Washout Link...Problem

[acwman]

I've really been enjoying the Beam this past week. Love it more every time I fly it. The past week, the weather has been exceptionally kind, and it's been out most days.

Took it out early this evening, and everything was going fine... until, i heard a strange noise from it. The whole helicopter started to act very strangely, and I struggled.. but managed to eventually land it.

Upon inspection, One of the Washout links had come away from the washout arm. This in turn broke off while it was still attached to the swashplate. I think it lucky that it didn't rip the control ball on the swash while it went round. The other washout arm got bent in the process. and think I was very lucky to actually get it down in one piece!

Anyway.. I thought that a screw that maybe I didn't double check for loctite when I got the heli may have come loose.

Only looking at it now, the screw goes through the washout arm and is screwed into plastic on the other side... so there should not be loctite on it anyway.

Now. looking at it the way the rotorhead rotates, I cannot see the bolt working itself loose either. Infact I tried to unscrew the other washout link from the other arm, and for some reason it doesn't seem to want to unscrew!

I'm wondering if there is a possiblity that the bolt securing the link snapped? or did it really manage to work itself loose?

Has there actually been any reports of this happening?

Anyway.. got my bits ordered, and looking forward to getting her back in the air again.

[Steve]

I once had a washout arm separate from the slider block on a Sceadu 50. The heli started to fly funny but was still just about controllable and I got it down ok as you did. On the Sceadu, the washout arms were held in place by a cap bolt into a plastic slider block. The bolt simply pulled out of the slider after a lot of hours flying. I then changed the slider to a metal Quick UK one which gave a better purchase (with a bit of thread lock) for the M3 cap bolts on the washout arms.

[acwman]

Can picture the problem you had, and could quite understand how yours may work loose.

My one is only the 'washout link'.. it attaches to the arm, and drops back down to the swashplate which came off.

[Mikee]

Mine snapped the washout arm where the plastic link screws through the arm with a small grub tpe scew and then and goes down to the swash... Rob had never seen this before but it look like a metal fatigue or a manufacturing error as the heli was only test hovering at the time

[acwman]

Well, got my bits today.. and now can see how the screw retaining the washout link came out.. The thing came assembled so and guess I really should have just taken everything apart to add that bit of loctite to it.

Well nothing major, and going to put it all back together again......with loctite