FrozenSmoke

Hey again,

Like clockwork, my elevator servo stripped out on me today. I don't mind replacing the servo, but I hope ParkZone gets enough feedback and starts putting in higher quality parts. I know it comes down to cost effectiveness, but I'd rather shell out a few more bucks on the RTF initially than having to cancel a flight.

One dark spot on an otherwise good plane. I will find some HiTecs that rlau recomended.

Question: what is the easiest way to remove the servos without damaging the fuselage? I'll worry about making them fit once I get them out, but I don't want to butcher up the foam.

Thanks,

Frozen Smoke

Ray75

Today while flying my Typhoon the elevator servo stripped and caused a loss of
control.A nose dive from about a hundred feet. The damage is substantial.After the
loss of the elevator servo,the elevator flaps in the wind,aircraft uncontrollable.

The fuselage cracked in half just behind the cowling,not repairable. I should have
listened to the other Typhoon owners an replaced the servos with after market ones.

My analysis of Parkzone servos: #$!@@#$%$$#%&^

Or a more civil version: Airplane Good: Control Components Worthless.

I THINK PARKZONE SHOULD REVISIT THE MECHANICS OF THE SERVOS THEY ARE DISTRIBUTING.

Ray 75

FrozenSmoke

Sorry to hear about that Ray....mine stripped in flight as well, but I was lucky enough to still have some motion control left over for a quick landing...but it could've been me.

Just got back from a quick test flight. I put in the Hi-Tec 81 metal and it seems to work just fine. I suppose the engineers at ParkZone underestimated the amount of force the plane exerts on the servos or, as I stated earlier, it's more than likely a cost issue. But how many of you would rather shell out an extra $20-$30 on the initial kit to have the peace of mind that your control surfaces will actually remain under your control. I spent $17 today, so the kit now cost me $240....but at least I'm still flying. Ray75 got shafted out of $220 AND his entire plane.

That's wrong...but try to get compensation in this hobby and you're doomed.

Once again, tough break, Ray.

Peace

Frozen Smoke

Ray75

Hi Frozen smoke,

I just ordered all the replacement parts from Hobbyzone.The total was $65.00. I ordered a new fuselage,canopy,rudder,gearbox,decals.
The only things that made it were the wings.
The replacement servo you used,was it an exact fit? or did you have to cut foam. Did you use the original servo anchor?

Thanks,RAY75

FrozenSmoke

Hey Ray,

The replacement servo was nearly an exact fit...I used an old pushrod to thread a piece of string from the radio to the servo opening, tied the terminal to the string and pulled it through. I was able to use the original anchors because I was able to finesse them loose without damaging the holes. When I put them back in, I noticed the anchor doesnt sit as flush as it did with the stock servo, but it was pretty secure. For a little fortification, I put a drop of Liquid Nails for Foam in each of the anchor holes. Now don't go trying any adhesive unless you know what works for you. I have found from building and repairng a few F-27's, Liquid Nails for Foam (when used sparingly) provided me a strong yet reversible bond. But try at your own risk.

Long story short is that the servo works nice and fit snuggly with no reason for me to cut foam.

Glad you got your parts...get back in the air soon,


Frozen Smoke

Ray75

Hey, thanks for the tip FS , glad to hear it's working out for you.

Ray75

jmir

My Feedback: (1)

I put together my Typhoon last night and flew it this morning. It flew very well and had no problems with it. It flies a lot slower than I expected which is not bad for me (beginner).

While putting the plane together I noticed that the elevator was quite stiff. Having listened to the servo problem a few of you have encountered, I worked the elevator with my hands for a while until it was quite flexible and did not require much force at all to move it.

Did any of you with servo problems do the same thing? Could that be the reason the elevator servos are failing -- that is, too stiff?
Are there any warning signs as the servos start to go bad? Or, do they just quit at the most inoportune time?

Jmir

All of you out there who were able to hover on your first flight are very lucky. I've had two flights and hovering is a lot more difficult than I expected.

