|
|
|
Stuff
We Wish We Hadn't Learned The Hard
Way
|
ADVICE is worthless unless you
understand the WHY as well as the WHAT.
Everyone has an opinion on most
everything, and unless the context and
experience for a suggestion is
understood, "your mileage WILL vary". |
The only thing that you can
buy and add to your Heli that will
make you fly better is more
fuel (burn it).
|
|
A radio range check that comes up short
on the ground doesn’t get better in the
air. |
|
It’s IMPOSSIBLE to correctly tighten the
"prop-nut" on the engine/clutch assembly
without something to hold the engine
crank shaft, no matter how much Locktite
is used. Remove the backing plate or the
carburetor and "foul" the crank with a
hardwood stick to keep it from turning
(NEVER USE a metal tool, and avoid
plastic because it leaves particles). A
Head Locking tool will also work, but
care must be taken not to punch a hole
in the piston or bend the connecting
rod. |
|
Turning the Transmitter "OFF" will not
STOP the Heli if it’s chasing you. If
you turn the transmitter OFF while the
engine is still running, the Heli might
do anything, including chase you. |
|
Standing with your back against a wall
is like being on the wrong end of a
firing squad (leave an escape route). |
|
After the engine has been tuned, TWO
CLICKS on the needle valve is a MAJOR
adjustment. Temperature and humidity
changes can make the engine run richer
or leaner, but one or two clicks should
be enough to fix it. If three or four
clicks-richer doesn’t fix the problem,
look for something else. (Leaky fuel
line, crud in the fuel lines, loose
muffler, vibration-foam in the tank,
dirty carburetor, bad/fouled plug) |
|
A loose muffler will cause the engine to
run "funny" (mostly leaner, maybe
intermittently). The clues are;
"black-oil" drippings under the Heli
that come from unusual places and/or a
Heli with an oil coating all over the
side frames (particularly on the muffler
side). |
|
A muffler that comes loose in the air
will make a TERRIBLE sound. Just land
before the engine overheats and loses
power. Try not to be so distracted that
you lose control. |
|
Muffler bolts that won’t stay tight,
sometimes can be fixed by tightening
them while the engine is HOT. |
|
Don’t grease the main gear because if
you do, it collects dust and dirt and
then strips. |
|
That high frequency vibration that is
seen on the horizontal fin will soon
crack it. It also cracks the receiver
case; the servo cases and kills the
gyro. (Check for a bent tail rotor
shaft, bent starting shaft, misaligned
clutch, "unlucky" engine-speed
resonance. |
|
Medium-speed vertical tail-vibration is
usually caused by something in the head
being bent or out of balance. (check for
bent main shaft, bent feathering shaft,
main blade balance, flybar balance,
flybar paddle pitch.) |
|
Tail twitch and/or
horizontal-vibration is usually caused
by engine mis-tuning. Adjust the mixture
to richen-out of the "lean zone"
or lean-out of "the four-stroke"
zone. Either zone will cause the engine
torque to change intermittently and the
gyro will twitch the tail to compensate.
Gyro gain that is set too high will
cause the tail to wag (oscillate back
and forth) uncontrollably. |
|
That little glitch that happened as the
Heli flew by (but now seems to have
disappeared), is still in there. It’s
just waiting for a better time to bite
you. (Time for a real range check and a
careful servo check, as well as looking
for loose or broken parts and wires.) |
|
That new, little squeaky/rattle sound
that the Heli makes while it’s hovering
might be an indication of something
loose or broken. It won’t get better.
(Time for a rattle and squeak check.
Look for dirty bearings, loose parts,
broken parts, mechanical interference
between two things that might move.) |
|
Don’t use rotor blades that have been in
a crash, even if they "look OK". |
|
A Tail rotor blade will fly as far and
as fast as a main blade, and they are
usually aimed directly at you. A thrown
tail blade will cause the Heli to
disassemble itself in short order. |
|
Denatured Alcohol when used as a spray
cleaner quickly removes the oily film
from the exhaust that builds up on skids
and side frames. A little wiping is all
that’s required to clean the Heli. |
|
|
|
| Copyright © 2004-2006Aero Modelers of Perrine, Inc. (AMPS) |
Page Updated:
Friday, June 09, 2006 08:30 PM |
