Futura57

For 3D flying I believe the CG on the main mast is preferable since it's likely to be flown in any direction. This is what I tend to do. I tip the heli on its side so the main shaft is horozontal, then hold the main blades vertically and let the fuselage pivot to see if it's tail heavy. However, I prefer a slightly forward CG for scale helis because they tend to sit better in the air. But that's me.

'From the Skip to the Sky' coming to your TV screens soon, from the makers of Scrapheap Challenge, Money for Nothing and Bangers and cash. 🙄 Enough about skips already.

With no club members' names down to fly at Epsom Downs Race Course today, I tried a change of venue. I joined a small crowd at Norman Park, Bromley, SE London this afternoon. It's a weekly informal gathering of more elderly gents. Mostly small foamies are flown. Flying conditions were pretty good apart from the grey sky.

I've been gifted a ChangeSun 90mm EDF unit with a 12 bladed fan and a motor and a spare fan. I have no idea of its history or of the brand. I don't posses any 6S or 8S lipos so I ran it up on a 4S and it sounds smooth. On close inspection there are some small chips on the leading edges of 3 or 4 blades. I'm guessing it will be out of balance and may vibrate heavily or explode if I run it up on 6S or 8S. The spare fan looks to be new and unused and was still in a sealed plastic bag. I'm hoping I can simply unbolt the existing fan and replace it without me having to perform any kind of balancing procedure. I guess then I will have the opportunity to remove the motor to find out what it is. There is a substantial alloy cone on the rear of the motor. Any comments, suggestions, dos or don'ts would be appreciated. I gather there have been several versions and I'm guessing this is an early version.

A friends Top Quark built from my plan and covered by me...

Dumping these pictures here for the record...

Had another good day at Epsom Downs race course yesterday. Mostly blue sky and light winds which did pick up a little later on, but not enough to spoil things. Someone turned up with a half decent camera and snapped these flying shots.

Fine work Simon

Instead of spending Over £50 for one GNB 4400 I went for 2 x Zee 3300s for about £50. Each gives 3.5 mins with fairly aggressive throttle use, leaving 25%. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006008076835.html I also started Christmas early... 20241015_200711.mp4

Another great flying day at Epsom Downs racecourse today with a good turnout of EDMAC club members. Almost dead calm for the whole afternoon, but sadly no blue bits. I added flashing lights to my Strange Quark which helped against the grey sky. I was enjoying myself too much to remember to take pictures. Unfortunately there were at least three casualties, two of which looked terminal. https://a.aliexpress.com/_EyN4fzj The main page of our Billy-No-Mates website

I've had dozens of helis, mainly larger IC powered ones, so I'm not familiar with the Blade models specifically. However, since the wobble occurred before the original servo failed and is still present with the replacement, I'd guess there is some mechanical issue with the head. This maybe caused the servo failure in the first place. Look for worn/loose/bent linkages, loose screws, rotating parts which might now be rubbing/fouling due to excessive wear, especially when rotating eg swashplate. If there are bearings in the blade holders or the main shaft then maybe replace them. But number one would be to check the main mast is not bent and the blades are balanced. I could of course be way off if the servo is rapidly moving/oscillating. The main board/electronics could be knackered.

I received the Mortons book today to help me decide on a scheme for my Brian Taylor 110. I'm disappointed there are only fuselage side pictures. No top and bottom wing schemes 😬 https://mortonsbooks.co.uk/book/luftwaffe-fighters-claes-sundin I guess I shall have to look back through the other online references in this thread to find what I need. I could have saved myself £8.99 🙄

I think there were two competing Heli mags. Model Helicoper World magazine ceased publication some years ago. .https://www.magazineexchange.co.uk/cw/model-helicopter-world-magazine?mobile_version=on&mwr=Y It would be a shame if RCM&E went the same way. I for one continue to support it through subscription, even if much of the content is not of immediate interest. I keep a few recent copies in a bedside drawer and in the smallest room in the house. I usually dip in and out and end up reading them cover to cover, often enjoying content I might be tempted to skip. I buy the occasional second copy if I get a plan or article published.

MDS = May Dead Stick 😵‍

Here's a result. A 4S 4500 mAh HV lipo which is only 20g heavier than my Zippy 2700. And it will fit my model. That should boost the performance and give a respectable flight duration of around 5 minutes, I hope. https://www.hobbyrc.co.uk/gnb-4500mah-4s-70c-lihv-battery-xt90