FrozenSmoke

jmir,

I'm an intermediate pilot with essentially only beginner's knowledge of the finer points of this hobby, but I'm going to guess that the elevator exerts much more stress on the servo than the designers expected, especially in high energy maneuvers. Your explanation might be in part correct, but I tested the elevator's stiffness when I put it together and found it to be about par for the course.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but so far the problem has been linked to the elevator servo exclusively, so I just have to believe it's the stress of powerful acrobatic flight on a cheap servo.

You said the plane flies flies slower than expected, so I'm guessing you used the larger prop...the smaller one will give you a nice increase in speed. When you are comfortable, take the plane up to about 250 feet and do a 45 degree dive to build up a good head of speed. At about 50 feet pull quickly to vertical and you'll see a perfect example of high stress. There is a tremendous amount of downforce on the elevator at the moment you go vert and I'll bet that dirty little servo couldn't take it.

If anyone else has a better explanation for this, I'm all ears....

Also, when my servo failed, it was circling the field to set up an approach...when it passed me buy at about 20 feet, I could hear it grinding. No warning. As I said before, I was lucky to bring it in.

Anyway, it was windy and a bit rainy today, so except of a short test flight, I was grounded. I expect to get in a few flights early tomorrow to put the servo to the test.

Thanx to rlau for the servo recomendation. It was a money issue today, so I'm leaving the other servos stock until next week, then they are all getting swiped out.

Will try to get video ASAP.

Good luck to ya...be careful with this bird..

Frozen Smoke

kyliesgrampa

My Feedback: (42)

Just adding my second flight experience, with the typhoon, 15 mph wind today and it was great. A little noticeable with the wind gusts, but overall lots of fun, until my rudder servo stripped. Two flights on the plane, probably 10 to 12 minutes, no bumpy landings, no reason to strip a servo. Was really expecting more of Park Zone. Hope they address this soon.

rlau

Have been busy the last few days, been busy flying. The typhoon has really helped me with my gas planes. flew my first knife edge around the whole field yesterday with my skywalker II. I did a flat spin into a blender yesterday....wish I could remember how I did it. My elevator servo seems to be much more powerful than the others. I will swap out the rudder servo this week sometime. You can fly with a screwed up rudder but not with a bad elevator servo. SUGGESTION TO ALL TYPHOON OWNERS UPGRADE THE ELEVATOR SERVO. I am real pleased with the plane, had a friend fly it today, he has been flying for 20 years and he said it was awesome, much better than his u-can-do flex foam plane. I did break the larger prop and put the smaller one on, what a difference. I defininately like the bigger prop, you can do a lot more 3D with it, the other one gives you more speed and makes your rolls and loops much quicker. It is much harder to hover, possible but much harder. I went to the LHS and bought the only two props they had. Stock up on them they are a little brittle. I also started hand launching the plane, just jumps out of your hand. The tail wheel seemed a little loose, upon close inspection I noticed the small white spacer fits into the bottom of the plastic holder for the rudder, it makes the tail wheel much more stable. I don't think the directions explained how to fit the spacer into the bottom of the plastic holder.

PS It does some real nice snap rolls. Full rudder and full aileron in the same direction(no elevator).

Bed time..........

sluggo15

Got my Typhoon today! Sorry to hear about servo failures. I will get a new ele servo tomorrow. Maiden flight was great. I love this plane!

rlau

Just got an email back from parkzone and they said that I might have bumped the control surfaces and weakened the servos. If "bumping" the control surfaces cause them to fail, that is a poorly designed....CHEAP....servo. That being said they do have good customer support and other than the servos the Typhoon is a very nice plane. Just had to rant and rave a little. ...........................

FrozenSmoke

Well, all this talk of elevator servo failure as spilled over to aileron failure....you heard it right....my left aileron got stuck in the down position during a snap to invert manuever. I did what I could, but alas I crashed....cracked the fuselage right at the battery compartment and completely obliterated my right wing. I salvaged all the electronics, so I have an esc and a bl 400 to use in another plane....kept the Hitec 81, but put off the other stock servos to the side.


