axe cp thread
07-07-2007 | 12:47 AM
#1301
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From: Nixa, MO
RE: axe cp thread
I just recieved my CP from Tower. I have flown fixed wing for 12yrs, since I was about 14yrs old. I work 65 hrs a week between my job and my personal business. Buy stuff to sell on eBay with my wife on weekends so I dont have much time to load up and go the field to fly. I bought the CP to fly at the local indoor soccer field, and to learn something new.
I have taken it out of the box, checked it out, but since I get off work at midnight I cant power it up with my wife asleap. But I am excited to get it going tommorow.
Any suggestions for an "airplane" guy?
Also, what would be wrong with programming my 9CAPS Airplane Radio to control this thing? Nothing wrong with the Heli-Max radio but I like the feel of my 9CAPS better. I know it has the ratchet throttle, but why do Heli's not use this? Probably is a stupid question.
Thanks for letting me interupt your conversation!
SDCranford
I have taken it out of the box, checked it out, but since I get off work at midnight I cant power it up with my wife asleap. But I am excited to get it going tommorow.
Any suggestions for an "airplane" guy?
Also, what would be wrong with programming my 9CAPS Airplane Radio to control this thing? Nothing wrong with the Heli-Max radio but I like the feel of my 9CAPS better. I know it has the ratchet throttle, but why do Heli's not use this? Probably is a stupid question.
Thanks for letting me interupt your conversation!
SDCranford
07-07-2007 | 01:08 AM
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From: Sykesville,
MD
RE: axe cp thread
sdcranford, welcome-- another plane guy here. Back to front, setting up the T9C to work with it is a great way to go. I have the synth module in mine, so I've programmed every heli I've gotten into the 9C and binned the stock transmitters. The controls on the 9C make the box transmitters feel like junk.
I got into helis to try something new, too-- but this stuff is addictive and expensive. It's a lot harder to fly a helicopter than it is to fly fixed wing, but once you learn a little bit (the first hover, the first circuit, the first piro, the first loop... it just goes on) it's incredibly rewarding.
If you got an Axe, you got training gear, so put it on. Pay attention to CG; it should be on the mainshaft, so you'll have to move the training wheels around to get it there.
Once it's set up, walk to the trash bin and firmly dispose of the training disc that comes with the Axe, then go to http://www.dream-models.com/eco/flying-index.html and follow the instructions. The discussion is a little over-enthusiastic, but if you just follow the drill you'll be hovering with a minimum of parts damage in no time.
After that it's up to you-- whether you want to fly scale style (search for darthdrk for a master of micro scale) or acro (plenty of sources here). Good luck, sir.
I got into helis to try something new, too-- but this stuff is addictive and expensive. It's a lot harder to fly a helicopter than it is to fly fixed wing, but once you learn a little bit (the first hover, the first circuit, the first piro, the first loop... it just goes on) it's incredibly rewarding.
If you got an Axe, you got training gear, so put it on. Pay attention to CG; it should be on the mainshaft, so you'll have to move the training wheels around to get it there.
Once it's set up, walk to the trash bin and firmly dispose of the training disc that comes with the Axe, then go to http://www.dream-models.com/eco/flying-index.html and follow the instructions. The discussion is a little over-enthusiastic, but if you just follow the drill you'll be hovering with a minimum of parts damage in no time.
After that it's up to you-- whether you want to fly scale style (search for darthdrk for a master of micro scale) or acro (plenty of sources here). Good luck, sir.
07-07-2007 | 02:41 PM
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From: Colorado Springs,
CO
RE: axe cp thread
sdcranford, I noticed your question about the rachet throttle. Some people do OK with them and some don't like them when flying helis. On a plane the controls are more seperated. Your elevator controls altitude for the most part, and though adding throttle can make a plane climb altitude can still be adjusted without touching the throttle using the elevator. On a heli since the lifting surface, control surface, and source of thrust are all coming from the same place it reacts to throttle input much differently.
The throttle on a heli is way more sensitive and has a much larger influence on what the aircraft does since it controls not only speed, but altitude as well (not to mention direction). With a rachet controller what can happen is one click will cause the heli to rise and the click below can cause the heli to fall meaning that maintaining altitude falls between clicks. In short throttle control is less exact with the rachet so it's not really suited for the helis sensitive nature. The upside is if you don't mind using a smooth throttle on your 9C I'm sure it can be retrofitted with a different throttle spring.
