FLIGHTTEST - Audacity Models
Contents
1. FLIGHTTEST Low cost audacious performance BY MIKE McGEE gt PHOTOS BY MIKE McGEE amp JIM SPEARS AUGUST 2005 51 TIGER AUDACITY MODELS The Tiger 50 is all about delivering a HIGH QUALITY HELI at a cost that s hard to beat IN THE HELICOPTER WORLD the 50 class heli is one of the best values around and when compared with a larger 60 90 heli copter the reasons quickly become obvious This smaller heli is easy to afford and less expensive to repair it s very stable and its agility is excellent because it weighs less In addition most 50 class engines are almost as powerful as the 60s and this gives them an outstanding power to weight ratio 50 FLIGHTTEST Low cost audacious performance BY MIKE McGEE gt PHOTOS BY MIKE McGEE amp JIM SPEARS AUGUST 2005 51 TIGER AUDACITY MODELS The Tiger 50 is all about delivering a HIGH QUALITY HELI at a cost that s hard to beat IN THE HELICOPTER WORLD the 50 class heli is one of the best values around and when compared with a larger 60 90 heli copter the reasons quickly become obvious This smaller heli is easy to afford and less expensive to repair it s very stable and its agility is excellent because it weighs less In addition most 50 class engines are almost as powerful as the 60s and this gives them an outstanding power to weight ratio 50 FEBRUARY 2002 13 The latest heli in the 50 size2. any crashes The first items are the clutch bell and the tail drive both are factory assembled so we re already ahead of the game Attach the eleva tor link to the swashplate arm with a steel pin that s tapped into place Make sure that the mold marks on the link face toward the rear of the heli as the molded in ball link is a one way link Fuel tank assembly is straightforward check the tank for any tiny scraps of plastic in it before you seal it Instead of having to fiddle with separate nuts to secure the servos one piece servo boss plates are used They re simply pushed into place wherever a servo is mounted and make servo installation a snap To assemble the chassis add the subassemblies and screw the frames together I really like that the frames are held together with socket head bolts and locknuts instead of sheet metal screws no stripped mounting holes here When you mate the frames be sure to use the main shaft to perfectly align its bearings Add the radio and gyro platform the canopy mounts and the landing gear to complete the basic chassis build When you add the main shaft and the main gear make sure they re oriented cor rectly and be sure to use the proper shoul der bolt on the gear A groove is machined into the shaft for the mast stopper s setscrews A lot of helis don t have this wel come little detail The most difficult assembly task was adding the cooling fan and clutch to the engine as the
3. cked and double checked it was time to get this cat airborne All flying was done with the stock wooden blades and we used Morgan 30 heli fuel For hovering and sport aerobatics we used the stock paddles with the lead weights installed while the more advanced maneuvers were performed with the stock setup and we then added the 3D parts for a direct comparison PITCH CURVES IN DEGREES Low stick Mid stick High stick Normal 3 5 10 Idle up 1 5 4 10 Idle up 2 10 0 10 Throttle hold 5 5 12 HOVER STABILITY The first hover was a very pleasant surprise as almost no trim changes were needed The head speed at around 1 400 to 1 500rpm felt very good and the blade tracking was perfect Not bad for factory adjusted links In wind gusts holding a steady hover was easy because the Tiger is very solid The cyclic controls are well balanced and the tail rotor has plenty of authority to hold the Tiger firmly in a strong crosswind SPORT AEROBATICS The stock setup of head damping and weighted paddles provides a somewhat soft feel but this helps the Tiger attain a stable hover and feel Pushing the Tiger into forward flight showed that it tracks superbly Starting with some stall turns the Tiger s vertical climb is impressive and seems to last quite long Moving on to loops the Tiger performs them at will and at any diameter you wish Rolls were equally easy to do but they do require a little fore aft correction th
4. d guides so the pushrod moves with out binding Now build the servos arms and place them on the servos Space the balls 20mm from the center of the servo spline but place the ball on the elevator servo arm at 23mm to prevent any interaction as the swashplate moves up and down As men tioned the pushrods come assembled and they are right on the money Install your receiver gyro and battery and the heli is complete except for the canopy If you have followed the directions when you turn on the radio system for the first time the linkages will be almost per fect mine were To achieve a basic setup I didn t need to do very much radio program ming This really shows that Audacity paid attention to the details PARTING THOUGHTS You cannot go wrong when you start out with the Tiger 50 or add it to your hangar This is a high quality heli that has a solid chassis design coupled with excellent flight characteristics It will please even the most demanding 3D pilot The Audacity Models Tiger 50 is one cat that really roars See the Source Guide on page XXX for manufacturers contact information gt gt GEAR USED RADIO JR 10X transmit ter amp JR 649 receiver 3 JR 8231 digital servos cyclic amp collective 1 JR 2700G rudder 1 JR 4001 servo throttle JR 500T Ring gyro ENGINE O S 50SX H Hyper MUFFLER K amp S 50 Competition FUEL Morgan 30 heli gt gt gt IN THE AIR With everything che
