BladeRunner - FAQ

In General

The BladeRunner is a very advanced toy helicopter. It utilizes 2 high quality motors, light weight electronics with 3 channel proportional control, rudder-throttle mixing - 2 electronic speed controllers for the main motors and a bi-directional rotor for the tail.

The BladeRunner's transmitter has an internal lithium-polymer battery charger with a built-in cable and connector, which is used to recharge the helicopter. The transmitter uses household AC current to power the built-in charger circuit via a DC adaptor, and a 9V alkaline battery to power the transmitter circuit.

The controls are similar to high-end model helicopters so the Bladerunner is great for learning to operate those horrendously expensive models without making a huge dollar commitment. The BladeRunner is built to withstand minor crashes such as bumping into walls and furniture. The tail rotor is intentionally very small in order to keep the forward / backward speed low - thus making the helicopter easy to fly and to give you lots of time to react. The ring around the small tail propeller is a safety feature, but it also slows down the speed of the tail propeller to keep the forward / backward speed low.

For instructions on how to use the controls, charge the flight battery and fly the Bladerunner please refer to the Instruction Manual. Click here


Questions and Answers

Replacing the rotors

To replace your rotors please contact Draganfly Innovations Inc.

Or call:

North America: 1-800-979-9794

Outside of North America: (306) 955-9907

The rotors are held in place by a friction-fitted short, plastic "tube" located at the very top of the drive shaft. If you need to replace the rotors, remove this plastic fitting - the rotors will then simply slide off. Please note that the body of the helicopter is delicate. Use care when handling it. Be especially careful when removing or re-installing the aforementioned plastic fitting.

Note that there are plastic spacers whose purpose is to keep the rotors separated. Also note that the upper rotor is 'keyed' to the D-shaped drive shaft. When replacing the upper rotor, you must ensure that you orient it properly so that the D-shape of the rotor's central opening slides onto the D-shaped drive shaft in the correct orientation. This should not require much force to do when the parts are correctly oriented. The lower rotor is also keyed to the drive shaft but instead of a D-shaped opening it uses a castellated nut whose ridges interlock with those of the drive shaft.

Repairing the rotor blades
If a rotor blade breaks or cracks it is usually possible to repair it with a piece of transparent tape. Cut a ¼" by 1" (6 x 25mm) piece of tape. Gently hold the blade in place while you apply the tape to the blade. Wrap the tape around the leading (front) edge of the blade and make sure that it covers both the top and bottom surfaces of the blade in the damaged area. It is important that you keep the blade straight when you apply the tape. Also, please note that if you use too much tape you may need to put some on the opposite blade as well, in order to keep the blades in balance. Another tip that you may want to try is to put some tape around the leading edges of the blades, especially at the tip, as a protection in case the rotors should come in contact with something during flight or in a crash.

The rotors are tilted and not level
When the rotors are not spinning it is quite normal for the rotors to rest in a tilted position. This is normal even if they are properly balanced. In stationary flight (hover) the rotors will level out. However, if you start to fly forward the lower rotor will usually tilt sideways. This is due to aerodynamic and gyroscopic forces and is necessary to maintain stability.

"UnSquishing" the BladeRunner's body shell
If you 'squish' or dent the body of the BladeRunner, you can easily pull it back into shape. Simply attach a piece of adhesive tape to the area where the body is impacted and then use that to pull it back into shape.

Straightening flattened landing gear
If the landing gear bends after too many hard landings. CAREFULLY bend the gear back to a suitable shape. Try not to bend the gear too much at the upper, pre-bent angle since that is where the gear is most likely to fail. Better to put a gradual bend into the entire length of the "legs".

If the BladeRunner keeps turning in one direction
Obviously you should first try to trim it with the trim tab located on the transmitter. If this doesn't fully correct the problem you can try to increase the pitch angle of the blades on one of the rotors (see below) by GENTLY bending the trailing edges of the blades as follows:

If the heli turns to the left - bend down the rear (trailing edges) of the upper rotor blades
If the heli turns to the right - bend down the rear (trailing edges) of the lower rotor blades

Please do not expect the BladeRunner to remain in perfect trim. The temperature of the motors and shafts etc varies during flight so the trim tends to drift a bit.