Can anyone recomend an inexpesive in-runner 3d foamie that may be compatible with the parkzone radio system?

I'm a bit PO'd, but at least I got in about 60 flights and learned a great deal about 4 channel 3D flight. In fact, I enjoyed it much more than my Stryker.

Anyway, I wish long life to the Typhoon customers, but my perspective is that this is just the nature of the beast. Will be back in the air soon...either 3d ARF or perhaps the Dragonfly Helicopter...with the hurricane approaching my area (or so they predict), I wouldnt mind having something to tool around with inside. I have enough room for some practice hovering. I took a hard look at the E-Flight Blade, but I think the Dragonfly might be a better choice for the first time out.

Anyway, beware those servos, fellow pilots...


Safe Landings,

Frozen Smoke

sluggo15

Damn! aileron servo too?! And yeah, another hurricane heading here to Tampa. Last year I was w/o power for a week and the storms didn't even get near us! I'm dreading going w/o power again. Looks like I'm grounded this weekend.

rlau

I have both a dragon fly and a blade....go with the blade the dragon fly is very unstable and the 3in1 board sucks. My crapped out and constantly needs adjustments. It is the difference of night and day between the two. The blade will get you more enjoyment in the long run. It is actually easier to hover with the blade than it is with the GWS dragonfly. Don't get discouraged because it is much harder to hover than you might think.

good luck.....I'm switching all of my servos in my Typhoon next week.

FrozenSmoke

Thanx for the heads up....I actually have a little chopper experience....my father flys a gas one and on occaison I toy around with it. Funny, the guy at the hobby store told me the dragonfly would be easier....either way, I'm taking a chance, but I'll probably heed your advice, which is probably more accurate coming from you rather than a guy who's trying to make commission..

Thanx again!

Frozen Smoke

rlau

You can also fly the Blade in a little wind, the dragon fly is strictly indoor or no wind. I'm no expert, it's just my opinion. Make sure your LHS sells replacement parts. You will need some extra blades. I've been through 3 or 4 sets.

FrozenSmoke

Once again, thanx for the info....actually, when I was at the LHS last week, one of the guys who works there was demonstrating both the dragonfly and the blade. Both seemed to work just fine and opinion was split on which one was the better copter. Like I said, 176 bux or 219, either was I'm about to toss some more money out the window. Oh yeah, I wouldn't dream of buying either one unless they have replacement blades...if thats the case, I may just build the E-Flight 3D Yak....it got a decent write-up in backyard flyer and I saw it in action at my local AMA field...(Markham Park, for any of you So. Floridians 'round here). I'll just have to wait until this hurricane passes by to fly again....thats the price you pay for living in Florida.


I'll let ya know how it goes....I would just buy another Typhoon, but there is no way I'm going to deal with rotten servos again. I'd rather build a plane from scratch and know that I'm getting quality parts.

Peace,

Frozen Smoke

Jpilot90

Hello all,
I am a beginner pilot with only the experience of a Hobbyzone Commander under my belt. Am looking to upgrade and I thought the Typhoon would be a good choice. Do you think I could handle a Typhoon on my own? A seasoned r/c friend told me to stay away from symmetrical airfoils as a beginner, but I just wanted to get advice from someone else.

Thanks in advance,
Jpilot90

FrozenSmoke

Jpilot...

As much as I would like to tell you to make the leap to the Typhoon, I have to recomend that you don't. Now I only had a few months experience with the 3 channel Stryker and decided to take a chance on the Typhoon. Luckily, I was successful, but the Typhoon is worlds away from the commander. The responsiveness of the control surfaces will probably overwhelm you (right into the ground)....having said that, sometimes you just gotta jump head first into something...(as long as money isn't an issue).

