Guys, a friend has given me a complete old Concept 30 helicopter and I have bought a KDF flymentor and 35mhz Futaba radio system with a nice Corona receiver. All parts are complete (I think) and I even have some helicopter nitro fuel now.
The problem is that I don't have the time and knowledge to fit it all together properly and make it work, so it is now just lying around and looking sad.
Is there anyone in the Kent or South East area that would be willing and able do the setup job for me? If it's not a fortune, I would pay for it, of course.
Any advice would be much appreciated,
cheers,
Dirk
Honestly, the best thing to do is to find the location of one or two clubs close to where you live on here: http://clubmap.bmfa.org/ (http://clubmap.bmfa.org/) and pay them a call. You should find somebody who will help you set it up, test fly it and even teach you how to fly it. If you find somebody willing to help then join the club, you won't regret it.
Mick
Mick makes a good point.
the set up of a helicopter should really be done with the pilot/owner in attendance just because you will know how it works.
the mechanics of a helicopter are pretty straightforward, as long as you don't try to do the maths to prove it will fly!
I assume the helicopter is complete and not in a kit?
if you connect it all up, the left stick forwards/backwards will make the throttle open/close and make both blades pitch up/down. left and right is rudder so when viewed from above (with the blades vertical) the lower blade turns in the same direction as the rudder on a plane.
now the other two servos control the cyclic on the right stick left right (aileron) will make the swash plate tilt left and right in the direction you push the stick.
forward/back will be on the elevator.
when you connect the flymentor to it you are looking to see the opposite movement on the swash that you are putting onto the heli, so if you roll it right the swash should roll left to keep it upright. and so on.
once you have it to that point find a club and get them to go over it. it is very easy to get confused when starting out on gyro compensation and I often take off and get wild pirouette because the gyro is reversed.
I live in Worthing West Sussex and my team are all in Kent so I'm not too far away but I'd not want to set up a heli for someone without showing them how to handle it and I don't have time to do that. People in the club will help you out, and a few of the old boys may still have concept 30's in their shed. I have a nexus 30 in my garage which is on my list of things to sort out. this is where the club scene will definitely help you out. I'd bet half of the people who have been flying more than 10 years will have learned on one so they will have a soft spot for it.
cheers
Steve
Quote from: electricmick on January 24, 2014, 12:55:23 PM
Honestly, the best thing to do is to find the location of one or two clubs close to where you live on here: http://clubmap.bmfa.org/ (http://clubmap.bmfa.org/) and pay them a call. You should find somebody who will help you set it up, test fly it and even teach you how to fly it. If you find somebody willing to help then join the club, you won't regret it.
Mick
Mick, thank you, I have contacted Maidstone RC club by now and will visit them on a nice Sunday!
Cheers,
Dirk
Quote from: stevec on January 24, 2014, 02:51:00 PM
Mick makes a good point.
the set up of a helicopter should really be done with the pilot/owner in attendance just because you will know how it works.
the mechanics of a helicopter are pretty straightforward, as long as you don't try to do the maths to prove it will fly!
I assume the helicopter is complete and not in a kit?
if you connect it all up, the left stick forwards/backwards will make the throttle open/close and make both blades pitch up/down. left and right is rudder so when viewed from above (with the blades vertical) the lower blade turns in the same direction as the rudder on a plane.
now the other two servos control the cyclic on the right stick left right (aileron) will make the swash plate tilt left and right in the direction you push the stick.
forward/back will be on the elevator.
when you connect the flymentor to it you are looking to see the opposite movement on the swash that you are putting onto the heli, so if you roll it right the swash should roll left to keep it upright. and so on.
once you have it to that point find a club and get them to go over it. it is very easy to get confused when starting out on gyro compensation and I often take off and get wild pirouette because the gyro is reversed.
I live in Worthing West Sussex and my team are all in Kent so I'm not too far away but I'd not want to set up a heli for someone without showing them how to handle it and I don't have time to do that. People in the club will help you out, and a few of the old boys may still have concept 30's in their shed. I have a nexus 30 in my garage which is on my list of things to sort out. this is where the club scene will definitely help you out. I'd bet half of the people who have been flying more than 10 years will have learned on one so they will have a soft spot for it.
cheers
Steve
Steve, really appreciate your reply and detail. I am sure I can get it to that point you describe. I will also visit one of the local club flying sites soon, have made contact with them already.
- Just fyi, I have also lodged this request on the rcheliaddict forum and mostly got all negative replies, i.e. "don't bother", so the replies here are much more encouraging, thank you!!!
Cheers,
Dirk :)
Just some pics for your viewing pleasure :)
(http://s18.postimg.org/smf83g15x/Concept30_1.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/smf83g15x/)
(http://s18.postimg.org/duf3pukmd/Concept30_2.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/duf3pukmd/)
(http://s18.postimg.org/xmcobe6sl/Concept30_3.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/xmcobe6sl/)
(http://s18.postimg.org/exz81t59h/Concept30_4.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/exz81t59h/)
(http://s18.postimg.org/wlcfm9pt1/Concept30_5.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/wlcfm9pt1/)
looks like it has never run. the main gear gets dirty when you run it up...
don't worry about the heli boys, if it isn't worth £3000 quid they aren't interested. :P
There are easier and cheaper routes to learning RC helicopters, but with the flymentor on there if it is set up right it shouldn't be a lot harder than a quad. the concept 30 only had a small pitch range so it won't do 3d. it may just about hover inverted but it is really a trainer level heli.
get some training undercarriage.
can you take some photos of it with the controls centred and the power on to the radio? include the swashplate in the photos. the geometry should be quite straightforward to set up.
I learnt on a similar machine in the 1990's my first helicopter was a Kalt space baron, a 30 size so called plastic fantastic. the Concept was Kyosho's competitor to it and a much more successful helicopter. you should be able to find spares for it. The enya engine may need cleaning out depending if it has ever run or not. remove the backplate and rinse it out with petrol and make sure the main bearings are not rusty.
I am sure the local club will have a member who learnt on one of these.
Get a simulator too, they really are enormously helpful in learning to fly helicopters. I learned some time in the nineties with the early CSM RC Sim.
But it still meant that after one tank of hovering with my Hirobo Shuttle I just pitched it forward and went off flying circuits when the others at the club who hadn't used a sim seemed to spend months doing nothing but hovering tail in figure eights.
Absolutely I kind of assumed the sim would be in there. it will save you a fortune.
A lot of people are going for Real flight, I use pheonix it is a good tool and less than the price of a single crash.
/Steve
Thanks, guys, very encouraging! I think the heli may (!) have been started once but that's it. I will find some time to do the new pics, perhaps over the weekend. Also, I have started flying helis in Realflight, the FPV flight mode is awesome and it's so much easier to keep the orientation right!
Just to add: I don't need aerobatics from it, if I can just fly about with a camera strapped to it, I shall be very happy indeed!
Hi shame your not closer...i used to fly for a few companys(sponsored) when i had helis!
i would have set it up and even test flown it for you.
just fyi it will take months of practice to really learn how to fly one of these...it is all manual minus the head and hold gyro...... and can go wrong very quickly!
Liam Baker 600e.mpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHd3377jgxc#ws)
Fab post, mate, great flying video! Looks like a dragonfly on acid :) . :flash:
And thanks for your kind offer, will travel?!?
Cheers,
Dirk