REVIEW HELI-MAX NOVUS 200 FP - 201209
Mark Fadely [email protected]
The first thing you notice when you open the box is that the Novus 200 FP is a large helicopter compared with previous Novus models. I have owned all of the other smaller, micro-size Novus machines and the new 200 FP is much larger.
The canopy is similar in style to its smaller siblings and is made of a durable, flexible material. The engineers have added a nice front-mounting design for the canopy.
The landing gear separates from the fuselage and captures the front canopy holes in a breakaway setup that should help minimize damage during hard landings. This is the first helicopter with this innovation. I like it. It is one of those “why didn’t I think of that?” solutions.
The big Novus is beefy. It does not have that delicate micro-helicopter feel that makes you think something could break or bend easily.
The tail on this machine is a complete reworking of boom and drive systems. It utilizes a mid-mounted tail-rotor motor turning a high-end shaft drive. Nearly every other model in this category either has a belt-driven tail or a tail-fin-mounted motor for yaw control.
The mid-fuselage tail-motor drive makes sense, keeping the CG more toward the main shaft. It also reduces the tail moment to aid in fast yaw response. There is less weight to swing around.
The fixed-pitch main rotor system is easier for beginners to deal with than the more responsive and sometimes too-aggressive collective-pitch rotor heads.
The heli has a new 45° weighted stabilizer bar. Some will call it a flybar, but it really isn’t a flybar because it has no aerodynamic paddles attached to it. The stabilizer bar has two fairly large weights on the ends to create a gyroscopic, dynamic damping for the main rotor system. I will discuss the effects of the new stabilizer bar in the flight review.
The heli’s battery compartment is cool. It is a box with a locking lid on the underside of the machine. Thank goodness someone finally paid attention to this hassle-prone item. Most small helicopters require you to futz around with taking the canopy off or twisting wires and things to get the battery installed before each flight. The lockbox on the bottom of the 200 FP works like a charm and captures the battery securely for worry-free flying. Kudos on this little advancement!
The Novus 200 FP comes with a separate receiver and servo configuration, as do larger 450-size helicopters. The rotor head is similar to a higher-end, larger helicopter. It is all metal and well made. The 200 FP includes a spare set of rotor blades as well. The transmitter includes dual rates so the pilot can ease into a more responsive setup. Many elements from larger, more expensive helicopters have been dropped into this durable, downsized airframe. It looks to be the perfect upgrade path for pilots who are graduating from coaxial machines. It is a wise choice as a next step up because this robust model will often shake off those minor accidents that advancing pilots have without damage. It will also get its users ready for the feel of a much larger machine.
The helicopter comes with a nice four-channel, 2.4 GHz transmitter, one LiPo flight pack, and a charger. All you need are some batteries for the transmitter and you are ready to fly. I pulled the 200 FP out of the box, loaded the transmitter batteries, and took off with no adjustments to anything.
Flying
I decided to make the 200 FP’s maiden flight outdoors. The wind was light on a beautiful spring morning at my local park. I charged the LiPo battery, inserted it into the locking battery compartment, set the machine on the ground, and spooled up. It was soon airborne, but there was an exaggerated wobble in my first hover. Normally that means loosen the main blades; the blades were tight when shipped from the factory. Sure enough, I slightly loosened the blades and it took off without a wobble and flew like a well-tamed pussycat. The controls felt smooth, yet responsive. The 45° stabilizer bar is a great compromise.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