Good Luck!
The throttle on a heli is way more sensitive and has a much larger influence on what the aircraft does since it controls not only speed, but altitude as well (not to mention direction). With a rachet controller what can happen is one click will cause the heli to rise and the click below can cause the heli to fall meaning that maintaining altitude falls between clicks. In short throttle control is less exact with the rachet so it's not really suited for the helis sensitive nature. The upside is if you don't mind using a smooth throttle on your 9C I'm sure it can be retrofitted with a different throttle spring.
Good Luck!
07-07-2007 | 04:39 PM
#1304
RE: axe cp thread
Oh man did I speak too soon...
Well DANG! I did a full pack of indoor hover, everything looked great.
A week later, I take it outside with a almost totally calm, clear day.
Did the hover routine - smooth takeoff, hover here, hover there, side-in right, side-in left, perfect landing.
REPEAT! Everthing looks great.
Ok, so I give a little nose down input and start to move - immediate difficulty!! Try to flare - can't... Very difficultly... Ok, got the hover again... land.
Well dang. Ok, up the headspeed and down the collective pitch curve. Smooth launch, perfect hover, smooth control of altitude. Fine.
Again, try forward flight - immediate difficulty!!! Dang... too hard... fighting.,.. can't get hover... swinging around wildly... I can contain it, but can't stabilize...
Darn, had to put it down. Did the best I could - I had the time to think about it. Tried to get her level at the moment of ground contact, got close. Very soft grass and very soft earth beneath absorbed a lot of energy, minimized damage, but still:
One rotor blade ruined. The other is intact.
Slight bend in tail boom - easily straightened (a piece of tubing around the boom reduced the damage)
One Blade Grip snapped (it did its job perfectly, saving further damage)
Bent Feathering Shaft - on order
Slight bend in Flybar - easily fixed.
Some teeth in the main gear chewed through. Its pretty bad by now, time to replace - on order.
Not bad as crashes go, but I have a control problem. I should have been able to flare and regain the hover. But, somehow I think when I give a pure right cyclic input, it is adding a pesky foward cyclic to the mix somehow. AND, when I give pure left cyclic input, it is mixing in a little back cyclic.
Totally annoying - the result is the heli does the Toilet Bowl maneuver every time I try to regain the hover or recover from a flare. Its impossible to compensate for on the sticks.
I decided that some of the problem could be mechanical, so I splurged on a few key CNC aluminum head parts... That brings my total cost up to TREX levels but I could be worse off crashing a TREX 3 times... anyway, its a hobby... no such thing as the cheapest anything,,,
I'm down a couple weeks while parts come in. I'll post pics of the new bling when intstalled...
Well DANG! I did a full pack of indoor hover, everything looked great.
A week later, I take it outside with a almost totally calm, clear day.
Did the hover routine - smooth takeoff, hover here, hover there, side-in right, side-in left, perfect landing.
REPEAT! Everthing looks great.
Ok, so I give a little nose down input and start to move - immediate difficulty!! Try to flare - can't... Very difficultly... Ok, got the hover again... land.
Well dang. Ok, up the headspeed and down the collective pitch curve. Smooth launch, perfect hover, smooth control of altitude. Fine.
Again, try forward flight - immediate difficulty!!! Dang... too hard... fighting.,.. can't get hover... swinging around wildly... I can contain it, but can't stabilize...
Darn, had to put it down. Did the best I could - I had the time to think about it. Tried to get her level at the moment of ground contact, got close. Very soft grass and very soft earth beneath absorbed a lot of energy, minimized damage, but still:
One rotor blade ruined. The other is intact.
Slight bend in tail boom - easily straightened (a piece of tubing around the boom reduced the damage)
One Blade Grip snapped (it did its job perfectly, saving further damage)
Bent Feathering Shaft - on order
Slight bend in Flybar - easily fixed.
Some teeth in the main gear chewed through. Its pretty bad by now, time to replace - on order.
Not bad as crashes go, but I have a control problem. I should have been able to flare and regain the hover. But, somehow I think when I give a pure right cyclic input, it is adding a pesky foward cyclic to the mix somehow. AND, when I give pure left cyclic input, it is mixing in a little back cyclic.
