Align T-Rex 600N (nitro)

It was end of March 2020 and finnaly I’ve got some time to get my hands up on this project. An old-school beauty Align T-Rex 600 Nitro Pro. This nitro helicopter was one of the first flybarless kits available on the market and it was originally powered by an Align 3G. One of the first flybarless units released already a decade ago back in 2010.

I’ve decided to keep most of the original electronic components that were supplied however for the best tail performance I’ve replaced the tail servo with Align DS655 which is a bit faster than the one that originally came with the kit.

It was an easy choice with the powerplant. Nowadays limited availability of these engines suggests nothing but O.S. Max 55 HZ or 55 HZ-R. The last is equipped with the newer version of carburetor with the membrane (called DRS) that regulates the fuel flow to the engine and making it more reliable and smoother to run.

And for the right amount of power there is also Align RCE-G600 governor installed. It controls the throttle signal in the background in relation to the sensed engine RPM giving throttle inputs for the various loads of the main blades and thus achieving constant RPM of the main rotor.

I also added a few sensors for the Spektrum telemetry receiver AR8010T and that gives me a real time indication of Rotor RPM, Flight pack voltage and Engine Temperature directly to the Spektrum DX9 Transmitter. Telemetry is being around for ages but it’s only now that it’s becoming more and more popular.

And last but not least for increased margin of safety there is also additional backup battery (Optipower ULTRA-Guard 430) installed and that would recognise the failure of primary electrical system and take over powering the whole electronics while enabling safe return and landing.

And now the time for the long waited maiden! It’s not a surprise that flies just great! One really wouldn’t expect anything else from this helicopter, it might have been designed nearly a decade ago but it is still up to date with the most modern construction designs nowadays. After the next few flights when the engine is fully broken in I’ll have to fine tune the fuel needles and she’ll be ready to rock the skies. There is a lot to be said about tuning the engine but that will be discussed in the another tread.