ELECTRIC FLIGHT U.K. - British Electric Flight Association

First flights were done without the body in place and I quickly found that the CH-
46 was actually very in stable in roll but it needed the gyro controls to be set to
their maximum for pitch and yaw The pitch control was particularly sensitive
and eventually I dialled in 35% negative expo. Once all the adjustments had been
made and confident that I could handle the model I fixed one half of the body in
place. Flying a more 'solid' model proved to be easier and I was soon flying circuits
and nose in hovering.
My euphoria was quickly deflated when I suffered a blade strike. The rotors are
set to intermesh and the locating pin on the front rotor had come out. This had
allowed the front rotor to slip on its shaft and the blades had touched. I subsequently
found that these pins need to be 'locked' in place with a dab of epoxy to avoid any
possibility of this fairly disastrous situation occurring.
The next stage was to add the other half of the body and the model was now
extremely realistic from both sides. It also stopped comments like 'can't you afford
the other half'!
Once confidence has been gained the CH-46 is not at all difficult to fly. It is
extremely steady in the hover and even pirouettes nicely. One big advantage is
that there is no tendency to roll due to the stability given by the opposite rotating
rotors. The yaw control is very effective and not overly sensitive to control inputs.
The pitch however is a different matter and is very sensitive. This is no doubt due
to the fact that both rotors tilt forward and back together so the control is
particularly effective. While clearly not for the novice anyone who can fly circuits
and hover 'nose-in' could fly this model.
The CH-47 complete with both body shells
50 E.F.-U.K.