Furious Predator
rrProfessor
Location: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
My Posts This: Topic Forum | Ok, you opened a can of worms now 
Vibes and Aurora's are great. They have a copied rotor head design from the Predator. If they actually copied it or not doesn't matter, but all the "latest and greatest" helicopters have an identical head design as the predator...mainly referring to the Bell Hillier mixers. the Bell Hillier mix wasn't invented by Century (as far as i know), but they have been using it since day 1, while all these new high end machines seem to be just discovering it.
the stacked frames on the predator are VERY rigid.
the Predator has always had a nice big heavy duty Sprague clutch for the one way drive...Aurora was advertising it as one of their selling features...
As mentioned, its light weight. if you have lets say a Predator and an Align 700, both have identical power systems, and both weigh the same...how is one helicopter supposed to out power the other? is it because the 700 is a newer model?
as for reliability, the predator had a very simple low parts count airframe. Other then basic wear and tear such as clutch bearings, ball links, fuel tubing, and so on. i have really had no need to replace anything. and believe me, i have tried over and over to break something in the air.
my old Vigor was a nightmare. the parts list for most JR machines goes on for several pages, while the predator fits nicely onto one. JR and Avant helicopters are very nice pieces of engineering. but the parts count is enormous. bolts, bearings, and metal blocks everywhere. it makes the helicopter much more expensive to fix, longer repair times, heavier, and there is more to go wrong.
my old Vigor for example (which was nearly identical to the Vibe) had super tiny expensive and rare bearings, secured by super tiny bolts (that would strip easy), the bolts would have super tiny washers that put a trex 450 to shame. and they are everywhere. while this makes for a nice slop free smooth setup...if you have a mishap with the ground, all that is toast...have fun finding the parts you need, buying the parts, and putting it all together again. Two crashes with my old Vigor cost me well over $1000 EACH. The Vigor made me want to quit the hobby.
im not sure exactly how. but Century has managed to reduce the parts count in regards to redundant bolts and bearings and what ever other crap you dont need, and still have a smooth slop free control system.
now for the tail system. the front pinion is supported on both sides by a bearing, this prevents the shaft which the pinion is on from flexing and ripping your crown gear apart. the tail gears are not just metal, but they are helical cut which as super smooth and quiet. the stainless steel torque tube has dog bones on each end which make it more crash survivable...
i have crashed the predator twice, and i am still using the same torque tube. i even have a spare sitting ont he shelf because i assumed it was toast from the last crash, so i had ordered another one without even checking the original...turns out, i didnt need the new one.
the tail blades have two radial bearings AND a thrust bearing. this has been a stock setup since day 1. while other helicopters are only now getting thrust bearings...and most still dont. this thrust bearing in the tail grip gives you a super smooth and precise tail, something people in the FAI competitions would drule over years ago.
As for the flight characteristics. Like any other Century machine, it is extremely precise, stable in high speed flight, and very agile. you truly get the best of everything. most other helicopters, you either get to be super agile for 3D, OR super stable in high speed, not both.
i wont get into how good looking i think the predator is 
So, yes, Ron's was correct when they said its an older design. But, its proven, and other manufacturers are only just catching up to the best features of the predator.
I would, in an instant, take a brand new predator out of the box, build it, and without a SINGLE upgrade or modification, throw it up against an Aurora, a 700, a Vibe, what ever you can think of.
should i keep going?
The only con i can possibly think of with the predator, is that the airframe is relatively cramped. Sometimes it can be a little difficult to work on simply because everything is so close together. But, this feature is part of what makes the airframe so much more rigid and light. everything that is there, is there for a reason.
Shawn
Team Leisure-Tech
Team HelixRC |
