Blade 450 3D - what a rush!

[helismeagol]

Its been almost 2 months since purchasing my Blade 450 and by heck what a heli. Its my first outdoor and just loving every minute of flying her/him/it.

I am trying to push her each time I am out but still get (slight) disco thumbs - not as bad as the maiden flight.

Has anyone, or what would the heli be like if I had to upgrade to CF blades, and motor? Would I need to change my batt packs (Turnigy 2200mah 30c)?

[Paulo uk]

You think thats a rush, wait til you put your first 90 size up!

[BenjaminKenobi]

Its been almost 2 months since purchasing my Blade 450 and by heck what a heli. Its my first outdoor and just loving every minute of flying her/him/it.

I am trying to push her each time I am out but still get (slight) disco thumbs - not as bad as the maiden flight.

Has anyone, or what would the heli be like if I had to upgrade to CF blades, and motor? Would I need to change my batt packs (Turnigy 2200mah 30c)?

Awesome! Great feeling ain't it? If your happy with how it's flying then no need to upgrade.

Keep at it!

[helismeagol]

Well my aim is to keep at the 450 until summer next year (if we have one) so I can practise practise practise and hoepfully start doing loops, inverts etc on it. I've always been very facinated by the trex 550 and the power to weight ratio this sucker pulls. To keep me going (and to save)I have a centre spread up on my wall (spare room) of the 550 to get one next year. But this could all change with the rapid increase in rc heli development and with what Align bring out - sod it, maybe I just get a 550 now, not sure how I can hide it from my girlfriend.

[Sharpedge]

I have had my 450 for 4 weeks and have just got the 550. Working away from home for two weeks, its hard knowing its at home waiting to be put together. Prob best as I dont have enough money for the battries yet, coming from a 450 they are not cheap.

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[cjcj1949]

You can get carbon fibre blades for £10 from GiantCod and they are good. Also from HobbyKing for a bit less. They don't need any changes to the heli. The Twister Storm (almost identical to Blade400) came with very good carbons as standard. Before upgrading I'd suggest learning as much as you can with the 450. Someone on YouTube complained about the faulty gyro. He was trying it out indoors, but it kept drifting to the left. Nobody had told him to lean it to the right. I'd have left a message or sent him an email if I could. How is the gyro? Does it drift at all if the temperature changes. There seem to be some good gyros out now for under £50.

[helismeagol]

Probably wait until I kiss then dirt then upgrade to CF blades. As this is my first outdoor heli, my other heli being a MSR (crazy little thing), i cant comment much on the Blade 450 gyro. I do find it stable after tweaking the trims, however I did have severe tail wagging in the beginning but now sorted. i have my settings on beginner with my gyro set to RATE: 0: 67% Most of the time I am flying in windy conditions which is treaky but keeps you on your toes.

Sharpedge: you are probably having sweet dreams about your 550 and I am sure you cannot wait to get back to start the build & fly her. did you get the V2? Is your 450 your first?

[bikerflier]

Just enjoy the 450 as it is, no real need to upgrade, you just spend money chasing what can't be achieved with that heli and push up your repair costs as well.
Practice with the 450 as is, and save for the 550.
Cheaper in the long run.
Above all, keep enjoying your flying safely.

[heliward0]

Well my aim is to keep at the 450 until summer next year (if we have one) so I can practise practise practise and hoepfully start doing loops, inverts etc on it. I've always been very facinated by the trex 550 and the power to weight ratio this sucker pulls. To keep me going (and to save)I have a centre spread up on my wall (spare room) of the 550 to get one next year. But this could all change with the rapid increase in rc heli development and with what Align bring out - sod it, maybe I just get a 550 now, not sure how I can hide it from my girlfriend.

you wont look back i promis.!!!! totally different leage to e-flight.. even a trex 450 or 500 will astound you compaired to the blade mate..

