Esky Honeybee CP Owners Thread

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Links to important information about Esky Honeybee CP helicopter.
http://www.helitown.com/ESkyHoneyBeeCP2.htm

[scootercp2]

I can't believe I'm the first to reply to this just wanted to say that I've had my cp2 for about a week now and love it, just wish i could fly it for more than thirty seconds before i crash. haha

Anyone else out there with cp2s that have any advice on getting this thing dialed in so that i can hover for more than a couple seconds at a time, i would aprreciate it.

[eddiemoth]

Hi scootercp2,
Welcome to HeliTown. Esky Honeybeen CP 2 is a good helicopter but it is a little twitchy for a beginner. When you crash, is it because the heli not tracked and balanced or your skills have not yet up to speed? If it is your skills and you don't have a SIM, I would strongly recommend a good SIM. If it is because of the heli, let us know what the problem and we can help you solve the problem. How long have you had your Esky CP2?

[scootercp2]

i think its my skill more than anything. i know how to track the blades and get the cg right haven't gone into balancing the blades yet though. I've got the fms simulator but i got the wrong cable with my cp2. I ordered the right one hopefully from milehighwinds.com. I'm kinda having problems getting the tail to stay still when i'm hovering i've spent alot of time just trying to get the proportional adjustment on the 4in1 dialed in. It seems that it does fine when its light on the skids but once its airborn its another story. I wish i had someone local that could fly these things to give me some flying tips. Thanks for your reply. And i've only had this thing for almost 2 weeks and i've already spent 60.00 dollars in parts. haha

[scootercp2]

since this is an owners thread figured i'd throw in a pic of my cp2

[FLYBY]

I recently aquired a HoneyBee-King, with stock (I think) motor only. What's the best, most reasonable flight pack set up for this? I'm using a Spectrum DX7 TX.

[estarter]

I ordered a CP2 barebone and planed to use the rotor part for my Compy, since I have E-flite 4in1 and 3 spare servos, I may fly it first and compare with my BCPP first.

[estarter]

My buddy has been flying the CP2 with the plastic sym blades for sometime (>100 flights) and his feedback is very possitive, compare with the BCP (also >100 flights with the plastic sym blades), the CP2 is more responsive.

Both birds are flown with factory stock setup/radio using 3S 800mah lipo pack.

[beeblebrux]

Well, I finally got my CP2 to a state where I'm ready to post pics of it. Most of it is stock. I added the Microheli CF tail fin when the stock one broke off. And I just got done installing the Superskids (which I really like so far. Accept no substitutes!). The blades are symmetrical plastic blades, although I kind of wish I would have ordered the flat bottom hover blades to practice with. Maybe next time. And I added heat sinks to the tail and main motors.

If you look closely at the pic, you'll see a notch cut into the canopy close to the main gear. This was due to some problems I had once I got the center of gravity correct. The battery was pretty far foward making for a tight fit of the canopy. Because the canopy was stretched, it kept on rubbing against the main gear. I kept trying to get it to fit correctly, but it just kept doing it. So I gave up and just cut a notch into it. That problem now seems to have gone away since the superskids were installed. Everything seems to fit much better now.

Now I just need to learn how to fly it! There's some mods I would like to do (upgraded Tx and Rx, brushless motors, etc), but I'm gonna take my time and master flying the thing before I think about upgrades.

[eddiemoth]

Very good! It looks like it is already loaded with some upgrades and ready to fly. Have you got it fly once yet?

[borgia]

I have a cp2 too, so far i'm very happy with it. The only problem is you have to change motors after 40+ flight. This is my very first helicopter, had it for a month already. Learned to hover out a battery pack using radds!

my simple mods:
I moved the servo links one slot inwards to lessen sensitivity.

