pariah
Senior Heliman
Location: West Valley City, UT - United States of America
| I'd say a lot of the difference in weight comes down to nickle & dime weight additions. (ie. a few grams here and there adding up)
The Synergy is probably the most rugged heli than any I've ever seen - larger balls for the linkages, larger pushrods, a massive flybar, a massive one-way bearing for the main shaft.
The flybar alone would account for no small amount of the weight difference - the thing is just huge, and it's made of steel, which is pretty heavy stuff.
While the shaft may sound similar - ie. hollow steel shaft of the same diameter, the difference may be in the thickness of the shaft. (And the length of the shaft).
The only machine I've seen that even compares in terms of the size of the control rods & links is the (much larger) Bergen Turbine.
The radio tray on the N9 is plastic - IIRC, the 700 is more along the lines of cutouts in the carbon frames. If that's the case, the 700 cuts out the separate radio tray, and just mounts the radio gear to the frames directly. I'm sure that's a bit lighter as well.
Then there's the added weight of radio gear - the selection of the radio gear can make quite a difference as well - a different gyro, a different governor, different servos, different battery, etc. will also skew the 'ready to fly' weights.
Will any of it make a difference to buyers? I doubt it. I bought my N9 knowing full well that the Stratus weighs less than the N9 or 700. I bought the N9 knowing the Avant would weigh less as well.
I think the 700 is as ugly as a heli can get, with or without a canopy. That alone nixed any thought of the 700 - though the stories from Trex owners whose machines 'wore out' quickly didn't help much.
It's actually a bit odd - I don't see any pilots at my field flying any Align machines anymore - and this is in spite of the 600 being one of two .50 sized machines for which the LHS carries parts. I still see Raptors - but nothing from Align. I mostly see helis whose brands (and parts) are NOT carried by the LHS - ie. JR, Hirobo, MA, Century, Synergy, Bergen, Vario...
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Helicopters & Women: The last thing I want is one whose head has a few loose screws. |
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