Totally annoying - the result is the heli does the Toilet Bowl maneuver every time I try to regain the hover or recover from a flare. Its impossible to compensate for on the sticks.
I decided that some of the problem could be mechanical, so I splurged on a few key CNC aluminum head parts... That brings my total cost up to TREX levels but I could be worse off crashing a TREX 3 times... anyway, its a hobby... no such thing as the cheapest anything,,,
I'm down a couple weeks while parts come in. I'll post pics of the new bling when intstalled...
07-07-2007 | 05:02 PM
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From: Bakersfield,
CA
RE: axe cp thread
Markind, Sorry to hear about your recent crash. I know you have put a lot of time, effort, and money into getting your Axe where you want it. This is especially difficult with a newer model. I don't have any idea what would cause the mixing you are referring to other than some mixup in the programming of your transmitter. It sounds like something in the programming of your transmitter to me. I hope you get it figured out.
I truthfully have now flown my Axe in about two weeks, but I still check in here every now and then. I finished building my new TRex 450se V2 and it is much more stable and easier to fly than the Axe. I love not being worried about a slight breeze or gust when I whan to go flying. While I have not crashed my Rex yet, the prices for normal breaking parts are normally cheaper for the Rex than the Axe. Not only are the prices typically cheaper you normally get multiple parts in the same bag while HeliMax includes 1.
I am not going to sell my Axe but rather keep it around for the memories and maybe hover it around in my garage every now and then. The Axe served its purpose well in my case. I bought it to "get my feet wet" and see if rotary flight was something I was going to enjoy and stick with it. The Axe fit the bill for under $200 so I went with it and made a promise to myself that I would keep it totally stock and save my money for a nicer heli in the future. Thankfully, I was able to keep that promise. You can see a couple of pics of my new heli my gallery.
I truthfully have now flown my Axe in about two weeks, but I still check in here every now and then. I finished building my new TRex 450se V2 and it is much more stable and easier to fly than the Axe. I love not being worried about a slight breeze or gust when I whan to go flying. While I have not crashed my Rex yet, the prices for normal breaking parts are normally cheaper for the Rex than the Axe. Not only are the prices typically cheaper you normally get multiple parts in the same bag while HeliMax includes 1.
I am not going to sell my Axe but rather keep it around for the memories and maybe hover it around in my garage every now and then. The Axe served its purpose well in my case. I bought it to "get my feet wet" and see if rotary flight was something I was going to enjoy and stick with it. The Axe fit the bill for under $200 so I went with it and made a promise to myself that I would keep it totally stock and save my money for a nicer heli in the future. Thankfully, I was able to keep that promise. You can see a couple of pics of my new heli my gallery.
07-07-2007 | 06:06 PM
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From: Benton Harbor,
MI
RE: axe cp thread
ORIGINAL: markind
Oh man did I speak too soon...
Well DANG! I did a full pack of indoor hover, everything looked great.
A week later, I take it outside with a almost totally calm, clear day.
Did the hover routine - smooth takeoff, hover here, hover there, side-in right, side-in left, perfect landing.
REPEAT! Everthing looks great.
Ok, so I give a little nose down input and start to move - immediate difficulty!! Try to flare - can't... Very difficultly... Ok, got the hover again... land.
Well dang. Ok, up the headspeed and down the collective pitch curve. Smooth launch, perfect hover, smooth control of altitude. Fine.
Again, try forward flight - immediate difficulty!!! Dang... too hard... fighting.,.. can't get hover... swinging around wildly... I can contain it, but can't stabilize...
Darn, had to put it down. Did the best I could - I had the time to think about it. Tried to get her level at the moment of ground contact, got close. Very soft grass and very soft earth beneath absorbed a lot of energy, minimized damage, but still:
One rotor blade ruined. The other is intact.
Slight bend in tail boom - easily straightened (a piece of tubing around the boom reduced the damage)
One Blade Grip snapped (it did its job perfectly, saving further damage)
Bent Feathering Shaft - on order
Slight bend in Flybar - easily fixed.
Some teeth in the main gear chewed through. Its pretty bad by now, time to replace - on order.
Not bad as crashes go, but I have a control problem. I should have been able to flare and regain the hover. But, somehow I think when I give a pure right cyclic input, it is adding a pesky foward cyclic to the mix somehow. AND, when I give pure left cyclic input, it is mixing in a little back cyclic.
