Want to get some information about the E5

[Ice House]

After flying a T-rex 450 Pro DFC for a short while, I'm interested in a 550 class heli. The E5 is one of the helis I'm looking at.  I like the fact that there appears to be good support.  Heck, the owner is from Alabama, right next to this old Mississippi boy.  The instructions are written in an English that an old Mississippi boy can understand, and the E5 runs "true" 550 blades and appears to operate fine running 6S lipos.   

My major issue is size/weight. I'm handicapped and fly from a scooter. I want something larger than my 450 that I can see, but I also have to be careful in that I have to be able to physically manipulate the heli... load into/out of van, carry to the pits, carry from the pits to the runway and back, etc.  I've already limited myself to the 550 class for these reasons, but would rather err on less weight than more.  I'm also somewhat atypical as my nerves can only handle about 5 minutes of flying time.  I would like to at least get close to 5 minutes, but that is about all I want. I assume running 6S would contribute to less weight (less than 12S) and would also add simplicity, which I need. I can't easily carry a 12v battery or a generator to the field every week. Therefore, I charge my lipos the morning of and then go fly.  I'm hoping I could get 2 - 3 6S packs, charging at least 2 before I leave and then maybe charging one of those again, plugging the charger into the cigarette lighter in my van (I'm not getting good feedback in regards to charging with my cigarette lighter, which is why I'm looking at getting a 3rd 6S pack). Three flights would do it for me as I would typically bring a plane or my 450 to the field as well, and 5 - 6 flights total is plenty for me.

I'm still learning as a pilot and don't see myself ever doing much more than sport flying, maybe learning a 3-D trick or two, but 98%+ of my flying just being sport. I'm also interested in a heli which is relatively easy to build and repair.  In regards to electronics, I'm more interested in reliability than speed and power. I currently fly an AR7200bx on my 450 and am not sure I want to deviate.  I like the idea of getting the electronics/motor with the kit (minus the flybarless controller), but I bought a no electronics kit for my 450 and completely deviated from stock Align except for the motor, so I'm not intimidated by having to figure out the electronics.

I have some specific questions:

• What is the weight of the E5 standalone, and what would the weight be with a typical 6S 4400 mah lipo and with a typical 5000 mah lipo (I realize that lipo weights can vary a little)? 
  
• Does the E5 come with turnbuckle swashlinks or can you at least get as an upgrade somewhere?
• Can you manipulate 6S battery power and rpm such that you can get a comfortable 4:30 - 5:00 minute flying time with my flying style, without sacrificing a lot of power?  Note: my power needs are for pulling out of problems... "Holy crap, I'm too close to the ground."  It is not for constant 3-D flying... I ain't that good of a pilot and am not even that interested in the "true 3-D" stuff.
  
• Is there an E5 kit available, which includes electronics, minus the flybarless controller?

[James F]

1.  Other posts say around 6lbs
2. Turnbuckles are available from fblrotors.com
3. As per the owner when I asked the same quedtion.  A 1100kv motor with 2200-2300hs should give 5min easily.  May require tail speed up gear for 4.5:1 ratio though.
4.  The kit does not include blades or electronics

I had all the similar questions for other reasons than you.  Matt Botos spent alot of time messanging me back and forth to answer all my questions.  I opted to stretch mine and do the tail speed up right from the get go.  I was going to run 12cell 3300mah either way though.  Mine is due to arrive on wed.

[Kevin Dalrymple]

Ice house have you ever thought about the N5C? It is just a tuck heavier than the E5 but you can fly it as much as you want with out the risk of burning your car down with charging lipos.

[flyalan]

A nitro might night be a good choice in regards to manipulating and starting the heli. Not in your situation but I would imagine that the actual starting process might be challenging.
The E5 is a good choice and you can get 5 minutes on a 6s pack running a moderate headspeed.

