The Problems With FREYA Eagle
 

DON'T BUY A FREYA until you talk with a friend who has one.

While they make claims that their Bird has taken great competition awards,
Freya did not win an award for engineering, design, or quality.
A Hot Shot Pilot Won the Award. Not Freya.

There are so many built-in flaws in the Freya Eagle, you will wonder how long have they been in this Hobby Industry ?
Go ahead, buy one, but you will be angry as hell especially if you've been flying helis for a while.

I have a long list of my experiences with this ill-thought out machine and will send
it to you if you ask me. It is the same letter I sent to Jeff Green of Freya. I will briefly
highlight some of the points here; What's wrong with the Freya Eagle ? Try these subjects:

The Clutch. The Screws. The Starting Nut. The 90 Degree rule. Head Cooling. The Radio Tray.
The Main Shaft. The Landing Struts. The Rotor Blade Grips. The Ball Links. The Frame.
The Clutch Bell. The Canopy Holders. The Starting Shaft. The Tail Blade Holders.
The Penny Pinching Short Cuts

First Ask Your Friend............ Then Ask me for my experience............ [email protected] In the hobby for over 50 years.

RE: The Problems With FREYA Eagle
 

I'd be interested in hearing what Jeff Green has to say, he's very customer service oriented and the only problem I had with a Hirobo was solved in short order by a phone call to him.

RE: The Problems With FREYA Eagle
 

You asked me for my experience with the Freya Eagle Helicopter. I hope you first talked with a friend who has one.

You would think that a Company like Hirobo who has been in this Heli Hobby business as long as they have, could produce an almost perfect product. But it appears that they are just another one of the Trash Peddlers of this Industry.

When I first unpacked my Freya Eagle kit I noticed the landing struts. What in the hell were they thinking here ? It must have cost them 5 times the molding process to come out with that idea. No one else does it like that. I talked with MTA hobbies at a hobby show in Southern Calif. and they said; " It makes no since. No one else does it like that. " Then after my first take-off & landing I learned that the struts are much too short. You will hit the tail fin on every take off and landing. So I added those rubber isolators to the struts and never had that problem again.

During the construction of the Freya you discover that you can not follow the 90 degree rule in the servo/pushrod setup because the Canopy Stand-offs are in the way. The drawings and instructions explain it correctly but it can't be done. Good engineering Uh ?

When it comes to pinching a nickel into pennies, Freya is not ashamed to cheep out on parts and systems.. They must have saved 5 cents per screw by using Phillips screws instead of Socket Head screws and lock nuts to hold the Frames together, They cheep out with Phillips Head Screws and we all know about those Chinese made screws. Try to tighten them, and strip them. After my first flight I landed with three Frame Screws Missing and four more ready to come out. A funny thing; I noticed that someone on the NET offers a package of Socket Head Screws to specifically replace the Freya Phillips Head screws for the frame. Speaking of screws; They also found a much cheaper way to attach the Radio Tray by floating the tray on the points of two short Wood Screws. Of course the sharp points of the wood screws finally ware out the plastic Radio Tray and it falls out. What are Wood Screws doing in these models ?

I wonder if Freya ever figured out how they made the Main Blade Grips so small that the washers and spacers they provided, don't fit. The Grips are too tight without spacers. I filed them down so a thin nylon washer/bearing would fit.

There is no reason for the Tail Blade holders to shatter in a slight hit. But for Freya, the holders are molded so flimsy they can't help it. Another penny pinch idea ?

In my experience, do not follow their instructions to CA glue the bearings into the plastic frame. I had to buy a new Frame for my first rebuild. And Hirobo could do well to read Ray's Manual about head cooling because this Freya idea doesn't even come close to directing the fan air onto the engine head. What a disgusting effort. While the plastic molded frame is popular with a few of our trash peddlers, try to avoid them.

At this point you may suggest that I got The Lemon of the Freyas and that doesn't happen to everyone. Well here is the biggy; I learned that 80 percent of the time there is a tragic problem with the Freya. One person at HeliProz said it's more like 100 percent.

My Freya flew just great. Much better than my two 60-JR's and the 30-Baron. I loved the Freya at this point.
So there I was with about 10 hours of time on the Freya and the tail rotor went out. I landed it with little damage except for the main shaft and a few nicks in the blades as they hit the loose sand. The Tail Push Rod had snapped at the threaded ball link.

