chris24g
Senior Heliman
Location: Hayward, CA
| I bought a bare Hirobo Condor a few years back (yes years). It basically was just the frame, engine and rotor head. Tail bearings and tail shaft were shot, tail drive belt was missing, no rotor blades, tail blades, muffler plumbing or electrics. I did say bare, didn't I? Feeling that familiar hobby fever, I bought a JR 8103 to complete the electrics. I also bought RealFlight Deluxe to help with the learning curve, but after making some phone calls I quickly realized that it would take quite a bit of time and money to complete the heli (especially since ALL the heli dealers I talked to said that there were no parts available in the USA!!!). Discouraged ,it just basically sat on a shelf in my room, the subject of ridicule by my friends and family, as they asked "so when you going to fly that thing?". My response, just an apologetic sigh. Anyway, after years of collecting dust and tired of finding the "perfect" place to store it in my room, I went out and bought some rotor blades and a pipe so it would at least look like a heli. I put the blades on and thought "damn, that is a big f'in heli" That was all the inspiration I needed :^) Now on a mission, every week after that I bought a missing part (some from Europe!) (and surfed heli websites and read my heli book and practiced on the heli sim). I also managed to get some basic throttle curve tips from another runryder member; thanks Guy! Slowly the Phoenix took shape as it arose from the ashes. . Just recently, I found a post here about a hula hoop trainer. Last night I ran to Toys R Us and bought two hula hoops (my four year old was with me, so she got one too). On the way home I stopped by the hardware store and bought some dowels. The trainer was finished this morning. So I strap it on the heli. Looked solid enough. It was a little windy, but I thought it would be a good day to just start it up and get the heli light on the skids and get the feel of the controls. First tank: Took a few tries, but finally the .61 OS Max SX sputters to life. I let it idle for a minute, then let the blades spin up a bit. I expected the tracking to be off, but I could see the blades blurring by at the exact same spot (at least to my untrained eye). I guess the guy I bought the heli from was a pretty good builder! I increase the throttle a bit and the blades start to slice through the air (don't know what that sound is called, but it is very cool!). The heli starts to slide around and the nose spins to the left. I try to correct using the rudder but it is a bit difficult also trying to manage the throttle at the same time. I ended up cranking the rudder trim all the way to the right to keep the heli still. The heli now starts tipping to one side. I try to react, but it doesn't seem to be the correct input. Throttle down and try again. Uh-oh servo needs to be reversed. I scroll through the 8103 menu and find the servo reversing section. Now the helicopter reacts the way my thumbs move. A bit braver now, I increase the throttle again and manage a feeble hop. Try it again and tail fin gently scapes the cement patio. Close one. Time to refill the tank. Not quite used to these two-stroke motors, I flood the carb and my starter quickly lets me know. Only after pulling the glow plug to relieve the hydraulic pressure, the motor agrees to start again. Feathering the throttle, I manage to get ever lighter on the skids until the heli barely leaves the ground. The wind pushes the heli as it makes its short hops in the air. During the short hops, however, I realize that my thumbs are subconsiously giving inputs to correct the heli. Hmm. What if? (These What if's historically end up with me regretting asking what if, but thankfully not today) Throttle up again, and let the blades catch up to the engine. The heli again gets light. The skids leave the ground, and I fight the urge to chopstick. The heli is now in the air, and not even tail-in, perpendicular to me and slowly heading toward the side of my house. Use The Force, I say. My thumbs come through again and give enough elevator input to stop the forward flight and let me throttle down. The very next attempt I managed to stay in the air for 10 seconds. It was a great feeling to see all the simulator time pay off as the heli obeyed my somewhat exaggerated inputs. Fuel tank now low, I call it a day. I can't wait to get a gyro so I can stop fighting the rudder. And now that I'm officially dangerous, I'll be joining the AMA so I can get some insurance! |
