What effect on stability and performance do blades, paddles, and fly bar have?
Depending on what model you have and what you want it to do, all of the above have effects on the feel and performance of the model. F3C models, as a rule, are built to be ultra stable in hover. One of the ways we can do that is to use a very heavy flybar. We usually select a flybar paddle that weighs between 35-55 grams with a fairly thick airfoil and forward CG. There are many types that fit that description but the two I am most familiar with are the FunTech carbons and the MA pro II s which can be built between approximately 28- 52 grams (I personally ran 38 grams). I addition we can use flybar weights to tailor the feel of the cyclics to personal preference. Blades for an FAI model can be either symmetrical or semi-symmetrical and generally weigh between 185 and 245grams and are very “nose heavy.” The semis tend to be really fast in straight flight, do nice pitch maneuvers, and do autos pretty well but may have some “issues” when rolling. Symmetricals do everything pretty well but
