dwaynet
Senior Heliman
Location: Fairfax, Virginia
| I posted this before on another forum, but I will repost here.
Ya know all those paddles you get in crash kits. Ya got a bunch lying around, right? Well, I had about 4. I bought the KSJ's and tried them out. Pitchy. So i sanded them down and added wheel collars, much better, but still not exactly what i wanted.
I took a KSJ in one hand and the stock in the other and compared them. I figure I can duplicate the ksj on a stock paddle so out came the dremel, saw and sanding bar. I traced the outline onto a stock paddle and then cut it out. I get a stock paddle that has same outline as ksj. Then i round the leading edge, but not to a point like the ksj's. I continue to modify by sloping the length to more of a point like the ksj;'s. This went on until I had a set of black paddles just like a ksj, but a bit heavier. I then balanced them to be the same weight.
Once on the heli I took em out for a test flight. Just like expected they fly great, not as fast as a ksj, but somewhere inbetween the stock and ksj's. I flew them for awhile then gave them to a buddy just getting into aerobatics and I put the ksj's back on now that im used to a bit faster than stock. Guys this is a great little project for all those paddles you have left out of the crash kits. I plan on doing another pair soon. What have you got to loose, a few paddles? you got more right?
One word of note here, whatever Ace makes those paddles out of is some tough stuff. The dremel would rather burn and melt its way through than cut it. I did a mix of hand saw, dremel and sanding bar but hopefully you have access to something like a bandsaw or a better idea. Otherwise, just hack away at it with a saw and whatever else you got.
Good luck,
Dwayne |