5. fan hub uses a straight hole instead of a tapered collet and both must be dial indicated for a smooth running heli When you add the engine to the chassis insert the start shaft first or you ll have to remove the engine to add it gt Main rotor and tail rotor The rotor head swashplate and washout unit are factory assembled so all you need to do is add them to the heli Then install and center the fly bar and its paddles and snap the pushrods into place You have the option of installing lead weight in the paddles for a softer con FROM TAME CAT TO WILDCAT IN STOCK FORM THE TIGER 50 is a real pussycat that can satisfy pilots of different skill levels To really unleash this cat however Audacity Models offers a range of inexpensive parts that increase the heli s prowess First is the 3D seesaw flybar carrier This part is included with the kit and it has an extra set of holes in it This has the advantage of offering both the 1 1 and 0 7 1 Bell Hiller mixing ratios inner holes that are used for 3D flight Audacity also offers harder 3D dampers that allow stiffer damping and that in turn permits more aggressive flight To get more leverage from the swashplate a set of 3D ball extensions is offered and takes only a couple of minutes to add to the swashplate Top this off with a 3D flybar and paddles and you ll have a heli that allows you a customized control response better suited for extreme 3D maneuvers Just remember
6. gine to add it gt Main rotor and tail rotor The rotor head swashplate and washout unit are factory assembled so all you need to do is add them to the heli Then install and center the fly bar and its paddles and snap the pushrods into place You have the option of installing lead weight in the paddles for a softer con FROM TAME CAT TO WILDCAT IN STOCK FORM THE TIGER 50 is a real pussycat that can satisfy pilots of different skill levels To really unleash this cat however Audacity Models offers a range of inexpensive parts that increase the heli s prowess First is the 3D seesaw flybar carrier This part is included with the kit and it has an extra set of holes in it This has the advantage of offering both the 1 1 and 0 7 1 Bell Hiller mixing ratios inner holes that are used for 3D flight Audacity also offers harder 3D dampers that allow stiffer damping and that in turn permits more aggressive flight To get more leverage from the swashplate a set of 3D ball extensions is offered and takes only a couple of minutes to add to the swashplate Top this off with a 3D flybar and paddles and you ll have a heli that allows you a customized control response better suited for extreme 3D maneuvers Just remember though that with increased control throw comes the possibility of binding so be sure to check for any interference at the extremes of throw travel The sturdy rotor head is well designed for responsive and smooth ope
7. i for learning new tricks The pitch slider has two bearings for reliable operation and it s guided by forked bellcrank that uses dual pins This right side view of the chassis shows a neat and orderly layout Note the clips for the servos leads 52 MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS mounted on vibration absorbing grommets is a massive 14 ounces for long flights so you can really wring this wildcat out The 58 page instruction manual is a high light that deserves special mention it s very well illustrated and lists the items needed to complete the heli and the required assembly tools Further almost every assembly stage contains a Pro tip It also clearly explains the mechanical and electronic setups of 120 degree CCPM and how they interact with each other To illustrates this many graphs show examples of throttle and pitch curves for hovering and 3D aerobatics If you ve never used CCPM this is an excellent guide The manual also shows the precise position of the servo arms where the balls need to be on the servo arms and the lengths of the pushrods As you can see Audacity Models has spent considerable time and energy to make the Tiger 50 setup as easy as possible ASSEMBLY gt Chassis The Tiger 50 builds quickly so I ll only highlight items and not recite a blow by blow of screw this part to that part Most of the assembly centers on the chas sis which is molded of tough reinforced plastic that will survive m
8. ing rigors of 3D flight The seesaw carrier is fully ball raced for smooth opera tion and the kit includes a set of finished 600mm wooden blades I know that a lot of experienced heli pilots prefer fiberglass or carbon blades and won t use the wooden ones but they are a welcome inclusion for beginners Also for beginners the washout mixing arms can be tuned to soften the con trol response The aluminum tail boom is well support ed by two braces that are attached to the bottom of the chassis for maximum stiff ness this helps to make the tail rotor responsive and precise The tail rotor has more than 60 degrees of pitch range and to keep it under control the pitch slider is bearing supported and guided by a dual pin bellcrank assembly Another nice feature is that each tail rotor blade grip is equipped with dual ball bearings The fuel tank AUDACITY MODELS TIGER 50 gt gt gt SPECIFICATIONS gt gt gt COMMENTS MODEL Tiger 50 MANUFACTURER Audacity Models DISTRIBUTOR Genesis Hobby Distributors MAIN ROTOR DIAMETER 52 5 in 1 335mm LENGTH 42 5 in 1 232mm WEIGHT 7 lb 5 oz RADIO REQ D 5 channel heli w 120 degree CCPM PRICE 285 kit 299 ARF gt gt gt HIGHLIGHTS gt Excellent manual gt Easy to build gt Low cost gt Outstanding flight characteristics At last a heli that s well suited to both beginners and experts Low cost and easy to build and set up the Tiger 50 is the perfect hel
