450 Pinion gear

[mgjackson]

Hi,

Anyone had the joy of the grub screw holding the pinion gear let go?

I'm not sure if I just made a mistake or I had my first expierence of non-powered flight...anyway, when I got to the heli the motor was running but no damage to the main gear because the pinion gear had come loose...don't know if that happened at impact or in the air.

Thanks,
Matthew

[unwind-protect]

It can happen.

To mitigate this I grind (Dremel type tool) a flat on the motor shaft that I then locate the grub screw onto, meaning the grub screw will have to come severely undone before the shaft and pinion can turn seperately. I do the same on tail rotor shafts/ hubs where necessary. Obviously you still have to threadlock the grub screw.

[mgjackson]

Thats a good idea. Seems strange that it doesn't have one there already.

However, I think I may have screwed up...I don't see any sign of locktight on the grub screw. I've a nasty suspicion that I'd not put any on.