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| Issue 35 (May 2009) |
Words: Ryan Kephart |
Bringing your helicopter back from winter storage can be easy if you stored your helicopter using our winter storage How To in Issue 19. Now it is time to burn up the sky again as the summer approaches. We'll walk you through step-by-step and give you some key tips to ensure a positive outcome on your first flight of the season. So grab you heli from that frozen garage or storage shed and lets get it back in the air where it belongs!
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Complete Helicopter Inspection
The first step for any helicopter that is making the transition to flight ready should go through a complete visual inspection to make sure every part is in working order and is safe to use. Nitro helicopters take a bit more work than an electric, but either way the inspection must be done.
Follow these easy steps to visually inspect your helicopter:
1. Remove the rotor head along with the main shaft.
2. Check the main shaft bearings to make sure they operate smoothly.
3. Check every link on the head and tail control rods to make sure that the links are not cracked.
4. Inspect the tail belt for cracks or frays. If using a torque tube, remove the tail boom and make sure that the bearings are in good working order.
5. Inspect the main and tail rotor blades for cracks or separation.
6. Remove the nitro engine and inspect the bearings to make sure that they operate smoothly and do not have rust buildup.
These quick and easy steps will help you make sure that your helicopter is ready for its new season. Weather can affect a helicopter dramatically. If you are in a humid area, certain additional steps should be taken to make sure that every bearing operates smoothly. If you're in a very cold climate, inspecting the plastic very carefully using a magnifying glass can help detect cracks caused by the plastic shrinking.
Now it is time to perform the maintenance required:
1. (Nitro Helicopter) Lubricate the engine by placing a few drops of after run oil or a similar lightweight oil to help lubricate the bearings and piston ring.
2. Remove the main blade grips and re-lubricate the thrust bearings.
3. (Electric Heli) Place a few drops of lightweight oil on the motor bearings.
Place a few drops of oil on the main and tail rotor shafts and work the swashplate and pitch slider.
4. If using a NiCad battery pack, you will want to run a few cycles through the packs to make sure they are in good working order. You will also want to perform this step if using a NiMh pack or any type for that matter.. Adjust the belt tension as per the manual.
5. Go through the entire helicopter and make sure that every nut and bolt is tight.
6. Replace the gyro tape and make sure it is holding well. Certain gyro tape will become brittle after it has been sitting in the cold for long periods of time.
7. (Nitro helicopter) Remove the old fuel line and clunk line and replace them with new.
8. (Nitro helicopter) Replace the glow plug.
9. Plug in your helicopter and make sure that all of the electronics are working properly.
Now that your helicopter has been inspected and re-lubricated from nose to tail, it's time to put it to the test. Take it slow at first and make sure everything feels as it did when you put it away.. The first flight should also be used to check the blade tracking, engine temps, and gyro adjustments. After you have finished your first flight, check the tail belt tension once more and adjust if needed. Just remember safety first, and like always, have fun flying.
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