ErichF
Key Veteran
Location: Odessa, FL 33556 (Tampa Area)
| I've been flying the new lady every weekend now for about three-four flights a day. The Caliber flies very smooth and predictable. There's not really any way to describe here how it flies, without sounding cliche`. The pilot workload is much lower, in my opinion, than the Hirobo machines I had been flying. This is especially true in regards to hovering crosswinds. There is very little elevator trim change with crosswinds. Upstairs, she tracks very well, and the 140° CCPM system (new for me) is very accurate. Rolls are as straight as I can fly them, and vertical radii are straight as long as you enter level. There is no tendency to wander off to the side when pulling into an upline. I'm sure some of this is also due to the electronics in the bird, too. I'm using the high precision JR 8231 servos and Xtremelink 2.4 module system with 16bit resolution.
Interesting you ask about hovering piros. This was important for me going into Class 3 this year, as there are lots of hovering piros, as well as a tall climbing piro. With the crosswind trim changes my Hirobo birds had, piros in wind were a real workout. Not so much with the Caliber due to the light trim changes in crosswind. My piros with this bird are much more precise. Not perfect, but better still. 
Currently, I'm using the stock flybar, but have a shorter 485mm flybar that I may experiment with. I was originally going to fly the short flybar as suggested by Wayne. However, I also used Hirobo paddles from the X-Spec with both weights. The Hirobo paddles thread onto the flybar a long ways, and effectively made the flybar very short. So, I installed the stock flybar instead for initial flight testing. It seems to fly very nice now, but will try out the short bar soon.
I'm currently using DY Products 700s, but will be changing to Rotor Tech FAIs as soon as I can get my hands on some 14mm grip spacers. The DYs just don't have much at the bottom of the auto, and make for a fast descent. Not a great combo for a 180 auto with a cross wind.
I'm using 1450rpm for hovering, and 1900 for upstairs. At hover rpm, it's quieter than electrics at the field, and very sedate and stable. Hovering nose-in, you hear mostly blade slap, rather than engine. The ducted cooling fan makes a neat turbine sound. Some guys at the field compare the sound of the heli to that of a high quality vaccuum cleaner 
So far so good. Of course, the proof is in the contest pudding, and there aren't any contests for a few months. 
Erich
| Quote |
| Any flight reports?
How does it perform in hovering piro? Does it wander off?
What paddle, flybar lenght and main blades are you using?
What headspeed for hovering and aerobatics?
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Team Kyosho Regional Field Representative |
