Nine Eagles Free Spirit 220A Tips?

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A couple weeks ago I bought a Nine Eagles Free Spirit 220A, crashed it breaking the rotor grip set , ordered replacement parts, and am  now waiting on their arrival.  In the meantime I thought I would start a thread on this 4ch FP heli, and see if any of the HK Forum members have it or its sister models with the same frame, the Kestrel 500SX aka Chips SX.
   The goal of this thread is to provide tips on any of these Nine Eagles models for newbies like me. 
   If there are any veterans of this heli, I would appreciate a "must have" spare parts list.
   Does anyone know if one of the sim programs has an installation customized to either the Free Spirit, Kestrel SX (not the coaxial Kestrel), or the Chips SX?
   Though I bought the Free Spirit (as a clearance item at $60 from MRC), I really like the look of the Chips/Kestrel body styles, and am working toward replacing parts into those styles. However I suspect that the Free Spirit, because it uses a boom tail and not a total body fuselage, may be a little better in the wind and more durable. Any experienced comments on this?
   Please chime in if you have any of these models, even if you don't have specific advice so we can identify each other and perhaps get some discussion going offline. 

Edited by VirginiaJim - 28/May/2011 at 8:13pm

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VirginiaJim Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum (US) USERID: 697724 HobbyKing Constituent Joined: 08/Dec/2010 Location: Virginia, USA Online Status: Offline Posts: 161	Quote Reply Topic: Nine Eagles Free Spirit 220A Tips? Posted: 26/Mar/2011 at 8:31pm
	A couple weeks ago I bought a Nine Eagles Free Spirit 220A, crashed it breaking the rotor grip set , ordered replacement parts, and am now waiting on their arrival. In the meantime I thought I would start a thread on this 4ch FP heli, and see if any of the HK Forum members have it or its sister models with the same frame, the Kestrel 500SX aka Chips SX. The goal of this thread is to provide tips on any of these Nine Eagles models for newbies like me. If there are any veterans of this heli, I would appreciate a "must have" spare parts list. Does anyone know if one of the sim programs has an installation customized to either the Free Spirit, Kestrel SX (not the coaxial Kestrel), or the Chips SX? Though I bought the Free Spirit (as a clearance item at $60 from MRC), I really like the look of the Chips/Kestrel body styles, and am working toward replacing parts into those styles. However I suspect that the Free Spirit, because it uses a boom tail and not a total body fuselage, may be a little better in the wind and more durable. Any experienced comments on this? Please chime in if you have any of these models, even if you don't have specific advice so we can identify each other and perhaps get some discussion going offline. Edited by VirginiaJim - 28/May/2011 at 8:13pm

VirginiaJim Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum (US) USERID: 697724 HobbyKing Constituent Joined: 08/Dec/2010 Location: Virginia, USA Online Status: Offline Posts: 161	Quote Reply Posted: 05/Apr/2011 at 10:54pm
	Just thought I would share two inexpensive sources I have used for Nine Eagles Free Spirit 220A (not micro)/Kestrel500SX/ChipsSX parts: 1) miracle_mart 2) hobby_wing (take out underscore characters) These are chinese providers and shipping full helicopters is expensive, but parts shipping is 6-7 bucks, delivery in ~14 days, and responsive to questions. I just wish that Hobby King would stock these helis and parts! Edited by VirginiaJim - 05/Apr/2011 at 10:56pm

