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DaPlug,

As close as you can get to 2.0 grams for the completed fuselage framework and 1.0 grams for the completed rotor set. We use a couple minor modifications to get close to these weights.

Brian T

Tips on minimizing drift? I haven't had the chance to practice at the school gym yet, but based off of a few practice flights at home (low flat basement ceiling, and low torque launch at a very high but steeped ceiling in a living room) my helicopter is drifting quite a bit (maybe 8-10 feet?).

I'm concerned because the school gym has a bunch of obstacles on the ceiling - nets, basketball hoops, ceiling fans, etc. that the helicopter can easily get stuck on or damaged.

My motors are the same weight and being launched at the same torque so I'm not sure what's the problem. Advice on how to make the chinook drift less?

Jssper,

Not sure this will work, but possibly adjusting the alignment of the 90 degree vertical stabilizers by loosening a top truss thread and reattaching after repositioning slightly. We attach truss threads with Duco so that they can be loosened with acetone ( except for start and end point with CA).

Brian T

bjt4888 wrote:Jasper,

Not sure this will work, but possibly adjusting the alignment of the 90 degree vertical stabilizers by loosening a top truss thread and reattaching after repositioning slightly. We attach truss threads with Duco so that they can be loosened with acetone ( except for start and end point with CA).

Brian T

Brian,

Thank you for the suggestion! I reevaluated my helicopter soon after posting and realized one of the rotors was slightly tilted due to poor gluing of the front end hooks. With some adjustment, the drifting reduced a lot. I glued the threads with CA, so I haven't tried adjusting the perpendicular vertical stabilizers. I'm not sure if that will work either, but the suggestion of gluing the kevlar thread with Duco is definitely something I'll use with the second helicopter I'm in the process of building.

I will be supervising helicopter at an Invitational tournament next week. I'm wondering if anyone can give me a suggestion of a good way to support a FF chinook copter on a scale to determine the mass. For a conventional helicopter, I've used what I use with airplanes - a block of foam on a stand with a horizontal slit that accepts the fuselage. I've not actually seen one of these, so I have no idea whether this type of stand will work, or if I need something different.

Dave D.

torqueburner wrote:I will be supervising helicopter at an Invitational tournament next week. I'm wondering if anyone can give me a suggestion of a good way to support a FF chinook copter on a scale to determine the mass. For a conventional helicopter, I've used what I use with airplanes - a block of foam on a stand with a horizontal slit that accepts the fuselage. I've not actually seen one of these, so I have no idea whether this type of stand will work, or if I need something different.

Dave D.

Since essentially everyone is using the FFM kit or a variation, and will therefore have crossplates - there's typically at least one side without obstructions, so a foam block should still work - like so. I don't know the coaxial distance of the FFM kit.

For non-FFM designs, no idea.

torqueburner wrote:I will be supervising helicopter at an Invitational tournament next week. I'm wondering if anyone can give me a suggestion of a good way to support a FF chinook copter on a scale to determine the mass. For a conventional helicopter, I've used what I use with airplanes - a block of foam on a stand with a horizontal slit that accepts the fuselage. I've not actually seen one of these, so I have no idea whether this type of stand will work, or if I need something different.

Dave D.

I've used a plastic cup with a cardboard piece on top of it. (Kind of sketchy but I think it works?) If it doesn't have significant modifications at the top near the disk, a FF helicopter can lie flat if you flip it upside down.

At our regional today, they put a clipboard on the scale and tared it with that weight. OK if your scale can take the weight.

Our Chinook (team design) does not freely stand like the kit, so they left it to the kids to figure out how to weigh-in. They have a foam stand they use on our winding table, and used that to weigh in.

I think you need to be creative due to different designs. Might pay to have a flat surface (Chinook kits), a foam block (conventional axials), and perhaps some Solo cups and scissors that you could cut some slots to fit specialized heli's?

Coach Chuck

Does anyone else have a problem with the rubber band knot hitting the balsa? How did you guys deal with it?

Ellesbelles,

Put the knot next to the o-ring attached to the rear hook. This is the standard arrangement.

Brian T