e_razote Heliman Location: Chicago, Illinois - USA
My Posts This: Topic Forum | So far, I've broken a skid, landing gear leg, tail boom, rotor blades, boom supports, tail fin, tail push rod, tail boom, and canopy. Of those, the most likely to break are anything related to the tail assembly (minus the actual transmission box - though I've seen tail gears strip), skids, canopy, and rotor blades (of course, unless you're unsually lucky - went for a year without replacing them once!)
Parts to watch are:
- Any pins that hold the links together or hold the head and mainshaft in place
- The main head and tail rotor shaft (they can bend out of shape)
- Pinions and gears for signs of wear and tear or stripping
- Bearings on the most stressful parts of the helicopter (i.e. shaft, tail rotor... etc)
These parts shouldn't fail for most of the life of your heli. After a crash (any) you should double inspect these parts before taking to the air again. However, if you've seen Eric Larson's "Pool Video", you'll see that Hornets in general are pretty tough (and he flies his pretty much stock)
If you're vigilant, you should be able to spot more than 75% of problems BEFORE you take off by doing a quick preflight inspection of all moving parts and control surfaces. |