Totally annoying - the result is the heli does the Toilet Bowl maneuver every time I try to regain the hover or recover from a flare. Its impossible to compensate for on the sticks.
I decided that some of the problem could be mechanical, so I splurged on a few key CNC aluminum head parts... That brings my total cost up to TREX levels but I could be worse off crashing a TREX 3 times... anyway, its a hobby... no such thing as the cheapest anything,,,
I'm down a couple weeks while parts come in. I'll post pics of the new bling when intstalled...
Oh man did I speak too soon...
Well DANG! I did a full pack of indoor hover, everything looked great.
A week later, I take it outside with a almost totally calm, clear day.
Did the hover routine - smooth takeoff, hover here, hover there, side-in right, side-in left, perfect landing.
REPEAT! Everthing looks great.
Ok, so I give a little nose down input and start to move - immediate difficulty!! Try to flare - can't... Very difficultly... Ok, got the hover again... land.
Well dang. Ok, up the headspeed and down the collective pitch curve. Smooth launch, perfect hover, smooth control of altitude. Fine.
Again, try forward flight - immediate difficulty!!! Dang... too hard... fighting.,.. can't get hover... swinging around wildly... I can contain it, but can't stabilize...
Darn, had to put it down. Did the best I could - I had the time to think about it. Tried to get her level at the moment of ground contact, got close. Very soft grass and very soft earth beneath absorbed a lot of energy, minimized damage, but still:
One rotor blade ruined. The other is intact.
Slight bend in tail boom - easily straightened (a piece of tubing around the boom reduced the damage)
One Blade Grip snapped (it did its job perfectly, saving further damage)
Bent Feathering Shaft - on order
Slight bend in Flybar - easily fixed.
Some teeth in the main gear chewed through. Its pretty bad by now, time to replace - on order.
Not bad as crashes go, but I have a control problem. I should have been able to flare and regain the hover. But, somehow I think when I give a pure right cyclic input, it is adding a pesky foward cyclic to the mix somehow. AND, when I give pure left cyclic input, it is mixing in a little back cyclic.
Totally annoying - the result is the heli does the Toilet Bowl maneuver every time I try to regain the hover or recover from a flare. Its impossible to compensate for on the sticks.
I decided that some of the problem could be mechanical, so I splurged on a few key CNC aluminum head parts... That brings my total cost up to TREX levels but I could be worse off crashing a TREX 3 times... anyway, its a hobby... no such thing as the cheapest anything,,,
I'm down a couple weeks while parts come in. I'll post pics of the new bling when intstalled...
Dude, hate to hear about the crash, but I think your heli is flying fine. If you are in tail in and everything is ok, then its purely psychological. The side in left and right more or less verify the proper operation.
During attempting forward flight I fly left side in, then forward out to my left. Rotate tail in, then right side in ( which looks like nose in because it is off to the left) let the nose tilt down slightly and as it moves forward, steer left or right with the cyclic. As it passes you, it will become side in, then tail in again. Take it slow to give your brain a chance to transition from one orentation to the other.
You'll get it.
07-07-2007 | 06:15 PM
#1307
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From: Benton Harbor,
MI
RE: axe cp thread
Forgot to mention, as the heli starts to move forward, the left side of the "disk" is moving into faster air, and the receding blade is moving into slowing air creating less lift. The action reacts 90 degrees to the force, so the left side with more lift will act on the nose and less lift will act on the tail. Essentially, the heli will want to raise the nose. You will have to give a little nose down and decrease the collective.
When you slow back into a hover, you will need more collective again.
When you slow back into a hover, you will need more collective again.
07-07-2007 | 06:50 PM
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From: Santa Ana,
CA
RE: axe cp thread
ORIGINAL: PilotLight
Forgot to mention, as the heli starts to move forward, the left side of the "disk" is moving into faster air, and the receding blade is moving into slowing air creating less lift. The action reacts 90 degrees to the force, so the left side with more lift will act on the nose and less lift will act on the tail. Essentially, the heli will want to raise the nose. You will have to give a little nose down and decrease the collective.
When you slow back into a hover, you will need more collective again.