9. market is the Tiger 50 manufactured by Audacity Models This excellent low cost model is certain to give the other guys a run for their money And don t be fooled by its price tag 285 kit 299 ARF the Tiger 50 delivers heart pounding 3D performance right out of the box by using the simplicity of 120 degree cyclic collective pitch mixing CCPM and a reliable belt driven tail rotor As I found out the Tiger 50 is a high quality heli that s easy to build and fun to fly at a cost that s hard to beat Read on to learn more KIT OVERVIEW The Tiger 50 comes in two versions almost ready to fly ARF and as a kit the subject of this review To apply the term kit to the Tiger 50 is somewhat misleading because all its major assemblies with the exception of the engine clutch chassis and tail rotor are factory built the pushrods have even been assembled to their correct lengths for a sym metrical 3D setup This feature alone demonstrates that the Tiger 50 is a cut above the rest And it doesn t stop there as it has some features that are usually found only on high end helicopters The main rotor head is fully assembled and uses two radial bearings It also includes thrust bearings for the demanding rigors of 3D flight The seesaw carrier is fully ball raced for smooth opera tion and the kit includes a set of finished 600mm wooden blades I know that a lot of experienced heli pilots prefer fiberglass or carbo
10. n blades and won t use the wooden ones but they are a welcome inclusion for beginners Also for beginners the washout mixing arms can be tuned to soften the con trol response The aluminum tail boom is well support ed by two braces that are attached to the bottom of the chassis for maximum stiff ness this helps to make the tail rotor responsive and precise The tail rotor has more than 60 degrees of pitch range and to keep it under control the pitch slider is bearing supported and guided by a dual pin bellcrank assembly Another nice feature is that each tail rotor blade grip is equipped with dual ball bearings The fuel tank AUDACITY MODELS TIGER 50 gt gt gt SPECIFICATIONS gt gt gt COMMENTS MODEL Tiger 50 MANUFACTURER Audacity Models DISTRIBUTOR Genesis Hobby Distributors MAIN ROTOR DIAMETER 52 5 in 1 335mm LENGTH 42 5 in 1 232mm WEIGHT 7 lb 5 oz RADIO REQ D 5 channel heli w 120 degree CCPM PRICE 285 kit 299 ARF gt gt gt HIGHLIGHTS gt Excellent manual gt Easy to build gt Low cost gt Outstanding flight characteristics At last a heli that s well suited to both beginners and experts Low cost and easy to build and set up the Tiger 50 is the perfect heli for learning new tricks The pitch slider has two bearings for reliable operation and it s guided by forked bellcrank that uses dual pins This right side view of the chassis shows a neat and orderly layout Note
11. ration Four guides support the tail rotor pushrod along the length of the tail boom Note the bead that the pushrod rides in and how the guide firmly captures it FEBRUARY 2002 13 The latest heli in the 50 size market is the Tiger 50 manufactured by Audacity Models This excellent low cost model is certain to give the other guys a run for their money And don t be fooled by its price tag 285 kit 299 ARF the Tiger 50 delivers heart pounding 3D performance right out of the box by using the simplicity of 120 degree cyclic collective pitch mixing CCPM and a reliable belt driven tail rotor As I found out the Tiger 50 is a high quality heli that s easy to build and fun to fly at a cost that s hard to beat Read on to learn more KIT OVERVIEW The Tiger 50 comes in two versions almost ready to fly ARF and as a kit the subject of this review To apply the term kit to the Tiger 50 is somewhat misleading because all its major assemblies with the exception of the engine clutch chassis and tail rotor are factory built the pushrods have even been assembled to their correct lengths for a sym metrical 3D setup This feature alone demonstrates that the Tiger 50 is a cut above the rest And it doesn t stop there as it has some features that are usually found only on high end helicopters The main rotor head is fully assembled and uses two radial bearings It also includes thrust bearings for the demand
