We carry the excellent Duralite LiPo batteries and regulators, however,I don't recommend 6 volt systems for the average flyer, unless you are using digital servos.  Added weight or expense aside, the performance gain isn't noticeable to most fliers. And it shortens your run time unless you go to the relatively expensive LiPo batteries. The next two paragraphs are from a Futaba manual.

All Futaba systems are designed to operate on either 4.8 volts (NiCD 4 cells) or 6 volts (Alkaline 4 cells OR NiCD 5 cells), except certain gyros which are specifically labeled for use at one voltage or the other only. A 6-volt pack does provide more torque and speed, which may be desirable in certain competition situations, or when the servos available for the model are of marginal speed or torque.

I use all digital servos. What should I do about batteries?
Click here

Do I need to balance everything that spins?

I don't think so.

Today's helicopters are manufactured a lot better than when Ray Hostetler wrote his first manual in which he suggests that everything should be balanced by the builder.

I do think it's a good idea to weigh things that oppose each other, such as paddles and blade grips. This is quick and easy with a beam balance from the local pawn shop. Careful measurement of the flybar and paddle installation is all that's necessary on the flybar. Obviously the blades must be balanced carefully.

The fan might be the exception. However, it's not unusual for a guy to do more harm than good when he goes to balance his fan. I was working with a customer last year that had a foaming problem. He had dial indicated the fan and it was right on. We went through all the steps and narrowed it down to the fan. He said he had balanced it. Since he was at his wit's end and ready to throw in the towel, I agreed to balance the fan for him. When I got it, it had about twenty holes in it and they were spread out all over half the fan! I balanced it, sent it back and that fixed the problem. Most of my material removal was directly opposite the average of his. I think if he would have just installed the fan as is, he wouldn't have had a problem.

I have a method for balancing fans. It seems to work well and all the equipment only costs a couple bucks. I'll boil it down.

You'll need a fingertip prop balancer, collets to hold the fan, two razor blades, a cheap level, a way to remove material from the fan, a pencil, some CA glue and a couple blocks of wood that are the same size.

I glue the razor blades to the blocks of wood so the edge is just a hair above the top surface and parallel to it. I space them out on a level surface so the blades are parallel with each other and just far enough apart to catch the very tip of the balancer.

I put the fan on the balancer and set the assembly on the razor blades. The heavy side should theoretically go to the bottom. I mark the high side with a pencil or marker. Then, and I think this is extremely important, I rotate the fan on the balancer about 90 degrees and check it again. After doing this a few times, if the mark is in the same area, I take the average of the marks and remove a little material from the side of the fan opposite the average. I repeat this until I can set a 2mm flat washer on any of the fan blades and have that blade sink toward the bottom. Once you do this and dial indicate the fan to .001 or less, you can just about eliminate the fan as a source of high speed vibration.

I hear guys talk about "Differential" all the time. What is it?

I've created an illustration that should make it clear. Click here

I have this great new gyro and it doesn't seem to work very well. What do I do?

There are quite a few links and tips on this website that can help. The "Gyro" page is a good place to look. Try the basics here.

What is the best way to break in my new engine?

I would imagine you all have your favorite ways, and some of you don't bother. Those of you who don't bother are missing the boat. I was in that group for a long time. I figured it didn't make any difference anyway. WRONG. An engine that is broken in properly vs. one that is slam dunked from day one will have up to 30% more power over it's lifetime. That's an estimate, but it's from a good source. Curtis Youngblood, well known for having really powerful engines, shared his "quick" break-in procedure with me. I've tried it and it works really well, is quick and doesn't keep you from flying immediately. I've added a couple things that I do when I want my engine to work really well. I'm assuming you can tune your engine and you have the throttle/pitch curves set up properly.

There are basically two types of engines today. Ringed and ABC. For the most part the break-in is the same for both, however on an ABC engine, substitute "a rich, but solid two cycle" for "rich". Running a ringed engine really rich doesn't hurt anything, but in an ABC engine, you aren't doing it any favors by running it slobbering rich. The only thing that wears is the connecting rod. An ABC engine must get up to temperature to run right. Unless it gets to temperature, it won't ever break-in. 

