Burn

Me either, but I was able to do it in FS-ONE with the Blade CX. After getting it high enough I pulled back on the elevator until I completed the loop. I could also do it forward a few times. I also tried this in Clearview with the Blade CX2 but the heli would only pitch forward or backward and dive toward the ground. Maybe this is closer to actual behavior, but I'm tempted to try it on a warm calm day. Does anyone think it would continue around or would the blades clash with the attempt?

soloboss

When you have a full answer, let us know. I think you'll rip the blades off as the heli passes through the lower quadrant of the loop. Can you make the blades clack in the sim?

I've gotten mine upside down a number of times. I landed in the street on the flybar hub perfectly enough that it didn't break a blade (yes, that is upside down). With that one, I was in a fast forward turn with about half left rudder, then I kicked the left aileron over and inverted it. I'm sure it will do a barrel roll, but I'm not a good enough pilot. Interestingly enough, I have never clacked blades. I've had it out in a 5 - 7 mph breeze with little problem.

I came up with my own flybar mod and it allows some amazing stuff from the CX/2. I'm considering putting it on ebay. And those stupid looking (but very effective) boots are gone! I need a source for stock flybars to mod. If I have to buy flybars for retail, I'll need $20 (including shipping) for my CF MODBAR. Is it worth $20? How about if you never clack blades, and get the look, and get performance, and loose the pendulum effect. And it will be plug and play for any application where the stock flybar fits.

Soloboss

Captain Randy

My Feedback: (1)

Somebody told me that they made one loop, but I would have to see it to beleive it.

soloboss, I like the fly bar!

Burn

I'd buy your flybar for $20 especially if it works as good as it looks. About blade clack in the sim? No, neither FS-ONE or Clearview simulate blade clack. You can really do some hard maneuvers that would definately bring down your bird. Like you I was thinking the lower quadrant of the loop would be the most strain, but the blades do flex and in this instance I'm guessing the uppers and lowers would be flexing in the same direction.

Nitronuts

soloboss, where is that flybar shaft from? It looks thicker than a standard one. Are those collars on the ends?

bigbore

That is a really trick looking flybar but I won't pay $20 for one. Not dissing you, just giving you honest feedback.

soloboss

About that flybar.
I'm still thinking about marketing it. It would be completely ready to install. It does involve carbon fiber to stiffen the flybar, and it also lets me remove a bunch of flybar weight. As I said, if I have to pay $7 retail plus shipping for a stock flybar to mod, then pay the ebay fee, I do little more than break even at $20. On the other hand, it's a mod that is as valid as a new set of skids or new tailboom - except this is about a serious performance enhancement. The cool look is included in the cost.
So here is where I am.
* The look is just what I wanted. Of course, you could use a little paint on the tube to get any look you want.
* The response is very good. The tendency of the heli to go 20 feet, then stop is virtually gone.
* With the flybar completely free of any drag at the pivot points there is NO TBE.
* If you do get crash contact, the carbon fiber won’t allow the flybar to bend. The carbon fiber also has very little mass, so there is remarkably little force to transmit into the head in the event of a crash. The good news is that there is a stress relief point where the carbon fiber touches the plastic balls at the middle of the flybar. A bend at that point is easy to see - and easy to fix.
* Because my flybar is so light, I don't think that it can force the blades to clack.
* The upper rotor accelerates more easily so flight is directionally more stable.

Originally I thought that the answer to performance was to limit the flybar travel, but I could never get that to work. The low mass flybar I use now is only effective in the center of the travel so it's good for a hover, but the heli can overpower the flybar and you actually get to fly the little bugger. The lighter the flybar the less it fights the heli. And the less damage you see in a crash.

On the last flight that I timed, I was up for 10 minutes ( I did have two instances of touch down / power down to regain my composure - total down time was 5 seconds or less). At the end of ten minutes, the heli was still flying fine and showed no signs of low battery. I know that once the battery starts to go, it's barely a minute until it's gone, so maybe I was on the threshold, but the fact is; at ten minutes I was still flying with no power problems. The flight was in the house and I had to work to stay above Maggie, my heli nipping Cocker Spaniel, and below the ceiling fan, so there was a good bit of throttle modulation. This is still my original battery.

Technical Stuff:
My mod removed about 38% of the weight of the stock flybar.
That sounds like a pittance, but look at the weight distribution. The old weights were 2.617 gm each (including the length of flybar that I cut off) - at the tips of the flybar! Now we have just 0.8 gm at the tip. The rest of the weight is distributed over the length of the flybar rod. And the flybar is a bit shorter than stock.