Added a capacitor, inductor and fuse to the main motor.
http://aycu18.webshots.com/image/40897/2001687025274732038_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001687025274732038)

http://aycu39.webshots.com/image/42598/2001622244796693898_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001622244796693898)

http://aycu27.webshots.com/image/40346/2001611206083593315_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001611206083593315)

http://aycu11.webshots.com/image/42290/2001678467411799577_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001678467411799577)
moved the tail fin forward to maximize efficiency of the tail rotor, a little bit more tail control.

[beeblebrux]

Very good! It looks like it is already loaded with some upgrades and ready to fly. Have you got it fly once yet?

Only in these recent weeks have I got it balanced and trimmed correctly. Now when I spin it up on the floor (on slick tiles I might add), it barely drifts and the tail stays pretty stable by itself. It's still not 100% though. I am still getting a very slight amount of wobble in the rotor head, but only while it is spinning up. Once I get it up to speed the wobble seems to disappear which I am happy with. I had a very small crash and I suspect the main axis may be slightly bent, but I am not too worried about it. If it gets any worse, I have a spare to replace it, but I'd like to hold out on that as long as I can.

As for actually flying it, I have a huge problem with space. I don't have enough space to properly fly it anywhere in my house. I have lifted it off, but if it drifts at all (which it always does) I have to drop it back down for fear of hitting an appliance or myself. I have not been able to get it out of ground effect yet, but I feel like I could given enough open space. I just need an opportunity to try. I'm waiting for better weather to start practicing outdoors. Also, I found out I may be able to use the large conference rooms we have where I work. I'll let you know how much luck I have in getting out the "hopping" stages.

[mountains]

hi guys new to forum and helis. gone from 2 channel robins22 to 4 channel robins. now got honeybee cp2 .nightmare i like others cant stay in the air for only a few seconds i think its a set up problem as well as me. im not going to use it until i get the pitch guage i ordered today.thank god i dont seem to be the only one suffering. KEVIN

[beeblebrux]

My CP2 is very stable now. I got it to lift off pretty smoothly today and kept it in the air briefly drifting around. Now that I'm trying in an open space, I feel much more comfortable with it. Another week of this, and I should be able to hover.

Best advice I can you mountains is to read all the setup guides you can find. Mainly, I used all the stickies here:

http://www.heliguy.com/Forum/esky-honeybee-cp2-collective-pitch-f63.html

Pardon me for linking to another message board. I didn't see anything against it in the rules. The setup guides in those stickies have been a huge help to me and ultimately got my CP2 into a state where it actually felt stable. Make sure you check out the sticky collective fix, as you most likely need to do it (if your CP2 seems to have a burst of lift when you don't expect it, then this is the problem). The pitch gauge will help, but before you adjust the pitch settings, level your swashplate. Then adjust the pitch settings, and lastly, track the blades. Stick with it. It seems overwhelming at first, but keep tinkering. You will learn a lot in the process. And when you spin it up, and it's stable there on the floor before lift off, you will feel a strong sense of accomplishment. Good luck.

[mountains]

thanks for that beeblebrux hope your right this is such a frustrating hobby at the moment not going to use heli until pitch guage arrives. so far no big crashes and i hope to keep it that way. KEVIN

[beeblebrux]

That's about the best way to go about it mountains. Take it slow. Also, check out Radd's school of rotary flight (google it and you'll find it). It moves very slow and I found it to be quite effective. It seems to me that a big part of learning to fly these things is building confidence. Without confidence, there will be panic and hesitation, and then comes the crash. If you take it slow, any crashes should be pretty minor and result in only replacing a few little things if any (main shaft if it gets bent, feathering shaft if it gets bent, rotor head parts if the balls break off (if you don't lose the ball, CA glue holds them quite well), and possibly blades but I use the plastic blades and they seem like they are going to last a while). Just be mindful of the behavior of your heli. Any change in behavior after a small crash means it needs to be checked out. If it vibrates, wobbles, drifts more than it did before, loses lift, etc, then fix it. Don't let it go just because you want to keep flying it. You will start to build that confidence and learn the workings of the heli in no time. Don't be afraid to tinker with it.

