Worth a Closer Look
Beam 450 E4 Kit
At Beam, doing things better is the goal. After all, when a company’s name stands for “Better Engineering And Materials,” doing things better has to be more than a concept.
The advantage of a 450-class helicopter is that it’s small enough to take anywhere and fly almost any time. This convenience is so an advancing helicopter pilot can practice and expand his or her skills.
A wobbly machine with easily worn plastic parts will soon be a detriment rather than an asset to the pilot. The Beam is stout and will stay that way for a long time, no matter how hard it’s flown. It features carbon and CNC metal block frame components that fit together almost seamlessly and without washers (which are often used to compensate for poor engineering).
The tail-rotor case is a solid, one-piece metal design that can accommodate more than 30° of blade pitch for seemingly endless reverse-flight high-speed control. There’s much more to tell about this well-parts-supported helicopter.
In-flight we were immediately impressed by how firm the machine stayed in a hover—even in windy conditions. In forward flight, it tracks similarly to a larger 50- to 90-class helicopter (even in the wind). As for agility, we didn’t think “smooth” and “3-D” could be used to describe a 450-class machine in the same sentence.
The Beam 450 is convenient to fly, with many advantages for any helicopter pilot. Look for a feature review in an upcoming MA.
Advantage Hobby, 2708 N. Mattis Ave., #D, Champaign IL 61822; Tel.: (866) 321-2300; Web site: www.beamheliusa.com
No More Guessing
Knox Hobbies’ cell indicator weighs only 5.8 grams and is useful for checking the voltage on any one- to six-cell Li-Poly battery. It will display single cell voltage and total voltage with a degree of accuracy of 0.03 volt. The unit will also determine the efficiency of the pack’s balance and can help prolong the pack’s life cycle.
Easy to keep anywhere, the indicator can be used as a handheld meter or installed on an airplane, helicopter, car, truck, or boat. Simply connect the meter to the balancing plug (note that the negative lead is matched), and the meter will run through each cell’s voltage and then indicate the pack’s total voltage.
Knox Hobbies, 10201 El Pinar Dr., Knoxville TN 37922; Tel.: (865) 310-6193; Web site: www.knoxhobbies.com
Viewing on a Higher Plane
Higher Plane Productions has released two new DVDs: Surf & Turf and SEFF 2008. The former is a collection of footage that includes highlights from the XFC (Extreme Flight Championships) and the Nats, as well as some interesting flying locations such as the beach, the top of a mountain, and the lake where models get wet—extremely wet.
SEFF 2008 covers this year’s Southeast Electric Flight Festival held at Mac Hodges’ field in Georgia. This inside glimpse of the event includes footage of the Guinness World Record of 99 RC models flying at once, the SEFF Stooges, Andrew Jesky revealing the AJ Slick, Quique Somenzini’s Turbo Python, John Morgan’s jets, the Best of Show Martian Spaceship, and much more.
The quality of the footage and the creative presentation that goes beyond just catching the action is impressive. Fred Midgett of Higher Plane Productions has even included original music by his band, The Distractions, in some of the segments. Both DVDs are offered in high definition.
Higher Plane Productions; 1525 Acadia St., Durham NC 27701; Web site: www.higherplaneproductions.com
Sure Is Slick!
Andrew Jesky has teamed up with 3D Hobby Shop to produce the fantastic medium-sized electric-powered AJ Slick. It is based on the full-scale Slick 360/540 Unlimited aerobatic airplane and features high performance in aerobatic flight. But with a light wing loading and easy-to-manage speed, it also makes a stable and friendly sport model on low rates.
Extensively tested by Andrew Jesky during the development process, the Slick excels at precision maneuvers and makes a great sequence aircraft for IMAC (International Miniature Aerobatic Club) practice. All the 3-D moves are also on tap because of perfectly sized control surfaces and Andrew’s signature 51-inch wing.
The AJ Slick weighs 55–60 ounces with recommended equipment. It offers eight- to 10-minute flight times and the potential for unlimited vertical with either a 3S or 4S Li-Poly battery system.
