Blade MCX is now too easy but scared to repair my blade 400

[Tony Brazao]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and I am a fairly novice RC heli flyer. I'm after some advice.

I can fly my blade MCX with ease, it's entertaining but the limitations soon left me wanting a more capable heli.

I also have a blade 400 which is, in comparison, a monster. It is also in need of repair as (yes you guessed it) I had a little hick up whilst learning!

Has any one got any tips or advice, what can help me 'bridge' between the blade MCX and the blade 400? Is a training stand worth building?

I struggle to get the blade 400 to hover perfectly, does this need constant input from the right stick or, should it hover perfectly (once trimmed) with just left stick input, like the MCX does?

I am going to buy a USB lead today for use on a sim (I have already downloaded HelisimRC).

My plan is now to spend my time learning how not to crash on the sim before I think about taking the blade 400 out again.

Any help/advice will be welcomed

Tony

[sacko]

Just use the sim for a week or two, just to learn the sticks a bit.

Go from there really, you will build up a lot more confidence.

[Xige]

Hey Tony, Welcome to the forum =)
That's good you've mastered the MCX, fun little heli =) Anyway, my advice is pretty much what you're already going to do, which is good, which is to practise on a sim first.

Practise with a bigger heli in the sim, first practise with basic Hovering, take it slow and easy. Of course you will inevitably have a few bumps on the way, but the key is to Keep Practising, at your own pace. Using the sim is a Very important and underestimated tool for rc helis.

Only once you're confident flying in the sim and controlling the heli, then you can practise it for real on your Blade 400, though I would suggest putting on a training gear on it for safety.

Here's a useful website for repairing your Blade400: http://www.repairblade400.com/

Hope this helps mate. Good Luck =)

[Richard H]

Hi Tony and welcome to Heli Addicts.

The Blade 400 is a totally different beast to the MCX. Contra rotating helis such as the MCX will be stable. When flying a heli with one set of rotors (Collective Pitch), you will always be giving small amounts of stick input to maintain a stable hover. It won't matter how much trimming you do, you won't be able to get it to stay in a hover without stick movement.

Get plenty of time on the sim and you will get better at controlling the Blade 400. It is a lively heli though so dial in some expo on your transmitter. You may also be better off trying out some of the bigger helis on the sim as they will be more stable and will be a little bit more forgiving until you get better at controlling the heli.

I would also suggest getting some training balls for your Blade 400 to help you gain confidence whilst starting out.

Good luck and keep at it. You will get there.

[matt27]

i have both and they are very different but the sim has helped LOADS!!!!!!!!!

[EtheAv8r]

Depending on your finances, you might like to consider an Hirobo Quark (indoors and calm weather outdoors) which is a great flyer and although seems expensive (and spares are), you will probably only need blades - I have 100s of flights now with mine.

Or or you could bridge with the Thunder Tiger Innovator MD530 - it is a great CP heli and will start you off with a tame setup (it automatically sets itself correctly - you don't have to worry about complicated mechanical head alignments) and then as you advance, you change the setting with software on your PC and grow in confidence and experience. Most sopares are cheap - like most other 400/450 helis.

I love my Quark, and also love my Innovator - I also have access to a Blade 400 - the Innovator is way better IMHO and I think it is the best training CP machine available.

[Pipistrelli]

Three words:

Simulator, Phoenix, Simulator.

[speedy jon]

the problem with contra helis is that the give you a false sense of confidence which soon goes once you fly a cp heli.
i found this the case not so long back after upgrading my contra for a trex 450 but the more and more stick time you put in either on the sim or real flying the more you get used to it and the more relaxed you become with flying.

i didnt see on 1st message if you go to a club if not go find one. iv found the amount of info you can get from them is amazing. from flyin tips and setup tips it all helps.

[Brian Gifford]

Three words:

Simulator, Phoenix, Simulator.

I'vejust bought a T-Rex 500, going fom a co-ax. I'm on the sim EVERY night, just practising hovering.

[Leebert]

I totally agree with what others have said. Contras are self stablising and a sim is a great way to push yourself without the rebuild costs.

Having said that, I love the little MCx and use it to practise. At the moment, I'm using it as a stress free way to practice traveling piros and piro'ing circuits (but without the expense!).
These little contras are not just about hovering

Whatever you do, have fun!

[derrick]

Hi get it repaired get the training gear on and just practice hovering use the sim alot, but i found the sim is totally different to the real thing, Ifound the sim good for getting used to the transmitter but you can't beat the real thing.You can tame the blade by changing the setting's on swash plate, Iam using -3to +6 on the pitch that works for me. Head speed is kept quite high all the way through the throttle curve. I am not saying this is the right way but it works for me. It would be good to hear what the experts think about these settings. Don't push youself to hard just keep it hovering about 5 foot up. also use a bit of expo.
Good luck.Keep at it you will get there.
Del

[Tony Brazao]

Next weekend I might drop off the blade 400 for repair, I'm not to keen on the sim I've tried and I've built a training stand now.

Thanks for all the replies.

Regards,

[est1976]

Don't forget to tame your blade using boggy's settings if you haven't already done so. And get phoenix its the best £80 you could spend.

[adamwantstodoaeros]

I got my MCX after I got the blade400 as my first heli!

The MCX is great fun, but nothing like the 400. The 400 is much less stable, which is what makes it 3D capable. I can fly my MCX all round the house forward, backward, sideways, etc. no problem. But I can barely hover the 400 some days!

Flying the blade, make sure its not a windy day - any gusts and the heli goes all over the place (or is that 'cos of my thmbs?). I found it really helped to put some stabilizers (or training gear) on the 400 to stop it toppling on take-off and landing. Although I got rid of them after a few flights - once I'd got a bit more used to the inputs.

I guess the main thing is; don't not fly it 'cos you might crash - otherwise you'll never learn to fly it proper.

And good luck!