I have been flying my CPP for a while now, about 4 months. Ever since the first few flights it has every now and then had this wierd, interference like problem. Once I get it flying it will start to jump up and down quickly. It's still flyable so I quickly land and usually end the flight short. I thought it was interference so I did all types of checks. I would have the transmitter antenna collapsed and walk 50 paces or so and check all the controls. Then I would spool the motor up to about half throttle and check all the controls. Nothing changes. It always happens when I get off the ground. The latest test I took it up to about 20 or 25 feet and hovered it there. Same results. Forward flight it will act the same way.

Any ideas on what could be wrong or any settings that aren't right? ANY advice on what more to check or verify would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I know on the original there was an issue with the head (cyclic) sticking every once and a while.... could be that

When you say "sticking" what do you mean? Does the head actually like stop working momentarily and there's no control? It sounds like if it would "stick" then it wouldn't bounce up and down.

when the cyclic stick... it DOES bounce up and down.....

the cyclic together controls the blade pitch... on the old CP's it would stick for just a second and then release... causing the heli to "bounce" quickly up and or down as it releases to the correct pitch

this could just be a sticky collective problem. Search for it on this thread as there are alot of really good informative posts. I think you can also check out bladecprepair.com and they have it on there too.

So what I should try is just lubricating all the joints and pivots so everything moves more smoothly? I'll have to try that later tonight.

you actually need to look at the way the parts are assembled on the feathering shaft. Check over at www.bladecprepair.com or http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=382982

So about how long of a process am I looking at? I tried just putting a few drops of sewing machine oil on all moving parts on the head and that worked temporarily. I took it down in my basement and tried it. It held for about 10 minutes then started jumping again.

Cojim14,

As Mrasmm, mentioned, it really does sound like a sticky head and you need to check the whole head assembly. The Rotor Head should slide as smooth as silk on the rotor hub.. I've had one that wouldn't even move "brand new". Took some filing to get it right.
It all takes time and patience.

Dave / Choppersrule
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So I just inspect every part of the head to make sure it moves and slides smoothly? Will I be looking for a specific defect? This is the first heli I've owned and I'm not very familiar with the mechanics. My friend has had two so I hope he'll guide me through the dissasembly.

Cojim14,

Nothing specific to look for, just that everything is as smooth as silk..Have to check Everything. It's a tuff learning curve and takes time to get there. Doesn't happen over night. I'm sure your friend will help ya out.

Dave / Choppersrule
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When I flew the Blade stock with the supplied Tx and 4&1 the glitches were common, but when you get the hopping or slamming down there's a few typical failures to look for:

1. Unplug the motor, and links from the swah and make sure the servos are all working properly. Move the collective and cyclic slowly and make sure they don't jitter, these servos die pretty easy, if you have one weak one it'll cause this.

2. Make sure your main motor isn't toast, sparks from the brushes will cause interuptions, and eventually cook the 4&1 if you don't replace it.


The Blade is a good little flyer, I have my own tx and a HH gyro, but still use stock motors. You'll be surprised how much more stable and smoothe it is if you tweak it with a good Tx.

I found out that the bearing in the swashplate is rubbing along the main shaft. I disconnected the servos from the swashplate and started moving everything around in all different directions and when I slided the whole head up the shaft (I guess that would be an increase in blade pitch) it really stuck. This is all making more sense now.

All the servos are fine and the motor hasn't been run for more than 1 1/2 hrs total.

Thanks for all the advice guys!

I have the entire head down to the swashplate dissasembled. I followed the directions on bladecprepair.com and it was very helpful. Then I went back to the swashplate section of the page and clicked repair. It said that "There are no practical repairs to be made to the Swashplate Assembly". If the sticky collective is coming from the swashplate and there are no practical repairs to be done to it, what do I do? Do I grease the bearing and reinstall everything and hope for the best, buy a new one, or are there any other solutions? Thanks.

Cojim14,

Don't use grease, it's to thick, use a light oil, like 3n1 or gun oil... If everything is totally disassembled and only the swashplate on the shaft and it still sticks somewhat, get a file or emery paper and sand the shaft. It may take a little effort to smooth the shaft down, it only takes a small burr or something to make these things stick. Tolerances are very close..

Dave / Choppersrule
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