While on the phone with HeliProz ordering parts, I explained what happened and he came out and said "It Was The Clutch that did that ! " "We hear it all the time with the Freya." Freya does not use a one way bearing in their clutch. The clutch shaft it pressed into the clutch and at least 80 percent of them are Out Of Throw or Run Out and create a vibration that ends up snapping the Tail Push Rod and destroying the Tail Servo. Because the clutch is made like it is, it is the cause of most of the problems in the Freya. It is much cheaper for a clutch like that than a One Way Bearing Clutch. And that is why they use that clutch. The Cost. You must first check out the Clutch with a Dial Indicator before installing it in the Heli. If it is out of throw, you must knock it back into Throw before installing in the Heli. I asked where does it say they have this problem and how to correct it ? They said; "Who is going to tell you their product is faulty out of the box ?"

Not only is there a clutch a problem with the Freya, The Starter Nut keeps loosening up with every other start because the Set Screw sets into a large dimple instead of a flat surface on the Start Shaft. I still have to retighten that set screw every second or third start. When the Start Nut loosens, it also creates another vibration problem that can give you more troubles if you don't correct it. The loosened set screw also develops a Burr and Edge on the shaft end which makes impossible to slide the bearings off without damaging them. The bad clutch shaft also damaged the bearing in the clutch bell. Those are not cheep. The clutch system is the main problem in the Freya Eagle. Freya refuses to except that problem and Jeff Green says there is no problem with the heli.

When I talked with Jeff Green of Freya, he claimed there was nothing wrong with that Heli. I said; "Then why is it that someone offers a package of Socket Screws just to replace the Phillips Head screws, for the Freya ???? " He muttered...and went silent.

I have never had a problem with my 2 JR Helis that wasn't my problem. I am still flying them after 6-8 years. The Freya lasted about 10 hours. And I am still fighting to get them to fly right after 6-8 months.

I just read on RunRider that someone lost the rotor head at high speed because of the "Jesus Bolt" that holds the rotor head to the main shaft, snapped. The problem was that the bolt was a full thread bolt and was weak by nature. It should have been a Shoulder Bolt for strength but Thunder Tiger disagreed and claimed that the pilot may not have tightened the bolt. This is the cop-out of this hobby industry. It's the pilot's fault. They did not follow the rules.

I have been in the RC Plane hobby for about 50 years. I am now 70 years old. About 10-12 years ago I sold about $15-20,000. worth of planes, radios, EVERYTHING to get out of this Trash Peddling Industry. About 2-1/2 years later I got into Helis. I love em. But the industry still has its incompetent trash peddlers.

I will say it again; ask a friend before you jump into a $600. to 1,500. hobby toy.
"They" figure you are the fault, not their product.

RE: The Problems With FREYA Eagle
 

:eek:

RE: The Problems With FREYA Eagle
 

I bought one of the first Freyas when they cam out to replace my POS R60 and have had zero issues with it. I bought the 60 size and run one of the first generation OS 91 in it and V blades and push pull collective, other than that it's stock and flys great. I'm no sponsored hot shot but I have been flying for 15+ years and can put it through it's paces. And the .50 size EVO that they make is even better.

Bottom line is your rant is out of place, Hirrobo, the Freya, and Jeff Green are all number one!!!

RE: The Problems With FREYA Eagle
 

One question and i mean no offence with it.

If the freya is sooooooooooooooooo sooooooooooooooo bad - and *everyone* youve spoken to in the whole wide world says it is -why did you buy it? Why didnt you speak to all your friends and ask them "should i buy" rather than "i have bought, whats it like" ??

When i buy a heli i look around on all the forums and see what people have said. If they say its crap i dont buy it. IM only 25, and not experienced with RC helicopters at all.

Butuz

RE: The Problems With FREYA Eagle
 

Roi, which version of the Freya do you have? Standard, EVO, or X-Spec?