[antquinn]

My friend has a blade 450, cant do circuits, can move from side to side and loves it. Then one day , sod it ! he hovered it up to about 40 - 50 foot up , held it there and flipped it back , hovered , then again , then hovered inverted!

Although he cant do a circuit at all , and i mean at all , moving from side to side is his limit he can flip the thing about up high.

Remember for every meter you are off the ground you have 1 second more to save it.

You should also try flying in idle up out side, you will find the heli is more stable and does nto move about as much when your on and off the power, great in the wind.

Ant

[t-rex pedro]

Good to hear you're enjoying yourself buddy! Great stuff. Keep at it and keep us posted on your progress.

Cheers

[helismeagol]

Ant: flying in idle up is a whole new ball game - i was so lucky to read a comment on another forum stating "do not plug lipo in if TH HOLD is switch to 1"

I have got into a habit of using this HOLD switch incase the left stick is up or bumped but I have set my radio as follows, would this be suitable:

THROTTLE CURVE:
Norm - L 0% 2 30% 3 60% 4 74% H 80%
HOLD - 80%

PITCH CUR
Norm - L 45% 2 51% 3 60% H 91%
Hold - L 0% 2 25% 3 50% H 100%

So would it be correct in saying that the HOLD switch should be in the 0 postition until I am halfway up the left stick then switch the HOLD to 1? Landing in the HOLD switch on 1 is okay?

[Sharpedge]

It's the standard kit that's on special at Align UK, could not resist the knocked down price. As far as idle up goes I flipped onto 1 on the second or third battery as the standard D/R-Expo settings at 0 were far too slow. I think this is down to the fact that I learned to fly on the mcpx and was thus used to far quicker response to stick movement. You will also notice that the stock settings in 0 at mid stick do not give you 50%, I think it is about 60 ish. I would power the heli up to a stage just before lift off and then flip to 1. This resulted in a negative pitch setting which kept the heli firmly planted on the ground until the stick was raised above mid stick point. Yesterday I changed the pitch settings in 0 to a standard linear setup to match 1 (idle up). I also set 0 pitch at mid stick in idle up as it was -5 +2 +8 at low center and high. I changed the pitch settings in the swash mix to get +10 -10 and boy it makes a difference (now at -67).

I have had no issues with landing in idle up as I found flipping back to 0 was making the heli a little to docile for my liking. Change your mid point in 0 to 50% to match idle up and go and fly. The heli will be much more responsive and once you have done a little hovering it will boost your confidence loads and you will soon be doing fast circuits. I found that it was more difficalt to hover in 0 than in idle up, I think the faster rotor head speed and higher D/R make the heli easier in the wind.

[helismeagol]

My 450 has kissed the ground finally and it feels like my heart is destroyed. After many good flights since purchasing it, I lost control of her today on my last pack during a some gusty conditions. For some reason I flew nose in as Ive been practising all along but in these conditions it has been tricky and Ive been thinking about it too much rather than just fly.

The damage is not so bad, bent FLB, a few missing/cracked links and damaged blades. I even got a round of aplause from a few spectators.

This will be the interesting part building her which i am looking forward too and getting back into the air.

And to add salt into the wound, its my birthday on Sunday 25/09 - maybe I get a T-rex 550E bday present from the missus

Happy days!

[SaneAdam]

The blade stuff is a great way to get introduced to the basics of the hobby. Fairly cheap to repair. The Align stuff is a totally different world. I started with a blade 400..... loved it to bits.... didnt think the Align stuff could really be that much better...... boy was i wrong..... its a massive step up in quality, control and precision. The difference really is staggering. It makes you a better pilot!!!! And takes the enjoyment level up even further..... You really disappear down the rabbit hole once you go T-Rex..... so does your cash once you pop... you just cant stop with these things. Just take your time and be patient. Dont try and rush your skills. This hobby has made my life so much more enjoyable. It can be frustrating..... but the most rewarding thing you can put your hard earned cash into on a recreational level!!!!!! Top top stuff........... The 550 is an animal!!!!!!!!!!!!