3D Hobby Shop; 603 FM 2093 Ste. 1601, Fredericksburg TX 78624; Tel.: (830) 990-6978; Web site: www.3dhobbyshop.com
Lado Retracts
Are you tired of putting air into retracts or concerned about a retract servo stalling and causing an issue in flight? Lado Technologies has developed a retrofit electric system for popular retracts that eliminates the need for pneumatics or a servo.
Simply remove the air components or servo in the retract system and install the electric linear actuator. Connect the actuator to the receiver just like a servo, and the installation is done. The electronics mounted on the actuator moves the gear up and down at a realistic speed, which is easy to adjust.
Lado currently has drop-in standard movement replacements for Hangar 9 and Top Flite 60-size warbirds. The company even has rotating retracts for the Hangar 9 Corsair, Hellcat, and P-40.
Lado Technologies; 150 Chuck Yeager Way Suite J, Oroville CA 95965; Tel.: (530) 533-4444; Web site: www.lado-tech.com
Engine-Reliability System
Gravity-fed fuel systems aren't reliable in every application. Pump systems are available, but they require tuning and sometimes make the engine setup more difficult in the pursuit of reliability.
Cline and Associates designed and is manufacturing one of the first and simplest Proportional Control Fuel Systems (PCFS) for use with RC model airplanes. The unit delivers consistent engine performance throughout each flight, regardless of the airplane's attitude or the amount of fuel in the tank.
Once the engine is warmed up and the needle valve is set, it will stay adjusted throughout many flights. Gravity and other forces will have no effect on the engine's ability to draw fuel and run consistently flight after flight.
The fuel tank is pressurized from 2 to 12 PSI (pounds per square inch) by a unique one-way check valve with the pressure coming from the crankcase of a two-stroke engine or from the exhaust of a four-stroke engine. This forces the fuel to the controller under that PSI.
The controller is mounted either beside or directly behind the engine. The carburetor's fuel-line suction acts on the diaphragm in the controller, causing it to open the fuel valve in the controller.
It is a demand controller; thus as the carburetor's fuel-line suction increases, the amount of fuel the controller passes increases. When the engine is stopped, no fuel can enter the carburetor. The user can run two engines on one tank or one or two engines on two or more tanks. Tanks can be placed anywhere in the airplane.
This unit is lightweight (20 grams), reliable, and easy to install. It is a totally closed system, making it possible to transport or work on the airplane without the fuel leaking out.
Cline and Associates; Box 44, Alpha OH 45301; Tel.: (937) 426-4167; Web site: http://billsroom.com/pcfs
High-Performance 28cc Engine
An economical solution to the ever-rising cost of glow power is the high-performance MLD-28. This is a two-stroke, single-cylinder, air-cooled gasoline power plant from MLD Engines. It comes with a side muffler, CDI (capacitive discharge ignition) electronic ignition with auto advance system, spark plug, instructions, and socket tool.
The MLD-28 is reliable and powerful, thanks to its engineering and robust construction. Its Walbro carburetor is delivered with the needles set at the factory and will help assure easy starts, thanks to its pump design.
The 28cc has a maximum of 9,600 rpm and an idle at 1,900 rpm. The recommended propeller range is between 15 x 8 and 18 x 8. In addition, this engine is fully compatible with other brands of ignition systems.
Standoffs and upgrades for this power plant are available upon request through authorized dealers and service centers. The engine is USA-serviced and comes with a one-year limited warranty.
Cermark; 9830 Bell Ranch Dr., Santa Fe Springs CA 90670; Tel.: (562) 906-0808; Web site: www.cermark.com
Built-in Balancing
Thunder Power has added a new model to its line of chargers: the TP-610C. It can charge one to six Li-Poly and A123 cells, one to 14 Ni-Cd and NiMH cells, and 6- to 12-volt Pb (Lead Acid) batteries. This unit can charge, balance, discharge, and cycle batteries and display data on its backlit LCD screen.
The TP-610 is capable of charging .25 amp to 10 amps (80 watts total). As an added convenience feature, it includes 25 memory slots for each battery type. Using the TP-610 to cycle your battery packs will improve their performance, and its built-in Li-Poly balancer will extend the life of your Thunder Power Lithium packs.
Thunder Power RC; 4720 W. University Ave., Las Vegas NV 89103; Tel.: (702) 228-8883; Web site: www.thunderpowerrc.com MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
