Nihilistic

How do you replace the flybar on the Esky Honey Bee MK3 fixed pitch? It appears to be one piece or glued into the paddle frame. Do you have to drill out the flybar from the paddle frame or what? They sell the flybars two in a pack, so there must be a way to get the old one out.

HeliTB

The flybar is normally retained by set screws. In some cases the flybar kind of fuses with the plastic and requires a little force to get it out.

Nihilistic

I got my drill out and put in the smallest drill bit in my drill bit kit (it's not marked or I'd say what size it was). I cut away the flybar from both sides of the flybar paddle frame so I could see and drill more easily. I was able to salvage the largest surviving piece of the ruined flybar to use for a spare canopy mounting rod. Luckily the bit was exactly the size I needed, and I very carefully drilled out the carbon fiber flybar from both sides. Then I was able to take the flybar paddle frame off the center hub. I pulled out the remaining piece of flybar from the center hub using needle nosed pliers. Then I carefully threaded the new flybar through the flybar paddle frame and center hub pieces. It was a little tricky getting it precisely even. I had to keep twisting and pushing from the long side until I got it centered. Then it was just a matter of putting the flybar rotor control links on, then the flybar weights, and then the paddles (leaving them loose until the Honey Bee was fully reassembled). I then screwed my rotor blades into the new rotor head (lost a rotor head in the same crash), and then snapped the rotor head into place over the bearings on the center hub. I usually snap in one side, and then use needle nose pliers to squeeze the center hub together, and the other side snaps right in. Then I reattached the rotor control links to the rotor head and the paddle frame. I turned on the transmitter after zeroing all the trims (except for lowering the throttle trim to zero), and then plugged in the battery on the chopper to arm it so the swashplate would be level. I then rotated the paddles so that they would have zero pitch on both sides and tightened them.

I also moved the flybar weights all the way to the inside, which makes it a bit more responsive. I'm thinking about trying it with the flybar weights removed altogether. I got a Blade CP Pro while I was waiting weeks for the Honey Bee rotor heads to be in stock again, and I love the BCPP's super responsiveness, and that parts are readily available at my local hobby shops. And the BCPP with the wood symetrical blades can be flown in wind up to 10 MPH. The Honey Bee isn't responsive enough to negotiate gusts as well.

Commander_Drake

My Feedback: (2)

Mine is held in place with set screws on the underside of the paddle frame. I've replaced it many times. Just had another major crash a few minutes ago