|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 11, 2011 22:23:23 GMT
Had a fly of the Nine Eagles today (in a VERY tight space) in the bike shop, it is rocket fast but extremely controllable.... should have that vid of Sam hovering it around "slowly" in about 20 minutes..... he couldn't let rip because of the tight space in the bike shop.... He says it's the same as the MSR BUT..... with the MSR you are constantly holding it back, the Nine Eagles is more of a "put it where you want it to go" type thing... same speed, same agility but you are controlling "it"...... you are not holding it back so much as pushing it forward, he prefers that.
The CP3 is like flying an inverted grass strimmer that has gone totally apeshit and the running costs will be very high indeed..... I don't want to spend all my time rebuilding it after each crash and, BOY, there will be crashes! When they crash they don't "bounce", they shred themselves to pieces and those "pieces" soon mount up to £££ and a lot of stress.
I think I will cut my losses with that one and move down to either a MSR or Nine Eagles.... crash one of those, pick it up and resume flying.... crash a CP3 and start crying.
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 11, 2011 22:32:20 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2011 23:02:06 GMT
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 11, 2011 23:15:12 GMT
Here we go..... I think he got a bit of a shock when I whipped my camera out Gives you an idea on the Nine Eagles Pro 2 in "calm mode" though...... not the best place to fly one either!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2011 7:09:21 GMT
That looks really smart Chris. Seeing that has made me think, maybe a proper case would be useful; especially if I could put 3 helis in it. The 9 Eagles series look well thought out actually. (As well as the Blades) They kind of have progression built into their helis and basically, if you start with a simple one, the next model up will offer a new challenge, but not too much!! Mike the Eagle looks like a nice machine. Sam is right about the MSR; you are holding it back because it's a really fast heli. He was very brave to be filmed with that tight space. The potential for an accident is huge!! You see...... we all take risks and that's why they crash. Different story if humans were actually in it and you flew it with that in mind. That's the kind of mind set I get myself into!!! (Yeah - I'm mental ) However, once you've learned the MSR foibles, it actually flies very smoothly with real accuracy and I can now get a really slow and controlled take off and landing. (with concentration!!) It's pretty stable in the end. It's something to do with the 45 degree link to the flybar which has the effect of adding 'pendulum' swing to its flight characteristics in its attempt to stabilise itself. The 9 Eagles links to the flybar are stright up at 90 degrees so you won't have the 'stability' factor of the MSR built in. No biggie though. The pendulum swings of the MSR can also be used as a mid air brake and I can stop it dead before turning etc. Very useful when you're close to a wall. I was very tempted by the 120 sr because of this heli. The 120 is basically a bigger version. I may still get a BNF 120. The MSR BNF is just compatable with the MCX so you only need opne set of battries and a controller. (120 as well except for batteries) When I get time, I'll try and video a smooth MSR flight. It's surprisingly good. The one I did was a bit 'flighty' for the camera, but generally, I just bumble about which is why I haven't crashed it!! The one Sam is suggesting looks really nice as well. I think it's a better price than the MSR as well. It would restore your confidence, Mike. I know how it feels when you have something like that CP3 and it can put you right back. It's better to progress through the different types so that your confidence grows, rather than take a chance. I feel confident (ish) about the V2 because of my experience with the MSR. (and last year, the Bee V1) However, going straight to it from MCX2 is kamikaze!! Tuck it under the bed. You'll probably want to revisit later if you take a step backwards to something more manageable like the 9 Eagles or MSR or .... 120 SR. You'd enjoy that because it's bigger, is a challenge to fly (like MSR) but more stable than the big 'uns. It would stop you zipping around for a while because you really have to control it whereas the MCX2 is basically self-flying and great as a relaxation from the single blades. If you go down the 9 Eagles route or MSR series, then I would go to the fixed blade Bee next in all honesty. One less variable to get wrong. I think the key to being safe is to only change one thing at a time so you learn just one new skill. (A bit like learning the piano) I'm pretty happy with this path (Just for newbies to see) ........ Toy, 3 channel cheapo >Blade MCX/MCX2>MSR/9 Eagles>Blade 120 sr>Honey Bee FB V2.>(Something like) Honey Bee CP3>Big bugger. If you take the upgrade path, it's cheaper in the long run because you don't smash everything up!!! Also, resist moving on until you have absolute control of the one you have!!!! Having said that, I'll let you know how soon I crash the Honey Bee V2!!!! I missed out the slightly bigger single blade - 120 SR so I feel that I've kind of jumped a step. If the Bee is too much to manage, I'll step back to it. I'll just do one thing at a time until I master it, starting with get off ground two inches and back. Off the ground 2 inches and hover and back. Face height hover and back. Up and hover and back. Up hover, turn and back etc. It's a learning curve and the killer with the Honey Bees is that you can't just get hold of them if they get into trouble. They'll take your fingers off!! Ian
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 12, 2011 11:26:48 GMT
aha, aha, aha!........ it's all to do with the pitch man I have found the two relevant conrods (links) and lengthening them alters the pitch so the bird is now starting to take off at 50% throttle.... aha!, I see! I am beginning to understand the workings of it.... baby steps, baby steps (as Rick would say).... the carbon blades are heavier and a lot flatter profile than the wooden choppers so the pitch has to be adjusted to compensate. Sam was quite embarrassed with that vid (BTW) as it is not his usual flying "zone"... that was the first time he had flown it in the shop.... he is going to take a vid of his Nine Eagles Pro 2 in his known fly zone and will demonstrate a few stunts... should be a cool vid!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2011 11:36:26 GMT
You have a little bit more to worry about on a variable blade, Mike. My V2 has arrived!!!! First impression - It's big. I'm not at home but having a look in the box, I've found a flight simulator. Did one not come with yours, Mike? I'm going to have a go with that tonight before I do anything with the heli. I'm also going to try and find a way of getting the battery in that means I can charge in situ as well. I don't like the idea of ripping the canopy off every time. It explains the trimming pretty well, although the book is mostly in Chinese!! Looking forward to the battle. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how it behaves in relation to the MSR which I've pretty much got a grip of now. Ian
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2011 18:59:50 GMT
I got it home and managed to trim it in the house so that it was lifting and pretty stable, so I took it out to the garden.