Forgot to mention, as the heli starts to move forward, the left side of the "disk" is moving into faster air, and the receding blade is moving into slowing air creating less lift. The action reacts 90 degrees to the force, so the left side with more lift will act on the nose and less lift will act on the tail. Essentially, the heli will want to raise the nose. You will have to give a little nose down and decrease the collective.
When you slow back into a hover, you will need more collective again.
07-09-2007 | 10:19 AM
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From: Dallas ,
TX
RE: axe cp thread
hey BoysToys
how long have you been flying helis? ... also how would you rank your assembly skills with respect to putting your T-Rex together? ... i have a Axe CP and am doing a little hovering here and there and am finally feeling adventurous with working on it myself, and would like to get a T-rex but i have two left hands when it comes to putting things together ... how would you rank the difficulty of the assembly?
how long have you been flying helis? ... also how would you rank your assembly skills with respect to putting your T-Rex together? ... i have a Axe CP and am doing a little hovering here and there and am finally feeling adventurous with working on it myself, and would like to get a T-rex but i have two left hands when it comes to putting things together ... how would you rank the difficulty of the assembly?
07-09-2007 | 11:19 AM
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From: Bakersfield,
CA
RE: axe cp thread
ORIGINAL: rc-jj
hey BoysToys
how long have you been flying helis? ... also how would you rank your assembly skills with respect to putting your T-Rex together? ... i have a Axe CP and am doing a little hovering here and there and am finally feeling adventurous with working on it myself, and would like to get a T-rex but i have two left hands when it comes to putting things together ... how would you rank the difficulty of the assembly?
hey BoysToys
how long have you been flying helis? ... also how would you rank your assembly skills with respect to putting your T-Rex together? ... i have a Axe CP and am doing a little hovering here and there and am finally feeling adventurous with working on it myself, and would like to get a T-rex but i have two left hands when it comes to putting things together ... how would you rank the difficulty of the assembly?
My advice is to keep your Axe stock and learn to hover in all orientations. Save your money and when you are ready go for it. Download and watch ALL the Finless videos and use them to setup your new Heli.
I am leaving on vacation today for a week and just wish that I could take it with me.[:@]
Good Luck!!
07-09-2007 | 11:28 AM
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From: Dallas ,
TX
RE: axe cp thread
well whether you want this title or not - YOU ARE MY HERO 
i will be there one day with you ... i have been in Helis now not much longer than you - maybe 3 or 4 months more but time does not allow me to fly my Axe more than once a week and i have one battery and i fly til its "dead" then that is it for me - so my progression rate is kinda slow - still just doing basic short hovers ... i will take your advice and fly my Axe some more and learn to work on it .... but i will catch up to you one day ...and that my kind sir is a threat
take care and have a fun vacation
i will be there one day with you ... i have been in Helis now not much longer than you - maybe 3 or 4 months more but time does not allow me to fly my Axe more than once a week and i have one battery and i fly til its "dead" then that is it for me - so my progression rate is kinda slow - still just doing basic short hovers ... i will take your advice and fly my Axe some more and learn to work on it .... but i will catch up to you one day ...and that my kind sir is a threat
take care and have a fun vacation
07-10-2007 | 12:50 PM
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From: miami,
FL
RE: axe cp thread
If you can fly/hover an Axe, flying a T-rex of any size is a piece of cake. I too moved up to a T-Rex and belive me when I say that the T-Rex is MUCH easier to fly/hover!! The bigger the heli the more stable it is. Its plain physics that make the larger helis more stable. As for building the T-Rex, you could save yourself the headache and get a T-Rex450SA (comes preassembled). I got the 450SA but took the whole thing apart because I wanted to see how it all went together.
07-10-2007 | 01:07 PM
#1313
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From: Dallas ,
TX
RE: axe cp thread
is the 450SA completely or mostly assembled? ... also isn't it much smaller than the 600? .... if it is then as per your experience it is still then possibly that much easier to hover than the axe?
dont get me wrong - i love the axe but will move to a t-Rex soon .. i was not sure if i should wait and save up for the 600 (which i am assuming is more expensive) thus making my crashes hurt that much more - or go with the 450SA that will hopefully hold me for a while.
dont get me wrong - i love the axe but will move to a t-Rex soon .. i was not sure if i should wait and save up for the 600 (which i am assuming is more expensive) thus making my crashes hurt that much more - or go with the 450SA that will hopefully hold me for a while.
