Newbie with a Blade mCX2

[owend]

Having read through a lot of posts on the forum, but not many relating to the mCX2, I thought I'd give a progress report on my Blade mCX2 with a totally inexperienced pilot (me).



I've had my mCX2 for three weeks now, it's my first heli, flying is going OK so far. I can hover nose-out and nose-in, within about half a metre; rotating on its axis, flying small (up to half metre diameter) circles, and flying carefully from one bit of furniture to another! The heli has a magic tendency to land behind furniture (not my piloting, of course!). I tried it outside today: the day felt dead calm with no wind and some lovely sunshine, but there was enough movement of air to cause some interesting moments, so I think it's an indoor machine unless DEAD calm. I did get it into 3-4 metre circuits, and sending it 15-20 metres away down the lawn and back, which was all satisfying. And NO crashes!




The machine is well made in general: no serious damage yet to the heli, and none (surprisingly) to furniture, but as it's only 32 grams complete with battery I think the heli would come off worst. I haven't had any real crashes yet, although some landings would have woken up any passengers. I get around 8 minutes flight time per battery charge depending on what I'm doing. I like the bling-y LCD lights too, makes it easier to find when it lands behind the furniture






Things to watch for are the battery holder lets the battery too far forward where it could foul the servo motors, cured with wrapping sellotape round the battery to stop it sliding forward (the plastic spacer on the battery which came in the box was too thin, and let the battery slip forward, especially after a robust landing). The main complaint is the two rotor motors: first the one driving the upper rotor and now the other, driving the lower rotor, slipped in their cradles, so that they didn't engage properly with their gearwheels. Cured with a spot of glue, after making sure they were in the right place – may be a problem if I've got to move them later!


My conclusion (as a novice, so with nothing to compare it to): a good starter helicopter. It's fun, seems fairly unbreakable and fairly straightforward under the skin. Not sure how far it will get me trained, but at least I now have the confidence to go for a larger craft. (Bank and wife permitting)

[Vikki]

Hi and welcome. If it's given you the confidence to try a bigger heli then the little guy has done his job.

Sounds like your well prepared for the next step up. Well done.

[Liam B.]

Hey,
I have a mcx2 and it is my first heli, got a mcpx coming. When flying you'll notice it hates to descend while being pushed forwards. The easyiest way is to hover then decent, its a little sluggish while in a big area/hall. So its probally best to use around the house. get practicing nose in landings etc!
Liam

[owend]

Hi, Liam: my experience is the opposite - I find that any manoevre except hovering causes the heli to lose height, unless the throttle is increased. It's the same in a full-size aircraft, any change of direction/speed etc is technically acceleration and the aircraft loses energy so throttle has be opened. I found it, er, entertaining at first, going in small circles without opening the throttle which caused a gently downwards spiral, quite graceful but not ideal.

Do you think the mCPX is enough of a step up? Will it be outdoors-capable? I ask because I was thinking of going to something like a 300x or 450, so there's a definite outdoor machine as well as the mCX for indoors, not for some time yet though - as you say, plenty of basic practice first!

Edit: just found your video of today's flight - better than mine, you seem to have had less wind!

[owend]

Still having fun. Crashes now lighter and less frequent, but I've had the motors slip in their cradles again in spite of the spot of superglue, so maybe I'm crashing harder than I thought! I had a grinding noise (best way to describe it) accompanied by a bit of a jerky yaw sideways, usually to port/left, after it's been running a while. I think the front canopy was touching the servo arms at the top, so I've carefully trimmed the canopy to give them free movement, but I also put a VERY small amount of 3-in-1 oil on the swashplate, which seems to have stopped it (for now, anyway). Not mentioned in the Instruction Manual, but seems commonsense maintenance when you think of the speed of rotation of the blades. Anyone advise on where else I should lubricate?

