Paul Tradelius’s Blog

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | Paul Tradelius’s Blog

Building the Vibe 50 NEX

Jun 29, 2011 Comments Off on Building the Vibe 50 NEX

Whether it’s their electronics or helicopters, if it has the JR label on it that means it’s the best you can get in both quality and performance. And now JR has recently released their new Vibe 50 NEX helicopter, and again it sets the new standards in quality and performance. This Vibe 50NEX is certainly […]

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XFC Heli Video by SKS Video Productions

Jun 27, 2011 Comments Off on XFC Heli Video by SKS Video Productions

XFC 2011 features extreme performances and extreme machines, and is a must see event of the season, and is now available from SKS Video Productions. Held at the AMA headquarters, this year’s event had 14 helicopter pilots and 18 airplane pilots from around the world. The DVD’s focuses on freestyle competition by helicopter pilots such […]

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Pantera P6 Final

Jun 26, 2011 1 Comment

Work on the P6 is complete, and I have made several test flights. The engine is a new TT53H Redhead, so I have been running it rich with a rather low rotor speed. Hovering is very smooth, as you can see in the photo. I really like the self-aligning fan block, and it’s ability to […]

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New Hitec Charger and Servos

Jun 23, 2011 Comments Off on New Hitec Charger and Servos

I just received the two press releases on the new Hitec X-1 Battery Charger and their two new servos, the HS-7235MH and HS-7245MH high voltage. I have not yet had a chance to try either of these, but will report on them when I do. X1 PRESS RELEASEfinal Servos

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Pantera P6 Build Cont.

Jun 21, 2011 Comments Off on Pantera P6 Build Cont.

The Pantera P6 is coming along nicely, and is almost ready for it’s initial test flights. All Hitec servos are installed along with the Futaba GY520 gyro, which is so small it almost gets lost on the helicopter. Here are a few pictures showing the completed layout.

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Pantera P6 Build Cont.

Jun 17, 2011 Comments Off on Pantera P6 Build Cont.

Now that I have the TT Redline 53 H engine and the Hitec HS-7945TH digital multipurpose servos I can continue with the build of the Pantera P6. The first photo is of the right side of the helicopter showing the fuel mixture servo connected to my home-made fuel control. I used a soft nylon servo […]

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Thunder Tiger RL-53H Ringed Redline Engine

Jun 14, 2011 Comments Off on Thunder Tiger RL-53H Ringed Redline Engine

The Thunder Tiger RL-53H Ringed Redline Series Two-Stroke Helicopter Engine (Tower Hobbies stock number L5AHTG02) features CNC construction with a low profile cylinder head which is anodized a bright red. The two-needle carburetor uses a push/pull throttle lever and a heat insulator between the carb and the engine case for consistent performance under demanding flight […]

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G-Force Spindle Tool

Jun 13, 2011 Comments Off on G-Force Spindle Tool

It’s not very often that I need to disassemble the spindle in the main rotor head, but when I do it’s always a chore to get out the second retaining bolt. But now, using the G-Force 4-in-1 Spindle Tool (part # GFA7077) the job is a snap. Just clamp the tool on the spindle and […]

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Flybarless Fury Continued

May 31, 2011 Comments Off on Flybarless Fury Continued

The original receiver, battery pack and gyro have been removed. The CGY750 flybarless gyro is mounted to the right side of the frame with double stick tape. In a similar manner the new  Futaba receiver is mounted to the left side of the frame with double stick tape, and the new 3200 mah LiFe Source […]

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Flybarless Fury Conversion

May 28, 2011 Comments Off on Flybarless Fury Conversion

I have had this Miniature Aircraft Fury for more years than I care to remember, and it has always been a great flying helicopter, so I thought it would be a great candidate to convert to flybarless operation. The stock head, wash out unit and swashplate were removed and replaced with the RJX Flybarless Head […]

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Red Black RC Swashplate from HeliFlightCenter

May 21, 2011 Comments Off on Red Black RC Swashplate from HeliFlightCenter

For all the years I’ve been flying helicopters (which is longer than I care to admit) all swashplates have had the same basic design. They all use a center ball which rotates in all directions. Although this has always worked well some slop could develop over time with a lot of use.  Some companies such […]

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Pantera P6 Build Cont.

May 15, 2011 Comments Off on Pantera P6 Build Cont.

The build on the P6 starts as I wait for the servos and engine. This is a pic of the basic rotor head and swashplate, which come fully assembled. There are so many factory assembled parts that I would almost consider this to be an ARF vs.  a kit.  Note the one-piece flybar cage. The […]

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About the author

A regular contributor to Model Airplane News, he is also the columnist for our “Rotor Speed” helicopter column. Paul has been flying RC helicopters since the early ‘80s and now enjoys all types of rotary machines, including scale and aerobatics, and he continues to experiment with modifications to improve performance.

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