Radio Control: Helicopters
By Larry Jolly
Welcome back! This month's column is a review of Schluter's Champion. Before I get started, I would like to thank the kind folks at Miniature Aircraft Supply for supplying both the Champion with a Schluter muffler and the Schluter ABC Webra helicopter engine to power it for our product test. I apologize for taking so long to get to it — I've been so busy that it was hard to find the time.
Anyway, I'm very happy with the Champion, and I'm sure you will be, too. If you have not seen a Champion fly, please read this review. If you have seen one fly, you've probably already added one to your hangar, but read it anyway and let me know if you agree with me.
I've flown all the Schluter machines that have been available over the last 10 years. At last count I still have seven Heliboys, so you can see I do have a Schluter interest.
When I first saw the Champion I became very excited. Dieter had done several new things to his latest 60-size machine, the most noticeable being the rotor head which features a single floating axle with 360° damping. This feature means that no matter how hard you pull out of a maneuver, the blades will not change their coning angle and, hence, go out of track.
Also new was the underslung flybar. This reportedly allows shorter links and weight savings. As I said, I was very excited about the Champion and believed it had real potential.
Walt Schoonard kindly agreed to let me review his new machine. I was surprised, especially after Cliff Hiatt made me eat my words on the Superior. True to his word, Walt sent me the Champion and the Webra.
Schluter Champion — Build and Features
Packaging and kit contents
- The Champion arrived in two boxes: one for the clear plastic cabin and one for the mechanics. Everything was beautifully packed and arrived safely.
- The cabin was completed quickly and set aside for painting.
- The mechanics box revealed Schluter's typically immaculate kit. All moving parts run on ball races. The skids, side frames, and tail tube are attractively anodized in black.
- Schluter supplies an excellent instruction manual and exploded isometric drawings.
Assembly
Building the Champion is done sequentially and goes together very fast. Assembly requires no great talent — just follow the instructions and everything will come out right.
I made one mistake when assembling the tail rotor: not being careful, I flipped the ends on the tail rotor shaft and was momentarily puzzled at the excessive slop of the tail rotor control wire. When I discovered my mistake, the problem was fixed in short order.
Don't be alarmed by the fact that the tail drive wire is captured at each end with a single set screw. Make sure you use Loctite on the screw and twist it with a pair of pliers. They will not come loose!
Engine / Powerplant
I was glad Walt provided the Webra as well. Besides being a great power plant, the Schluter version has the advantage of having the cooling fan pre-mounted. This is done very accurately — when I tested the runout after mounting the starting shaft, there was none.
Radio, servos, and mounting
I chose the Airtronics modular radio for my Champion, using five of their 94554 servos and a 1,200 mAh battery pack. The wood servo trays were assembled and the servos were mounted to give straight runs to the control arms. The main vertical support for a gyro mount is installed; I installed a Digi-Gyro in this space. The wood parts went together smoothly and were finished with black dope for fuel-proofing.
I congratulate Schluter for supplying ball links for attachment to the servo arms. High-quality links are important and keep a modeler from using substandard devices that simply will not do the job.
Rotor blades and head
The rotor blades are packaged in their own box and are shipped with both covering and trim for the blade tips. The blades are pre-assembled and require minimal sanding. Mine were well-matched at 135 grams each. All that was left was to run the pushrods to the head and servos.
The rotor head works and stays in track. The plastic bellcranks are smooth and show no wear after seven months of flying.
Weight
When my Champion was finished, it weighed 9 lb. 10 oz., complete with Schluter muffler.
Flight Testing and Performance
When I finally had time to fly, the Champion hovered perfectly on its first flight. (Okay, the engine was a little rich, but that helicopter hovered virtually hands-off with the blades in track on that first liftoff.)
The Champion has a long tail boom, about two inches longer than most .60-size machines. This makes for a very stable machine.
On the next tank I tested the throttle-hold to see if I could drop the motor out. I could, so an autorotation was next. Lining up, I hit the switch and the Champion autorotated right at my feet on the first approach. On subsequent flights I found that I could really play the collective during autorotation and thereby correct long, high approaches.
Durability and Reliability
The Champion truly delivers and is a great helicopter. I have flown my Champion for the last seven months and have found that it holds up. While I don't fly as often as I would like, I would bet that my Champion has over 300 hours of flying on it. Nothing has cracked or fallen off. The blades are still in track from the first outing. It is very dependable: just charge it, fuel it, clean it, and start the cycle over.
Likes and Minor Complaint
Things I especially like:
- The rotor head that works and stays in track.
- Smooth, durable plastic bellcranks with no wear after extended flying.
- Clever nylon tail pushrod supports that show Dieter's thoughtful design.
- High-quality kit components and ball links supplied for servo arms.
Minor complaint:
- As delivered, no provision is made to access the glow plug easily. Schluter's excellent cooling-fan housing completely encompasses the head of the engine, which makes glow-plug access awkward. The problem is simply solved by using a remote head-lock clip; the one on my Champion is visible on the right side under the fuel tank.
Summary
I am very impressed with my Champion. It flies great and it stays together. The Airtronics radio and the Schluter Webra complement it nicely. This product test was a real joy. My only complaint is that because of my work schedule I don't get to fly my Champion as much as I would like. BCNU.
Larry Jolly 5501 W. Como Santa Ana, CA 92703
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
