Sunday July 5th 2014 ended a little worse than I wanted it to, when I put my TSA Infusion 600N Pro helicopter in. I was doing stationary back flips...transitioning to elevator tic-tocs...and then transitioning to front flips. I was doing this about 3ft off the ground, and I let the helicopter get low enough to dig the tail blades into the ground during a back flip.

The tail blades dug in, the tail boom bent toward the main blades and cause a boom strike. I hit throttle hold immediately, and watched the helicopter fall. The tail boom was cut in half about 3 inches in front of the horizontal fin, and the only thing holding it on were the torque tube and rudder push rod. Total damage to the helicopter was; Main blades, tail boom, torque tube, and tail boom supports. 

TSA helicopters are amazingly durable, and they fly extremely well. I am happy and proud to continue as a field rep pilot for TSA Model for the 2014 season.

Last weekend, I decided to re-servo my TSA Infusion 600N Platinum helicopter. After several weeks of researching and comparing a lot of different servos, I decided on BK DS-7001HV servos. These servos are amazing! loads of torque, super quiet, very smooth, and lightning fast. They are also capable of running on 8.4V, although I am only going to run them on 7.4V. I just don`t like to max out the voltage just because a product can handle it. Better safe than sorry, right?

I have only put 8-10 flights on them so far, but I am really happy with them. I will have more updates on what I think about them, as I get more and more flights on them. 

Specs:

I put the 550 in last week, because of a boom strike. here is the damage. It was the result of a boom strike, because I had allowed the anti rotation pin to become loose. One of the main blades hit the boom, and when it bent, it bent in such a way that allowed the tail blades to strike the boom as well.

Total damage: Main blades broken, main shaft bent, one tail blade broken, tail shaft bent, tail boom and torque tube bent, tail struts broken, main gear stripped, main shaft bent. The front tail drive gears wear also stripped, and both pitch links were missing and never found.

It was up and flying again a few hours after the crash, and I flew it the next day. :)

I have burned a little over a gallon of fuel ( Cool Power 30%) through this engine in the last couple of weeks, and I am really liking it so far. It has mush more power than the 50 size engine it replaced, and it has a really nice sound when running...much like the sound of a 90 size engine. 

Tuning it, has been a challenge and a real learning experience for me, since this is my very first engine with a multiple needle carburetor. Thank goodness I have lots of flying friends who can guide me while I get accustomed to tuning it.

I only had one minor incident ( MY fault 100%) with it during the second flight during break in. I was running it very rich, as per the manual, and about four minutes into the flight I decided to do a few rolls and flips. Well...that caused the glow plug to drown, and an inevitable flame out from forty feet up. No big deal, I just auto rotated, leaned a couple clicks, re-started and finished my flight.

Since then, I have started tuning for a little more power, and I am just amazed at how much stronger the 60SR, paired with the Hatori SAB-1 pipe, is than the 50s I was running before. I wish I had made the switch a lot sooner. I will keep posting regular updates as I fly this engine more and get to know it a little better. 

One thing that is really giving me trouble in getting used to, is the regulated carburetor. I keep forgetting to relieve the tank pressure BEFORE I remove the fuel dot to refuel. A few more nitro baths, and I should get the hang of it. :) 

A few weeks ago, I became a member of the field representative team for YS Engines and I received my first engine yesterday... a YS 60SR. I installed in my TSA Infusion 600N Platinum helicopter earlier tonight, along with a brand new Hatori SAB-1 tuned pipe. I got the engine installed and ran it at idle for a few minutes in my back yard. I was really impressed with how easily this engine starts and how smoothly it idles. The sound is also quite different. It sounds more like a 90 size engine.  Tomorrow, (Saturday, 3-8-14)I will do some break in/tuning flights and possibly get to start really flying it on Sunday. 

Until now I have been flying OS 50 engines, which are great engines, but are just a bit under powered for my current flying style. I can`t wait to get it broken in and tuned for power, so I can see the power and performance difference between the 60 SR and 50SX-H.