Lift off. It went up and I got it reasonably still for a drunk man and then it spun like a looney. I managed to land it by holding it on the yaw and phoned the company. It has some kind of fault on the rotor.
The guy asked me if I wanted a replacement and I said 'No'. I didn't like that, Mike. Too dangerous. It is a lovely heli, but I'm not happy sending those blades around. I felt extremely uncomfortable with it so before I get stuck with another one, I told the guy I was going to call it a day.
Either I need a lot more experience/nerve or it's just plain dangerous. I feel very uncomfortable with a thing that size in the air and those whizzing blades.
So it's being sent back with a rotor problem. (It stops and starts and actually, when it was working, it was almost impossible to trim it)
I like the controller. I wish I could get that to work with the Blades. I can't find any way to bind them with it which is a pity. I'd keep that if I could.
Anyway, the bloke was fine about it so it's going. If I kept something like that, I think it's a matter of time before someone, or I get hurt.
Blade 120 sr is going to be my limit!!
Ian
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 12, 2011 19:40:42 GMT
I can't even get mine to hover! It's a fekkin' accident waiting to happen... Sam knows a guy (another Ian believe it or not) who is pretty much an expert with these so I'm going to ask him nicely if he will set it up for me..... either they are impossibly difficult to fly and you need to be a shit hot pilot or this thing is just not set up correctly.... It goes up about a foot, tips over and starts shredding the ground to bits! If these replacement blades arrive (the wooden ones) I may well send it back for a refund too.... Sam reckons to "put it on the shelf", learn to fly the nine eagles pro and then the SR and THEN take the Honey Bee off the shelf and try it then. He told me that even HE was frightened of them and you need to be REALLY expert to fly one and constantly correcting for things before they happen.... I don't like giving up on things but must admit that I am not ready for it yet.... probably will take his advice and stick it on the shelf though as this time next year the cost of these things will be substantially higher if the pound continues going the way it is. Much the same as my electric bike, I bought it for £1000 and a year later the same bike was £1500..... nope, it's a lovely helicopter, just a case of getting used to it. Was speaking to a guy at Buzz flyer who told me one of his customers had been watching that German idiot (you know, the guy who stops the blades with his hands and smashes the copters on the wall)...... He bought a Honey Bee CP2 and had it at half throttle on the ground and said to his son "watch this".... he put his hand onto the blades and they chopped the end of his finger off erm....... these are definitely NOT for beginners are they? Mike.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2011 20:42:09 GMT
No, definitely not, Mike. I got it into the air and had it hovering at about 10 to 15 feet. However, it was the combination of the noise and the size of it that is truly scary and to get it off the ground, you basically have to do the same thing as the MSR. You give it a load of throttle; really hard and it gets away from the ground so that toppling doesn't get a chance. I know exactly what you mean because you get that with the small single blade helis. Anyway, it was chopping around up there and I was holding it, thinking ..... this has got to come down safely or it is going to break into pieces. I was scared of bringing it down in case it did a side slip (which is common in SB helis) and it did a dive. Remember, my MSR did a side slip and dived from a great height. I couldn't believe the speed that it came down and something the size of this is a recipe for a really bad accident. Not to mention those blades!! Anyway, I managed to charm the guy selling them by 'letting out' who I am. (That always works : He agreed that it could be difficult for me to fly and suggested taking it back since it was faulty and he actually thanked me for getting it back to ground in one piece. It WAS spectacular actually. It did pirouettes at bloody fast speed and quickly stopped when the rear blades started up again and then it went off on another dance move, spinning like a banshee. Trouble was that all that spinning got it careering all over the place and I was trying to hold it still. Eventually, I let the throttle drop slowly and it started to come down, spinning so once I got a feel for where it was going to land, I held it on the yaw as it landed. Boy, was I relieved. It was then that I realised the Tail motor had failed and anything like this when it is right up in the sky travelling at speed is far too dangerous. It put me off but the guy is fine about it and said just pack it up, send it back and he'll replace it with a Blade 120 sr. I'm more comfortable with that. So any readers, thinking