REVIEW HELI-MAX NOVUS 200 FP - 201209

The fi rst 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 it is made of a durable,
fl exible 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 fi rst helicopter with this innovation. I like it. It is of 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 fi n-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 fi xed-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 fl ybar, but
it really isn’t a fl ybar 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
dampening for the main rotor system. I will discuss the effects of the new stabilizer
bar in the fl ight 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 fi nally 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 fl ight.
The lockbox on the bottom of the 200
FP works like a charm and captures the
battery securely for worry-free fl ying.
Kudos on this little advancement!
The Novus 200 FP comes with a
separate receiver and servo confi guration
as do the 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 fl ight
pack, and a charger.
All you need are
some batteries for
the transmitter
and you are ready
to fl y. 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 fl ight outdoors. The wind was
light on a beautiful spring morning at
my local park. I charged the LiPo battery
then 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 fi rst 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 between being too slow and
unresponsive to being overly sensitive. The 45° design
appears to be a real winner.
I took the Novus up to roughly 50 feet and began a fairly
fast circuit around the park. After I established a medium
speed forward flight pace, the heli felt almost exactly like
flying a 450-size collective-pitch machine.
The tail was quick and snapped into position with the help
of the internal gyro. The model has some mass and in turn
flies well in the wind. The motor has plenty of power for
nice climb outs and good transitional speeds. The main rotor
blades are bright white on the bottom and black on top so
they help keep the pilot orientated.
This new model has been a pleasure to fly and fills a niche
between the smaller, beginner coaxial helis and the larger, less
stable 450-size aerobatic machines. Many pilots will benefit
from using the 200 FP as a training platform while advancing
their flying skills.