I'm going to try to keep this really simple, but bear with me. Needless to say, the first step is to install the engine. Before you do, make sure you've removed the back plate and inspected the inside for foreign material. It's not a bad idea to put a few drops of fuel in it and spin it around a few times. Not too much. Make sure you've dial indicated your fan/clutch to make sure there isn't excess run out. If you don't know what I'm talking about, buy Ray's Manual and read it. It's hard enough on an engine during break-in. Don't add a foaming fuel tank to your work.

Set your needles to the recommended setting. Pinch off the fuel line to the carb and fill the tank full. Remove the glo plug and spin the engine over very briefly to make sure there's no oil in the combustion chamber. You don't want to break your rod before you hear the engine run. Install the glo plug, open the fuel line and light the plug. Start the engine. If your engine doesn't start immediately, don't spin it until you wear down the battery on your starter. Find out what's wrong and fix it. Either the glo plug isn't lit or it's not getting fuel, simple as that.

Once you have the engine running and tuned for a rich mixture, especially the idle. Hover it for about 30 seconds and set it down. Let it idle for about 20 seconds and cool off. Repeat this, adding 30 seconds to each hover until the first tank is gone. Don't run the tank dry. The idea here is to heat it up and cool it down, which is a very important part of break-in. If at any time the engine starts to go lean, shut it down immediately and find out why.

Refuel and now follow these  three rules for the next 15 tanks of fuel. It's ok to fly around, even do small loops and rolls. No high power maneuvers...period. Just follow the rules.

1. Don't overload the engine. No full throttle...period.
2. Don't over speed the engine. If you can't descend without over speeding, auto it in, or don't go high to begin with.
3. Don't run it lean

That's it. You'll notice the engine making more power toward about the tenth tank. Don't be tempted to overload it until you've finished the break-in. 

Keep the fuel clean. Keep dirt out of the engine and you'll have a long lasting powerful engine.

My Raptor 30 goes out of track and has even bent the feathering spindle in flight. I heard you had a fix. Could you share it?

If you get the "woof and poof", which is what we call the major out of track condition, it can bend the axle in flight. To make sure it never does this is simple. Here are the steps: 
1. Reverse the blade grips so the control balls lead instead of follow. 
2. Turn the seesaw over and turn the paddles 180 degrees. 
3. Reverse the collective servo. 
4  Fine tune your pitch curve. 

The machine feels better and you don't have to worry about the blades going out of track.

I currently have an OS SX that is probably a good five years old. I don't do very wild things with the heli, but plan on working toward more advanced aerobics. Which engine would be a good choice?

If you've ruled out rebuilding the old SX, which would cost at least $132 for bearings, liner, ring and gaskets, I would probably stay with OS, and get another SX. The WC version is a big improvement over the older SX. It's easier to tune and has a little more power. With proper break-in, it's one of the best engines on the market. You already have the correct collet set, so it makes sense to stay with the OS. There are some big engines coming out, but I would probably stay away from that route. It would be very expensive and involve quite a few changes to the model. Not to mention the increased fuel cost. The Xcell models are generally pretty light, especially the older ones, so you won't need more power than the SX-WC can give. Had you said you had a YS, I would have recommended the YS61ST2, although you would need a new upper collet for the Xcell. Both engines are absolutely super.

I currently am running a five cell pack with regulator, but I'm not getting very good run times. I am running the digital servos Would the 2800 pack from JR be good? Which voltage would be best, 4.8 or 6.0? 

I'm a strong advocate of 4 cell packs. Unless you are using digital servos. I would much prefer to see someone buy two 1400 mah packs and a field charger than a big heavy (1/2 pound) 2800 pack.

For one thing, you must have a charger that's capable of at least 280 mah output to charge the 2800...in 16 hours! I run a Sirius charger and have for the last 3 or 4 years. Best charger I've ever owned. It does two at once, either a transmitter and receiver, or two receivers at up to 900 mah. It's "Peak Prediction" circuit is fantastic. It does not overcharge the batteries and I've experienced much longer battery life since I've been using the Sirius. It runs off 12 volts DC.