of getting flash ..... be very careful. These are definitely NOT toys. Build standards (imo) leave a lot to be desired and a failure (with no warning) at high speed right up in the sky could easily hurt someone big time. I'm not prepared to take that risk; even if I can actually get the bugger up in the sky. So, the next jump is Blade 120. For me, the Nine Eagles doesn't have much more to offer than the MSR. Actually Mike, the MSR flies dead smooth. Much smoother than that video, although I understand Sam's difficulties in such a poor space. So far, the MSR is my favourite gangster. It moves fast, flies outside (just) and is actually very controllable. After the Bee, it's a doddle and I felt so relieved to be on familiar territory. The guy in the shop couldn't believe I got it down in one piece on the first flight!!!! He actually thanked me. I don't think he was too pleased about the quality control and felt the same as me - the potential for a real accident was extremely high. Mike, if you're keeping it I'll send you some batteries and a flight simulator. He doesn't mind and said it was cheaper than compensation for a real accident. Sure you don't want to get rid of it to pay for the next 'flyable' heli? If you can fly the Nine Eagles, Mike, maybe the 120 SR is a better one for you to learn on? I must admit, the MSR is a great flyer now I can control it so I feel on safe ground with the 120 SR which is about half the size of the Bee and lighter on its feet. I hear it's also a fast one like the MSR. Ian
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 12, 2011 22:05:33 GMT
Blimey Ian, that all sounds a bit hair raising I think the "build" quality is fine but they don't appear to set them up very well in the factory.... I think at that level they expect the "pilot" to fine tune it himself before launching it into the air.... there is even a special guage to check the blade pitch and a dedicated ball link removal tool.... it all gets a bit OCD when you move up to something a bit more complicated and one WHACK! off a tree (or some other obstacle) will render the thing basically fekked, or smashed to smithereens. Apparantly, I was lucky I didn't snap my "jesus pin" (whatever the hell that is) when I bent my feathering shaft..... I must admit I did shout out "JESUS!" when it shredded into the lawnmower but, fortunately my "jesus pin" is still in one piece. The story about the bloke getting the end of his finger chopped off would suggest to me that these things should not be sold, holus bolus, to any old Tom, Dick or Harry.... that incident could have been worse and instead of the lawnmower it could have chopped off "my" chopper That really would have been a major " JEEESUS!!" moment I could easily fire it rapidly up into the air (like you did) but what then? I wouldn't know what the hell to do if it started going apeshit on me, I'd probably chuck the transmitter on the ground and duck for cover.... no joke mate, if that thing came toward you at full throttle and hit you in the face it could kill you!.... at least, it would carve a nice big lump of flesh out of your face and worst possible scenario could sever your jugular. Quite a challenge and a simulator would be most appreciated if you have one spare (or a copy ) I'd rather smash into a few trees on screen than mince the hell out of my face IRL. I'll see if I can contact the other Ian (everybody I know seems to be called Ian!!) and ask him nicely if he could set the thing up for me so I KNOW it is truly "ready to fly".... I'll then shelve it until I get the hang of the single blade jobbies and, when a bit more savvy, will give it another whirl. The settings from the factory were pretty attrocious and nowhere near "ready to fly" like the E-Flite 'copters are.... having said that, I'm not "ready to fly" and don't really have a clue how to fly these (yet) so the blame lies solely with me for trying to run before I have learnt to walk..... jumping in at the deep end is not always good practice as sometimes you can drown. Mike.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2011 22:54:52 GMT
Mike Just as well it wasn't a model jet aircraft, or the lawnmower may not still be in one piece ! Alex P.S. Is that nice restful vacation in China still on the agenda ?
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 18, 2011 23:12:20 GMT
I'm ready to do a vid on Christmas day... it will be an "indoor" (live) performance so be sure to stay tuned..... I think I've got full control of her "indoors"
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 18, 2011 23:18:54 GMT
It will hopefully be more entertaining than my first attempt
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 18, 2011 23:28:39 GMT
Talk about a lack of balls! (four orange ones on show but no MAN balls evident)... the CP3 is just a case of having the crotch estate to "let her rip".... it's the "getting it up" that's the hardest part mentally.... all in the mind When she's up she's up
|
|