you wish it not to break.. then safety pin is the way to go .If you would like a another alternative, try a size 20 sewing needle. They are more brittle and more inclined to snap if needed.. clip after installation with diagional cutters to appropriate length after install.. '_;

ground effect usually ends up mathmatically about 1/2 to 3/4 of the diameter of the rotor head.. learn to hover ground effect.. and your hovering woes will be rewarded after you break it.

I think JohnVH hit the nail on the head about the throttle/pitch curves but the one thing I've never seen mentioned is the fact that unless you have the throttle trim all the way up you're not getting all the blade pitch available. Throttle trim has a major impact on pitch at high throttle settings. I'm new to heli's so I'm not sure how "normal" this is, but the e-flite radio is set up this way. Seems to me to be a good excuse to go separates and use my jr6102. Tom

you can mess with the pitch curve a bit.. I get -8 at low stick.. and it gives me a fewRPM's on the head a tad too..

T. Edwards: This is exactly what I did with my heli. My current Blade is set up to use my JR 6102 radio. If you're planning on going taking this route, be forwarned that it can be expensive (you're going to at least need a 2-in-1 unit and a gyro, both of which are around $35 each, and I recommend a micro receiver but you can use the bigger JR receiver if you take off the case, and you'll probably have to go to a 900mah 3s LiPo for weight) but you will immediately realze that the heli is mucn more reliable, and that you have total control over every aspect, be it from mixing to throttle and pitch curves to dual rates and throttle hold. I'd be more than happy to tell you the settings I'm using on my 6102 if you're interested in doing this conversion.

And about the Throttle curve with the stock TX: I thought that upping the throttle trim increased only the head speed, not the pitch. I could be wrong though, but when I would fly this is what I noticed. The heli was more stable with the throttle trim at around 55%, but it didn't feel like it was increasing pitch, only the throttle. However I could be wrong, I didn't confirm this when I had the stock transmitter.

DarkWombat: Would like to know your 6102 tx settings. I've got 1 ea. cc pixie 7 & 20 esc's, and a 610u rx as "left overs" from rc airplanes before brushless spoiled me. Have to get a couple 3s/900 lipos, am running 3s/1500, definitely too heavy but I had them. Should just need a HH gyro. It's getting a edf40h (ducted fan) tail, too. I usually fly off of dirt or grass and the stock tail rotor setup sucks, always in the dirt or has a blade of grass locking it up. The learning curve has it on or near the ground a lot. Yes it has training wheels. About throttle trim: Going from min. to max. trim changes the blade angle 3 deg., ie 3 more pos., 3 less neg. in idle up, in normal at zero throttle no change, at 100% throttle 3 more pos. Thx, Tom

Does anyone know if I can use my Futaba 9CAP TX? If so, does anyone know what type of setup this heli is? Ex, H1, H2, H3???

Thanks

Ok i got my replacment spindle in and installed it. but now i have a bad wobbleing like the blades are off balance. At first i though my blades were screwed so i put on a new set. That didnt help i checked the main shaft and it doesnt appear to be bent. an help would be good

Check the blade tracking?

tracking looks fine

Hi all, I've had the blade a week now. This little bird is a blast! As a long time fixed wing guy who's admired the heli's I can now say I am one of them and the Blade CP (and a flight sim) got me there . Great job E-Flite! and thanks for all the advise I've read here. It really helps us heli-newbees.

Anyone know what scale canopies fit?

Sir Fliesalot,

Congrats! I'm a fixed wing guy too, and I'm waiting for my Blade CP to arrive in the mail. I'm glad to hear of your success!

What sim did you use? I've got G2 and G3, but none of the helis are anything like the blade CP.

Hopefully I'll be posting a similar message to yurs next week

Carl

Tell me if i am on the right track guys....the training gear/hover question. my first few flights I would try to take off and hover which always ended in a crash landing. After a few broken blades I have just been trying to bring the landing gear off the ground with the training gear barely touching the ground, I have hovered steady this way for about 5 seconds and I am starting to figure out what it takes to hold a steady hover. Is this the way to learn or is it cheating?

Carl - I used RF-G2 - I trained on it about a year ago or so but dusted it off and got on it again after I bought the Blade. I used the little .049 heli a bit but mostly the trainer they have (don't remember the name) to practice hovering and flight. The sim trains my fingers and mind to react correctly. I was feeling pretty smug after this mornings flight so I took off the training gear and tried it again. Well the gear are back on and the blades aren't hurt too bad. More practice! Good luck on yours!

pHREDD - I'm no expert but I'd say you're not cheating, anything that saves you buying blades is OK. I scooted all around the street until I got the feel of it, looked like a hover craft! I eventually got into a very low hover and the training balls were tapping a good beat, then, Wham! the collective un-stuck and I was 20' in the air and committed! [X(]

I know it's been said before but... First thing to do after taking it out of the box is to fix the sticky collective/reversed washers 039 & 040. It flys MUCH better!

My tail rotor moter seems to be glitching on the low end. It is like it runs then hesitates then runs again. This only seems to be happening when minor rudder input is applied. When I input a large amount of rudder it has plenty of power and does not hesitate. I tried a new motor with similar results. Any thoughts would be helpful.

Just bought a BCP and it refuses to run. Yes, I read the manual. I turned on the transmitter, set the throttle and throttle trim all the way back. When I plug in the battery the red light comes on for a few seconds and then flashes red and green intermittently. Any ideas?

I just checked mine as a reference, normal startup = red blinks 3 times then green blinks 4 and then stays on and it's ready to go. Sorry I don't know whats wrong with yours though.