07-10-2007 | 07:35 PM
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From: miami,
FL
RE: axe cp thread
the 450SA comes completly assembled except for the electrics. I have seen the 450SA combo in my LHS for as low as $289 and that includes the Align 430L brushless motor and 35amp esc!!! A very potent combo!
A T-Rex 600 can set you back upwards of $500 just for the kit without electrics. A decent battery with enough power to give you about 5 mins of flight would run you upwards of $150. A good motor and speed control can be very not cheap so an electric 600 without a radio and gyro can run around $900 just to get your feet wet.
As for stability, a bigger heli will naturally be more stable. Doesn't matter how well built a micro heli is. It will be inherently unstable due to the lack of mass and rotational stability. BUT a micro can be made to fly stable and behave with the right modifications to the flybar system.
A T-Rex 600 can set you back upwards of $500 just for the kit without electrics. A decent battery with enough power to give you about 5 mins of flight would run you upwards of $150. A good motor and speed control can be very not cheap so an electric 600 without a radio and gyro can run around $900 just to get your feet wet.
As for stability, a bigger heli will naturally be more stable. Doesn't matter how well built a micro heli is. It will be inherently unstable due to the lack of mass and rotational stability. BUT a micro can be made to fly stable and behave with the right modifications to the flybar system.
07-10-2007 | 08:15 PM
#1315
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From: Blaine,
MN
RE: axe cp thread
if you can run a screw driver in one hand and a nut driver in one and can learn when not to over tighten you will have no problem.
buying the right nut drivers to fit into the blade holders and such has been no easy task.
althought this is coming from a guy who is a wiz with tools. The issues I am having with my MX450's is the programing.
OH MY GOD,
I have been at it for a week. I spent the 20 bucks for the usb cord to hook up the Castle speed control to my computer, I have had it with the beep beep count the beeps. AND if you make a mistake,,,start over.
AND the programming of the radio, take two asprin and read on. WHAT a *****. And I thought programming EXP and DR on my radio for my planes was easy cheesy. The heli is a nightmare.
I have gotten into the habbit of taking my heli out with 1 extra battery in my pocket and my reading glasses and a manual for each component on the Heli in the other pocket.
I am the guy at the field trying to figure out wich pitch curve is not right.
I had fun flying the AXE CP, now all I do is try to get a MX450 to spin the main rotor head.
GOOD Luck and dont be in a hurry to spend money at sit at your work bench.
HOBBY_MAN
OH, I was flying heli's 15 years ago, gave it up, too much work and stress, I may again
buying the right nut drivers to fit into the blade holders and such has been no easy task.
althought this is coming from a guy who is a wiz with tools. The issues I am having with my MX450's is the programing.
OH MY GOD,
I have been at it for a week. I spent the 20 bucks for the usb cord to hook up the Castle speed control to my computer, I have had it with the beep beep count the beeps. AND if you make a mistake,,,start over.
AND the programming of the radio, take two asprin and read on. WHAT a *****. And I thought programming EXP and DR on my radio for my planes was easy cheesy. The heli is a nightmare.
I have gotten into the habbit of taking my heli out with 1 extra battery in my pocket and my reading glasses and a manual for each component on the Heli in the other pocket.
I am the guy at the field trying to figure out wich pitch curve is not right.
I had fun flying the AXE CP, now all I do is try to get a MX450 to spin the main rotor head.
GOOD Luck and dont be in a hurry to spend money at sit at your work bench.
HOBBY_MAN
OH, I was flying heli's 15 years ago, gave it up, too much work and stress, I may again
ORIGINAL: rc-jj
hey BoysToys
how long have you been flying helis? ... also how would you rank your assembly skills with respect to putting your T-Rex together? ... i have a Axe CP and am doing a little hovering here and there and am finally feeling adventurous with working on it myself, and would like to get a T-rex but i have two left hands when it comes to putting things together ... how would you rank the difficulty of the assembly?
hey BoysToys
how long have you been flying helis? ... also how would you rank your assembly skills with respect to putting your T-Rex together? ... i have a Axe CP and am doing a little hovering here and there and am finally feeling adventurous with working on it myself, and would like to get a T-rex but i have two left hands when it comes to putting things together ... how would you rank the difficulty of the assembly?