Cheers
Alan

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[Ice House]

A nitro would be cool, but isn't for me.  It would add a-whole-nother set of issues, plus, nobody in my club flies a nitro heli, so I wouldn't have much local knowledge/help.  I also need less weight, not more.  Electric allows me to remove the lipo, which reduces weight for transporting.  The biggest issue I'm worried about is lifting on/off the stand with the battery connected (immediately after/before flight).  I don't always have to do from the scooter, but it is a lot easier and quicker.  I manage my planes from the ground (don't use a stand) but battery access is such that it is just as easy if not easier this way.  I don't know about a heli.  I also like my fbl controller to remain still while initializing.  Not that that isn't possible for the heli to be still sitting on the grass, but I figure there is more likelihood the heli would jerk around a bit on the grass than on the wood stand.  I guess connecting the battery and putting the canopy on is possible from the ground, I would just have to figure it out. 

[Rodney Kirstine]

I have a 6S E5 and find it to be very easy to get in and out of the trunk of my car. I take it with me to work so I can fly at lunch. I really prefer it for this over my E7 because it is so much more compact.

[Ice House]

I found an old thread where folks were giving some weights. It looks like with a 4400 mah lipo, I'll be looking at 7.5 - 8 lbs. flying weight.  With 5000 mah, I'm probably looking at 1/4 pound or so more.  Realistically, I would need to plan for 8.0 - 8.5 lbs. flying weight.

[curmudgeon]

My Synergy E5 weighs 6 lbs., 7.4 oz (2,930g) without the LiPo's.  I have it configured with a CC EDGE 120HV ESC, BEC Pro, and a KDE-1100 motor, and 12.7°/-12.7° collective range.

My 6S 45C-60C 4400mah LiPos range in weight between 688g and 736g  (Flight ready helicopter weight 3,618g to 3,666g)
My 6S 4500mah 45C Pulse Ultra's weigh 758g  (Flight ready helicopter weight 3,688g)

I no longer use 5000mah LiPo's, but the 13 I sold (40C to 65C) ranged in weight between 820g and 864g.

Spinning 556/96 blades between 4:32min and 4:43min at a governed 2400rpm with the stock 1:4.0 tail ratio doing generally sports flying (speed runs at full collective, loops, rolls, etc.), I am burning between 2,703mah and 2,789mah off of the 4400mah packs.  That's roughly 63% depletion at an average rate of 597mah/min.  I tend to make more mistakes after 5 minutes of flying, so I tend to keep my flights to no more than 4:30 minutes.  However, I extrapolate that I should be able to get 5:50min from a 4400mah before hitting the 80% mark (of course, assuming that the capacity really is 4400mah).

[Ice House]

Exactly what I was looking for, Curmudgeon.  Thanks!

So I'm looking right around 6.5 lbs. without a lipo, right around 8 lbs. with a 4400 mah, and around 8.3 - 8.4 lbs. with a 5000 mah, though I'm guessing the larger the mah, the larger the weight variances in lipos.  I also should be able to get 4:30 - 5:00 minutes flying time our of the 4400 mah, which is about all my nerves can handle, anyway.

The way a heli is designed is a little easier for me to handle because I can grab the head with one hand and the boom with the other... the weight being pretty well distributed (or I've got other problems).  Typically, the heli pilots in my club fly 700's and maybe every now and then a 600 or 450.  I probably need to pick-up a 600 just to see how it feels, also knowing that the 600 will be heavier than the 550.  Unfortunately, I've only seen T-rex and Blade at the field, so I have no good way of knowing how the access would be with the E5 if I decided to do everything from the ground.   

[James F]

Packs load in a tray similar to a trex600.  Canopy off.  There are trays for loading the packs easier.  Www.fblrotors.com has them.  I opted to make some for my setup.   He makes them for both 6 cell and 12 cell setups..

[curmudgeon]

My Synergy E5 stretch weighs 6 lbs., 15.1 oz (3150g) dry and 9 lbs., 7.8 oz (4,304g) ready to fly with two 6S 45C 3,300mah packs.  The electronics are virtually the same as my E5 except for 606mm main blades, the heavier KDE-530 motor, and 1:4.5 tail ratio.  That's only 6g heavier than my previous heavily upgraded T-Rex 600 Pro.

My 6S E5 sees more air time than my 12S E5 stretch.