Liam, you may be right about height. I still find that without compensating throttle-up the mCX2 loses height with any manoevre INside, but OUTside, where there's a bit of air movement I notice that it tries to climb in forward flight, when it's flying into wind. I think it's called transitional lift - from what I can see on the Internet with a single-rotor heli there would be lift on one side only where the airflow is faster with forward flight, causing the heli to roll, and I can only think that with a co-ax the extra lift from forward flight is equal on both sides because of the contra-rotation, causing extra lift.

I know the effect on fixed-wing, but somehow I hadn't expected it on a rotorcraft, d'oh!

I've mostly got on top of hovering etc, but still need a lot of polishing. Looking for the next challenge -anyone looped a mCX2? Or flown inverted etc?

[Liam B.]

Flying a MCX2 upside down or looping is impossible. Mainly due to it being co-axial. Basically 4ch helicopters are not capable of going upside down. Thats why i think that the MCPX or the new nano will be right up your street (it was mine). I've got a mcpx although i've not flown it i'd say its possibly the best next step up. Its small to fly in your garden yet big enough and powerful enough to fly outside in moderate wind. Have you got a dx6i or better? If not then its a must buy!
Liam

[owend]

No, no DX6i yet, just the 4-channel Tx that came with the kit - a "real" Tx is on the wish-list! I was tongue-in-cheek about the co-ax going upside down, but I didn't realise that 4-ch can't invert - I presume the basic sticks are the same (throttle/yaw and elevator/aileron), so where are the other two channels?! You can tell I'm fairly ignorant!

[owend]

Flight training progressing - today was the first day's flying with no crashes/"interesting" landings!!

Advice please: I've largely got the basic manoevres sorted, but obviously they still need much polishing to get them right every time - hovering nose out and in and side-on; forward, backward and sideways flight; figure-8s and circuits of about 1 metre up to 3 metre diameter (small rooms!); pirouettes (is that the right term, rotating on the spot?); circuits round me with the nose pointing at me all the way round and landing (I can get it onto an A4 footprint about 50% of tries). What other manoevres should I be trying to master with a small co-ax?

Owen

[nobbycopter]

The big things to master are nose in flight towards you and figure of 8 circuits so you get used to pushing the tail around.

You'll have to re-learn your stick movements for a collective pitch heli as if you push the stick forward and sideways to turn you'll end up in the floor with a CP heli lol

[one life fly it]

Hi , I'm a noob to this heli lark too. I've had my mcpx for a year and still hate the angry little wasp to the point i almost gave up with heli's. That was until my very generous brother got me a 130x for my birthday All I can say is what a great machine it is, its small enough to fly in the garden and handles the breeze well. Like you I am still practicing the basics but it is so much more forgiving than the mcpx.

I know its a bit of an expensive step up unless you have a generous sibbling but it has inspired me to start looking for a 500 size already .

Alex

[owend]

The big things to master are nose in flight towards you and figure of 8 circuits so you get used to pushing the tail around.

You'll have to re-learn your stick movements for a collective pitch heli as if you push the stick forward and sideways to turn you'll end up in the floor with a CP heli lol

Thanks, Neil: I can fly it (slowly) to almost touch my nose, which I won't be trying with a 500 or 700! I can manage the figure 8's, so I think it's mainly practicing, from what you say.

How is the stick-forward so different to the co-ax?

Owen

[owend]

Alex: a 30X is probably my next move too, so it's good to hear you get on well with it! The mCX2 isn't an angry wasp type, so I've been lucky there, but it's fun to fly indoors. It can't cope with any sort of wind outside though, so the 130X seems a good compromise between smallish size and outdoorability

[Liam B.]

Can you land nose in? Can you do everything nose in? Trust me, once on a more twitchy bird its easier to get confused!

[owend]

Well, yes, sort of. I still have to think about it, it's not automatic yet, hence the need for a lot more practice! Can you recommend any extra moves I should try to learn on the mCX2?

Owen

[nobbycopter]

How is the stick-forward so different to the co-ax?

Owen

On a CP heli you have to use the elevator to pull the heli round the turn...i.e. pull back on it. It's like flying a plank if you've ever flown one? You do that on a coax and it goes backwards