Do you balance your heli?

[muscleflex]

as above... i saw a link somewhere where the guy balances his whole heli by the head (taken the main grips off and tied a string thru the jesus bolt hole and balances it that way)..

now i'm wondering if i need to do that as well? coz i can't seem to piro without the heli nodding in one direction

i dont have a ball link plier so i can't take my head off yet (dont wanna keep using plain pliers to pull links off as i will end up scratching the balls) but i will order one on ebay.

[LaurenceGough]

For COG I grab the head put the heli on it's side and check both sides (tail on right and tail on left side) for tail up or down action.

Is your heli flybarred or fbl?

[sacko]

I normally check CofG by picking the Heli up by the grips. If you hold the Heli on it's side by the grips and see how balanced it is.

If the tail goes down, it's tail heavy and vice versatile.

[Mslater]

I normally check CofG by picking the Heli up by the grips. If you hold the Heli on it's side by the grips and see how balanced it is.

If the tail goes down, it's tail heavy and vice versatile.

+1 Same method here

[unwind-protect]

coz i can't seem to piro without the heli nodding in one direction

Bear in mind that if you're starting a pirouette from the hover, the heli will be leaning to one side to counteract its translating tendency.

I usually check the balance by cradling the flybar with my fingers. The heli is then free to pitch and roll as it desires, and then I sight the boom against something I think is horizontal.

[muscleflex]

oh i see... i totally forgot about just holding the heli sideways by its head and seeing how it rotates..

so do i place weights on the lighter side? or just shift the battery if possible?

[LaurenceGough]

I wouldn't add weight but that's just me, you can normally get it right by shifting the lipo, it should weigh around 200grams, if not you might have to move the ESC if you have a heavy one. Loose the hoz tail fin if you're tail heavy - it doesn't do anything.

Check both sides as the one way goes against one side of direction.

[trillian]

Yep, the sideways method is usually close enough for rock 'n roll. In my experience, the 450SE V2 required having
the battery pretty far forward on the battery tray. The Beam balances quite well with the battery right back at the top
and on the 500 I also have to slide the battery right down about as far as it will go and still get the canopy on. 'Not
sure about the 450 Pro or the Sport (But it will depend on where your ESC and RX, gyro, etc. are mounted).

Basically for just flying around, helicopters are pretty tolerant of C of G being shifted one way or another as
you can usually compensate with a bit of trim. For more precise aerobatic stuff ideally you want it to balance very close
to the main rotor shaft perhaps being just slightly nose heavy.

[Steve]

Pick it up by fingers under the flybar and watch the skids lift off the table - they will instantly tell you if it's nose or tail heavy and you only have to lift it a few mm without needing to swing it about by the main shaft.

[johnsandywhite]

When you are a BEGINNER/LEARNER, all you want to do is FLY. Who cares whether it is tail heavy, nose heavy or just blinking heavy with a BIG Lipo up front. FLY, FLY, FLY. THEN, when you get to the stage where you THINK you know everything there is to know about flying? Start to think about balance and CG and SB and trim and etc, etc. IMH&HO.

[Guest]

Can't remember where, but I came across a simple and sensitive method for balancing fore/aft CG that I can't see the flaw in:

Roll the skids over a bar (spare main shaft). If if its teeter point is in line with the main shaft, it's good to go.

[Snake_uk]

When you are a BEGINNER/LEARNER, all you want to do is FLY. Who cares whether it is tail heavy, nose heavy or just blinking heavy with a BIG Lipo up front. FLY, FLY, FLY. THEN, when you get to the stage where you THINK you know everything there is to know about flying? Start to think about balance and CG and SB and trim and etc, etc. IMH&HO.

thats pretty much my approach to flying, i've not even balanced a set of blades yet.

I have learnt how to track the blades though, only because it looked odd if i left it

[johnsandywhite]

thats pretty much my approach to flying, i've not even balanced a set of blades yet.

I have learnt how to track the blades though, only because it looked odd if i left it

I must admit, I now balance the blades and make sure everything is neat and level. But I still do not balance the Heli in any shape or form. Perhaps when I have advanced to the stage where balance and CG affect the moves, I may do so. I doubt it though. Everything fits where it fits and I don't intend to ADD weight to balance things out or move things when they are already fitted.

[LaurenceGough]

COG effects flight no matter what you are doing, and you shouldn't be using trim - only sub trim for a level swash. Experienced flyers can fly around the bad effects of having incorrect COG but a beginner is best off with a perfectly set-up heli to learn on.

[muscleflex]

Bear in mind that if you're starting a pirouette from the hover, the heli will be leaning to one side to counteract its translating tendency.

I usually check the balance by cradling the flybar with my fingers. The heli is then free to pitch and roll as it desires, and then I sight the boom against something I think is horizontal.

so how do people manage to do this so fast without the heli moving away from its spot? is it just pure skill? (something i'll never have)
http://www.rave-3d.com/raveteaserhd720.wmv