dabigboy

So after 14 years of flying glow planes off and on, I got myself a good used Axe CP last year and started teaching myself to fly. I've gotten pretty good at it but could tell even after 3 or 4 months that the heli had some serious limitations that would hold me back. But, money is tight these days, so I've stuck with the Axe and had a lot of fun with it, and worked on the more advanced maneuvers on the sim (FMS and a USB tx interface). Today I was zipping around the local park doing some fast forward flight and stall turns/sorta-hammerheads, figure 8's, etc, and suddenly the heli lost power. And it just happened to be out over the river at the time, and the wind was blowing away from my side of the shore. I actually managed to get it leveled and somewhat stabilized, but trying to pitch into the wind and come to the shore was fruitless. It disappeared over the shore...when I got to the edge of the shore, I could see a little of the canopy sticking out of the water, and it was out surprisingly far (the wind was pushing me out pretty bad, even though it was only a light breeze where I was standing). Within seconds, it disappeared.

I've had my share of crashes with the planes, and I've had 2 or 3 major crashes with the Axe, but it was always fixable. Today I felt that sick, empty feeling I haven't felt since I lost my 4-channel trainer in a corn field in Indiana 10+ years ago: shutting off my transmitter and going home without my model. It's worse than a "normal" wreck...at least when I crashed it into the ground, I could pick it up and see about fixing it, or even just salvage parts off it if it was bad enough. But today...nothing. The heli, the canopy, the $50 Thunder Power li-po I bought, the HS-55 servos that the original owner installed, the new parts and freshly balanced blades I installed just last week after a minor crash, all gone.

The only thing I can figure is that after getting more comfortable with the heli, time seems to go a lot quicker....I didn't think I was up that long, but maybe I did run the battery too low. Or maybe the motor I replaced last year is just burnt out. Guess I'll never know.

On the plus side (I guess?), this has me upset enough to push me into purchasing another heli even though I can't really afford it right now. I've discovered the best way to get out of the crashed-model blues is to get a new bird and get back in the air ASAP. As it happens, I contacted a local guy recently about a Blade 400 with minor crash damage that he's wanting to sell.....if he accepts my offer, I'll be bringing that home and getting it going this week some time. From what I've seen, it appears the Blade 400 would be a big step up and allow me to expand my skills a lot more. Poor Axe will barely even do a loop (I tried it today and nearly crashed......it just doesn't have the power for big maneuvers, especially when hitting the throttle takes power away from the tail motor and makes the heli spin around).

Fontanooch

My Feedback: (42)

Sorry to hear about your Heli, but everything in RC has a number on it. That's the way the hobby is. You should have stripped down and went diving for it. The lesson learned is fly over land. Good luck with your flying. I have been there.

Rafael23cc

My Feedback: (6)

It happens more frequenty than you think.

[link]http://runryder.com/helicopter/t142562p1[/link]
[link]http://runryder.com/helicopter/t444362p1/?top=1236048885[/link]

tjmackey

Man thats rough[:@]

OldScaleGuy

My Feedback: (2)

That is a tough one. Sorry to hear that. They all do go eventually one way or another. If it makes you feel any better my first one which was a Lama V3 got away from me outdoors after just getting started with heli's. I walked a corn field for 2 days in blazing heat and never did find it.... [&o] My wife said i was too old to keep looking just order another one. Hey that is one way to get a new bird. If you get the B400, enjoy!

bikemad

water kill's more heli's than I'd thought, I'm much wary of water now, my mate's worst crash was in a puddle he landed in, it even broke the blades on his walkera 4, and I've seen them bounce of char legs all day long,
bad luck and sorry you had to learn that way, but thanks for making our lesson less expensive than yours,
I'd of though water was the better option if your going to crash than hitting the hard ground but it's not,
And that's if you get your heli back, and that's one thing I take for granted,

dabigboy

I got it back! Well, what's left of it.

Today was quite warm (81*...Oklahoma City...at the beginning of March???) and someone pointed out to me that the river is actually very very shallow right now, so after work today I went by the park again and decided to look for my lost heli. Turns out the water isn't even knee-deep where I went down. I did find it after a brief search.....





The canopy apparently drifted away. I didn't put much effort into looking for it since it was just the cheap ugly stock canopy and was pretty scratched up (for once I was glad my nice aftermarket yellow and white fiberglass canopy is still packed away with my stuff in Arizona).

Structural damage was actually pretty light. The blades had almost no damage, except they've had 2 days to soak up water so they are trash now. Only damage I see so far is the see-saw (again), one grip holder, bent tail boom, and the tail motor assembly came off the boom. I think it just slipped off without breaking anything. Motors aren't sludged up, and still turn freely (not that I turned them much before flushing them out with clean water). Of course the receiver and 3-in-1 unit are probably toast, especially since they did have power going to them when they got wet.