I would recomend you try parkzone's P-51 Mustang....it's reliable, stable, and will better prepare you for the Typhoon. (The P-51 is hand launched...no gear)....it has a fixed rudder, so all you need to do is worry about aileron, elevator, and throttle.(it's aerobatic, too...just not 3D style) Or you can try the F-27 Stryker....it's fast and agile, but it too is hand launched and it takes a wee bit of pratice. I found to be it easy as pie and that was my first plane.

Also, if you decide to go Typhoon, be aware of failing servos(as discussed by several members in this forum). I became a fairly accomplished pilot and lost my plane yesterday because of a stripped aileron servo. I would wait until Parkzone works out the kinks....but aside from electronics, it is a pretty awesome plane. If you get one, let us know before you fly and we can give a few pointers..

I took a chance and purchased a Hummingbird V3 Heli today....I did alright(with training wheels of course).
I was disappointed to learn that the tail rotor motor has a life expectancy of only 20 flights...does that sound correct?

Also, I bought E-Flights 3d Yak and a Hacker brushless outrunner and an Electrifly SS-35 ESC. It'll be a while before it's in the air because of the approaching hurricane and I've yet to purchase the radio, but will show some pics as soon as possible.

Let me know what you purchase, Jpilot.

Once again, the Typhoon is a bit tough for a beginner, but I did it and I'm proud to say that until my unfortuneate mishap, I was pretty darned good at it. It was my first four channel airplane. I may purchase one for my son for the holidays, but I will surley put in good servos for him.

Good Luck and Peace!

Frozen Smoke

gbruck50

I've been flying the Styker for awhile now and love it. Decided to get the Typhoon 3D. That is a great plane but has a real problem with servos stripping the gears. I flew my Typhoon very carefully and easy until I felt comfortable with it, doing some simple loops, rolls and flying upsidedown. Then I tried it on high rates and the elevator and rudder servos stripped. Other than that, it seems to be a great airplane.

gbruck50

Forgot to mention, I got my Typhoon at Armstrong's Bait Shop (he has lots of RC cars, planes, boats) for $199.99 with tax out the door. Armstrongs is located at 200 Lake St., Whitehall, Michigan. That is the lowest price I've seen so if you live near the area it could be a good way to get yours without paying shipping.

FrozenSmoke

Yet another report of shot out servos in the Typhoon. I would have bought another one outright yesterday, but I'm not going near it until they correct the problem. I bought a Helicopter instead just for kicks.

I'm getting the hang of my Helo, but this is got to be the most difficult thing in the world, other than landing on an aircraft carrier at night. I have no idea if my chopper is quality or not, but it seems do-able....the main rotors are balanced, I've trimmed the tail rotor perfectly and it seems to want to hover, I just can't quite get it yet. I hovered my pop's chopper a couple of times, but he had that thing expert tuned....give it throttle and she's standing still in space.

With all the difficulty I'm having, I'm still enjoying the challenge. I have training gear, so as long as I dont get ahead of myself, I should be in good shape.


Anyone here that can give me tips on hovering the Hummingbird V3? Or is jusy a trial and error thing.

Take care....getting ready to deal with hurricane Wilma, so wish me luck...


Peace,

Frozen Smoke

gbruck50

When the elevator and rudder servors stripped on my typhoon 3D it came down hard on the nose breaking the plastic cowling and packing some dirt in the fins on the underside (looking at the front of the airplane, slightly to the right underside) of the motor. After removing the cowling I noticed the motor is angled slightly, a few degrees, to the left looking directly at the front of the airplane (angled to the right looking from the back of the airplane, of course). Is that normal or did the crash cause that? Would greatly appreciate anyone's help.

For those who will be changing the rudder and elevator servos, if you carefully pry up under the servo keepers they will come out. There are 3 pins on the servo keepers pressed into the body to hold the servos in. If the replacement servos fit snugly, I would think some clear tape might be enough to hold the servos in place. Does that sound right to anyone who has replaced those servos?

Glacier Girl

My Feedback: (4)

The motor is angle down and to the right on purpose. to fight the torque tendencey to lift the nose up and to the left.