Another point is the digital servos draw big current. Both JR and Futaba now offer "Heavy Duty" servo extensions in order to carry these big loads from the rear, where some guys are mounting the tail rotor servo and gyro. If you use digital servos, click here.

I also think the added expense and weight of running 5 cell packs is a consideration. True, there is some redundancy, but I've heard very few reports of a single cell failing in flight, and most of the time it's on a battery pack that should have been retired years ago. Regardless of what pack you use, an onboard voltage monitor is one of the best investments you can make. 

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I'm learning autos and I've had too many boom strikes, is there a way to make learning autos less expensive?

Oh yes. There's really never a good reason to have a boom strike, though I've had my share too. 

Rule 1- Don't be afraid to slide.
Rule 2 - Don't descend so fast.
Rule 3 - Learn in the wind.

For more details click here

My Raptor 30 wobbles when I add throttle, but when it breaks ground, it's smooth. What's wrong with it?

This seems to be normal behavior for the Raptor 30. It seems to be a case of too much friction between the landing gear and the ground. Once the head starts spinning at a high enough speed, it centers itself, the blades swing to their normal position and everything smoothes out. I say fly off a smooth surface and don't spend a lot of time at quarter throttle on the ground. Get rid of the skid stops so the gear can move a little. I don't see how skid stops help anything except contest fliers who need to prevent sliding or minor yaw changes when lifting off.

My battery doesn't seem to last very long. It starts out at 5.4 volts and then drops to 5.0 volts pretty quickly.

Sounds normal to me. The meat of the pack is between 5.0 and  4.7 volts. It will drop relatively quickly to 5 volts and then stay between 5.0 and 4.8 volts for a long time, depending on the capacity of the battery. Onboard battery monitors are a great tool for making sure you get the most out of every charge. We like the Gem more than any of them. It's easy to see while you're flying and gives you just the information you need. Once the receiver battery  goes below 4.8 volts, the flashing led goes solid and  it's time to recharge. Most machines can finish a flight if the battery is at 4.8 volts at the time of takeoff. If the Gem is on solid sitting on the ground, charge up. When you're flying, you'll see it go solid at times, which indicates there is a load on the battery. Don't worry too much about this since it's perfectly normal. Today's servos draw a lot of current, which temporarily drops the voltage. 

If you don't have an onboard monitor, check the voltage right after flying. It's important that your voltage meter puts a load on the battery while it's checking it. There's not much reason to use more than a one amp load unless you want to be ultra conservative. If the voltage is 4.8 with a one amp load, you should be good for at least one more flight, maybe several more. It depends on what servos you use, how free your control system is and the weather. In cold weather, batteries just don't want to give up the current like they do when it's hot.

I seem to be having a problem with the collective on my new heli. It seems to be binding. On the bench it works great, but with the head speed up in a hover it is very sluggish..... lots of stick movement to go up or down. On the bench it is set for 9 degrees at full pitch, but from the couple of flights I have gotten on it , it isn't getting anywhere near that in flight. I have a Futaba 9202 on the collective, which should be strong enough. I even tried a 6v battery, trying to get more servo power, and it got no better. I am starting to think that I have assembled something in the head wrong, but if I have, I can't find it. Maybe you have had or seen this problem before and can tell me what I have done wrong.

 I would suspect that you have the thrust bearings turned around. The smaller inside diameter thrust race must be on the outside, closer to the blades. This would account for the good movement on the bench, but sluggishness in the air.

Do you ship fuel?

No we don't.

I bought a kit from Rick's and I have a part missing. What should I do?

If you are missing a piece in your kit, the correct thing to do is to call the manufacturer/distributor of the kit. Click here for phone numbers 
Normally, there won't be a problem and they'll get the part our to you right away. If you do have a problem, call us and we'll make sure you get taken care of.
I recommend you inspect the kit right away. I get some muffin tins and start going through each bag to make sure everything is there. It takes a while, but if you're pressed for time, you don't want to be held up when you discover that a part is missing from step 33!

