Looking back on it, learning to fly a RC helicopter is not unlike learning a musical instrument. Start with scales and very basic tunes. Practice as much as you can, and one day you might be good enough to perform in public. You should never expect to get to concert standard without devoting a lot of time, and effort. You also need to acknowledge that some people have a greater natural talent for playing, and no matter how much you practice you will never be as good as they are. Hmm, Great analogy so far but there is one thing that helis do that your average musical instrument doesn’t…Break.
When I started out I had no idea how delicate my HBK2 was in comparison to the forces it experiences when flying, or more precisely when it stops flying in certain ways
I know the topic has been aired many times in these pages so I won’t reiterate the many design flaws of the HBK2. However I am still in awe of the manufacturing capability which allows these precision parts to be made and assembled so cheaply. We know the issues and have found ways to get around them. I now reckon if I had never been forced to repair my heli as often and in as many ways as I have. I would not know half as much about the technicalities of RC heli flying than I do now. I can now able to change a feathering shaft in about 5 minutes. I know how to safely pick and place those tiny bearing components with a pair of tweezers. I have developed my own technique for levelling the swash plate. Just remove the blades, run up to 20% power and use the plane of the flybar to judge which rods need adjusting. I have fashioned a blade levelling tool out of a coach bolt, a nail, and a piece of copper wire. I can make temporary repairs to the servos if they bust a cog tooth. I know exactly how much wind I can safely fly in. I am very careful with taking the power off the main motor if I am doing anything which could result in accidental run up. The results of my experiences is that I can now hover out a whole battery tail in, and do gently left and right figure of eights. I love it and I am proud of my achievement. I know that I am a far better RC helicopter pilot than I would have been without the traumas experienced in owning a HBK2.
One exercise that prompted me to write to the forum today is that I have just added up the cost of replacement parts. The total has now passed the initial price of the helicopter. I say to anyone who has just bought a HBK2: just accept this as normal and budget for it so it doesn’t come as a shock. In my case the off the shelf price was $224 Australian. I am now up to $285 on parts, so I can imagine someone asking…why didn’t you just buy a $500 helicopter in the first place. Perhaps this piece answers that question.
Anyway, I reckon there will come a day when someone at a flying field somewhere asks me how I got into the hobby. I will tell them that I bought and stubbornly trained on a Honey Bee King II, and they will smile and nod their head with respect.
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Chris
Pom living in Melbourne, Australia
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Esky Honey Bee King 2 with mods:
Brushless 3800KV + Hobbywing Pentium 30 ESC
Newbie - Green as the leaves on a gum tree
