When I first started out on the pro I could hover in a 50'x50' area. LOL You must be getting pretty good if you can nose in hover it. Congrats on that and hovering for a full battery. It is much more enjoyable when you can keep it in the air the whole time instead of dropping it down every so often. It took me a week with 3-4 flights each day to get nose in hover, just keep at it and it will just click one day and it will be easy after that. I haven't been able to fly anymore after my first test flight. I crashed from sleep deprivation the next day, then it has been raining ever since. And it is supposed to snow tomorrow.[&o] Keep having fun flying. Like many people have said this is a very addicting hobby.

Nick

Hey Nick,

Just got done posting about my new rotor blade balancer, what a bummer, I really like that thing. I guess if I am persistent enough, I can get it to work. Have you flown your CPP again?


I know I'm hooked now, I also picked up my 4th battery pack, and a copy of Radio Control Helicopter magazine...

I flew earlier today, and made some small steps in the nose in hovering, but I still have a long way to go...how long did it take you to become proficient at nose in hovering? It seems like I just can't make my mind go in reverse like that sometimes!! It is definately easier on the sim, than on the real heli, at least at this point for me...

Take care, and have a nice weekend!

Glenn

It seems like my post was deleted or something. I don't know if you read it or not so I will try to remember what I wrote. I flew it once yesterday and I am having a hard time getting the gyro setup. I considered adding a seperate speed controller for the tail motor and just getting rid of the 3 in 1. But I have been considering getting a HDX300 and just use the Pro for scale type flying. I got a DD motor for the tail, but it didn't have any screws with it and none of the screws I have work with it. Sorry to here about the blade balancer. It took me a week to learn nose in hovering with the Belt CP, but I have never done it yet on the Pro. Enjoy your weekend and hope you have better weather than here.

Nick

Hey Nick,

Well, long time, no chat! I''m glad to see they got the forums up and running again...thank goodness I didn''t have any helicopter emergencies over the weekend! I flew some on Saturday, slowly making progress on the nose in hovering. I also flew the CX2 for a few packs, I had forgotten how fun and carefree flying that little heli can be! Totally stress-free flying! I can take it all the way up to the shop''s ceiling, about 20 feet or so, with no worries...wouldn''t dare go that high with the CPP yet!

I did end up fabricating a rig for my blade balancer, it wasn''t too difficult, really, once I put my mind to it. I got some 3/16 dowel rod, and sanded it down to a size that would wedge into the blade holder holes on the balancer swingarm, and then drilled 1/16 holes in those, and used the stock CPP blade screws to hold the blades. It''s not the prettiest thing you''ve ever seen, but it works great. I also took some time and balanced my flybar, without the main blades being mounted. It was WAY out, the whole heli was shaking when I spun it up. Ended up getting it quite smooth, had to move the flybar weights in quite a bit, probably 1/2 inch on the heavy side...more than I expected. I also lubed the bearings, had a hard time finding Tri-Flow, the LHS had some pretty nice light machine type oil, with a nice needle type applicator, I think that should be good... I just got done flying at work, and the heli is very, very smooth now. No more shaking training gear balls, and I made some more progress, seems like I get a little better with each practice session, and it''s very rewarding!

I have had a few really decent weeks at work, money is good right now for me, so I have been thinking....well, a little more than thinking! I ordered a carbon fiber training gear set for a 400-450 size heli yesterday from Heli Hobby...sooner or later I''m going to get a bigger heli, and I may, may, just get a Blade 400 before long. I can''t find any training gear for it locally, so I ordered that in advance, in case the urge to get a B400 is too much this weekend!! I figure it''s the next logical step for me, even though I have barely mastered the very basics on the CPP, I would be using it more for the occasional flight, when I feel more confident with the CPP...and I do really believe that it will be more stable, and even easier to hover and practice than the CPP is...or so I hear?

I have seen alot of them for sale on eBay, but I just don''t know if I can trust a used heli...there are alot of them that are for sale without the radio and electronics...wonder what that is all about? I think I''ll go for new, at my LHS...and I am hoping that they''ll cut me a little bit of a deal, since this will be the third heli I have bought from them, and the DX6i too...maybe I can get an extra battery or something. Besides, if there were to be something wrong with it right out of the box, I know they will be there to help me out...

I will probably eventually go with a kit-type heli later on, if I stay with it that long, like a T-rex or something...but to spend that kind of money, I''d have to be sure I''m really going to stick with it. I think the parts availability and popularity of the B400 does it for me at the present time...and until my flying skills improve dramatically!

I guess I''m trying to justify the B400...and I am, darn it !! LOL!

I''ll tell ya one thing that sold me on one....about a week ago, I was in the LHS, and the heli guy was working on a B400 that someone returned after a blade strike in their first 20 seconds of flight or something (they actually took it back). He was showing it to me, and I was of course, very interested, but not as much as I am now. He asked me if I wanted to see it fly...so I said, where, outside? Nah, right here....

He set it on the hobby shop floor, in an area probably no bigger than 6 feet by 8 feet, got it all set up , and spun the blades up, and very slowly, lifted off, and hovered the thing right there in the shop! It was extremely impressive, first of all the noise and tremendous amount of air it put out, and the ability he had to hover it COMPLETELY stable, the thing didni''t move more than an inch or two, and he slowly set it down...I was very impressed !! I don''t think my CPP would ever hover quite that motionless! Granted, he''s a pretty good pilot, but I asked him if he thought (he has a CPP) his CPP would hover that well, and he just shook his head...

So, I dunno, we''ll see, I guess. I sure will be tempted come Friday night when I have all that money burning a hole in my pocket!!

The other thing is, I can''t see doing too many mods on the CPP...the blade 400 already has the brushless, the belt driven tail, which would all cost quite a bit to upgrade, and still would probably not be as satisfying to fly as the bigger 400...

Well, I''m ranting here, I''ll let ya go...

Keep in touch,

Glenn