Blade 180 CFX - do I need another heli?

[Peteski]

Yeah you're right, I'm just playing at it
Might just have to find room for an OXY 2 when it comes out and maybe stretch up to a Gaui X3 eventually

[myxiplx]

Just give FastLads a call and ask them directly about the Lynx parts, if they don't already have them on the way I'm sure they'll be able to let you know how quickly they can get here.

Ordering from Lynx direct would be fine, but I have a feeling their shipping options are quite expensive. No harm in you taking a look though :-)

[Peteski]

Well I just ordered a few bits direct from Lynx website and it showed zero shipping cost to the UK! A bit odd to say the least but payment went through okay, so let's see if they show up. Ordered a slipper clutch TT for my 180 and a travel bag for my OXY 3

[Blackout19]

Cost less than £6 to get a few bits shipped direct from Lynx via UPS, turned up in 3 days, great service. I've just fitted the clutch TT and now just need the weather to improve.

[Peteski]

Thanks, that's good to know. Maybe my shipping was free due to order size. Anyway it's now showing as shipped via UPS on my account, so looking good.

[Zeeflyboy]

Iirc shipping is free if your order is over $100

you do always get hit with customs though in my experience, so factor that into the cost

[Peteski]

That makes sense, yes it was just over $100
I expect a customs bill of course, have to see how it works out overall compared to buying in the UK.

[Blackout19]

Mine made it through customs ok, but was only £40 or so. Flew today with the Lynx clutch TT and servo savers and it was flawless. Was only a spin around the back garden, but happy so far!

[Peteski]

Gave my 180 its maiden flight at the weekend and it flew perfectly straight out of the box. Only hovered slowly around the garden, but it seemed very stable and precise compared to my other cp micros. Had some really nasty gusts of wind too, which it handled quite well. Think I'm going to enjoy this one Like the slow spool up too, super smooth. Now just waiting on my Lynx slipper clutch TT, metal tail gears and servo savers, which hopefully will arrive in the next few days.

Only pain is the canopy, which is a chore to both fit and remove without damage. I think it looks great, but just needs to be a tad bigger or at least with the mount holes in the right place! It's also pretty tight clearance around the swash links which could potentially cause a crash. Can anyone recommend an aftermarket canopy that fits better?

[tomatwalden]

I find canopies in general on the 180CFX can be quite tight. The trick is more about how you mount the battery. In particular, the balancing wire can really impede the fitting of the canopy.

The trick I find is to fold back the balance wire and hold it in place with the battery strap. You should then find the canopy slides back easier and over the mounting holes.

As for the swash clearance - yes, others have found that. A common trick is just to cut the canopy a bit at that point to create more room.

[Peteski]

Thanks Tom, yes I spent quite a while looking at the battery mounting and managed to find a reasonable solution in the end. But still quite a tight fit. The mounts themselves don't help much either with their spiky ends! Swash clearance on mine is just okay if the canopy is perfectly centred, but certainly needs checking every time. Might trim it locally to make it more foolproof. I read that some people put a second set of mounting holes further back on the canopy, but I don't think I'll have to resort to that.

[Peteski]

Another quick test flight in the garden today and I think it's great. By far the easiest heli I've flown so far, which actually surprised me quite a bit. Piros are much easier than with either my mCPX or 130X I guess thanks to piro comp. Plus the controls are way more crisp and precise like the sim. Obviously need to be cautious with the power on tap, but for basic flying I don't see a catch yet. I can feel it has tons of power on tap in IU but seems quite controllable. Maybe I'd read too much about it being a twitchy little monster, but doesn't seem that way so far!

My Lynx upgrades have just arrived too (pretty quick direct from Vietnam) and no duty to pay The stated shipping value was very low ($20 on a $111 order), so that obviously helped. Just popped in the slipper TT for the next flight. Just need to fit the servo savers next and then good to go to the field for some proper flying.

[myxiplx]

I think a lot of the comments about it being twitchy will be written from the viewpoint of somebody used to flying 550mm+ blades. You're coming from the other direction, and compared to a mCPX it's going to be a lot more stable and precise :-D

[Peteski]

I think a lot of the comments about it being twitchy will be written from the viewpoint of somebody used to flying 550mm+ blades. You're coming from the other direction, and compared to a mCPX it's going to be a lot more stable and precise :-D

That and people running it on 100% rates with no expo like the default user manual indicates. I'm sure that would be pretty savage!

[Blackout19]

That and people running it on 100% rates with no expo like the default user manual indicates. I'm sure that would be pretty savage!

Yeah, pretty shocking advice...