evoIX

yea i might be thinking to cancel the order and go for esky cool too............HL is really not doin a good job. the cp2 is with belt drive?

Gary Morris

They probably had to make changes or check the production batch and this is the reason for the delay. Wouldn't you want your helicopter to have the once over and be sure it's right rather than having them go ahead and ship them if there is a problem with the speed controller? Be patient, good things come to those that wait!

Gary

millst

yes, copilot paid for itself once already today I think
ideally it needs a clear path to the horizon but in practice it works fine in park conditions.
i was flying this morning in a field bordered by trees and buildings and it worked fine.

Cheers
Toby

evoIX

I dont think the delay is due to correction of the helicopter as i emailed art-tech and they are not aware of the problems themselves and the shipment was already out in the sea somewhere in the world.

poiyt

Guys I'm with you... the Falcon is receding into the past and I'm now looking an another heli... FYI I also emailed Art-Tech direct to ask them what the problem was with delivery, and I got the usual reply... "we're trying to correct some issues (ESC?), orders (demand) have outstripped supply" etc etc.. in short, they don't even sound too confident they'll make Sep 8 now... obviously, HL ain't making no jack either, so Don (ext 210) they're frustrated too...

My main concern was and is parts... you just know if they (i.e., Art-Tech) are having such a problem w/ delivery of the whole heli, that sooner or later, as these things sell and pilots (just like me!!!) start breaking things, that the same thing may happen to the parts supply.. which as far as I know would be bad, b/c isn't HL the sole supplier of Falcon parts??

(And last but by no means least.. what about upgrades?? CNC, bling etc? All the established heli's all have multiple sources from which to get the all-metal heads, CF main blades etc etc... and to my knowledge, there are no hop-ups for the Falcon yet)

Soooo, sad to say I think I'v made my decision to go another way... looking now at the flwg:

Honeybee King/Cool
Walkera 62
Helimax X-400

If any of you guys are going another way also, can you kindly advise me what you're finding out there? I'll certainly do the same by posting links etc; and perhaps we can all come up w/ a cool heli

Thanks in advance

Jeff

evoIX

forget the walkera man , everyone says its junk

bjett80

evoIX,

You can check out the Esky belt drive CP at HeliDirect.com.

I haven't heard about it before, maybe it's new.

Barry

Gary Morris

Ok guys, the reason for the delay is so they can take care of some of the issues that have been brought up, i.e., channel 5 switch not connected, and other things.

Gary

evoIX

hey gary , anyway you can verify this? cause i emailed art tech about it , they dont even have any idea what am i talking about so does HL.

bjett80

Allen,

How did the change out of the smoked ESC go ? Are you back in the air ?

Barry

Gary Morris

I am verifying this, I was told by HL that the reason for the delay was to correct issues with the Falcon, so this came straight from the horses mouth.

Gary

bjett80

Thanks Gary,

Any info you can give us is appreciated.

I know the ShenZhen area of China is known as one of the worst sources of counterfeit electronics.
I wonder if Art-tech got bit by some 'not quite to spec' parts in their ESC.

Question for you - the servos on the Falcon require 90 deg linkages. I know on my fixed pitch HoneyBee
the linkages are mounted below the rotor head and are a straight shot up. Is the linkage arrangement on
the Falcon typical of what you would find on other CCPM helicopters, like the T-Rex, etc ?


Barry

evoIX

well i called HL day to day and spoke to chris and andrew , all they can say is the shipment is from overseas , we cant determine the exact date yada yada yada was all the explanation he could give me.

I hope you're right gary , especially with the esc , gyro not arming and the ch5 not connected in the tx problem.

on the mean time , why dont some of you falcon owners show us some videos or pictures to make this thread more alive?

rmathews

My Feedback: (1)

I want to thank all you young guys for the great info on the F3d,just sent HL an order for one + spares.Having done business with HL for a few years,35+,I think before they were even called HL[X(],I feel that they will get a handle on the supply trouble and other problems.Can't wait to loosen up my old thumbs,back ordered till 9-8 but anyone whose been whose been in the military knows you have to hurry up and wait.[>:] Rich

a68fan

Hey guys!!

bjett80: No, I have not changed it... Have a bit of a cold, went home yesterday & hit the 'ol couch.... Probably do the same today... I'll get 'er goin' in a day or two... Thanks for asking!!!

Allen

poiyt

Ooops ! I did it again!!!

well guys I ordered this DF36 from Helidirect yesterday:

Order Date: Tuesday 29 August, 2006 Order Total: $236.96
Free Shipping (Economy (5 - 7 Days))

1 x Walkera Dragongfly #36 Electric 3D Ready To Fly Helicopter Kit $149.99
1 x JGF 400DH 4000KV Outrunner motor $49.99
1 x Dynam 30A Brushless ESC BEC 2A/5V $25.00
1 x Motor Pinion - 9T - 2.3mm Shaft Size $1.99
1 x Main Rotor Blade - Walkera 36 - HM-036-Z-01 $9.99

So whaddya think, guys:

http://www.helidirect.com/product_in...oducts_id=1209
(looks like I got the last one!)

