In this document, we will guide you through installing the MS Composites Hornet CP head assembly onto a FP Feda Hummingbird heli kit. With this modification, the stability of the Hornet head will be gained with the hassle free and solid tail of the piccolos. The stock swash assembly that is included with the CP upgrade can be used along with the A/R pin and arm, but we've decided to use an upgraded swash and A/R arm with this setup. The steps will be the same, just replace the upgraded swash and A/R arm with the stock one. Also, the stock main motor is replaced with a brushless and the stock tail motor is replaced with a high performance tail motor.

 A 10-tooth pinion is used for the main motor and an 8 tooth is used for the tail. The head assembly stays the same with the exception of the main shaft. Dimensions for the shaft are given below. Since we will be cutting away the servos mounts and radio box, a 120-degree plate will be used to mount the servos. Let's get started, shown is a stock Hummingbird kit.


The image displays the main shaft we used along with its dimensions. The holes are 1mm and the shaft is 3mm in diameter. A locking shaft collar can be used instead of the bottom hole for trying other various size shafts.


We use 120-degree servo mounting plate to mount the servos. Other methods could be used but this is the most effective and simplest. You can make a plate from any material including plexy glass or balsa wood. The idea is to have the 3 servos at 120 degress from each other for CCPM to work properly.


First start off by stripping everything off the stock heli kit. We take the FP head assembly off, the landing gear and canopy.

Next step, we remove the stock A/R arm to make room for the upgraded aluminum one.

In the next step, we carefully remove the radio box and servo mounts as shown. Again, take great care not to remove too much material. This step was done using by only using an X-Acto knife, a Dremel can make the job easier but is not needed.

In this next step, we fit the aluminum Anti Rotation Arm onto the main shaft support. We first take off the excess material that’s on the main shaft that was left over from the stock A/R arm. Take your time with this step since it’s much easier to take off material then it would be to add if too much is take off. Either sandpaper or a Dremel tool can be used to remove the material. As you remove material, make sure the shaft support remains perfectly round. Stop and check for fit, then remove more material if needed. After you are done, the A/R arm should fit on there snug as shown in the picture on the right. The A/R Arm faces forward, towards the nose of the heli.

Next, we will fit the 120-degree servo mounting plate on the shaft support. Again, the 120 plate can be made from many materials. When making a plate make sure that all servos fit and that the center hole is large enough to fit the plate onto the chasis

Take the plate and test fit it on the shaft support. If it won’t fit, don’t force it, open the hole up a bit more with a Dremel or file and test fit again. Once a snug fit is achieved, you are ready to glue it in place. Make sure that the side with the ring is on the bottom so it doesn’t interfere with the servo mounting.

Once you have the plate on the shaft support and it’s fits snuggly, we are ready to glue it in place. First, make sure the plate is perpendicular to the shaft support both from the sides and front. Next, slide the plate so that it’s 15mm from the top of the top bearing as shown. Then double check for square ness again and take glue in place. Measure again and check for alignment and if happy with the results, glue the place in place. It’s better to use several light coats of CA then to coat it with one heavy one. Make sure you glue both the top and bottom. NOTE: Test fit the motor that is to be used during this step, adjust the plate as needed to ensure the motor will fit. If you need to move the plate more then 5mm up, then you will have to offset the plate and A/R in the next steps so that the motor will fit

Next we mount the A/R arm on the shaft support. First, roughen the bottom of the A/R arm with some sand paper so the glue will adhere better. Ensure that it’s pointed to the front of the heli and is also perpendicular to the shaft support and the bottom part is parallel to the servo plate as shown. The top of the shaft support is even with the top of the A/R arm. Once happy with the fit, tack it in place taking great care not to get glue into the head-bearing slot. NOTE: remove the shaft and top bearing before attempting to glue so CA doesn’t seep and glue them in place. Continue to layer the glue until a secure bond is made and set it aside to dry for a bit.


Mount the servos onto the plate as shown with the output shafts aligned correctly. If it helps, install the swash to line the servos up that way to ensure they are mounted correctly. 3M-exterior/interior double-sided tape was used for the step. Take your time and check each servo to confirm they are lined up correctly with the swash. The best method is to set up one servos, check it for alignment with the swash and then secure it in place with the tape, then move on to the next servos until all are secured


Re-install the main shaft, shaft collar and bearings. Install the main gear. Mount your main motor as shown and ensure you have proper gear mesh with the main gear. Secure the motor mounting screws as well as the motor pinion screw with loctite. Re-install the landing gear and battery mounting rods as shown.


In the next few steps we start installing the electronics, on the right side of the model, the main ESC and tail ESC is installed with 3M double sided tape. You may choose to mount your electronics to best suit your application


The Gyro and RX are now mounted. If using a larger gyro such as the Futaba FY-240, it can be mounted on the front battery plate shown a few steps down, the battery then can be mounted under the main gear


The tail motor can be replaced with a high output motor. An 8-tooth pinion is used but if more power is desired, then a 9 or 10 tooth can be used as well. During the test flights, the 8 tooth provided plenty of power for routine flying. The motor is a straight drop in, just the mounting screws need to be replaced with 1.6mm screws. Piccolo PRO tail motor screws work perfect for this step


The radio box cover that was used to protect the electronics can be used as a battery tray. Either light plywood or carbon fiber would work just as well. We cut the little tabs off the cover to use as a battery tray. Slide the tray between the two battery mounting rods and glue in place. Use several coats and ensure you have enough glue to hold it securely.


The battery is mounted on the front tray with either Velcro or can be rubber banded in place. If you are using a bigger gyro like the Futaba GY-240, the gyro can be mounted on this place and the battery can be rubber banded under the main gear or even under this plate depending on how your heli needs weight distributed to be balanced properly.


The Head assembly is built per the instructions included with the kit and installed on to the heli. The servo links are connected and the swash is trimmed level. You will need CCPM 120-degree mixing on your TX to make the swash move correctly.

As for the main motor, we recommend using the Hacker B20-22 or the Hacker B20-26 brushless motors as thay have plenty of power and will allow for great 3D CP Flying with your new CP Hummingbird. Use a 9T Pinion on the Hacker Motor.

Conversion is ready for first test flight. Set the pitch 0 at lower throttle, about 5 degrees at mid stick and about 9 degrees at high stick and adjust from there. The revo mix was set at –82% for the first point to get the tail ESC to arm and -65%,-45%,-25%,-15% for the other points. Of course these are just a guideline and actual settings will depend on your set up, equipment and TX. Our model’s test flight wasn’t eventful, small vibrations were present and were caused by the tracking being off. After the tracking was corrected, model trimmed and revo mix set, it’s a very stable flyer. Enjoy all the hard work that you’ve done and now go fly!