On another note, I am hovering now. I finally got into an open space and now I'm really starting to get the hang of it. Those first unstable hovers were really exciting. But I was able to keep it in the air for about 1-2 minutes. Now I'm going to start trying to keep it in place when it's in the air.

[mountains]

i have checked ouy radds bit long winded but ill persevere not going to use heli until pich guage arrives. been let down by one supplier ordered from another means another ay wasted as were having nice calm weather at the moment but i can always practice with my robins. KEVIN

[estarter]

Don't forget to use the training gear.

Once you can take off and land without incident, you should ditch the training gear.

[mountains]

never go out without training gear(chicken) got pitch guage today miles out. so much for RTF. swash plate miles out. after adjustments hope weather is o.k. tomorrow to try it out. KEVIN

[ranger306ci]

RTF means you have all the parts, not that it is set up right.
Big distinction!

[mountains]

no flying yet adjusting pitch. somehow managed to break link rotor head. new parts on the way these chinese must be making a fotune on parts judging by the articles on various forums. KEVIN

[beeblebrux]

I crashed my CP2 yesterday. I am now getting pretty good at hovering tail in indoors and decided to take it outside yesterday since we had a very good weather day here in SW PA. Well, I definitely noticed some difference in the heli behavior outside compared to inside flying. It drifted a lot more than I am used but was handling it quite well. But everytime I got close to ground, my tail blade was tapping the rocks in the gravel (I probably shouldn't have been flying in gravel in the first place). But against my discretion, I kept going, and one time that tail blade just hit a rock a little too hard and splat. The tail blade hit hard hard enough to tip the heli sideways causing the main blades to strike the ground.

Damage report: Tail rotor housing got ripped off the tail boom and ripped the wires right off the tail motor. One of the ball links broke off on two of the rotor head pieces (and the balls were lost so I can't glue them :(). A ball link broke off of one of the main blade grips (once again, lost the ball so no gluing). And one of the plastic pitch control links is lost.

Total parts count: Two rotor head pieces need replaced. One pitch control link. Tail rotor housing is cracked and will be replaced. One blade grip needs replaced. Tail motor wires will need replaced as they not long enough to solder back onto the motor. Main axis and feathering shaft may be bent, haven't checked yet.

Not too bad I think. Fortunately I have all the parts I need minus the blade grip (one of few parts I did not stock up on). Lesson learned? When your instincts are telling you to stop flying, listen to them! If I would have stopped flying when I suspected something was going to happen, I could have avoided this mess.

[estarter]

Sorry to hear the crash, when you're used to the control, the CP2 will handle better in windy condition in idle up mode.

I just built my first BL CP2, crashed in the maiden flight. The crashed is from the uncontrollable tail coup with the sticky collective, the bird did a fast self piros and shot up to the sky. Broke both blades, bent the spindle and knock one of the flybar see-saw arm off. I don't have any spares, I straightened the spindle, use a Compy Al ball to repair the see-saw arm, install a new set of W22e blades and she is up flying again.

[mountains]

sorry hear about your crashes guys one consolation of being grounded is you cant crash. after reading your crash damage i think ill try and buy some shares in chinese heli. manufacturers. KEVIN

[beeblebrux]

That sounds like a pretty good idea. Considering I've spent at least double what I paid for the original heli in parts. That must be one factor as to why the FP and CP2 are so cheap. The parts business must be booming.

I really don't mind crashing anymore. Got kind of used to it. I've been flying like 2 battery packs a day for the past week anyway, so it was time to take a little break.

[MrClean816]

speaking of crashing, has anyone tried to do a "fuse mod".
it supposedly saves your helicopter from any broken pieces.
all it is, is a couple fused soldered to your motors.
It's supposed to bust the fuse before it busts anything else.

[beeblebrux]

speaking of crashing, has anyone tried to do a "fuse mod".
it supposedly saves your helicopter from any broken pieces.
all it is, is a couple fused soldered to your motors.
It's supposed to bust the fuse before it busts anything else.