On the plus side, the HS-55 servos don't appear to have suffered water damage. They have the transparent blue cases, and I don't see any signs of water or sludge inside them. I didn't know they were waterproof? Sweet. That was one of the things that bothered me the most. That, and the battery....unfortunately the li-po battery "poofed" a little bit, so I doubt it's salvageable. I'm a bit surprised it didn't explode, knowing how touchy li-po's are. Guess it pays to buy good stuff (I'd heard how the no-name li-po's were more unstable).

Anyway, I rinsed everything out good (it's been sitting in the river for 2 days, cleaning it up with tap water can't hurt it any worse than it already is) and it's drying now. After it's totally dry I'm going to try to get some sort of power source hooked up to it, maybe the battery if it isn't totally zapped, and see if anything still works. Actually, I've seen Axe electronics pretty cheap....I'm waaay past ready to upgrade to another heli, but money is tight right now, it might be worthwhile for me to spend $15 or whatever on a stock rx and 3-in-1 (I've seen them dirt cheap like that). Or....maybe it's time to invest in a good heli radio and gyro that I can use on my next rig.

It would be really funny if I actually got this bird in the air again. We'll see.

DeadTom

Very cool that you found it, hopefully you will be able to salvage most of it.

tjmackey

Thats an unbelievible survival story, I think it deserves the right to fly again.

Jester241

So,I guess you can say you didnt really even crash it.....just put it down in a bad spot. At least you found it which is better then nothing,and chances are if you do get a blade 400,many of the parts would be interchangable.

Straick

Sorry to hear about your rather wet landing. I've been there, and done that. Only difference was that as soon as flipped my Blade CP over in water(put pontoons on it), I practically ran out and swam right after it.
If your electronics still do work, I wouldn't trust the RX after a soak. You never know what inside could have been eaten away at by the water, so you could end up crashing just from a glitch. And, since the Lipo was plugged in when you went down, and didn't get unplugged for over a day, I would go about properly disposing of it. Trust me, you don't want to attempt to charge or use a Lipo that has puffed.
Good luck and keep us posted.

bigricksharpe

Cant wait to hear "The rest of the story" lol, and remember God is always there for those who ask, there is nothing so important in the material world that you need to get bent outta shape for too long, Hey if ya want something to freak out on, get yourself in a combat zone, other than that, hey like the other ol-timer said, they have been there done that. has far has cash, I know what you are saying it seems this is a sport for wealthy guys n gals, well kinda sortof, but just think how much fun it is even when all we have are small birds, or hand me down's all this stuff my friend is tempoary anyway, no ones gonna take it with em, and if you don't beleive me ask my cousin He owns several nice funeral homes in the Chicagoland area to serve you 247 lol.

So, did all the electronics fry? post more pic's they are a learning experience! Oh, the next time you want to cry, just try choke therapy, a proven fix all a Drill Instructor prescribed a long time ago, "Choke yourself" you'll stop crying, and worry about breathing!

dabigboy

So true bigricksharpe, it's just a toy after all. Sometimes it's a tough call to not let myself get too focused on the things of this world. I know God gave us toys and things to enjoy, just so long as we keep our priorities straight.

I decided against the B400 for now, unless I can get a really sweet deal. I thought about buying one of the "fix'r up'r" heli's on ebay or craigslist and get it going to sell it/make a profit, but I think I know what would happen: I'd get it cheap, fix it, and then keep/fly it instead of selling it, LOL.

As far as more pics, there really isn't much to show. The radio doesn't show any physical signs of damage. The only issue is one of the positive leads from the 3-in-1 to the receiver broke at the board, and I don't have my soldering gear with me yet, so I can't really test it. Once I fix it I will probably see if I can get a light charge on the li-po and run up the heli just to check out the electronics. That is, assuming it doesn't start puffing as it charges. Either way it's headed for the salt water bath sooner or later I'm afraid.

I think I'll pass on the choke therapy, yikes!

mydartswinger

Sorry about your crash. However, now is the time to step up and move on. Keep the AXE for something to fly outside the house in the yard, but the Blade 400 is a much better option. I was in a position about year ago with my AXE CP where I was trying to upgrade it to fly better. Turns out the best way to do that, is to get a bigger, belt driven tailed heli. The 400 will be more stable, and you'll get worlds more enjoyment out of it.

The e-Bay fix-er-up idea isn't a bad idea either. If you have the space (and I mean lots of space), look for a 30-50 size nitro (or 500-600 size electric) that has been crashed and is in need of repair that the seller is asking little of nothing for. I found a .30 size Hirobo Shuttle ZXX that had suffered a boom strike for $100 locally. I dropped all of $150 in it in repair parts and electronics to get it flying. I did, however, already have a computer radio to use, so add a bit more for that. If you go this route, Google Finless Bob's setup videos and get some assistance here on RCU. There's a bit more involved in the larger birds, but nothing difficult.

