It happened, just like everyone said it would!

[MeestorMac]

My second weekend learning to fly and it happened! Yes folks the heli got away from me and I panicked!

I was in a nice hover, with a very helpful chap (Dave) giving me advice. Then the confidence grew at the same time the wind lifted the nose, the tail dropped and the heli banked to the right, I tried to correct it but not having the experience I decreased the throttle. In hind sight this was a huge mistake as the heli went tail first in to the ground, then the right side of the heli hit the floor.

I have attached a few photos, enjoy. Also can people tell me what I need to buy to get it flying again. I know I need a fly bar and a boom, but I am unsure what the other parts are called.

Scar on the ground


Bent FlyBar


Broken Blades


Bent Boom


What the blades did (what are these parts called)


What the blades did (close up)


Sorry about the poor image quality, best the iPhone can do.

[wayneo]

Opps not good but im sure it could have been worst.

[steelie600]

tail boom supports steve, give BIG.CHOPPER a pm he may have what you need, as i see it youll need mainshaft x1, feathering spindle x1, maybe an idea to change those blade grips now!! (u know what i mean) flybar but youve got them, tail boom and tail supports. id also check all the links on the head for damage if you need any ive got a few rappy ones, and change yer blades may be an idea to get some woodies for now until you get the hang of it

[steelie600]

Btw sorry i wasnt there today but needs must and all that and if you need a hand/ supervision whilst you fix her up give me a call

[kiwipilot]

Nice looking canopy.. but I digress.

A standard Raptor Crash Kit looks to be in order:

PV3831 Raptor 30 Crash Kit
Kit Includes the following
Flybar rod
Tail pitch slider
Flybar paddle
Tail rotor blades
Tail fin
Main rotor blades
Tail control rod
Spindle
Main rotor hub
Flap damper
Main shaft
Tail boom

[MeestorMac]

Checked the head gear and the main shaft all look in good shape. All the links are fine, the damage is just to the parts in the photo's.

I'm going to order a Crash Kit, just wanted to know what else I might need.

[steelie600]

thats a good call there kiwi i forgot about the crash kit cos its a good 2 years since i owned crashed a rappy, and when i did BIG.CHOPPER's i already had all the parts in my spares box

[AJ Jelly]

Sorry to hear about your crash

[RaptorStudent]

Sorry to hear that mate, these guys will help you back on the horse....i know

[Davewaddy]

Dave here - you were doing so well - dont get down hearted buy the bits fix her up and head for the field again. Its a steep learning curve in the begining but there are many people who will help and not let a fellow pilot struggle. Wishing you blue skies and soft landings.........

[andylinney]

Steve, swap all of the shafts out for new. I know it seems like a hell of a job to do and it's tempting to try to skip over it (I remember trying to do it for the 1st time on a Rappy 30.v2 and thinking I was only going to make things worse...)

You'll really struggle to tell if the main-shaft is bent and unless there's a visible 'kink' in the blade grips the same is true of the feathering spindle. If you've knocked your tail a new shaft in there wouldn't go amiss either.

If you're not confident stripping it down to get at the shafts then take up Kev's offer and have someone who can watch and encourage you whilst doing it, having someone else do it just delays the inevitable.

If you've not bent a shaft (test them by rolling them on a glass surface and checking that they roll freely and not wobbling or leaving visible gaps at the ends/middle while you roll 'em) then stick it in the spares box and you'll have one for next time. A bent shaft on the heli can cause all sorts of vibration and control problems so swap for peace of mind after every bump as they're not prohibitively expensive and keep the heli sweet.

Sorry to hear of your bump still, and hope you get in the air again real soon,


Andy :cheers:

[Buccaneer]

Rebuild and get back into it mate..............

[Andy from Sandy]

If you hit the ground hard enought to bend the main shaft then you also probably damaged the bearings that it rides in. Check and change the main shaft bearings also. This can also be true for the blade grip bearings when you bend the feathering spindle and tail output shaft.

[MeestorMac]

I have ordered a crash kit, should I replace everything that comes in the kit?

Also is it worth upgrading any plastic parts to alloy ones?

[Davewaddy]

Upgrades are ok but are there usually to bring in more money to the suppliers. If the componants in certain areas are uprated the loading shock from a crash will always then find the next weakest area and cause damage there. So its a balance between bling and what makes sense to change. I would fix the machine back to standard as its your first machine and keep the costs to a minimum and put the surplus into the next heli.