So what do I do? How do I make this CF MODBAR available to everyone at a good price? You send me money and I send you a bar? Do you trust me? So what's a modification like this worth? - with a little left for me since I'm doing the work on my time. If you have an old bent flybar, you could send it to me and I'll convert it for you and return it for $10. How's that? I'm open to ideas.
Soloboss
Soloboss

lookyj

soloboss,


nice flybar mod. I did kind of the same thing, I snipped the rubber boots and removed the weights off the stock flybar and added the flybar weights from the BCP. One step short of replacing the metal wire with CF. What length is you flybar?

Also, I noticed you still have the stock body, you should look into boomtown hobbies Model 3 CF Tail boom kit. It really transforms the performance of the CX/2. As far as I'm concerned it's the best mod for the CX/2 in terms of cost/performance/looks.

soloboss

I'm right at 7 3/4" total length.
So tell my why the boom would change the flight dynamics of the heli. I'm not challenging you, I'm curious.
I did remove the little cross wing from my aft body section and forward flight improved a bit.
I'm heavily into the flybar mod for performance. The boom look is cool, but I like the look of the full body. Well, I used to. Mine's sort of beat up these days and I'm having a tough time deciding if I want to go back to the stock body or the boom. Boobtown has a good deal, as the boom is a cost effective replacement. To market my mod, I need a supply of flybars at a good cost.
Soloboss

soloboss

I just got a note from someone offering to send me his old flybar and $10 for the change. Maybe that's the way to go.
I do appreciate your honesty.

lookyj

soloboss,


the cf tail boom makes the the heli less prone to the ground effect and wind. The stock body acts more like a sail, and gets blown around when flying indoors down hallways, or outside in light breeze. Of course given the size and weight of the CX2 it will always have some ground effect and not able to fly in moderate wind.

It also makes battery changes much easier. I also believe it is less prone to damage in a crash.

Burn

OK, so here's a video of the loop in FSONE. Just imagine this for real. [link=http://home.comcast.net/~gwhuntoon/Blade_CX_Loop_in_FS_One.wmv]Blade CX Looping in FSONE[/link]

Dirtee bug

I have only heard of someone moving to the outter most hole and then trying to loop but as soon as they did the blades hit each other and kissed the ground, so I dont think its possible but let us know what your exact set up is to achieve this

chopperdudes

i doubt you can do a conventional 'loop' with a cx (ie. being 'somewhat' round). it's more of a question of getting it inverted and landing it in one piece again

soloboss

I think you're right about the upper and lower rotors flexing the same direction. They shouldn't clack.
So that leaves us with another question. At about 8 ounces, will the heli gain enough momentum on the downhill run to carry it up and over the top? I'm thinking . . . ummm . . . nope.
I cannot get mine to go nose down from a high altitude hover. But I can get to to a good altitude and accelerate forward then kill the power. Problem comes with the rotor pitch. We can't get rid of the pitch, so it continuously tries to climb out of the free-fall. Unless you kill the power, but that pretty much leaves the heli falling like a leaf, not a dart.
If it can be done, I'd still like to hear about the science, then follow with the video.

Dirtee bug

I agree, I wont believe it unless I do it ( which I will never attempt) or see it in a video

zeke67

well if try a barrel roll and then keep it inverted...can you do that

Dirtee bug

I think a barrel roll is just as impossible as a loop to do. Co axe helis arent meant to do anything like that IMO without a blade strike

zeke67

yea your probably right

Dirtee bug

If you want to do all that 3d stuff fly your 3d heli ( if you have one) lol

Burn

Yeah Dirtee bug, I know leave 3D to the 3D heli's. But's that's the fun, pushing the envelope with what you have. ; )

Dirtee bug

Y eah I know Burn but pushing the envelope in this case is a for sure trashed model, but I cant argue about pushing the envelope cause we all do.

zeke67

yup thats the point for all these cars and planes n helis do what u cant in a real 1 lol

soloboss

I just jumped back to this thread to see where it ended up.
About that barrel roll. I've had my CX upside down. From hover at 3 feet off the ground, I max both the throttle and the elevator. She goes nose down and fairly rips across the front yard, gaining speed and altitude - about 20 feet alt for 100 feet linear. At that point I add left rudder for a sweeping rudder turn ( really pretty!) and if I add left aileron she inverts. If it had more weight it might use inertia to pull it through the barrel roll. Maybe when it's upside down I could add right aileron to flip it around.
Big Science.
I must ponder.

chopperdudes

it'll drop to teh ground faster remember, a cx doesn't have neg pitch.