Running a heli bladeless

[900ss]

Is there and reason why I shouldn’t run my heli up less its main blades?
Using tick over and light throttle only.
Can it cause damage?

[Steve]

DO NOT EVEN ATTEMPT IT!

No engine will last 5 seconds with no load on it - that goes for all engines, be they in RC helicopters, lawn mowers, cars or even boats! The pistons have to have a load to run against, or else they simply rev to destruction.

If you want to run the engine without any blades, get some head loaders - they're short sticks with weights and balls on the end which come in a size to suit your engine. They allow you to spin the head without needing blades.

[BobJ]

Hi

It should be ok if your very careful to use very small amount of throttle and are quick on the throttle stick to cut it back to idle to stop any overspeeds but you won't learn anything from doing this so why do you want to do it?
Just out of curiosity on how the engine runs?

Cheers
Bob

[col9]

A friend did it a few years ago at work by turning the paddles 90degrees to upright, he said that was enough along with the tail rotor, the draft was enough to blow my drawings off what i was working on 4' away. It never seemed a good idea, but it did survive.

Col.

[900ss]

Appreciate all the advice
Obv I don’t intend to rev the t1ts off it at standstill
I just want to run it up (To hear it run and for something to do lol) n didn’t know if it was ok to do it like that.
Sure I could leave the blades on, but I don’t want to run the risk of interference or crashing it cos it can now lift off.
Seemed to make sense to me.

[ChrisB]

At tickover and very low throttle it will be fine,i understand what you mean by wanting to hear it purr

I would take the tail blades off also just in case,they can give a nasty nip and if you have heli on a smooth flat surface and give it a bit of throttle the tail could possibly swing round/.//

Putting any amount of throttle on though wouldnt do the engine much good

[Ade_Law]

no no no no no!

dont do it. please for your safety wait until you get to the field and have somebody look it over. there maybe issues like badly setup throttle linkage or speed control that could mean you end up with a big mess and even some severed limbs/death.

its safer to run them up with the blades on, it gives you more to hang onto you can hang onto a glow machine very easily it wont rip itself out of your hands unless your holding it like a girl.

Ade

[Tripler]

[QUOTE=The_Manager;25171]DO NOT EVEN ATTEMPT IT!

No engine will last 5 seconds with no load on it - that goes for all engines, be they in RC helicopters, lawn mowers, cars or even boats! The pistons have to have a load to run against, or else they simply rev to destruction.

Load of rubbish,, engines don't need a load to run, just the correct air fuel mix + back pressure from the exhorst system,
Any engine will run all day with the correct amount of cooling and "no" load,

for and engine to perform under load changes are made to the mix,, more / less
fuel air,, ignition or "spark" is advanced / retarded,, more/less diesel thrown in by a governor be it mechanical/electronic

Glad my car doesn’t blow up in neutral!!

[ChrisB]

It would if it was petrol and you gave it full throttle

Diesels have a governor so wont possibly over rev but even MOT stations have had diesels blow up during the emissions test if there is an underlying problem

A quote from the HPI Savage Rc Monster truck operating manual

Do not attempt to run the engine at speed with the wheels off the ground,irreversible damage to the engine could occur

No load means an engine will overspeed and revs per minute kill engines

[Tripler]

My point was,, engines don't need a load to run,,

Cheers

[ChrisB]

Oh i see,yep agreed

Chris

[Smoothound]

I guess thats something that can be said for electric motors then, no chance of over revving

[900ss]

Along the same lines … if you shouldn’t run a heli without blades … what’s the proper way of making fuel adjustments? I.e from tick over to part throttle. Without wanting to sound fick, should you rev these engines (low rpm) whilst holding the blades?

[gazza]

I would have thought that would just knacker the clutch mate.
As mentioned earlier headloaders would be used.

[Ade_Law]

headloaders are pointless. they dont let the engine rev to the correct speed.

head loaders are a constant load variable speed device rather like a prop on a plane.

however rotor blades are a constant SPEED variable load device. which means you can be running at high speed at very low throttle.

i understand you want to hear it purr but is it really worth the risk?

Ade