I got an email from Tony Ho w/ Art-Tech, and he cfms that the backordered Falcons will arr at HL on Thur 07 Sep!!!
So I'm still undecided as to whether to keep both helis, or cancel the Falcon before it ships (darn it!!! not enough $$$$ to support my habit!!)

any thoughts, etc?
thx guys
Jeff

bjett80

Jeff,

That Dragonfly is a good looking bird !

Of course, it's not my money, but I hope you keep both of them and give us a report on how they
compare, stock Dragonfly, Dragonfly with brushless motor and Falcon.

You will probably want a higher capacity lipo battery, maybe you could use the Falcon lipo on the
Dragonfly as well.

If your looking for excuses to keep both ... well, you could always use the Dragonfly as a trainer...
especially if you can find some carbon blades to put on it. Heck, that will probably save you the
cost of the Dragonfly in repair parts for the Falcon alone ! ( ....yeah, I know .... that argument doesn't
work on the wife either...)

Good luck !

Barry

rmathews

My Feedback: (1)

poiyt I'm with bjett80.Keep them both,its only colored paper And please let us know good and bad points of each bird.

Rich

poiyt

yeah, doggone wife unit, Goodness bless her!! she'll say, "why do you fool with that toy helicopter stuff??" and I'll say, "but honey, this AIN"T NO TOY!! this is a highly technical aeronautical test platform!!" and she'll roll her eyes and walk off saying, "whatever!" so it goes for them that ain't been bit by the heli bug...

so I'd like to keep both, but $$$ being what it is, I"ll likely have to cancel the Falcon.. besides, once they get the backlogs cleared out I should be able to order a Falcon easily.. and unless HL realls raises prices, it's still a very good deal

the main reason I like the DF36 vs the Falcon (at the moment!) is the amout of metal upgrades avail for it, and a huge amt of info on various boards about modding, etc, not to mention the great support from helidirect

I just hope you guys don't kick me off this excellent board!!

cheers!

Gary Morris

Consider yourself permanently banned! Just kidding! I hope you are very happy with your new bird, keep us posted on how it goes!

Gary

poiyt

but I can always lurk!!!

nah, Gary, I'm still torn on this.. I'll likely brood on it over the weekend; maybe take a part-time job so I can try to afford both...bloody addiction!!

I fully know Walkera have had their issues in the past (mainly electronics, poor batteries & servos, etc); but on the other hand they've sold a zillion of 'em so both parts as well CNC upgrades are readily available & fairly cheap

btw, you obviously are knowledgeable w/ mini electrics... you have any experience/ thoughts on the DF36?

cheers,
Jeff

evoIX

you sure are right about the dog gone addiction on heli.....what's so interesting about them anyway (LoL)..... who am i kidding =(

choppersrule

Hi fellas, it's the old guy here.....[8D]

At lot of good ideas and thoughts float around on this post, and a lot of interesting people..

I sense some discouragement and frustration with the Falcon.. That being, delayed shipping and defective parts. I must be the extremely lucky one. I'm past 40 flights and haven't really had any problems. Still only one mishap, broken blade. For me, that's a small miracle in itself. Especially, since I went idle-up the other day, what an experience. If, and probably when, I total the Falcon, I'll get another one. The price for this heli and what it comes stock with is a true value.

As far as problems go with new products, good golly, look at the automotive industry and all the recalls they have.

I know it's hard at times, but be patient, good things will come.

Poiyt,

Congrats on the DF36, I'm sure you'll be pleased with it's performance.. DON'T cancel the Falcon, get a part time job or cut down on your eating for a few weeks. LOL
Dave





rmathews,

I know exactly what you mean by patience, I was in the military during Viet Nam. Once, I spent three full days in a hangar, with nothing to due but wait, for a flight home during my discharge in 1969.
Dave



Dave / Choppersrule

JJT

Hi guys
heres a long sentence...
I'm wondering whether I should spend $150(with tax and shipping from UK) on a CPD4 copilot(or even $330 on the FS8 with witch I would eventually be able to learn 3D faster, but have to buy another tx?), or a special usbcable($ 60)that will allow my tx to communicate with my mac computer and the only(not very good) sim available for mac(sorry Im in the intertainment business(cinematographer) and we mostly use macs)


any good advice will be appreciated
(could be traded for advice on how to shoot better home videos)

Jens Jakob(absolute beginner)
Denmark
Europe

millst

a week ago i would have said buy the CPD4, but then yesterday my falcon receiver died when the smoke got out of one of my Lipoly batteries
I seem to have lost channel 1 on the rx.

so now i either have to buy a new receiver or buy an FS8 and new tx.
an FS8 would definately be cleaner.
the falcon tx seems fine so if you don't have any other RC stuff the CPD4 would probably be the way to go.

does anyone know whether it would be possible to use the falcon TX with an FS8?

Toby