A newbies perspective...

fcsd1201 · Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 12:30 am Post subject: A newbies perspective...

First off, I am not entirely a newbie. I own and have flown, poorly I might ad, a Hirobo Nitro Helicopter. I entered the hobby in the late 90s. I never really achieved skillful success, but was able to hover the aircraft, and control it on occasion well enough for successful short flights. But, the cost of replacing blades and parts after crashing was so expensive in those days, that I gave up the hobby. After about three crashes, costing no less than about $150 each, which was a relatively typical range for the cost of repairs to Nitro Heli crashes, I decided to learn the guitar instead.

My regret at having to give up the hobby never really left my psyche, and I always wished that there was some way to learn to fly the RC Helis without the huge expense associated with actually getting good enough at flying them. And, of course, I tried the simulators, etc...helpful, but they aren't really like the real thing. I realized that in order to become accomplished, one must fly...so, I gave up on the idea of learning to fly them because I realized that in order to fly them, one will be crashing them. My bank account just wouldn't stand for it, so I decided to give it up.

This Christmas, I purchased one of these cheap coaxial electrics from Walmart, and flew it successfully around the living room...It occurred to me that perhaps the hobby had come a long way since the late 90s, and that I needed to check out the full size electrics, the hobby grade products that I suspected had come onto the market without my being aware of it over the last several years.

I was right...In searching the internet, I discovered that the electrics truly had apparently become much more prolific, and that they had apparently been perfected in comparison to the relative few, and comparatively poor, electrics that were available in the late 90s.

So, I started reading the reviews on line. My first preference was for E-Flite's Blade CX3. But, I decided that it was a little too expensive for a starter electric heli. I read on, and determined that the Esky Lama V4 was comparatively affordable, very affordable actually, and there were many, many excellent reviews of this particular model... good price, appropriate for the newbie pilot, stable, durable, etc...

I ordered my Esky Lama V4 in Blue from Amazon.com. I ordered one with the 72 Mhz transmitter/receiver combination. The heli arrived in about a week, along with some replacement blades and an extra battery I had ordered.

Here's where the story gets frightening...

On my initial flight, I hovered very briefly before the heli throttle speed increased to maximum, so substantially that it rapidly accelerated and literally crashed into the ceiling of my office. This was my own dumb, VERY DUMB mistake because I was messing with the trim controls on the transmitter, and I think the cause of the crash was my messing with the servo switches. DUMB! I know...

I replaced the blades, scotch taped the rear of the fuselage in a few very small areas which had sustained breaks in the plastic, re-installed the fly bar that had detached from the helicopter when it hit the ceiling. But, overall, I concluded that the heli seemed in relatively decent shape after the incident. All the shafts were straight, everything seemed to be working with respect to function, etc...

Upon my second flight, I experienced a second crash, while on the ground, more of a spastic episode really, one that I now believe was a fault of my own inexperience with respect to turning off the transmitter prior to disconnecting the battery.

Turning off the transmitter prior to un-plugging the battery seems to cause the helicopter to go crazy.

Is this common for all brands of electric helicopters?

It is apparently a characteristic of the Esky Lama V4. There is NOTHING in the owners manual making reference to this danger. The owners manual does show a sequence of disconnecting the battery first before turning off the transmitter, but no mention is made about it being mandatory to your relative safety.

This is not a necessary procedure with respect to my Hirobo Nitro, and I was caught off guard by this requirement being necessary on the electrics.

If I turn the transmitter off with the battery still attached, the helicopter sits for a moment, and just as you are about to approach it to disconnect the battery, it goes wild, blades spinning of their own accord, the sound of servos energizing, etc...no radio signal from the transmitter because it is turned completely off. Your hands and legs can be struck as the heli spastically reacts. So, one has to be very careful that the transmitter is turned on when approaching this heli, and NOT TURNED OFF!

I really don't like the idea that the transmitter is still turned on when I approach these things...but so be it. That's why I initially turned the transmitter off, thinking that lacking a radio signal, the heli would be safer to approach...WRONG!

In the process of learning this lesson, I have broken at least two sets of blades as the heli violently flips around onto it's side, to the point that I finally concluded that I must first disconnect the battery first before turning off the transmitter. The heli seems to function properly if I follow that procedure.

But, I have to admit, because this thing appears to be acting so nutty, I have gone to wearing eye protection when approaching it, and even had a few instances where initially, during this learning process, I personally had a few instances where the blades hit my hands and legs as I approached to turn off the battery, thereby drawing blood, almost like a razor cut...very dangerous indeed.

So, I am very leery of even approaching the heli now. Almost like approaching a live skunk or something, for fear that it will go crazy and attack me without any prior notice or provocation.

Last night, I went completely over the heli, replacing the blades once again, and testing my theory concerning the proper sequence for turning the heli off. I am no longer going to be disconnecting the battery first, then turning off the transmitter. I tested this theory with the blades completely removed, where I could really get in there and mess with it without the fear of being cut to ribbons.

In all test cycles, the heli seemed to react comparatively fine when I disconnected the battery first. When I turned off the radio first, it would, after a moment of sitting idle, spastically react. Had the blades been installed, I would have been cut to shreds again.

However, there were a few instances where the battery was still attached, and the transmitter was still on where I noticed that if I pick up the heli in hand, I could hear the servos humming , and cycling briefly, a slight hum, and actuation, etc...no input from the transmitter being present whatsoever, it sitting idle on the desk, completely untouched, throttle stick completely down. This whole scenario freaks me out, and I may just install an on/off micro switch on the battery to make this whole procedure a lot safer.