My Helicopter is vibrating today, but it was smooth yesterday, why?

Normally a buzzing fin is caused by a change in the way the engine is running. If the temperature or humidity has changed, a click or two on the main needle might do the trick. If it's cooler, the air has more density. The denser the air is, the more fuel you need to give the engine. The more fuel your engine uses, the more power it's going to put out, that's why they run stronger on cool days and at lower altitudes. So if it's warmer than yesterday, lean the engine a click or two and see if that helps, and visa versa. Also, make sure you aren't drawing more air into your fuel mixture via a perforated clunk line or a loose pressure fitting. 
Things that cause lower frequency vibrations are loose boom supports, worn head dampeners, loose bolts, play in the main shaft bearings, cracks in the frames, blade tracking, bent mainshaft or feathering axle, or anything else that might have been damaged in a hard landing or even bumped going from the house to the car.
One thing I can almost guarantee...it isn't a balance problem. If it was smooth yesterday, it should be smooth today unless you managed to chop a couple inches off one of the blades.

What do you think of the Raptor?

I get this question a LOT! 
I think the Raptor is a terrific little helicopter. It flies great, and it's pretty tough. The parts are available and cheap. It autos very nicely and is fully aerobatic, yet can be set up just as easily for a beginner. What more could you ask for?  Click here for more Raptor info.

My CSM540 gyro won't lock in a hover. The nose moves slowly from side to side. What's wrong?

This is a tough one. It's not hunting, I call it "looking around" . Any mechanical binding will cause this. This includes resistance in the control system, or the thrust bearings in the tail rotor blade grips. Check these things out first. The control rod should have no resistance except what the servo creates. Unhook the link at the servo and make adjustments until it's silky smooth. The thrust bearings should be in good condition and installed properly. The most common error is putting the thrust bearings on backwards. The larger inside diameter race always goes on first, or, put another way, is always closest to the t/r shaft.

Visit this page http://www.bobj.co.uk/CSM/csm.htm . Bob Johnston gives some really valuable information here.

If all this fails use the interface software and increase the "look ahead" value a little.  If that doesn't work, about the only thing to do is either try an JR 8700G servo, or send the gyro to R/C Heli Plus. 

My clunk line has rotted out, what should I replace it with?

The best thing we've found so far is Aerotrend small blue. Order AER1011. While it's not quite as supple as some of the surgical silicone tube, it does last longer than most. We now have the black Hays clunk line also. It is very flexible.

Do I need to enter my credit card every time I place an order with the online store?

Sorry, yes you do. The software we use won't allow anything else. 

What's the difference between the Millennium and the Millennium II?

New fan shroud - Yellow canopy, struts and fins - Different paddles (purple KSJs ) - Double O ring supports for the torque tube - Double O ring head dampers. The Milli II doesn't have a one way bearing in the start system.

Why don't you like X-cells?

Where does that come from? I love X-cells. My second helicopter was an X-cell and I flew it for three years before I balled it up so bad it wasn't worth fixing.  I have two X-cells that I fly now. I think X-cells are one of the most versatile helicopters on the market. They have excellent parts support, fly fantastic and are very high quality. Perhaps because I fly a Robbe machine, people take that to mean I don't like X-cells. Wrong! I fly Robbe because I'm lazy. I smack the ground a lot and Robbe machines, for me, are easier and quicker to fix. I know several guys who can take a crashed X-cell that I would probably total out, and have it flying great the next morning. "Fly 'em  and clean 'em" That's how some of my customers describe the X-cells. I'd go along with that. I've had very few mechanical failures, and since they auto so well, a flameout isn't a very big concern either. I've never met a helicopter I didn't like.

How many days does it take for online orders to be processed (average)
I place one on Sunday, tried calling yesterday and today to add to it, left a voice mail for Nathan, I have not heard back yet.

Click here
 

What happened to Rick's?