07-10-2007 | 08:27 PM
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From: Blaine,
MN
RE: axe cp thread
ORIGINAL: BoysToys
I started flying on Real Flight G3.5 in February of this year. I got my Axe Cp in March. So I have only been flying the real thing for about 4 months. I learned alot about setting up helis by fixing the Axe after my many crashes. However, this was not nearly enough knowledge to setup my Rex and program my DX7 from scratch. I used the [link=http://www.helifreak.com/viewtopic.php?t=12455]Finless Bob T-Rex Build Videos[/link] off another site. I took my time and it went together fairly easily. After I finished I took it by my LHS and had the Heli expert check it out. He gave me a thumbs up and answered a few of the questions I had and I went home and flew it right away. I have about 10 flights on and just started nose in and basic circles again. I was able to fly nose in, nose in figure 8s, a circles easily with my Axe but the pucker factor of crashing a heli that I just spent over a grand on has me taking it very slow.
My advice is to keep your Axe stock and learn to hover in all orientations. Save your money and when you are ready go for it. Download and watch ALL the Finless videos and use them to setup your new Heli.
I am leaving on vacation today for a week and just wish that I could take it with me.[:@]
Good Luck!!
ORIGINAL: rc-jj
hey BoysToys
how long have you been flying helis? ... also how would you rank your assembly skills with respect to putting your T-Rex together? ... i have a Axe CP and am doing a little hovering here and there and am finally feeling adventurous with working on it myself, and would like to get a T-rex but i have two left hands when it comes to putting things together ... how would you rank the difficulty of the assembly?
hey BoysToys
how long have you been flying helis? ... also how would you rank your assembly skills with respect to putting your T-Rex together? ... i have a Axe CP and am doing a little hovering here and there and am finally feeling adventurous with working on it myself, and would like to get a T-rex but i have two left hands when it comes to putting things together ... how would you rank the difficulty of the assembly?
My advice is to keep your Axe stock and learn to hover in all orientations. Save your money and when you are ready go for it. Download and watch ALL the Finless videos and use them to setup your new Heli.
I am leaving on vacation today for a week and just wish that I could take it with me.[:@]
Good Luck!!
what is the trick to getting a user name and password on Finless Bob T-Rex Build Videos???????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????
07-12-2007 | 05:08 PM
#1317
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From: Bakersfield,
CA
RE: axe cp thread
ORIGINAL: hobby_man
what is the trick to getting a user name and password on Finless Bob T-Rex Build Videos???????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????
what is the trick to getting a user name and password on Finless Bob T-Rex Build Videos???????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????
07-13-2007 | 11:47 AM
#1319
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From: Whittier,
CA
RE: axe cp thread
I just bought my AXE CP and I've broke the stupid blade grips three times already, not a costly replacement but a pain in the ass to fix all the time. Now I have my AXE back in working condition, but it always floats left on take off. I have adjusted the trim on the remote to pull right, but it doesn't seem to do much. The tail and noise are pretty stable it just pitches left and I'm not sure how to correct it. So far I have tried playing the left/right bias and tail rotor trim, but it still veers left.
Any ideas? Does anything sound broken? I've checked all the parts by swashplate assembly and tail rotors and nothing stands out. Or is it normal to have to put a little right pitch when taking off.
One more question, i ordered the cnc aluminum blade grips because the plastic ones break easily, but i was wondering what will break now instead of the blade grips? In other words where will the force be transfered to when you crash?
Any ideas? Does anything sound broken? I've checked all the parts by swashplate assembly and tail rotors and nothing stands out. Or is it normal to have to put a little right pitch when taking off.
One more question, i ordered the cnc aluminum blade grips because the plastic ones break easily, but i was wondering what will break now instead of the blade grips? In other words where will the force be transfered to when you crash?
07-13-2007 | 11:54 AM
#1320
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From: Blaine,
MN
RE: axe cp thread
ORIGINAL: helitight
I just bought my AXE CP and I've broke the stupid blade grips three times already, not a costly replacement but a pain in the ass to fix all the time. Now I have my AXE back in working condition, but it always floats left on take off. I have adjusted the trim on the remote to pull right, but it doesn't seem to do much. The tail and noise are pretty stable it just pitches left and I'm not sure how to correct it. So far I have tried playing the left/right bias and tail rotor trim, but it still veers left.
