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| Issue 34 (April 2009) |
Words: Ryan Kephart |
With today's interests in flybarless helicopters, much of us do not know where to start or what items are needed to get your helicopter to fly without a flybar. Align is coming out with some new scale fuselages for the TREX 500, and maybe you would like it to look as scale as possible by removing that flybar. Or, you are a 3D pilot and you want your 500 to stand out by the look and increased cyclic response. RCHELI is here to show you how to ditch the flybar without spending a lot of money on a new head. For this How To we will use the stock head with only a few dollars in extra parts.
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Step by Step
1: Remove each of the flybar paddles by unscrewing the setscrew and removing the paddles.
2: Loosen the two setscrews on the flybar cage that secures the flybar and slide it off.
3: Remove the main blades from the rotor head.
4: Remove all the links from the head and save them for later use. You can leave the links that are attached to the flybar cage.
5: Remove the headblock from the main shaft by removing the Jesus bolt.
6: Remove the two Bell/Hiller arms and keep them aside for later use.
7: Next, you will want to remove the flybar seesaw from the headblock by removing the two screws, and then lifting the seesaw up, rotating it 90°, and then sliding it off towards the bottom of the headblock.
8: Remove the washout base. Keep in mind which side faces up or down.
9: Next, slide the additional main shaft collar on the main shaft and leave it loose.
10: Remove the radius arms and the ball links from the washout arms. Place the radius arms on the opposite end where the ball links were attached. This will allow for more collective range. Attach the arms using two small screws on each side of the radius arms.
11: Attach the Bell/Hiller arms that were removed earlier to the head block in the same location that the seesaw was attached using the washers and the two 3X10mm screws that were purchased separately. Next attach the small linkages from the Bell/Hiller arms to the blade grips.
12: Slide the washout base upside down on the main shaft and reinstall the head block onto the main shaft.
13: Slide the washout base up against the headblock and then slide the extra main shaft collar up against that. Tighten down the main shaft collar so that the washout base cannot move up and down. This becomes the follower, which ensures that the swashplate rotates at the same speed as the head.
14: Attach the linkages from the washout arms to the swashplate, as well as the links that run from the Bell/Hiller arms.
15: Reinstall the main rotor blades.
16: Turn on your radio and helicopter and adjust the links as needed to get 0° of pitch at mid stick. After adjusting the links, your helicopter is ready to go.
If you have chosen to go flybarless, then chances are you have selected a method of stabilization. Whether it's an electronic stabilization system like the Mikado Vbar or the Gaui GU-365, or possibly a mechanical stabilization using weighted blades, a flybarless helicopter is something that takes time to learn how to control. Make sure to read the electronic stabilization manuals thoroughly to make sure that your system is programmed properly. Now that your TREX has ditched the flybar, enjoy the extra realism of your scale helicopter, or the increased cyclic response for your 3D heli.
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