You may also get lucky and find a killer deal on a used RTF bird with everything including a radio.

Since you're already comfortable with forward flight and some basic aerobatics, a larger, more stable heli will benefit you greatly, and you will progress much faster because of it. Don't let the big birds scare you, you'll actually enjoy them more and learn quicker in the long run. I was that way, except I was only hovering at the time I got into the Shuttle. Guess what. My worst crash with it was a hard landing due to running out of fuel in a 3 foot hover. The most damage done to it was a bent tail boom (a $12 part). 2 weeks ago I made my first forward flight. This weekend I actually worked up the nerve to roll it over and do back flips (with my new [used] Raptor 50, as the Shuttle needs some mods for me to be comfortable going inverted with it).

The choice is yours. Whatever you choose, the best thing for you is to get back in the air, and soon (it gets more difficult to overcome your nerves the longer you're grounded due to a crash).

Happy flying.

bigricksharpe

Yeah, i think choke therapy...not so good! ha,ha! since I'm a greenhorn at this I've been soaking up almost every heli post there is, one other thing I have wondered what it would take to convert myCentury 190 scale bird with Hawk 30 size glow, etc. to electric, seems only a big motor, and maybe the gears being changed, wondered if same frame could be used? anyone ever done this? also any engineers out there make a heli which can be interchanged from gas, glow or electric with just a few minor mod's would be a cool product esp. if made of good components non Chinese I hope, or made in Mexico, no offense, just hate stuff that falls apart when ya touch it wrong! OK, got sidetracked again, pardon me while I choke myself...Urrrgggk!....Alrightty then where was i Oh, I hope all goes well! hey just to get my heli friends sidetracked a bit check out my old blog truckn4jc.blogspot.com

Thank's
Rick

dude7422

dabig boy to bad so sad check this link out no tail motor hehehehe
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...Helicopter_Kit
helicopter 53.99 xheli
motor 11.89 hobby king
servos x4 4.89 hobby king
blesc 11.89 hobby king
gyro 22.50 deal extreme
lipo22 19.99 25c 3c 2200mah hobby king

dabigboy

Well I think I've figured out the damage report. Last night I remembered that I still had the two original NiMH packs and charger, so I got them out to test out the radio gear. One wire had come unsoldered from the 3-in-1 board, but I was able to hold it in position and determined at least 2 servos were functioning normally! Today I picked up a cheapy soldering kit at Radioshack (most of my gear is still in AZ in storage) and fixed it and another wire that came undone, and checked everything out. I had disconnected one servo and the 3-in-1 board initially and couldn't recall exactly how it was connected (the forums were of limited usefulness, it looks like there are at least 2 ways everything gets hooked up depending on when the electronics were made) but at this point I've determined:

1: One servo is dead. Not a deal-breaker, I still have the stock servos, I just hate that I lost a nice HS-55. I'm guessing it shorted out or something.

2: The ESC appears to be bad. The tail motor doesn't activate at all, and the main motor only slightly twitched a couple times. Sad.

All is not lost....I think I can hack the radio into aircraft usage for a basic glider or slow-flier type, and possibly power it with the Axe's motor and a GWS gearbox/prop combo (no throttle, obviously, would just be full power until being cut off by a timer or voltage-sensing circuit....which may be more trouble than it's worth, I might just get a hi-start and make a glider). The main reason I'd try this is that I'm in an extremely tight financial situation right now AND both my glow planes are still in AZ, but I reeeaaaally want something to fly! And I want to give small Coraplast planes a try, and this tiny radio would do the trick nicely. Using the factory NiMH with just the radio+BEC and no motor should equate to significant flight times.

Additionally, I figure I should be able to get a few bucks for the heli itself as a parts donor, since it's mostly structurally sound. I might even spend the $4 for a see-saw and put the head back together to increase the value, I dunno.

Anyway, I think I'll be off to the sign shop today to see if I can scrounge up some Coraplast.

jbeech

Sorry to hear what happened. if it helps, I'm runing a special on the Pantera 50 right now - 200 bucks and buy a second for 50% off.

Check it out here . . . http://www.genesishobby.com/Products...1/Default.aspx

gee bee ace

I know its probably too late but i have good trick for saving electronics that have been for a swim. I was taught this by an electronics engineer, he did this to a $150,000.00 pice of oil field equipment as i watched in horror.

tadawson

Afinal rinse in alchohol works too, and will not leave the nasty residue you get from WD40 . . . .

- Tim

magnum500

i have a cp pro with some crash damage i`d be more then happy to sell