Rotofly - no control over cyclic
 

I recently bought a Heli-Max Rotofly. Does anyone else own one?

I can't get it to hover successfully because it drifts to the left and backward, even with full right and forward cyclic. I even adjusted the servos to provide maximum right and forward cyclic.

I adjusted the servos by unscrewing and popping off the servo arms and moving them one or two clicks clockwise.

It would be nice to extend the servo rods as well but they can't be extended.

I also removed the training gear, because I thought it may be moving the CG too far to the rear.

However, it continues to drift to the left and back.

I have added some weight to the right front corner of the landing gear. Seems to be helping a bit with the left drift, but it still drifts back a lot. I'm planning on adding even more weight.

For weight, I'm wrapping heavy-guage solder around the right-front landing gear.

Has anyone had experience with this kind of an issue?

-scott

RE: Rotofly - drifts left & back
 

How high is the Heli when this is happening? It sounds like ground effect. The Heli has to be between 2 to 3 feet above the ground to hover without ground effect pushing it to the left.

RE: Rotofly - drifts left & back
 

I've tried to "fly" the heli some more, and I have found that -- GET THIS -- the cyclic controls aren't working at all!!

I can see (and hear) the cyclic servos moving, I can see the swashplate moving, but for some reason there is no effect on the actual cyclic of the rotor. It seems there is something "disconnected" between the swashplate and the rotor. I don't know enough about how helicopters work to proceed.

I have contacted Heli-Max through e-mail and they seem cooperative. Since it's around midnight, obviously I'll have to wait until tomorrow to discuss this further with them.

I'll post what they say, as that may help future owners of this model.

Also, if anyone has a better understand of how the cyclic works on model helicopters, feel free to share your thoughts; it may help.

-scott

RE: Rotofly - drifts left & back
 

Subscribing....mine drifts right and back with full forward and left stick. I am interested in hearing what they have to say.

RE: Rotofly - drifts left & back
 

I talked to Heli-Max support on the phone and Rich was very helpful.

The "issue" was that the lower part of the swash was disconnected from the upper part. The upper part connects by snapping it into the hub of the lower part. Now it works fine!

He said it is OK to put a small amount of CA in the joint to keep them from coming apart again, but I have not done this.

Spadinator: Do you have any cyclic control at all? E.g., when you apply left cyclic, does the rate of leftward motion increase?

RE: Rotofly - drifts left & back
 

It does not appear so. The blade seems to remain horizontal. It does seem to tip forward and back a little more that side to side.

RE: Rotofly - drifts left & back
 

Spadinator:
You might have the same issue as myself. Make sure the top part of the swash is inserted fully into the hub of the bottom part of the swash. If you're only getting partial control, maybe it's only partially inserted. You can also email Heli-Max/Hobbico support at [email protected] or call them at 217-398-8970. They seem very nice.

When you move the cyclic, you should see the bottom swash move around, which should also cause the hardware above it to move around. You can test this with the throttle all the way down to see the movement better.

The guy at Heli-Max also said to make sure you have two silver bearings in your rotohead. You can see them on either side of the hub, looking down at it. Apparently the bearings have been missing from some of their models. Good luck!

-scott

RE: Rotofly - no control over cyclic
 

Thanks Scott I'll check it out.

RE: Rotofly - no control over cyclic
 

My swashplate was completely seated but the flybar was misaligned. No matter where the cyclic controls were at the fly bar was tilted and would not spin level. I adjusted the servo arm and got it to level out so we will see how it does now.