VirginiaJim Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum (US) USERID: 697724 HobbyKing Constituent Joined: 08/Dec/2010 Location: Virginia, USA Online Status: Offline Posts: 161	Quote Reply Posted: 29/Apr/2011 at 10:10pm
	Recently, as I was attaching some velcro to my Free Spirit 220A landing skid mount (to enable me to quickly attach my batteries using velcro and dispose of my pesky battery cover board), I noticed that there were 6 attachment points (T-shaped holes) on the landing skid mount for the battery frame, but only 4 mounting tabs on the battery frame itself. After some mental gear grinding , I realized that the landing skid mount allows for at least 6 different positions under the mount for positioning the battery! Though most of you may already know this, it was a revelation for me. In addition to mounting the battery frame using the front 4 or rear 4 attachment points, we can rotate the battery frame 180 degress to achieve somewhat finer forward/backward positioning. I have inserted photos to illustrate the 6 battery frame attachment holes on the landing skid mount for the Free Spirit (has horizontal skid mount posts) and battery cover board. Sorry, the photos (click to enlarge), are pretty "busy" with all the labels. Though I have yet to test my flight performance for each of the possible combinations of battery position, it is clear to me that this positioning could help resolve my helis backward motion. I'm not saying that this is the ONLY way to adjust backward/forward thrust on this heli. Adjusting the length of the swashplate/flybar linkage is probably a more fine tune method of adjustment, but this kind of battery positioning is an option I was not aware had been designed into the Free Spirit and KestrelSX/ChipsSX with this in mind. Another coarse method of adjusting swash plate position is to remove the black servo drive arm that connects to the linkage, being careful to notice its rotational position on its shaft, and twist it slightly in the direction you want to tilt the swashplate, then carefully find the exact rotational position (one gear notch worth) that it can be refitted to the servo, and replace the servo drive arm screw. I hope this is helpful for others like me who are trying to adjust their helis. Edited by VirginiaJim - 30/Apr/2011 at 4:37am

VirginiaJim Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum (US) USERID: 697724 HobbyKing Constituent Joined: 08/Dec/2010 Location: Virginia, USA Online Status: Offline Posts: 161	Quote Reply Posted: 28/May/2011 at 7:50pm
	Even though it appears I may be posting this stuff to myself, I will continue for a while. After about a month of flying my Free Spirit with the battery frame mounted at the forward and middle attachment points, I can say that this heli has been transformed into a very responsive, fast helicopter, completely resolving my former problems of inability to trim and backward flying. I don't understand why the helicopter does not come from the factory with the battery frame mounted this way. You will note that the skids on this Free Spirit are not stock. I became frustrated with easy breakage of the stock skids and decided to construct a set of my own design, fashioned using a rubber coated clothes hanger bent with needle nosed plyers. I was fortunate that this wire fits easily but snuggly in the original skid mounting holes. I have had many flights and many hard landings with this skid without any breakage of the heli. This design tends to disperse the shock of hard landings through the springiness of the skids which tend to rotate on the forward axis, nosing the heli canopy downward. The battery is mounted using velcro strips within the battery frame, which was clipped on one corner to allow slight expansion for the oversized 800 mAh battery (a smaller 600 mAh battery is stock). This way, when a high impact landing occurs, the battery is thrown to the ground, reducing inertia of the heli and the force distributed to the heli canopy, skids and frame when it hits. I did need to cut out the forward portion of the canopy to allow this forward battery positioning. Be sure to note that by rotating the battery frame before mounting on these 4 points you can achieve additional fine tuning of the balance, since one end of the frame extends out further than the other. Since I often fly at dusk when the winds are usually calm, I had been having difficulty seeing the orientation of the heli when it gets more than 100 feet away from me. I decided to punch a small hole in the canopy and add a bulb holder for the indicator LED, which is only visible when the heli is facing me, to assist in judging orientation as darkness approaches. I suspect I will soon replace this LED with a 2 LED combination available for the Kestrel SX, since one of the LEDs is brighter and white, the other is red. Both are flashing and fit the same electrical socket, which is quite unique to Nine Eagles helis. I hope these comments and images are helpful. Edited by VirginiaJim - 29/May/2011 at 9:49am

trumpy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum (AU) USERID: 386740 HobbyKing aficionado Joined: 21/Dec/2009 Location: AU the Murray! Online Status: Offline Posts: 2983	Quote Reply Posted: 28/May/2011 at 9:16pm
	You are not alone Jim LOL Nice work on the Spirit and a good build log on your mods !
	Trumpy! Does anybody know how to cancel a bid on e-Bay? I put in a bid for a “Cowboy Outfit” and it seems I’m only six minutes away from owning the Australian Labor Government !

