One word...  "AWESOME!"

Upon receiving the package from CAPTRON, I must admit I was a bit overwhelmed at first.  I had previously used their products such as HeliCommand 3A and HeliCommand Rigid.  This package definitely has so much more.

It took awhile to figure out how I was going to install the Profi.  I wanted to be able to use the optical feature for the review, which meant a clear view of the ground.  At the same time, I had to figure out how the center of gravity of the helicopter will be affected by the entire setup. 

The GPS by default was going to be installed on the tailboom, which posed no problem…yet.  During a test flight I accidentally knocked the GPS and noticed that my initial installation was inadequate.  I then purchased the aluminum tailboom belt for the Trex600 (as this is non-magnetic) as well as some stainless steel screws to secure the CF plate to where the GPS will be mounted to.  This installation is now rock solid.  Just a reminder, whenever the GPS mounting is disturbed you must recalibrate.

The air pressure filter installation was another issue I had to figure out, as this is affected by air flow.  It was a bit cumbersome finding a location where the "yellow ball filter” would have the least amount of air disturbance.  During my test flights I found the yellow ball not as consistent in holding altitude.  CAPTRON sent a new air pressure filter that worked much better than the yellow ball.  The new air filter is much easier to find a location for installation due to its thin profile.

The RC module cable and regulator cable also presented an issue at how to lay them out without looking cluttered.  The "blackbox" was my solution; it protects the RC module connections and makes the overall installation look orderly.

Flight Tests and Performance

I found the Profi's boot up time excellent with GPS.  If booting up in the same location it's even faster, as it keeps a record of its "last known coordinate".

On my first night out of test flights the autotrim function was not working.  I was puzzled at first as I thought it would be the same as HC 3A and Rigid.  I was wrong.  There is a small red LED on the bottom right of the LED monitor on the Profi.  If you raise the collective stick you will notice this red LED will turn off.  Basically, you cannot autotrim in low stick position.  Once I figured this out the system performed as expected.  The horizontal hold function is excellent.  Minimal cyclic input is all that it takes for correction. 

Optical position hold is dependent on ground contrast, but once it's locked it holds position quite well, even with moderate wind.  Keep in mind that ground surfaces which offers no contrast, such as snow, will prove to be a difficult surface to lock onto.  

Altitude dampen mode is excellent.  As shown on the videos, it locks the altitude of the helicopter during flight quite well.  The same for altitude hold mode.  Once the gain settings are adjusted correctly the altitude is pretty much locked.  What I like about the H pilot is the ability to adjust gain "on the fly" with the sliders to fine tune the hold at varying altitudes.

My favorite altitude setting is "SINK STOP".  This basically senses the helicopter's altitude during descent and slowly lowers the helicopter's altitude until landed. 

During low level flights the Profi has another hidden instrument to hold the helicopter's altitude.  It has an infrared sensor that works within 1.5m that senses distance to the ground.

The internal tail gyro is good -- it's good enough for professional use.  I would stay away from using it in any hard aerobatic or 3D flights.  Remember the internal tail gyro is required for the FACE home function.  I had to use my Futaba 9254 tail servo as suggested by CAPTRON and could not use tail servos such as 9256 or BLS251.

The FACE home function will probably be the favorite for pilots who venture out into the distance.  It really does "Face Home".  "HOME" is where the GPS first acquires coordinates.  So if you need this function remember to initialize the GPS in a location where you have designated as your landing zone.  You could also activate the Face home function during failsafe.

If you do not wish to use the Face home function then you could use any external tail gyro.  I did not find any issue with most popular tail gyros.

GPS position hold is excellent.  It works within its accuracy range of 2.5m.  Of course GPS hold is dependent on the number of satellites that is available.  Stopping distance is good.  It doesn't abruptly stop the helicopter, after releasing the sticks from forward flight, on the spot but rather gently slows down the helicopter then holds position.

Pilot input is instant, at any flight mode the pilot is able to give input to the helicopter without any delay either cyclic or collective input. 

With this system you are not limited to the number of channels that you are allowed to use.  Also on the manual it states to plug in power into the RC module.  You could bypass this and plug in power directly into the receiver.  Again you are not limited to the number of channels.  So you could plug in a redundant power source into the receiver as well as other controls such as for cameras.

I did plan on adding the RIGID function to this review, but unfortunately I didn't like the flybarless head that I had purchased.  I will look into other models and will update this review.  I have worked with HC Rigid on a flybarless Maxi-Joker2.  It works really well even with the "hobbyist" version.  I'm quite certain the Rigid function on the Profi works well.

The only task that users may find troublesome is finding the optimal setup in the software for their helicopter.  As you can see there are a lot of options.  You have to remember the Profi has been out in the market for quite some time so it's software is very mature compared to its peers.  Take into consideration that you will need some time to learn the software and fine tune the setup of the helicopter.

Given all these features the pilot will have to be competent at the controls.  There are a lot of options available, so knowledge of the transmitter's controls and features are mandatory to fully utilize this system.

Improvements?  One thing I would wish for is the altitude sensor be built inside the Profi's case and eliminate the need for an external sensor.  I do realize the Profi is already packed with so many instruments.

Second, a flight data recorder for analysis would be useful.  Data could be saved on an internal or external RAM.  Data such as pilot input vs. system output, altitude, distance, power, head speed, etc.  This information could be used to analyze flight performance or crash analysis.

Third, for aerial photographers/videographers, an optional gimbal stabilizer would be a neat function to have as an add-on feature later on. 

Customer service with CAPTRON is excellent.  I have dealt with them in inspecting a crashed product and I received the unit back in a timely manner.  Communication back and forth is excellent as well.

CAPTRON didn't hold back with their Profi/GPS combination.  This is a feature "jammed" packed system.  I can't wait to see what else CAPTRON has brewing...

A huge thank you to Joachim from CAPTRON for making this review possible.

A special thanks to Rotor RC for their continued support, contributions and assistance in making this review..

Thanks guys! 

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