Ikarus ECO-8, Purchased 4/12/01 from Hobby-Lobby
MY ECO
My
ECO is a really great performer. I
whole-heartedly recommend one to any heli enthusiast. NOT for the beginner, however.
They
can do many of the 3D-aerobatic maneuvers that nitro heli’s do, but much
quieter.
A
hot brushless motor and 8-cells will really impress any nitro heli purist.
Do I recommend one? That is a big YES! The heli is designed to be a great performer, and it is. Nitro heli flyers may not like it’s seemingly fragile structure, but it is designed to get long battery life. Without the surplus power of an internal combustion engine, the weight must be cut to minimum. Just treat the ECO right, and she will fly circles around the nitro helis. Well, that is, while the pilots who own them are off to the hobby shop to buy more expensive fuel!
This is Me flying circuits over Daytona
Beach, FL; April 2001
Specs:
Flight Time: 8-min hover, 6-min aerobatics
(2400 mAh 7-cell)
Gearing: 13 tooth pinion
Weight: 1.3 lbs
Head speed > 1350 rpm
Equipment:
3x
Hitec HS-85bb for 120 deg. CCPM
1x
Hitec HS-81 for tail
(the 81 is lighter, cheaper, and
faster than the 85’s, but no BB’s)
Futaba
Gy240 gyro (HH)
FMA
Direct 8-channel micro RX
Motor:
HACKER B40-11L Brushless
Controller:
Kontronik SML 40-12-6 (40 AMP, with governor mode)
Parts Upgrades:
Aluminum
Swash Plate
Boom
Mount Tail Servo
Aluminum
tail pitch slider
Extra
Wide Landing gear
Hardened
main, tail, and feathering shafts
GFK
470mm blades (symmetrical)
Autorotation
Clutch/Gear
Carbon
Flybar
Carbon
boom supports/horiz. Stab.
Modifications:
--Custom-Made G-10 3D stabs
--Symmetrical pitch modification
Get a 24 degree pitch window from the STOCK head
Use JB Weld to PERMANENTLY fix the slipping
--Dome Plate stabilizer Mod.
I just mounted an extra boom clamp between the frames just behind the motor.
I did do the one where I placed links on the left and right going from the plate to the skids, but they just bend in a
light crashes. The method with the boom clamp is just as good and lower-profile.