Even after you adjust the trim, you may still need to compensate left or right to keep the helicopter
steady.

Note for advanced pilots:
It is in fact better to adjust the blades rather than move the transmitter-based trim lever because you will get a few extra seconds of flight time and better performance. At full throttle the overall output from the motors is actually reduced when you apply trim or rudder stick. This is because the motors are already at 100% and to turn, the only thing the software can do is to reduce the speed of one of the motors. The other motor is at 100% and can not increase; therefore the combined output is lowered. If you need full trim in one direction, this means that one of your motors will never get up to 100%.

BladeRunner tipping over during takeoff
Launch the BladeRunner from flat, smooth surfaces - only. When taking off, briskly move the throttle stick forward to get the BladeRunner airborne quickly, then, reduce throttle a bit to prevent it from shooting skywards. Do NOT let the helicopter sit on the ground with the rotors spinning at partial power - this will almost certainly cause the helicopter to tip over due to uncompensated torque effects and gyroscopic precession.

If for some reason the helicopter tips over or crashes it is important to stop the rotors immediately by pulling the throttle stick to DOWN (to the 'off' position). Stopping the rotors while the throttle stick is not in the 'off' position could damage the motor brushes or the battery fuse.

How much space do I need to fly?
At least a mid-sized living room, clear of any obstructions is needed. Be sure to keep the BladeRunner away from walls, ceiling and other fixtures. The Bladerunner creates its own turbulence and because it is very sensitive to wind and turbulence (any kind of moving air) it is difficult to control when it is too close to the floor or near static objects. In fact it will seem to get "sucked" towards walls and ceilings. If this happens, reduce power immediately to prevent damage to the rotor system. Do NOT try to "power" out of the suction effect.

What about ceiling fans and air-conditioners?
The Bladerunner is very sensitive to wind and turbulence (any kind of moving air) and it can easily become unstable if you are attempting to fly it in a room with ceiling fans or air-conditioner systems which create turbulence. Because of this sensitivity to any kind of moving air, the Bladerunner can not be operated outdoors.

The tail rotor is tilted (or angled)
This is quite normal and does not influence on the stability of the helicopter. You should not try to change the angle of the motor. If the small yellow propeller itself is deformed and not spinning properly you could try to gently bend the propeller to be perpendicular to the motor shaft.

The tail rotor is not spinning when I operate the right hand stick (FWD/REV)
With the helicopter on the ground, initialize the transmitter by moving the throttle stick up a bit and then down again. Now test the tail motor by pushing the right stick up or down. If the tail motor does not start, try to turn it by hand while you hold full forward on the right stick. If the motor starts, run it at full speed for one minute and then reverse it by pulling the right stick to full reverse. Run the tail motor for another minute. Stop it and test again. If it still does not start by itself, repeat the procedure. If you are not able to start the tail motor it is still possible to fly your Bladerunner helicopter with almost full control and have a lot of fun.

The charging takes much longer than 20 minutes.
The weight of the Bladerunner can vary a little and this will influence your flight times. If you are able to fly for about 4-5 minutes, a full charge will take 20-30 minutes. However, if you are able to fly for more than one flight, resulting in longer total flight times - the charging time will also increase, up to 45-60 minutes.

How long will the Bladerunner fly?
This very much depends on the condition of your battery. Normal flight times are 2-3 minutes and up. If you are able to fly for more than 4 minutes you should land and let the motors cool down for a few minutes before you take to the air again.

What are the Warranty details?
The BladeRunner has a 30 day warranty. The warranty applies to manufacturing defects only!
If your BladeRunner does have a manufacturing defect, make sure that you include your receipt
when you return it for a replacement. Otherwise, the warranty does not apply. All returned products
will be tested and inspected to verify the manufacturing defect. In the event that a defect is not found, all costs incurred on the shipping of the product will become the responsibilty of the sender.

HAPPY FLYING !