Some of your problems with your kit are of your own doing. For instance, it should be painfully obvious that to properly thread a metric Phillips screw, you need to use metric (JIS) screwdrivers. Using an SAE-sized screwdriver will contribute to the stripping of the heads. As far as your clutch shaft being out of true, that is entirely possible. Check clutch shaft runout is like balancing blades: you had better do it before flying the machine. However, clutch shaft runout may not be the only reason your tail rotor pushrod snapped. A number of guys had pushrods snap on their Spectra-Gs when they first came out, which has been attributed to the general vibration of the entire heli. Also, as you stated, you have had your start coupling come loose. That may have helped weaken the pushrod as well.

I'll try to address your other problems, as an owner of the X-Spec version of the Freya. Though it is a different version, their construction is quite similar, with the X-Spec including more bling.

I bought my Freya used and am using the MA Tuff Struts, so I cannot comment on how the originals are designed. I do have a friend that has the standard struts on his Freya, and we have about the same ground clearance. Neither of us has had a problem with tail blade ground clearance. We are running the recommended tail blade size of 95mm; his are stock blue plastic and mine are the V-Tail blades.

All of my servos and pushrods are at 90 degrees when centered. The clearance to the top canopy posts are close but there is clearance. I am using the push-pull setup on all controls which may or may not be standard in the standard Freya.

I mentioned the metric phillips screws earlier. I have a JIS screwdriver set but decided to replace the screws with sockets. Got them at the local Ace for 10 bucks. My radio tray has the wood screws, as does the radio tray on my Evo 50. Neither have given me any problems.

I am not sure what you mean with the main blade grips being too tight. Mine are assembled in accordance with the manual and I have not had any problems adjusting the compression on the blades to an appropriate level. I use carbon blades sized 14-4, with 690 length. I am pretty sure my grips are the same as the standard Freya grips.

The tail blade holders are an excellent design. They have thrust bearings which the Raptor does not have. As far as them shattering after a light hit, I have one thing to say: You hit something with tail blades that are spinning around 9000rpm. S--- happens when moving heli parts hit the earth. Due to a pipe bracket failure, my Freya went in tail first. Destroyed most of what was behind the fuel tank. The blade grips were undamaged. As always in a crash, your mileage may vary.

I have not experienced any engine cooling problems with my Freya. My frame is part plastic with carbon lower frames. I have not heard of major problems with the plastic frame, and in fact Hirobo is using a full plastic frame and head on their new Freya Evo 90.

Your paragraph about the Jesus bolt is cute but does not apply to the Freya. It is a Thunder Tiger problem.

I hope this information was helpful. There are a few Freya owners here on RCU, but many on RunRyder. Perhaps they can help as well, or maybe Jeff Green can help you on that site. One thing I do know is that he is very dedicated to helping all Hirobo pilots get the most out of their helis. I am thrilled with my Freya, and when the money allows I hope to get a Freya Evo to go along with it.

RE: The Problems With FREYA Eagle
 

Sounds like builder's errors. Not dial indicating the clutch/start shaft on any Hirobo is poor building practice. If you don't, you'll get vibration, and things will wear out and break. The screws stripping and coming out are you not using the proper screwdrivers, and locktite on the nuts. I've put 20+ gallons through my Evo which uses the same screws, and they are still the original screws and nuts I started with. Also, the tail breaks when you hit the ground with it? Huh? Are you serious?

Seriously though, I'm looking for a Freya to replace my Raptor 90 I sold a few days ago. What do you wnat for your Freya that you hate so much? I'm an experienced Hirobo owner, and I'd love to give it a good home where it's appreciated.

RE: The Problems With FREYA Eagle
 

I had an original Freya and loved it! I had a few minor issues but nothing that wheren't easily overcome. Since the Fan hub screws right on to the cranck shaft and the clutch then mounts straight on to the hub it's tough to get just right. I managed to get .0015 on the dial indicator. In case you didn't know this you ought to try to align a Fury some time HA!

Apparently you have one of the Freyas that came out after mine, I had the standard length struts on it. The shorter ones came by popular request from customers. Hirobo just added them by request. Guess you are in the minority there.

As mentioned JIS screwdrivers to the rescue for the screws.

The start shaft problem is easily solved with a dremel grinder. SHEESH!

You really are a bitter old man arn't you? Listen to your self, Just be glad you never had to deal with flying a cricket, Concept 30, Nexus, or Shuttle X.

As for Heliproz... Yea they are a great source for information... NOT! So if you don't like the bird quit wasting time whinnig about it and sell it. IfI had the $$$ I would get another Freya in a snap second.