Bilby1 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum (AU) USERID: 1290530 Newbie Joined: 01/Apr/2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5	Quote Reply Posted: 09/Apr/2012 at 12:29pm
	Hello from Australia. I have just obtained a 220a and have enjoyed reading your comments. I am very new to RC heli's and have much to learn. Your landing gear modification is very clever - I'm going to try to create one similar! I have a 260a solo pro also which took a great deal of effort to trim but now flies really well, but I am having difficulty trimming the free spirit. Mine also tends to go backwards even with full trim forward, but that is not the biggest issue. I think it should be able to cure that with a combination of battery placement and with sub-trimming. My big problem - the tail is very very twitchy. I have adjusted the rudder so that it stays fairly straight, but every few seconds the tail motor seems to rev higher and the tail thrusts sideways with a whizzing noise. Can anyone help as to cause / fix. Thanks.

trevpez Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum (AU) USERID: 387362 HobbyKing aficionado Joined: 28/Dec/2009 Location: C.Coast NSW Online Status: Offline Posts: 291	Quote Reply Posted: 09/Apr/2012 at 8:10pm
	Your forward can be ajusted by identify the servo that controls that movement and lengthen the linkage 1 turn at a time till you can achieve a reasonable steady hover.If it wants to drift sideways you can do the same with the other servo linkage. With the rudder I find that if you plug the battery in and let the heli sit for a moment[try to plug battery in without moving heli] it allows the gyro to initialize.This is important to do this and I find helps the gyro work out its starting point.If you still have a problem I would be suspecting the mother board

VirginiaJim Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum (US) USERID: 697724 HobbyKing Constituent Joined: 08/Dec/2010 Location: Virginia, USA Online Status: Offline Posts: 161	Quote Reply Posted: 09/Apr/2012 at 8:29pm
	Bilby1: Thanks for your comments. My 220A has been on the shelf for quite a while waiting for parts and I have gotten involved in fixed wing aircraft lately, so I'm not really up to date on the Free Spirit issues. However, you will find a wealth of good information on the 220A Free Spirit on the RC Groups website, under the thread "NE Free Spirit 220A Build Log/Modification Details" http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1416738&page=4 I agree with Trev. It is likely that you have either a main board problem or possibly a need for adjustment of the gyro sensitivity, but check with the guys on the above thread before you buy new parts. They are great for mods and fixes. My last purchase of parts for the 220A was with MyRCMart. These parts are getting hard to find as the 220A has been discontinued by Nine Eagles. http://www.myrcmart.com/nine-eagles-220a-free-spirit-c-21_80_189.html Good luck! VJ Edited by VirginiaJim - 09/Apr/2012 at 8:35pm
	Let's just have fun!

Bilby1 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum (AU) USERID: 1290530 Newbie Joined: 01/Apr/2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5	Quote Reply Posted: 10/Apr/2012 at 11:24am
	Thanks for your prompt responses guys. I found the thread mentioned above and have spent much time reading. And guess what - after a heavy landing on my third flight I now have the dreaded cracked plastic head!!! Initially I only discovered the landing gear had broken, and packed up when I couldn't control the heli. Later on discovered the two pins broken off and the plastic damaged near the screws. Disheartening to hear the model discontinued. I have ordered spare parts from MyRCMart, will re-inforce the new head before flying but it seems the FS and I won't have a lot of time together. All the best. Bilby1

trevpez Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum (AU) USERID: 387362 HobbyKing aficionado Joined: 28/Dec/2009 Location: C.Coast NSW Online Status: Offline Posts: 291	Quote Reply Posted: 10/Apr/2012 at 4:35pm
	Miricle-mart.com has some parts left for the free spirit and chips sx