My New Toys for BCPP?

[BlizzardBoy]

Hello everybody, I'm back! (wow I've not been on in a while!)

Short story:
My family gave me some helicopter parts for christmas. I got another battery, some fancy carbon-fiber blades, and a "Heli Pitch Gauge".

Ok, well I wanted the battery, and I needed new blades (the plastic ones i was using were way too heavy, and the tail couldn't keep up with the blades.). So, I'm happy with these gifts, they'll be put to good use.

Just a few questions:

1. About the carbon blades (sym): I was wondering how easily these things break? Are they like the balsa blades (I doubt it)? Would they shatter if I crashed into a wall, or drove it into the ground?
2. About the carbon blades: Is the carbon material good with temperature changes? I'm planning (hopefully) to fly this winter (haven't flown in months). Well, indoor temperature for me is 22 degrees C, and outside ranges from + 5 deg. - -10 deg. Would this change affect the blades? Would it cause them to become brittle, or stress out the material, so they are weaker (gradually, maybe)?
3. About the carbon blades: They any good? What's your take?
4. About the Pitch Guage: What is this thing for? How would I use it? Do I need it? I've not opened it yet...

Thanks guys, and Happy new Year!

[Sparky Paul]

Don't have any experience with the CF blades... I did watch a 50 sized chopper damage the concrete on our runway two days ago.. Carbon blades hardly got scratched!
The pitch gauge, if it looks like this... Level the flybar, align the top of the pitch gauge with the flybar, read the angle.
A more sensitive version, for the smaller heli...

[BlizzardBoy]

This particular pitch guage I have is designed for mini/micro helicopter, more specifically, the BCP.

Once I read the angle, what do I do? What does it matter (I don't want to sound ignorant, I'm just curious)?

-- Zan

[Sparky Paul]

Your manual tells you what the blade pitch should be for certain throttle positions. You use the gauge to get these set properly.

[leapfrog]

What Sparky said. It helps you set up the head for proper throttle/pitch curves (remember, the Blade's TX is "hard coded" to those available curves, and to get the performance, it should be set to the specifications as given in the manual - pp 31-32).

It's not black magic... it's really simple. But it would probably help to see it done by someone familiar for the first time...

Also... take a look here, here, here, and also here for some information on setting pitch...

Blue skies, buddy...

[Sparky Paul]

At this location..
http://www.ltair.com/products/model/Pitch_gauge.htm
make this change in steps 2 and 3
"The reading will -NOT-be accurate if you don't align the top part of your pitch gauge with the flybar, or your flybar is not horizontal"

[leapfrog]

Nice catch, Sparky...