Graham Ashby 123

Thanks for your understanding chaps. Very pleased you all seem to be getting sorted. If anyone else has a problem do please contact Heather, she's there to help with this sort of thing.

Brian, Ken, we're not aware of any problems with the flight-box promotion so perhaps you'd be kind enough to call Heather (our subscriptions marketing lady) on 01689 899228. She's awaiting your call and will look into the problem for you.

Hi Andy, The problem with buying second-hand helicopters is that if they're old and well used you can quite easily end up spending the cost of a new one getting them restored to a reasonable flying condition. To be honest, unless you can get it up and running reliably without shelling out more than £100 or £150, I'd seriously consider selling it and buying new. See if you can get someone with a bit of experience to look at it for you and advise what needs doing. At least then you'll know if it's worth continuing. Basic things to check: main and tail shaft for bends, receiver (throw the crystals away and buy new), battery pack (probably worth replacing even if it appears to work!), switch harness, engine (if you can free it up, change the plug), tail drive belt, flybar (for bends), gyro (if it makes a whirring noise when you switch the radio on it'll be a mechanical gyro and that'll give you a good idea that the helicopter is pretty old), fuel tank plumbing (replace it for new), transmitter battery, clutch lining (while you've got the engine out). Incidentally, you can check the accuracy of the main shaft and tail shaft by rolling them over a piece of sheet glass. If they're bent you'll soon see! I take it you've got a set of building instructions? As far as I'm aware Shuttle parts are still available and since the machine hasn't altered significantly in recent years it's possible that you'll still get the parts you need. If you take a photo of it and post it on the site I, or someone else, should be able to give you a rough idea of its age. I could go on, although I hope that helps a bit? Good luck Graham

Hi Bob, I had a look but could only find the printed instruction sheet. Sorry I hadn't got back to you before now. Been a bit busy! Good luck with the model, it's a cracker.

Hi Bob, I'll take a look tonight and see if I still have mine. Hold tight... Graham

Hi Peter, Can't help you I'm afraid. It might be best to make a new thread in the heli' section and post the question again. That way, more people are likely to see it.

Flanker, you're jumping the gun a bit. Try as we might, it's proof indeed that you can't please all of the people all of the time! Give the series a fighting chance and it's my intention that you'll see a lot more of the helicopters that interest you. We started with one or two easy and relatively cheap introductions to heli' flying and there'll be more as the months pass. That said, I also think it's important to provide some insight into the different levels at which people can get involved in helicopter flying and, traditionally, 30-size machines are where people started. There's good reason for this, not least the fact that these machines have an ability to keep you flying when the weather is less than perfect. That's something I feel quite strongly about for, clearly, the more practice you get the quicker you'll learn. As you rightly say, lots of people now start with a contra-rotating machine, fly a Twister (or something similar) and then progress to the larger aircraft. By the same token, there are also those who buy themselves a 30-size model from the word go. Both routes have their advantages and disadvantages but I really don't see why the guys who want to spend a bit more money should be subjected to a series that deals solely with the smaller and cheaper models. I'd be rightly chastised if I ignored 30-size machines (some would say a 50-size is the place to start!) for they are, arguably, the most cost effective helicopter trainer on the market. Why? Buy one from the word go and you could, if you wish, save yourself the cost of a contra-rotating job, an indoor collective model, and possibly a 400-size heli', too! Since there are so many ways of approaching model helicopter flying, I feel it would be wrong to ignore one particular route in favour of another. If I can, then, I'll be trying to dip in and out of each as the series progresses. As for the Belt CP, yes I've been toying with the idea of giving it some column inches and you may well have helped that process. Let's tackle that £900 Century Hawk. Take another look at the figures. £300 of that is fuel for a two year period and, in truth, you might be hard pressed to get through as much as that. So, £900 becomes £600. You needn't buy such an expensive engine, and anyone on a budget could get a cheaper gyro and servo combo. Most people already have a computer radio that'll fly a helicopter so it's highly likely they'll only need a handful of servos and a receiver, if that! Why air on the high side? Well, when writing a beginners' series I feel it very important not to give a false impression of the costs that can be involved. No-one would thank me for that. Anyway, thanks for your comments and do try not to be cross...

Hi John, I'll check the size of our water venue and let you know. The Cessna needs a bit more space than most so it's worth checking. Hold tight!

David, you're not wrong about the anticlockwise circuits, it is just slightly more comfortable turning right. A vast improvement on the fixed-pitch jobs though. No I never did try replacing my AAA cells with a Li-Po so I really couldn't say. Seem to remember the AAA packs being a nuisance though. I bought four or five over a period because they didn't seem to store very well. Glad you saw the article, thank you.

Hi David, yes I've had three O.S. 32 heli' engines now and they've all been utterly bullet-proof, sweet as anything and totally reliable. I'm very impressed with the Twister and, again, I agree, it's a superb sports hall model and terrific value for money. Horribly twitchy at first but now it's tamed it's a cracker. And to think we all parted with the best part of £500 for our Piccolos a few years ago!

It's not a huge gap David but it's enough. At the back the aerial loops through a small O-ring that's slid over the tail skid. In addition, where it runs along the main skids it's attached using four small rings of fuel tube. A neat idea as the fuel tube also provides considerable grip on smooth surfaces. I used the same arrangement on my earlier Hummingbird without problem. It's neat too. Can't stand untidy wiring! I know what you mean about the battery bands. Mine are looking a bit slack already. I bought a packet of adjustable Velcro cable ties in Robert Dyas the other day and reckon they ought to do the job. All in all a cracking little model and good for 15 minute flights. Seems to be happy turning in both directions as well, which was not something the earlier fixed-pitch could ever boast.

Thanks for all your input here chaps. I'm just reading through again to gather all the suggestions. Do keep adding though, I'll pop back every so often to take a look.

Good advice on the 30 size heli' David, couldn't agree more.

Hi Eric, David, just thought I'd cut in here. I've had my Twister CP airborne a good few times now and it really is turning out to be a cracking little machine. I've got the aerial in a loop along the side of one u/c skid, up to the tail, then back to the other skid so that the trailing end hangs out in front of the model. Seems to work very well.

Good idea Barney, there's a lot of experience on this forum and many people have favourites for one reason or another. I guess you'll eventually be wanting to build and fly a Kiowa, Huey or Blackhawk at some stage?