Any ideas? Does anything sound broken? I've checked all the parts by swashplate assembly and tail rotors and nothing stands out. Or is it normal to have to put a little right pitch when taking off.
One more question, i ordered the cnc aluminum blade grips because the plastic ones break easily, but i was wondering what will break now instead of the blade grips? In other words where will the force be transfered to when you crash?
I just bought my AXE CP and I've broke the stupid blade grips three times already, not a costly replacement but a pain in the ass to fix all the time. Now I have my AXE back in working condition, but it always floats left on take off. I have adjusted the trim on the remote to pull right, but it doesn't seem to do much. The tail and noise are pretty stable it just pitches left and I'm not sure how to correct it. So far I have tried playing the left/right bias and tail rotor trim, but it still veers left.
Any ideas? Does anything sound broken? I've checked all the parts by swashplate assembly and tail rotors and nothing stands out. Or is it normal to have to put a little right pitch when taking off.
One more question, i ordered the cnc aluminum blade grips because the plastic ones break easily, but i was wondering what will break now instead of the blade grips? In other words where will the force be transfered to when you crash?
your correct, you are going to move what breaks furthur down the head. parts are cheap.
are your blades tracking??
with the radio on and all the trim tabs centered, is the swash plate level?
07-13-2007 | 11:59 AM
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From: Whittier,
CA
RE: axe cp thread
I will try tonight and I'll let you know tomorrow if the swashplate is level when all the trim settings are center. Currenlty they aren't center.
Thanks,
Thanks,
07-13-2007 | 01:26 PM
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From: Dallas ,
TX
RE: axe cp thread
my little two pennies here ... i am never so quick to replace - while i am learning to hover and just staying maybe two feet above ground i usually try to super glue before i replace ... cuz i know i will have much more crashes and breakages .... when i get a little more proficient i will change out all those fixed parts for higher flights ... or maybe i am just cheap! [
]
]
07-13-2007 | 02:05 PM
#1323
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From: Golden,
CO
RE: axe cp thread
Well, you can fix/glue anyway you want. But the first time a fixed/glued ball link comes off while you are hovering you will be replacing alot more parts than just fixing it right in the first place.
07-13-2007 | 04:40 PM
#1325
RE: axe cp thread
ORIGINAL: PilotLight
Forgot to mention, as the heli starts to move forward, the left side of the "disk" is moving into faster air, and the receding blade is moving into slowing air creating less lift. The action reacts 90 degrees to the force, so the left side with more lift will act on the nose and less lift will act on the tail. Essentially, the heli will want to raise the nose. You will have to give a little nose down and decrease the collective.
When you slow back into a hover, you will need more collective again.
Forgot to mention, as the heli starts to move forward, the left side of the "disk" is moving into faster air, and the receding blade is moving into slowing air creating less lift. The action reacts 90 degrees to the force, so the left side with more lift will act on the nose and less lift will act on the tail. Essentially, the heli will want to raise the nose. You will have to give a little nose down and decrease the collective.
When you slow back into a hover, you will need more collective again.
Thanks for the tips - I got that and I also got that my control problem may indeed be psych.
I got my parts together and re-assembled my Axe. During the process I pulled the motor and did the Cooling Mod to the heatsink.
The new feathering shaft and o-rings are a little tight - this can make for sluggish cyclic response. I plan to strip down the head again, re-assemble and lube this time with light machine oil. I am also using dry silicone spray lube around the bearings. The main rotor spins freely but needs balancing.
Also, I am going with those solid plastic flat-bottomed 'trainer' blades from Tower. My See-Saw and Flybar Carrier are now CNC aluminum. They seem to add some precision to the tracking adjustment. I am hopeful that, once balanced, the whole rotor head will perform better.
My goal for the Axe CP is to get the bugs worked out, be able to fly around comfortably with basic 2d patterns, which I have done before, THEN bite all bullets and get my 450SE V3 for next xmas... heheh
I will miss the some things about the Axe tho, after I 'graduate'. Being able to hold the heli in one hand at hover-headspeeds while making programming adjustments and checking tracking is a perk that is hard to beat...
This time, I am going to spend extra time on the bench making sure all mechanicals are working exactly right. The DX7 should allow me to fine tune out any weirdness.
