Indrid
Key Veteran
Location: Hamburg, NY
| well, there ARE ways to do this on a budget.... in fact, a blade balancer can be made at home.. most people balance the blade on a razor stuck in a piece of wood, and find the center. then just detach the autorotation bolt from your main shaft, turn the heli on its side, let it spin (with the blades installed and firm enough so they dont fall down) and whichever blade swings to the bottom is the heavier one.... put some balancing tape on the lighter blade on its CG (which you marked earlier with the razor blade trick)
i met a guy at the hobby shop who doesnt even use a pitch gauge. he just "eyeballs" it, and then tunes it up until it tracks properly. he sets up the helis on how they feel and run, not on what the book says. this may take a BIT more time when you are new because you dont know what it should feel like...
if you are willing to spend $60 i would buy the century starter kit, it includes WIHA phillips/slot screwdrivers, nut drivers, a pair of century ball link pliers and a century pitch gauge.
trust me though, this isnt going to be a cheap hobby... when you skimp, you bring forth bad luck...  with an airplane you can play it safe, but a heli is more of a miniature spacecraft: needs constant maintenance and money.... but a hell of a lot of fun.  |
