Excerpts Taken From The E-guide...

Chapter 1 - Introduction:

I more then often disagree with manufacturer’s claims when it comes to “recommendations” for beginner, intermediate or advanced RC heli enthusiast. That is pure hog wash in my opinion as it depends more on the individual than the helicopter at what level you can start with. Lots of people for example start with complex collective pitch birds and do so with great success because they did their homework. They understand it will take a long time to learn how to fly and know the importance of a good flight training program – methodical and logical.

That said, I do agree the mSR is the perfect stepping stone if you are intimidated by starting out with single rotor collective pitch right off the bat. The mSR will teach you as much about yourself as it will about RC helicopters – perhaps more. With the right settings, it will certainly be able to hone your skills that are transferable to single rotor collective pitch if and when you want to take that next fun step.

Chapter 2 - mSR Tail Rotor Motor Protection (TRMP):

If there is one absolute weakness on the Blade mSR, it is the fine exposed wiring that exits out the hollow tail boom to the tiny coreless tail motor. If you are flying in a carpeted room with only soft hazards such as pillows and a big comfy couch, the chances of doing damage to your tail motor wiring is slim. If on the other hand, you are flying in the garage, gym, outside, or any place where the tail motor could come into contact with a less than soft surface, your very first “to do” item is to protect the tail motor with this 30 second fix.

Chapter 3 - Adjusting mSR Blade Tracking:

“Seriously – blade tracking adjustment on the mSR, you must be joking!” I hear you saying. Yes, it is certainly worth while to check and try to adjust since every set of blades I have had for the mSR (ok, I have only had 3 sets, but others who contact me say the same thing) have been out of track. The mSR will fly not too bad with out of track blades, but it does vibrate and once you set the tracking correctly – it really smooths the bird out.

By the way, this method will work on any type of high lift plastic rotor blade. I use this method on all my Blade CX’s for example with great results every time.

Chapter 4 - Basic mSR Computerized Radio Setup:

This chapter focuses on programming a full function DSM2 computerized radio to be used with the Blade mSR. This could be anything from a Spektrum DX6i to a JR X12 or perhaps a Futaba computerized radio with a Spektrum DSM2 module. I get more questions about computerized radio setup and programming on the mSR over all other questions combined. It isn’t hard since the bird will fly pretty good with an “out of box bind” but that just scratches the surface. There is one big difference in my programming setup over E-flite’s recommendations – I strongly recommend that “HELI” mode be used – not “ACRO”, I will explain why when we get down to throttle curves.

Chapter 5 - Advanced mSR Radio Programming:

Once you are comfortable flying your Blade mSR, you may want to start altering things a bit in the radio programming to make it mimic a true single rotor collective pitch helicopter while hovering. This is especially useful for practicing nose in hovering where your cyclic controls are reversed. The Blade mSR is in my opinion one of the best single rotor collective pitch nose in hovering training aids provided it is set up correctly. Perhaps even better than a good simulator since you are actually flying something real and the “fear or stress factor” is somewhat duplicated while the “fun factor” is maintained.

The other “advanced programming” field that will be discussed in this chapter is how to eliminate the “built-in” rudder/elevator mixing that is programmed into the 5 in 1 unit.

Chapter 6 - Flybar Modification to Reduce TBO:

I am probably the last guy to recommend any low tech modifications to any RC helicopter to make it fly better. I am a firm believer to keep things 100 percent stock since 99% of the time, most low tech mods produce poor results at best. You may gain a slight edge in performance for one specific area of flight but drastically alter the flight characteristics for the worse in many other areas. Let’s face it, engineers have worked out all the bugs and done all that can be done to give the best compromise of flight performance across the board. As I have stated many times, all helicopters (model and full size) are a design compromise between stability, manoeuvrability, power consumption, lifting ability, flight speed, and of course – COST.

All that said; here is a simple modification I have experimented with to my flybar on my mSR. It actually works and doesn’t alter the flight characteristics that much...

Chapter 7 - mSR Maintenance, Repairs, Improvements:

In this chapter I will go over some common areas of maintenance required on the Blade mSR, frequent repair items, and several improvements you may want to try. I will also point out some good spare parts to keep on hand so you are not grounded when something wears out or breaks.

MAINTENANCE:

Flybar wear limits...

While the Flybar Modification Chapter is still fresh in my head, I may as well start with this item since it is the fastest wearing item on the mSR. This has been confirmed both with my experiences, and many others who contacted me.

REPAIRS / IMPROVEMENTS

Before I start into specific repairs, I first want to give one very important tip. If there is only one thing you get out of this entire chapter – this tip is it...

Testimonials

Hi John, I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your e-book about the Blade mSR. I honestly have been searching the internet for weeks looking for Blade mSR tips. I found a few that did and didn't work. I then stumbled across your e-book offering and decided for only 8 dollars to give it a try. I have to tell you, I certainly never expected all the information you gave in this book. I had no idea there was so much you could do with the mSR. I especially liked your explanation of toilet bowl effect and how to fix it. Your tips worked and my mSR is hovering better then it ever has. I still am digesting all the information and can't wait to apply it, especially the fly bar modification. Good thing I am on holidays next week - once again, thanks!

Stan Hunter
United States

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Thanks so much for the msr book - it explained more to me about not only flying the msr, but also about the Dx6i. After reading both the official manuals I understood nothing. Hours of internet searching - still none the wiser. But everything for the beginner is there in your manual. I believe e-flite should send it standard with the heli.

Guy Ester
Netherlands

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I recently bought a copy of your e-book; "Getting the most out of your Blade mSR" and I wanted to say "thanks"! I'm just getting into electric micro helis (bypassing the mCX, too simple) and your guide has been really useful and informative for me. The section on programming my DX6i for use with the mSR was a godsend! By getting the Tx profile set and tweaking the blade tracking per your simple to follow instructions, my mSR flys so much better and is much more controllable. The mSR review you did on your website was also of great interest as well.

Again, thanks and best regards - Jeff Houck
United States

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Hi John, I've been spending the last 6 weeks flying, fixing, and learning with my new DX7, CX2 and mSR. Your book taught me more in a couple of hours than I had learned in the past month! You explain things well, and you seem to hit on the important things that I really need to know. The throttle curves work great, and I've been experimenting with Dual Rate and Expo. It's snowing here, so I'm stuck flying in my living room, and these adjustments make for better practice and more fun!

Thanks again, Rick Rheaume
United States

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Hi John, just an update :-) I downloaded your mSR e-book the other day, purchased a mSR, was a bit too eager to get it in the air, unfortunately. I only read through chapter four, setting up my DX6i. After a bit of testing, I found the settings that worked for me (and after reading the whole book). Finally I now understand what dual rate and expo mean, tried different settings, looked at the servo movement, and ended up with these: This was a great book, just what I needed. I now I have all four books you have wrote, great work, and I hope you will be continuing this good work.

Best regards, Rune Aagesen
Norway

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Hey John, Since I found out about the e-book you were writing on the mSR, I have been checking your web site for the past 2 weeks. I was so happy to see you just released it. You didn't miss anything in my opinion, in fact you covered way more then I was expecting. As you mentioned in the book, your viewers had a big part in the many topics that were addressed and I was happy to be one of them. As I have come to expect from reading the many articles on your web pages, your explanations in the book are so easy to understand and the pictures are a great help. My mSR is now flying like new again. I don't have a computerized radio yet, but I hope Santa brings one. I have given my wife many DX6i hints. I can't wait to try out your settings on a better radio to really have a blast with this little helicopter. Thanks again!

Terry Arnold
United States

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