Blade mSR X BNF Basic

This is fun helicopter for the serious enthusiast. It is not trivial to fly. I had "mastered" the Blade MSR, which is pretty easy to fly because of it its "self-stabilization" and decided to make the step up to the MSR X. Using the RTF transmitter, I was very frustrated because I was unable to hover the MSR X. It seemed very unstable, slamming into walls on a whim. I then broke down and got a Spectrum DX6i transmitter and programmed it per the recommendations of John Salt, who has an excellent on-line manual for the MSR X. Using the Dual Rate (tamed down) setting I was able to instantly hover the MSR X appling my MSR skills. With lots of practice, I was able to fly it around a 12' x 12' room with most of the funiture cleared out of the center. If the MSR is like a Kia then the MSR X fells like a Corvett, fast, responsive and fun! It is also extremely durable--mine has survived 100's of wall crashes. One thing that makes it difficult to fly is the destabilizing effect of rudder input. When flying fast, the rudder input works as you'd expect from flyiing beginner helicopters but when going slow or hovering in a small room, even the slightest rudder input requires immediate and accurate cyclic compensation. Rotating the helicopter while holding a hover, although trivial with the MSR, is an expert manuever with the MSR X and probably out of reach for someone with my coordination. My only dissapointment was the main motor only lasted about 5 hours of flying. However, it is very easy to replace and costs around $11. Buy lots of batteries and use either a parrallel charging harness (e.g. Hobby King model or use the old MSR RTF, 4-port charger). I recommend the MSR X for someone who has mastered a beginner helicopter and who is looking for a challenge and has lots of patience and preferably who has a programable transmitter.

This is my second helicopter - the other one was a co-axial beginner's model. By way of introduction, I have been flying airplanes for over ten years - everything from sailplanes to 3D planes, pylon racer to hotliner, foamy to composite ship.

Well, and then I tried to fly the mSR X in my living room and had my hands full keeping that bird in the air for more than two seconds at a time. I kept trying for a while but my wife convinced me that outside (and away from furniture) would be a better idea. So, I retreated to a large grass area across the street. No more furniture to bump into and if I lost control I would just power down before the heli would drop into the soft green grass courtesy of recent winter rains. Applying my experience of how to execute coordinated turns with airplanes (aileron+rudder), I started flying large figure eights with the mSR X. And boy, this heli flies good, is powerful, fast and can take quite a breeze. But it requires constant attention, just like a 3-D plane as it does not self-stabilize. It goes wherever you point it.

Meanwhile I have flown the helicopter a total of about 3 hours (running 4 batteries per session) and I am now able to control the helicopter in tighter and tighter spaces. However, I still prefer flying outside since that allows me to fly fast and provides room for recovery from (small) errors. The stock transmitter that ships with the RTF version works well enough for me.

My experience with regards to the durability of the helicopter has been very good: 3 blade grips (the balls for the ball links break off), one vertical fin and one crack in the cover (easily fixed with a small patch of 3/4 oz. fiberglass cloth and thin CA). My total expense in spare parts has been less than 10 dollars.

Also, no problems with the electronics on my mSR X. However, you have to plug in the battery with the heli on a level surface, wait until the blue light comes on, insert the battery into the holder and you are ready to go.

In summary, this heli is absolutely amazing and extremely enjoyable but it takes some practice to master it.

I'm writing to vent. I bought the mSR X for my son. He's been flying my Trex 450, not quite expertly, and his own mSR - until it started to toilet-bowl.

I thought the mSR X would be a good step up. Not going up to the mCP X, just the mSR X.

What we got was not a step up from the mSR. In fact, it really isn't a product ready to be released!! There are so many things wrong with this heli that they should recall this thing.

Yeah, yeah, I've read the posts, talking about how the quirks separate the men from the boys and how it gives you more of a challenge, and if I ditched the included radio and used a nicer one and programmed in all sorts of mixing, it would fly better, yada yada yada.

To put it simply, this heli has serious problems. If you want a heli that can fly like a heli, then this is not the one. If you want one that you can take apart and rebuild and improve upon, then maybe this qualifies.

What are my complaints?

- On take-off the heli likes to slide to the left - and fast!. (The instructions strongly advise not to give the heli any rudder, aileron or elevator input during take-off! Ignore that and correct for the slide before the thing hits a wall.)

- During hover and level flight, the heli lists to the right.

- For landing, the manual instructs to establish a hover 18 inches up, and then to reduce throttle, without any rudder, aileron or elevator input! Basically they want you to drop the thing a foot and a half, and call that a landing.

- On an enclosed card, they mention that when you plug the battery in, to put the heli on a flat surface within two seconds so the gyro calibrates. While we were used to this with the mSR, I don't recall having to rush to do this within 2 seconds?? Really?

- Be very careful when turning otherwise the heli has a tendency to sort of lose control and turn onto its side and zoom off in some direction.

- With the included radio, it is extremely difficult to do any rudder control without changing throttle. Yes, I know, ditch the included remote.

I won't even begin to tell you how flimsy the skids are. After watching some kids play combat heli with cheap Syma counter-rotating helis, I don't understand why the Blade's can't be made out of more durable material.

Thank you for letting me vent. I hope this heli gets recalled or somehow these problems are addressed. As is, I have bought my last Blade product.

-mz