But, overall, now I am relatively certain of the proper procedure, having tested it sufficiently last night that I am reasonably confident that I won't be cut to shreds as long as I disconnect the battery first prior to powering off the transmitter.

I realize now that this condition must have something to do with the binding of the radio to the transmitter...so now I think I get it. But, it was kind of learning curve because this binding procedure was not really something that was familiar back in the day when I used to mess with the Nitro Helis.

But, I do have a few more questions...

First, can anybody tell me the proper tightness for reinstalling a new set of blades, and "adjusting" them to have the proper lift, balance, etc...The instructional booklet from Esky, complete with Chinese to English translation, leaves a lot to be desired. And this, my friends, is really the origin of many of my initial problems with crashes and proper operating procedures.

With respect to proper installation of the blades, I've been tightening the screws all the way down, but I've been leaving them relatively loose so the blade still moves so freely in the slot to the extent that the blades fold around from inertia or gravity if you pick up the heli and turn it on it's side.

I think they're too loose and might possible need to be tightened so each respective set of blades is held more firmly in the same plane, but still movable by strength of hand in the event of a crash situation.

Prior to messing with the heli last night to reaffirm my suspicions about the proper procedure for powering it down, I was having problems taking off. As I throttled up slowly, I noticed that the heli wanted to lean to the left, and that it did not seem like it was going to go into a hover without tipping over or acting in an uncontrollable manner. I also noticed that there was some indication that I might need to trim out for tail spin.

Keep in mind that I do have experience flying a Nitro, so I kind of know how it should act, and what the pitfalls look like with respect to flight characteristics. Anyway, I didn't feel comfortable taking it off the ground. Maybe it's just that I'm overly cautious after having all these problems develop...probably a little shell shocked and overly sensitive at this juncture.

Anyway, I decided that I would not ruin another set of blades without first visually checking out the linkages and internals first. So, during my checkup last night, I checked to make sure the swash plate was level. I adjusted the one side of the linkage just one turn, just to bring it into visually perfect level alignment, but I'm not sure that it was even necessary, probably something so minor that the transmitter trim adjustment would have affected it sufficiently as to forgo that adjustment.

So, now everything else seems good, a little worse for wear, some slight damage to the fuselage, but otherwise seemingly good as almost new.

By the way, I also broke down and ordered a Blade MCX S300, one of the new Schweizer Bodied Micro Helis, thinking it may be more appropriate for indoor use compared to a larger heli like the Lama V4. The Lama V4 can be all the way across the room in a heartbeat, and I'm thinking that for indoor use, where you have standard sized residential rooms, the MCX S300 might just be more applicable.

Comments and advise are welcome...the initial flight after the recent check up will come soon, and I hope the outcome will redeem my initial tenuous perceptions of the Esky Lama V4. Attached are few photos of my Esky Lama V4 in all its glory, repairs to the fuselage and all.

Thanks very much for reading my lengthy post! Rolling Eyes

tombo242 · Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 8:56 am Post subject:

Hi fcsd1201,

Welcome back to the hobby.

You are correct in that the Tx must be turned on first and off last, otherwise the mire is deep Crying or Very sad

.

Re The Blades:

Holding the heli on its side with the blades horizontal they should just stay put, but with an upward jerk they should drop. All four by about the same amount. This allows them to align when spun up but not twitch in their sockets during flight.
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Keep Smiling Smile

fcsd1201 · Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 10:17 pm Post subject:

Thanks very much for the advise on proper installation of the blades!

I flew the heli last night, hovered briefly a few times, determined that the flight characteristics I was seeing were on par with my prior experience with the Hirobo Nitro. I think it could use some slight trimming out. It walks off a little too readily for my taste, not too bad, but sufficient that I think I should probably make an effort at adjusting the swash plate slightly.

I've read where these things are supposed to hover briefly without walking off, hands off the transmitter, and that will be my goal in making some adjustments. But, the process is rather tedious, having to remove the fuselage, remove the blades for safety sake, etc...I have to develop the energy to move forward with that project, and also find the time. I decided I would reserve those adjustments for a time when I have other upgrades to make. So...

I purchased some items last night from Miracle-Mart to make a few improvements to this bird. Extreme Blades, another battery (that makes 3 total), Blade Grip Upgrades, a spare Ball Linkage for the fly bar, an over current protection fuse for the battery, Extreme Canapy, Extreme Landing Skid, Graphite Tail Boom, an Extended Inner Shaft with spare parts, and Shortened Length Fly Bar Replacement. This thing's turning out to be relatively costly, about $150 more just for that stuff.

A question occurred to me last night. Is there a heli that's already been upgraded to the extent that it would have cost me less to buy the top of the line rather than investing in the lesser expensive version and upgrading it. Of course, if you do that you don't get all the experience that comes from knowing your aircraft inside and out. So, there is some definite advantage to gaining all that knowledge, and that might just be worth the extra investment.

I have also contemplated upgrading some of the plastic rotating parts, (ie:swashplates, linkages, bars, etc...to "Extreme" Quality, but decided it would be my future project once I get these other add-ons installed, and the heli is flying well enough to move on to the remaining upgrade options.

Thanks again for your reply...very much appreciated!