The fuse mod only saves your "4 in 1" until if my understanding is correct. It won't save other things from breaking in a crash (after all, I don't think a mod yet exists that can save you from Sir Isaac Newton and his bothersome gravity!).

If my understanding is correct, when the blades strike something (usually the ground) in a crash, the 4 in 1 will attempt to provide more power to the motor to keep the blades up to speed per the request for throttle from the transmitter. Problem is, it is very possible for the 4-1 to draw more current than it can handle which will burn it out (costing about $50 to replace! Ouch). The fuse on the motor serves a very simple purpose. When the amperage (current) going through a fuse exceeds its rating, it burns out. When this mod is applied, and this situation comes up where the 4 in 1 is trying to power a motor that is spinning blades that have resistance (once again, the ground is probably stopping them from moving), the fuse burns out creating an open circuit and stopping the current flow. Then you are stuck replacing a fuse for pennies instead of a $50 4-1 unit. This will also stop the motor and may lessen the damage done, but it will not stop parts from being broken the moment the crash occurs. It is a rather handy mod though.

Now here is my question: If you have fast reflexes and drop the throttle quickly, can't you prevent this from happening in the first place? I have crashed a few times now, and my 4 in 1 has yet to burn out as result.

[mountains]

out of the sky again noticed lug on swatch plate broken. whilst changing rotor head set it up no lift adjusted pitch unplugged motor hit tranny heli took off plug bent back enough to make contact 1 broken blade and 1 broken pitch link. parts on the way chinese stock exchange up 10 points. till laughing though got to or youll cry. Kevin

[mountains]

there is a good link regarding this on www. heliguy.co.uk. hope this helps Kevin

[mountains]

hi guys. whatever i do i cant get pitch right to get 10deg the pitch rods are so near the end of their travel they nearly fall apart. also after spinning to full throttle when stopped one blade drops a lot lower than the other. any help appreciated. Kevin

[estarter]

Would you elaborate about the vertical tail fin, I don't have one in my CP2. I would put it back if it helps the tail motor.

my simple mods:

http://aycu11.webshots.com/image/42290/2001678467411799577_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001678467411799577)
moved the tail fin forward to maximize efficiency of the tail rotor, a little bit more tail control.

[estarter]

I tried the stock plastic sheet vertical fin in the stock position (just in front of the carbon stick), 1/2 , 1 and 1/2 inch in front of the carbon stick. I push my BL CP2 in FF as fast as I could, I can't tell any different.


Seems like she flys better without it.

[mtpenguin]

Looks good to me! The fins just want to help the tail stay behind the heli in FFF like the tail fins of a plank. But, unlike a plank, heli's don't ~need~ them.


B-)

[mountains]

hi guys got cp2 almost flying had the dreaded sticky collective and missing o ring almost flew under ntrol for the first time today a few minor adjustments and i think ive cracked it thanks for the good words and support. Kevin

[estarter]

I'm having a lot of fun flying the CP2, my BL CP2 flys really good with 2S lipo, I use the one for the Lama.

[ansky]

My honey bee cp is very cool,it is my favorite

[broggyr]

The Honey Bee King II is my favorite (it's my only one!) :D

[mech50]

My honey bee cp is very cool,it is my favorite

I ‘m learning now on my HB FP about a few months now on calm days can fly it around the house. Just got a Belt CP and it scares me to death just to hover it a little in the garage. The HB CP looks to be very similar to FP to fix and shares a lot of parts. Xheli has them on sale now for $78. Do you think it worth getting? HB CP looks to be more the next step for me, rather than the Belt and cheaper to repair.

[mech50]

Well got the HB CP yesterday, test flew it. Noticed it came with a bent main axis, even so it seems more stable than my HBFP? Do they make better main axis than the stock one?

[estarter]

Microheli make black harden main shaft for BCP and CP2.

I would use the stock main shaft but replace the harden steel pin in the head block with paper clip, you will shear the paper clip to minimize chances in bending the main shaft.