Mayday Mayday

[jahatton]

I got 5 flights in today... that makes 90. I got the camera mount up and shot about 18 pictures.. Then I tried my first loop..... On the 4th flight I did 2 more loops and one roll........ So far so good!?!?.... Lastly I had to try the 3D setting... Idle-up 2 was set with 8 deg and -8 deg with the engine set at 45% in the center and 100 on both ends... Had a friend stand with me (non heli pilot) I tried a back flip................ hold on and make sure your belt is tight!!
I started at about 300 feet and as it went inverted something weird happened that I cannot explain.. the simulator didn't do that?
I found myself in an inverted fall with the engine bogged........... At about 50 feet and closing I had it right side up and full collective/power...... As it went down behind a barbed wire fence hidden in grass, all I could do is swallow hard and kiss goodbye to Raven 50..... Split seconds later here it is rising up but I couldn't control it and it went and layed down in the tall grass...Boom!!
Oh No what is my wife going to say now! Another crash kit coming up!
I got to the site and found the engine screaming, can smell clutch! Pulling the fuel line off...everything went silent.
To my total amazment the tail boom had poped out of the frame and was like new. The flybar was bent slightly and so was the feathering shaft... no biggy! One blade was snapped off 6 inches from the tip and the front plastic landing gear strut was snapped on the right side.
Got home and replaced the clutch, cleaned the dead clutch around fan and
shroud. Fixed the strut, rotor blades and test hovered it. It needs a mast which I have in stock.
What an interesting flying session we had today.....
Jim

[jahatton]

2 hrs after getting home I test hovered it and had to pull the head to see if the shaft was bent. To my total suprisement the shaft was straight.
The feathering shaft and the flybar were bent a little on one end and was repaired.
Jim

[hawkman]

I was inverted with my Hawk when the engine died out....I was about 50 ft up as well....couldnt hear the engine die as it was too windy to hear.

Saw the blades slow up so tried to roll out and auto....but to no avail!!!! poor thing came down tail first....I lost sight of it....so walked over slowly...mentally going through a shopping list....the boom had sheared off...and the right side skid legs had snapped off....the blades were intact!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! couldnt believe it ....after some straightening out...and a new boom....with a tail rotor system used off my old Nexus....and some robbed skid legs from my Sceadu (still unflown) She was flying again!!!


I like Centurys helis...tough and easy to work with.


Rob

[jahatton]

Isn't it amazing the miracles that happen especially when it looks to be totally hopeless!
Mmm flying in wind so strong that you can't hear the engine?? Cringe! Reminded me of a time when I had a friend out to watch us fly planes... he cranked his up stereo thinking he was doing everyone a favor including the next town. I fried his ears about it and the music stopped!
Jim

[shanee86]

Yea only crash I had with my big heli its a hawk pro was let's just say bad. Had to replace: tail boom, tail box, blades and now I replaced shaft not sure if it was bent but vibrating alot.

[hawkman]

Most things can be straightened....the main shaft I used to place in a drill chuck on a big bench drill...then rotate by hand and give the correcting 'tweak' till it runs more or less true

Feathering shafts can be 'tweaked' till they are pretty straight....I have flown the hawk with less than perfect shafts and its run ok....no shakes or nothing.

If I could get Nitro fuel easily I would run the Hawk and nothing else...well maybe a Falcon or a Raven becuase quite a few parts are the same....like the main shafts...I would suspect.

I got a Predator gasser now....its quite large...scary to fly at first....needs plenty of respect.

I do wish I could get a 50 size that runs on petrol....or even a 30 size.

Rob

[shanee86]

My next heli I am wanting is either a gasser or a 60 size raptor and put a BME gas motor in it seen some people doing it and it works. Anyone here heard about it? The BME is a gas power 60 size motor but it has 90 size power and unlike gas motors it have very high rpm like a nitro motor. Anyone have one here?

[hawkman]

You have any contact details for this engine?

Rob