Just when you thought it couldnt get better... The Knight 50 3D

Compass, the makers of the Knight 50 pro and sport recently announced the Knight 50 3d.

This is the first 50 size heli to be designed specifically with the 3d pilot in mind. Metal and ball races in all the right places to make it crisp, accurate and durable but with plastic in the places that dont need it or benefit from some flexibility, like blade grips.

As you can see from the picture above the frames are very different to any other Knight. The Main frames are of a single G10 layout these hold all the major components. The 2 frames are well supported by a number of posts and braces keeping all the parts in the right place. You will notice the lack of counter shaft for the tail drive, that is because a raptor style drive has been adopted This drops the height of the boom meaning the mainshaft can be shorter giving a higher CG without increasing the risk of boom strikes. Wide mainshaft bearing spacing which helps increase the structural rigidity too.

A small secondary frame around the pinion block, lower mainshaft bearing which inturn is transmitted down to the engine mount area by a stiffener creates a very stiff structure.

The knight 50 3d is of. course 120 deg CCPM but the layout has been changed to a shared shaft layout. This layout is used on the high end hirobo machines. It features a large diameter shaft supported in the mainframes by chunky bearings. All 3 bell cranks use this shaft giving a very solid base to the control Just to finish off the control system they went and used push/pull taking all the load off the output shaft of the servos.

The last major difference is the engine mount. This is something i have never seen before. the engine mounted in the normal way you would see on this type of frame accept it is rubber mounted. It also has a secondary ring with a rubber insert that fits over the front of the crankcase just below the fan. This ensures the engine stays in the right place but at the same time keeping engine vibration out of the airframe. I can say that its a very smooth heli no sign of vibration in the hover tank is a mill pond.

The head is a mixture of Pro and sport parts Metal flybar carrier giving great precision with the sport plastic grips which help absorb some of abuse we all like to give our helis.

it was imidiately obvious as soon as I got this model up into the hover that the Knight 50 3D is going to be one hell of an impressive model. Very accurate collective and cyclic, light feel and very little airframe noise.

after some basic moves slowly building up to some more agressive stuff i realised just how crisp the collective is tic tocs in any attitude were quick to say the least. Unfortunately I had one quite major problem. This is a prototype and as such there are currently only a handful in existance and only 2 in the UK I really didnt fancy phoning Roger from Climbout to tell him I had broken it so plenty of height was kepted through the flights. The model was begging for more but I had to hold back.

The cyclics are what we have come to know and love from the previous knights fast and crisp tracks very well in FFF with no tendancy to dive when you really get it to motor. Tail gear ratio is a little lower at 4.8:1 giving shed loads of tail power too but and with a revised drive is more efficient freeing up some engine power to do useful things with. Its still a belt but has a large front pulley like the Raptor 50.

Knight 3D Video

Hello and Welcome

Hi I am Ade Law, Welcome to Flyingaid. I am based just outside of Bournemouth in Dorset on the south coast of the UK.

I have almost 15 years experience in this sport, from most forms of fixed wing (including gliders) through to helicopters.

Mission Statement: The best service, training and advice in southern UK

I am not out to make every penny I can - I don't want to get rich; I just want enough money to pay the bills and pay for my addiction to radio control models!

Fair Pricing

Whether you are coming for a lesson, want a heli setup or some model spares, I will do my best to give you a fair price. I might not always be the lowest price, but if you can find it somewhere else cheaper, I will do my best to match it. This isn't always possible, but I will make every effort.

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Whether you are just starting out or looking to improve your skills, I can help you. My specialty is Helicopters as they are generally more sensitive to bad setups than fixed wing, and are much more versatile in the air. This extra versatility makes them harder to fly - a well setup helicopter is much easier to fly so we always start there.

All models fly slightly differently so for training, if possible, we use your model because it's what you are used to flying. If you don't have a suitable model, or it has a problem during the lesson, then we will use one of mine.

Dorset Model Helicopter Club kindly let me use their site for training. It has a well mown patch and is on solid well drained ground. The field around the patch is large allowing for all types of flying to continue at the same time. Due to the site being so well maintained wheelchair access is possible.

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A lot of shops will obviously sell you what they have in stock - I do things a little differently. I advise what YOU NEED. It won't be something I am trying to sell because it's been in the drawer for 6 months!! It's what I have advised after talking to you and finding out your needs. There is no pressure to buy from me, but the option is there if you want it.

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Once I have advised the correct components I will give you the option to buy it from me, if I am able to supply it. I don't hold much stock which helps to reduce costs considerably; I pass those savings on to you! My suppliers generally despatch the same day the order is placed which means that, post allowing, it will be either with you the next day or I can bring it to the field on your next visit.

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