12. rough the maneuver to make them axial Mild 3D maneuvers such as flips and tumbles revealed that the Tiger handles them well but it tends to slow down as it rotates through them this was mainly due to the stock damping and weighted paddles 3D AEROBATICS I added Audacity s 3D upgrade parts and cranked up the head speed to around 1 700rpm I would have liked to use a higher speed of 1 800 to 1 850rpm but I didn t want to over stress the stock wooden blades With the higher rotor speed the Tiger still ran smoothly and was a lot more responsive Punching the throttle the model climbed aggressively without fanfare The collective response was splendid and as we put it through its paces the cyclic response was tight and quick Climbing to alti tude consecutive flips and tumbles were a lot more rapid and it was easy to time cyclic inputs Other maneuvers such as point rolls and flips were positive and sharp It was easy to quickly master the Tiger I like to finish my flights with some autorotations and the Tiger is easy going in this flight mode With the optional Limited Slip Drive installed pirouetting and backward autos are possible Be aware though that in calm conditions the stock blades will run out of inertia and not leave much room for errors The Tiger 50 is an impressive model that s capable of a lot of perfor mance I m having a ball with mine 54 MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS
13. the clips for the servos leads 52 MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS mounted on vibration absorbing grommets is a massive 14 ounces for long flights so you can really wring this wildcat out The 58 page instruction manual is a high light that deserves special mention it s very well illustrated and lists the items needed to complete the heli and the required assembly tools Further almost every assembly stage contains a Pro tip It also clearly explains the mechanical and electronic setups of 120 degree CCPM and how they interact with each other To illustrates this many graphs show examples of throttle and pitch curves for hovering and 3D aerobatics If you ve never used CCPM this is an excellent guide The manual also shows the precise position of the servo arms where the balls need to be on the servo arms and the lengths of the pushrods As you can see Audacity Models has spent considerable time and energy to make the Tiger 50 setup as easy as possible ASSEMBLY gt Chassis The Tiger 50 builds quickly so I ll only highlight items and not recite a blow by blow of screw this part to that part Most of the assembly centers on the chas sis which is molded of tough reinforced plastic that will survive many crashes The first items are the clutch bell and the tail drive both are factory assembled so we re already ahead of the game Attach the eleva tor link to the swashplate arm with a steel pin that s tapped in
14. though that with increased control throw comes the possibility of binding so be sure to check for any interference at the extremes of throw travel The sturdy rotor head is well designed for responsive and smooth operation Four guides support the tail rotor pushrod along the length of the tail boom Note the bead that the pushrod rides in and how the guide firmly captures it trol response which is great for beginners The ball links are designed to fit one way only and are supposed to have the letters HD molded on their fronts but for some reason the HD is missing If you look closely at the link however you ll see a ring that s molded around the ball hole this is the back side of the link that faces the servo arm Assembling the tail rotor and tail boom is quick and easy just follow the instructions Be sure that you orient the drive belt cor rectly before it is tensioned or the tail rotor will turn backward gt Radio installation and setup Like the rest of the heli radio installation is painless As you install the servos you ll appreciate the servo bosses you installed earlier Route the servo leads to the front of the heli and make sure that they don t contact any mov ing parts Molded in clips on the right side of the chassis firmly hold the leads When you install the tail rotor pushrod place a shallow Z bend toward the front of it so it lines up with the servo arm Also adjust the pushro
15. to place Make sure that the mold marks on the link face toward the rear of the heli as the molded in ball link is a one way link Fuel tank assembly is straightforward check the tank for any tiny scraps of plastic in it before you seal it Instead of having to fiddle with separate nuts to secure the servos one piece servo boss plates are used They re simply pushed into place wherever a servo is mounted and make servo installation a snap To assemble the chassis add the subassemblies and screw the frames together I really like that the frames are held together with socket head bolts and locknuts instead of sheet metal screws no stripped mounting holes here When you mate the frames be sure to use the main shaft to perfectly align its bearings Add the radio and gyro platform the canopy mounts and the landing gear to complete the basic chassis build When you add the main shaft and the main gear make sure they re oriented cor rectly and be sure to use the proper shoul der bolt on the gear A groove is machined into the shaft for the mast stopper s setscrews A lot of helis don t have this wel come little detail The most difficult assembly task was adding the cooling fan and clutch to the engine as the fan hub uses a straight hole instead of a tapered collet and both must be dial indicated for a smooth running heli When you add the engine to the chassis insert the start shaft first or you ll have to remove the en
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