Falcon 3D Repair Tips

You bought this heli because it’s RTF–Ready To Fly. That means you probably don’t know a swashplate from a flybar. Well, no matter how careful you are, you’re going to crash it at some point. Then, you’re going to need to repair it.

I went through this recently, and here are some things I learned:

• There are two places that sell replacement parts in the US: Hobby-Lobby and Ka-Planes. When figuring out which is cheaper, make note of the shipping costs.
• Buy common replacement parts ahead of time, because these parts often go out of stock. Here’s a good shopping list of things you’re likely to break, partially lifted from a forum:
  • 6016 - Main rotor blades (get extra. Ka-Planes has them a bit cheaper)
  • 6022 - Tailboom. These can often be bent back to shape, as long as you can make it straight again, a few dings don’t matter.
  • 6023 - Tail drive shaft (you may need a few of these). You might break the Tail Drive Gear Set (6005) taking this apart, so buy an extra set of those, too.
  • 6029 - Tailboom reinforcement struts
  • 6018 - Tailfin set
  • 6011 - Tail rotor blades
  • 6037 - Tail pushrod
  • 6049 - Tail gearbox assembly
  • 6030 - Bearings 8×3x4mm, 4 (The person on the forum recommended getting the here)
  • 6031 - Main rotor shaft (you may need a few of these)
  • 6032 - Flybar (a few of these)
• Many parts are cemented in. For example, the talboom has three bearings inside of it–one on either end, and one in the middle, to hold the tail drive shaft in place and allow it to rotate freely. They’re cemented in place, so you’ll need to knock them loose with a quick, fast strike. I placed a screwdriver in the center of the bearing and tapped it with a hammer to knock it loose without damaging it.
• You’ll need some micro-tools that fit the screw heads well. If they don’t fit well, you’ll strip the screws. If you do strip them, use the cutting edge on a dremel to cut a new groove in the head so you can remove it.
• Of all the parts, the most overpriced one is the tailboom. $13.40 for a hollow piece of aluminum–ridiculous. Stop by your local hunting shop (or that section of Wal-Mart) and buy some Easton 2213 xx75 arrow shafts. Those are reportedly exactly the same as the tail boom, but you’ll need to cut it to length with a dremel or something similar. I just ordered a batch from someone on a forum, so I’ll let you know how it goes.
• You can’t remove the main shaft until you remove the Collective Control Lever, right runs up the center of the main shaft to the Washout Set from below the main shaft (that thin wire that pokes out the bottom). To remove it, loosen all screws connecting to the main shaft so that the main shaft can spin freely. Then, loosen the screw connecting the Collective Pitch Arm to the Collective Control Lever. Use pliars to hold the collective Control Level still (and pull it down slightly), and then rotate the main shaft left (counter-clockwise). The Collective Control Lever will unscrew from the Washout.

Here are those parts labelled: