You can tell from my canopy that I beat my Fury 55 like a rented
mule. However, fiberglass is easy to work with and can be
repaired with CA and Epo-Grip to withstand another season of
rough flying.
The RJX 50 flybarless head requires very little maintenance, but
it should be disassembled and lubricated at the beginning of
each flying season. Pushrods are under a great strain from 3D
flying, so check for loose or broken links.
Landing gear. The landing gear is a particular problem during a mishap (read: crash)
because the struts are securely mounted to
the frame, and the force of the mishap can
easily break either the struts or the frame
mounting lugs. This type of damage can
be easily prevented, however, by replacing the 3mm mounting bolts with either
2mm bolts or tie-wraps, either of which
will break during a mishap to prevent more
serious damage.
Tail rotor. Normally, the tail rotor does not
require a lot of maintenance, but because
it turns so fast it’s a good idea to check the
tail rotor bearings. If they are smooth and
appear to be in good condition, lubricate
them with a high-quality oil. I like a syn-
thetic oil, such as Mobil 1, because I’ve
had good experience with it. The tail rotor
blades are also close to the ground during
takeoff and landing, which could cause
them to have minor tip damage from loose
gravel or grass. Replace as needed. With
belt-driven tail rotors, I lubricate the entire
belt with spray silicone lubricant, which is
available at your local hardware or auto-
supply store.
TIP OF THE MONTH:
TAIL POSITION
Don’t ever try to back up or let the
tail drop lower than its normal hover
position. This is the major cause
of tail-boom strikes because the
helicopter will almost surely descend
as the tail is allowed to drop, and the
helicopter will hit the ground tail first.
The tail rotor will be damaged, and
the main blades will strike the tail
boom. During initial setup, it helps to
tilt the swashplate slightly forward,
to build in a little nose-down trim. If
the helicopter moves forward on its
own, certainly add up-elevator to try
to stop it, but quickly correct back to
the level position when the movement
is stopped.
Battery. During the winter you should
have cycled the battery every month or so
to keep it in good working order. Charge
the battery using a slow charger, and then
cycle the battery, noting the milliamps to
discharge and recharge. If the available
capacity does not closely approximate the
rated capacity of the battery, try slow charging and cycling multiple times to see if the
battery will recover to its normal capacity.
If there is any doubt as to the condition of
the battery, it should be replaced before it
fails in flight.
My KME Diamond 60 Pro engine runs as good as it looks, but don’t use washers on
the mounting bolts. Replacing the glow plug at the start of the flying season is cheap
insurance.
Switch. This could well be the most
neglected part of your helicopter. Although
the switch is normally protected by the
canopy, it’s still subject to fuel residue, dirt
