I have had mine a month. I have three batteries and fly it continouesly while home. Never had so much fun with a little toy. I fly in the carport area day and night. Sometimes in the one car garage when the weather is bad. I've never flown a helicopter before now, and can't seem to stop. After a few days of sliding around, I can now hover it pretty well about waist high. Trouble is, occasionally I get bold and let it go over my head some. That's when I get into trouble. I eventually make a mistake or two and trash a blade with a hard landing. There is nothing forgiving about this little guy. Is this just normal learning pain? The thing seems to be setup correctly and flys great as far as I would know. Nothing much to speak of except the batteries take too long to charge. However, I just can't keep buying two pair of blades every weekend at $17.99 a pop. Is there an alternative, more economic blade solution? Looks like trailing edge material covered in monocote to me. Has anyone tried to make some? Will the carbon blade handle brushes with the gutter and shrubery better? I understand nothing is bullet proof, but every little touch with something seems to take them out. I try to resist flying more daring, but eventually can't help myself. Any suggestions are welcome..... Do I need the gyro for just hovering ? Also, what are the goals a new pilot should strive for? Is it worth purchasing a computer and simulator for Christmas... Might look good on the big screen,,,, that's a lot of cash....that might be better spent.

Sorry for all the questions, they built up a few weeks...thanks in advance..

I am in the same boat, and I think it is just the learning curve. I am going through blades like crazy too. I think I am on my 6th set in under a week and a half but I have flown 2 batteries every day since I have had it.

So what say the professionals? Keep throwing down money for new blades or repair the wood and fly?

Does anyone know what type of wood the blades are made from? It seems heavier than balsa (I know there is a lead weight in there). Do the blades need to be covered for indoor training use? Can I buy bulk blades?

Nick

You can try a set of Carbon fiber blades. The plasti-blades flex too much, If you land a bit too hard you'll get a tail boom strike and break or shear off the tail. Carbon fiber blades dont flex that much and are much more forgiving than the wood blades if what you are having is minor scrapes and dings. Even a minor impact will wreck a set of wood blades and the luck I have is that when I put a brand new set on..within 30 sec to 1 min I will ding them a little bit then wont even come close to anything for days. Its like I not alowed to have perfect blades. You get a little more stable flight too with the carbon fiber blades.

Humm I think the wood is bass wood.....

As for blade options I would recomend just going slower. If your crashing and screwing up your blades your moving too fast. Plastic blades wont need to be replaced but they are heavier so you have less performance. And in addition that energy has to go somewhere so you will just start doing damage to your boom, head, etc.

I have to say, sorry, to those of you who posted before, and to the OP, I know this doesn't help.

My BCPP flies like a rock with the CF blades, they are just horrible, it loses all stability, and it becomes twitchy as all hell, which really isn't good in small areas like you described.

I've gone through 5 sets of blades in about... 2 months? All wood, and I tried 2 sets of CF. The first one, I thought the behavior was due to poor manufacturing. Bought another, and it was exactly the same, asked around at the LHS, they said never to put the CF blades on for the same reasons.

Just my .02, I'd say keep putting on the wood ones until you don't wreck it anymore. I know it's expensive, but TBH - RC Flight is not a cheap hobby, in this case, I don't believe there are any short cuts unless you know someone with the equipment / heavy machinery to create the wood blades.

grubs4flyn,

http://www.helidirect.com/product_in...roducts_id=975 $8 blades flat-bottom

http://www.helidirect.com/product_in...roducts_id=779 $8 symetrical

http://www.helidirect.com/product_in...roducts_id=701 $7.32 syms, but not quite as good.

I've used both these blades and they are as good as the e-flite.

Are you using Radd's? That is the most cost effective thing you can do and it's free! Thanks, Radd

BTW, the blades can be repaired many times with clear packing tape, just be sure to balance them.



orlbuzz

Definitely sounds like you need RADD's to me too.
I've had my BCPP for over a month, something like a hundred battery recharges (3 packs) and can still use my first set of flatties that I bought to train on. Of course I've crashed them many times! A little CA, some tape, some sandpaper, rebalance and retrack and you're good to go after most crashes. Sometimes you have to rebuild them fiber-by-fiber, or reprofile the tips, or even straighten out the little weight rod...I use that really thin packing tape for patches, I have some in white and also red.
Of course I'm using the symms more now when I'm pretty sure I won't be tempted to crash...
I rarely fly outside, I hover and swoop in my little 12x15 living room with 7 1/2 foot ceiling. Yesterday I did fly outside, dumped it in from over 15 feet and forgot to hit throttle hold for about a second after it hit the ground, so it did the dead chicken dance--no damage except a torn bit of the plastic skin on one blade, and a trailing edge ding on the other. The spectators were amazed when I just dusted it off and flew it again. Fix em and fly em.
The CF blades are just for show AFAIAC, especially since if they hit something hard in my room they are likely to shatter.

grubs4flyn,

I've been flying for about a year, and having a ball. If you're going through that many blades, you need to SLOW down some. It takes time and patience to fly a heli. And you can see it takes a big wallet too.

You mentioned you can hover okay at waist level, but had a hard time at 15 feet or so. That's orientation, it is more difficult at higher altitudes. Learn the basics, tail in hovering, left side in, right side in, and nose in. When you can do all that, then your ready for alot more fun. Take everything in small steps, learn one position well, and go to the next. When controlling the heli, use small stick movements, 1/8 to 1/4 inch is more than plenty... Remember, you have to fly the heli, it won't fly by itself.. Total focus. And do the Radd's training if you don't have outside help.

Good luck, keep us posted,

Dave / Choppersrule

Just a quick question? how does the BCPP due outside? in normal winds? MY CX can stand any wind so im forced to fly/crash it indoors. Once I stop crashing and learn more I plan to by the BCPP so I was wondering how it does outside.

Thanks for the advice. Looks like Carbon is a waste. The cheap blade link should get me through the training and a little more self dicipline wouldn't hurt.

What is RADDs?

RADDS: [link=http://www.vankets.com/eco/flying-index.html]www.vankets.com/eco/flying-index.html[/link]

Radds is a training course, designed to teach new heli flyers the basics of stick control without ever actually leaving the ground. At first anyway.
It teaches stick control and dicipline. It's designed to get you in the air after 10 battery packs. Follow it step by step, you'll be glad you did.

Dave/ Choppersrule

Forget the $18 blades. I use these blades, they cost less than $8 and work as well or better than the stock e-flight blades. They are the Esky 4-000 blades. Maybe these were mentioned earlier.

http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id...2&pid=NESKV020

My BCPP flys great upright or inverted with them.

Don't be too quick to throw blades out. If the covering gets damaged just tape it back on. If you get a minor crack use some CA on the wood and some tape to re-cover them. I can usually get one or two repairs in before trashing them.

Use a sim to practice.

Order a spare tail motor which is on the same page, about half the price of the E-flight and works great for me.

Thanks for all the replies guys. I am doing a lot better now that I have got off the concrete area. Still on my first set of 8.00 blades. They fly the same as Eflite's and half the price. Trying the RADD stuff now and slowing down some. Also got my trims and gyro setup better. Rudder mix was off some too. I flew many times this weekend in my one car garage. I'm pretty good at eye level now. I didn't ding a blade all weekend which is a first for me. .....Came close a few times though... Now I want a bigger one...with a brushless motor...