raptor paddles
 

Just currious what opinions are out there about the lime green ultra light paddles (PV0482). Do you get $10 worth of performance out of them? Can they be used on a raptor 30; the package says "R50"

thanks
chris

RE: raptor paddles
 

Shrek paddles, and yes, worth every penny and yes you can use them on the 30.

Make sure they are aligned perfectly with the flybar carrier and with each other.

RE: raptor paddles
 

Heck IMO you get $20 worth of perfomance out of the ugly green Shrek paddles. I went from the stock black, to the TT white and now to the TT green. The green are the best for sure, just really, really ugly.

RE: raptor paddles
 

BH,
Two questions: By 'flybar carrier', do you mean flybar control arm? As a beginner just doing forward flight and figure eights with my Raptor 50, is there any reason to spend the money on upgraded paddles? Thanks, Mark

RE: raptor paddles
 

make sure when you put on the green paddles you dont strip them, its much easier than the white and blacks

RE: raptor paddles
 

No, the black paddles will work fine for what your doing. Once you advance with your flying (flips and rolls) and get into 3D you might what to change.

RE: raptor paddles
 

After writing off my Titan my buddy put my "shrek" paddles on his concept 46 and he had more movement and control with rolls and loops and flips....in general it made the heli more responsive! Before it would screw out of a roll cause it would loose head speed!

FOr a beginner stick with the standard black paddles....go green or "shrek" when you start chucking it around!

RE: raptor paddles
 

Yes the flybar control arm and no dont change them until you start doing aerobatics, the black paddles are much more stable.

RE: raptor paddles
 

I recently acquired a R50SE with the slime green paddles and I added flybar weights from Quick to tame down the response for smoother FFF. The black paddles came with the heli and will do rolls, loops, flips, and some 3D but with less authority. Most of the R50 flyers at my local field like the white paddles. I like the greens with the flybar weights all the way out on the flybar which make it a little quicker response than the white but doesn't make the heli too elevator sensitive in FFF.

If your not into 3D yet, I personally recommend the black or white paddles. The greens will definately make the heli quick responding to cyclic inputs and you'll have to be on top of it to fly it smooth. With the black or white paddles you'll be more comfortable with the way it responds to inputs, the greens are very light.

RE: raptor paddles
 

I need to revive this old thread for a quick question.

Do the whites offer the best compromise between smooth FF and 3D? I want to be able to flip the R50 closer to the deck a little safer, but I love the smoothness of it now in flight. Should I start with the whites or just go green?

RE: raptor paddles
 

As cheap as the plastic paddles are from Thunder Tiger, buy both the whites and greens. Thunder Tiger also recently released the "Ultra Light" (green) paddles in other colors such as red and blue. I've got all three different weights, stock black (heavy), white (light), and green (ultra light). I use the white ones on breezy days, black on windy days or when I'm just wanting to do mostly hovering stuff, and green when I want fast response. It only takes 5 minutes to change the paddles so take advantage of the tuning options is the way I see it. Also for the price of a set of C/F V paddles you can buy 2 sets of TT plastic paddles and there just as good performance wise.

Checkout www.onlyraptors.com for the new colors available for the paddles.

RE: raptor paddles
 

Yeah, I'll probably buy both of them anyway for the price. I was just looking for a little more input on them. I never found changing out my paddles all that friendly because they stick a bit while trying to align them though. New ones might change that.
That's awesome they have those 20 gram paddles in different colors now!

RE: raptor paddles
 

I've never found a need to swap paddles either but I'm fastidous about alignment and distance from the flybar control arm.

I've tried all 3, the whites are nearly as stable as the black but are a tad more lively.

The greens are fast and snappy, a bit of expo smooths out the hover.

RE: raptor paddles
 

Cool. Thanks guys. I think I'd better mount a governor on it too before I get carried away.
While I'm at it, what will upgrading the dampeners do for you? Worth changing?

RE: raptor paddles
 

Green paddles and red dampeners keep you from getting a boom strike while learning flips. I would go ahead and put in a set of red dampeners.

RE: raptor paddles
 

How are dampners and paddles supposed to help you from getting a boom strike while flipping it? I've been fliping it and hovering inverted for a while now and I've never had a boom strike while doing it..
Maybe you mean when the response is better with the two it could help prevent a crash which would cause a boom strike?

RE: raptor paddles
 

The green paddles for the better response and I was told to remove the slop and lessen the chance of your rotor hitting your boom to put in stiffer dampeners. I never did hit my boom with a rotor but I have seen it happen and I put the red ones in!

RE: raptor paddles
 

I could see that. If the spindle was allowed to give too much with the aggressive paddles on I could see that happening. They are cheap anyway, and sounds like a good piece of advice. I have had one boom strike happen before but that was during a hard crash. I know what you mean because it's not pretty.. [:'(]
Thanks!

RE: raptor paddles
 

FYI: Paddles do not prevent a boom strike, stiffer dampners do (reds). With soft dampning, the blades can bend down during hard flight and hit the boom.

RE: raptor paddles
 

heey, i know the green TT paddles, are the most aggresive of the three, but what about using carbon fibre V paddles??, arent they lighter therefore even more aggresive??

RE: raptor paddles
 

Thanks ptarp, that is what I was trying to say.

RE: raptor paddles
 

Your input is appreciated! I'm ordering the reds with the two paddles. ;)

I should probably go back and re-read Colin Mills, but maybe you can sum up the flight characteristics of dampeners that are too loose v/s too stiff at the extreme ends? I get the too loose = boom strike part, but what about how the heli behaves?
(I think I have an understanding of their function, but I'd like to be sure..)

RE: raptor paddles
 

If you are talking about the V-Blade carbon paddles, I am almost certain they are heavier than the TT Greens. I have not tried them, but many people who have still prefer the greens.

RE: raptor paddles
 

Yes, there are some pretty good explanations of this, but the basic principle is that softer dampning allows the spindle to rock around in the head block, and dampens (reduces) the movement transferred to the head block (and the rest of the heli). This makes the heli more docile, and less responsive to inputs as movement is absorbed by the dampers. This can be good for beginner pilots for obvious reasons. The stiffer damping does the opposite: any force produced by the blades are immediately transferred from the spindle to the head block because the dampners do not depress (or only very little), which results in more responsiveness and less chance of a boom strike. Very stiff dampning can cause the heli to wobble in a hover at lower headspeeds.

Personally, I would suggest new pilots just start out with hard dampning and tone down responsiveness by other means (throws, expo, etc.)

RE: raptor paddles
 

Thanks Ptarp! That's what I was thinking.
One last question though; when making it more aggressive with the dampeners and greenies, running a governor on it will become more necessary right? That is higher loading than the blacks during hard cyclic use?