CP Piccolo-first impressions

I've been flying my CP Piccolo (Ikarus version) lately and here are my first impressions (with an AF010 motor).......

1)the heli is far more stable

2)it has more cyclic authority and cyclic inputs are surprisingly much quicker

3)i think it is a very worthwhile upgrade to the piccolo

4) my initial flight times using an old 8 cell sanyo 250mah nicad pack are 5 1/2 minutes ( ihaven't timed a fresh720 nimh pack on it yet)

5)my AUW -less canopy with a the AF010/schulze18be (still using the piccoboard for the gyro,tail esc and mixer) is 277grams with an 8 cell 720 nimh sanyo pack.

6) it's more stable in GE than the FP version but still floats around a little bit.

additional comments:
overall. i'd highly recommend the CP kit for your Piccolo as it makes it fly much better, especially when descending. I'm going to work on the tail authority though. since i'm so used to the hornet's tail response- the piccolo's tail is way too mushy and slow to respond for me.

please don't ask me to compare it to my fbless hornets unless you want to be somewhat disappointed. i just spoke with Walt about the pic's mushy tail and he's recommended some changes to try & i feel that i'll be able to get it alot better using the methods that he has described.

thanks,

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johnk
NJJ011101P Piccolo
NJJ021101M Moth
NJJ051001H Hornet
NJJ053001G Gnat
NJJ082601A Aero (CF Hornet)
NJJ101901C CP Hornet
MicroHelis

John,

I'm very interested in what Walt said about the Piccolo tail.

I've cut down my tail rotor and it's narrower and shorter (smaller diameter). It's much more responsive than the stock rotor maybe due to less drag (?). But I think the tail motor is working harder, though.

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NHG91200 - Piccolo FP Brushless
NHG40401 - Piccolo Flybarless CCPM

[scmodchips]

John - You stole the words right out of my mouth. I especially like the decent outdoors. I used to fly my FP Piccolo at the flying field with tuning blades with ease, only to struggle when it was time to bring it back down and land. With the CP I was able to bring it back down nice and smoothly even though it was slightly windy. It also flies alot faster in FFF. I'll take some videos this Sunday at the field.


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Steve Campbell
Ikarus CP Piccolo reg# ncs010301
Hornet reg# ncs091601
ECO8 reg# ncs102201
Piccolo/Hornet Dealer - http://dreamhobbies.com

Gonzo,
you're onto part of the tail's fix. i'm going to cut down a robert lee ultralightweight tCF tail rotor and basically change the gearing. since the piccolo's tail only spins at about 3000 rpm, it 's slow to respond. compare that to even a stock hornet's spinning at 6000 and above ( the CP hornet's tail is closer to 8000). once i get the rpm up in the 6000 nieghborhood it won't have to have so much camber as the pic's oem slow airfoil design. i'll probably make some wood ones for testing first before the CF one goes under the knife. once i remove the drag from it, i think it'll take to a larger pinion alot better. i'm going start by reducing it's span almost in half, reduce the cord and camber. that way the tiny motor won't be taxed so hard. then it'll use rpm as opposed to lift(drag) to do the job.


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johnk
NJJ011101P Piccolo
NJJ021101M Moth
NJJ051001H Hornet
NJJ053001G Gnat
NJJ082601A Aero (CF Hornet)
NJJ101901C CP Hornet
MicroHelis

Are you using 4 Ch or 5 Ch with the CP kit ?

Regards,

Born2net.

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Visit my Micro-Heli site: http://www.netpackx.com/piccolo/index.shtml

i modded the gws R4P rx to get the 6th channel for pitch (see my post earlier this week) and use a Futaba 8UHFS tx to dial it in. i'm also using the piccoboard with a y connector to run to the schulze (see my website)-it works perfect and i have experienced even the slightest glitch yet.

thanks,

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johnk
NJJ011101P Piccolo
NJJ021101M Moth
NJJ051001H Hornet
NJJ053001G Gnat
NJJ082601A Aero (CF Hornet)
NJJ101901C CP Hornet
MicroHelis