Thursday 29 March 2012
Let's start off by saying that this is the first outdoor RC helicopter I've owned. However I have a small fleet of indoor RC's, including 3 S107G's which is what the S031G is modeled after. The gyro is incredible, as is the super easy trim dial. Despite the fact that I broke the upper blade grip the first time out (hit the only metal light pole in 1000ft radius), I'd say this is a VERY durable little machine. The main rotor blades are strong -- too strong. My local hobby guy had the part in stock. However, while examining it he noticed that I have the old style battery rather than the new LiPo battery which explains the 75 - 90 min. charging time. The new LiPo is one of the improvements supposedly made to the "G" model. At least I still get an honest 10-15 minutes per charge. Speaking of "power" the S031G is extremely underpowered by design, when facing even the slightest headwind. It's got OK lift, but the horizontal tail rotor blade is too small or needs to be completely redesigned. I'm NOT talking about gusty 10-15 mph winds, mind you, I'm talking about breezes, maybe 5-7 mph. Lift is good but I found that hand launching greatly increased my flying time. Once in the air using the power to move against slight headwinds will get you into trouble if you don't have enough practice. The S031G likes to fly high -- and it will if you aren't careful. I try not to exceed 20ft because of the forward thrust problem. However, I've gotten it well over 150ft when I realized I might be in trouble and panicked, cut the power too much, and still landed right on the skids. I would really like to see a redesigned version of this model that provides adequate forward thrust for general flying conditions. I feel the S031G is a helicopter with a lot of potential, but falls short because of it's inability to fly properly in most useable conditions. I'd sure love to fly it in a big empty warehouse!
Wednesday 28 March 2012
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