January 2004 119
WE GOT ROUGHLY a month of decent
weather with more sun than rain, but it still
managed to rain at least one day of the
weekend almost every week. Those of us
who live in the Northeast learn to get what
we can out of the nice weather. Then there
are those who are really lucky and get to go
south for the winter for flying all the time.
Ah, retirement. Someday.
So far I’ve gotten some really good,
positive feedback about my column and one
scathing E-mail. It seems that I shouldn’t
write any more about the basics of learning
to fly. The writer claims that learning to
hover nose in has been reiterated “ad
nauseum” and that I should point readers to
the Internet for the required information.
Maybe I should point the readers to the
Internet for everything in this column and
close it out from Model Aviation completely.
Yes, the Internet is certainly timelier for
breaking news, but it is not as convenient as
a magazine.
How many of you take your laptops to
the “reading room” to surf the Internet? Not
me. And I certainly cannot afford to hook up
to the Internet while I do my traveling. I take
magazines, such as Model Aviation, with me
on my trips wherever I go. They’re great for
those long airplane flights. You can take
them to the model field if you like. Did you
ever try to find something you’re looking for
on the Internet among the endless volumes
of drool out there?
Thank you, but I’ll continue to read the
magazine. There are those who desperately
need the information I provide here, and I
will continue to do so. I pity the poor soul
who goes to this gentleman for help at the
field. “Hey ‘new guy,’ don’t bother me. Go
find whatever it is you’re looking for on the
Web and leave me to my flying.”
Newcomers to this hobby outnumber
those who stick around for the long haul.
Many leave because of the lack of help in
sport-flying helicopters. I struggled for a
long time to learn to fly helicopters because
there wasn’t a local club with that pool of
knowledge for me to tap into to overcome
my learning difficulties.
To ignore those individuals who are
coming into this hobby in favor of those
who already know it all would do a great
disservice to the Academy of Model
Aeronautics and everything for which it
stands. I will continue to do whatever it
takes to make the task of learning to fly
helicopters less painful. There will be more
people involved with the specialty as a
result. That’s how a hobby evolves.
Dan Williams, 27 Treeline Dr., Liverpool NY 13090; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL HELICOPTERS
Part of the 2003 IRCHA Jamboree flightline at the National Flying Site.
The Jamboree featured 10 pilot stations for plenty of flying opportunities.
Events included a Scale contest at which East Coast Helicopters had a display.
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:25 am Page 119
120 MODEL AVIATION
One last thing: you helicopter gurus who think there’s a huge
lack of stuff of interest in Model Aviation for you, you’re right. Do
you want to do something about it? Stop griping, get off of your
butts, and write something! Okay, I’ll get off of my soapbox now.
The month of August brings thoughts of the largest gathering of
helicopters, pilots, and manufacturers. This year the International
Radio Control Helicopter Association (IRCHA) put on the annual
IRCHA Jamboree and the 10th-annual Heli-Internationals in
Muncie, Indiana, at the Academy of Model Aeronautics’ National
Flying Site.
If you’ve never been to the AMA site, you’re missing
something. It is by far the most awesome place to fly. Except for
the occasional tree, there’s really nothing to interrupt the view all
the way to the horizon. Well, it seems that way anyway. Basically
there’s nothing except terra firma to hit with a model.
The author hates painting canopies, and shown is the answer to
his prayers. Many vendors exhibited their wares.
Getting into forward flight. Tip blade disk forward, and
downwash from the blades propels the helicopter forward.
Getting out of forward flight. Tip disk (and model) back; blades’
air movement pushes out forward, slowing helicopter.
BRODAKManufacturing &
Distributing Co., Inc.
The largest supplier of control-line airplanes
TRU-LAUNCH STOOGE
If you want to go flying by yourself, you will need
a reliable and safe launching device. The Tru-
Launch Stooge was designed to handle this job
for you. It features a sturdy 1/8 inch thick
aluminum base plate onto which are riveted
three turned aluminum uprights.
BH-848 Tru-Launch Stooge TLS-1 . . . . . . . . . . .16.99
also available Catalogue #12-B Send $5.00 to
Brodak’s 100 Park Avenue • Carmichaels, PA 15320
Phone: 724-966-2726 • Fax: 724-966-5670
E-Mail: [email protected] • Web Site: www.brodak.com
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:26 am Page 120
January 2004 123
I visited the site in 2001 for the F3C
World Championships, which was
followed immediately by the eighth-annual
Heli-Internationals. I didn’t make it this
year, but I got a report and some
photographs from my good friend Chuck
Wright of Syracuse, New York. Chuck
flies with the Syracuse Helicopter Group.
He made the trek to Muncie with his
family and got to see some of the most
incredible helicopter flying anywhere.
Everybody who’s anybody shows up
for this event. There isn’t a better place to
get help, see the latest stuff, see some great
flying, and fly gallon after gallon. With 10
flight stations marked out along the
runway, there’s no excuse not to fly.
This year the Heli-Internationals was
held August 14-17. The event brought in
378 registered pilots and more vendors
than ever. Every day at noon the flightlines
were shut down and demonstrations
commenced. All of the major helicopter
manufacturers demonstrated their stuff
with the best 3-D flying you’ll ever see.
There were drag racing and autorotation
contests. There was a Scale contest
Saturday, and that night there was a nightflying
contest. That alone is worth the trip
to Muncie. Everything these pilots did
during the day was done at night along
with music. It’s quite the spectacle.
At an event such as this you’ll meet
some of the nicest people. Darrell Bell (Big
D) befriended Chuck’s daughter Hannah,
and he arranged to get some hats signed by
all of the top pilots for Chuck’s group.
This is basically a fly-in, not a contest
event, so there aren’t the normal contest
pressures making the pilots anxious. You
can fall asleep under a canopy to the
constant drone of 10 helicopters flying on
the flightline. This is a great place to
unwind, get your fill of helicopters, and
have a great time with a bunch of friends.
Make sure you get a chance to attend
one of these events. You’ll be hooked and
will come back year after year. Next month
I’ll share some pictures and good times
from an event much closer to my home that
was attended by the undisputed master of
helicopters: Curtis Youngblood.
WWW.PSPEC.COM
Complete engine and muffler packages are available.
VISIT US AT WWW.PSPEC.COM.
DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME!
TWISTER 4-STROKE MUFFLERS & ELBOWS
PISTON/CYLINDER ASSEMBLIES
ULTRATHRUST MUFFLERS
PERFORMANCE SPECIALTIES
PO Box 3146 • Gardnerville, NV 89410
Phone: 775-265-7523 • Fax: 775-265-7522
This month I’ll continue what I started a
couple of months ago and discuss the next
stage of development for increasing flying
proficiency: beginning forward flight.
Many of these topics have been discussed
in the past, and many have been brought up
in this column.
My take is that there are always
newcomers in the hobby, and the basics
have to be reiterated from time to time. I
love to teach people about helicopters, and
I like to present my experiences during the
learning process in the hopes that more
people will try helicopters.
Radio setup should be in Normal Mode
and is usually shown in the helicopter’s
instruction manual. It usually consists of a
throttle curve that starts at idle for low
stick, 50-60% throttle at half stick (hover),
and 100% or full throttle at high stick.
Many starter radios provide three points
of adjustment for throttle and pitch curves
as a minimum. Use these points as a place
to begin if you don’t have the helicopter
manual. For the pitch it’s usually 3-5°
negative at low stick, approximately 5° at
half stick (hover), and close to full pitch, 9-
or 10° positive, at high stick.
Now we need some education. What is
transitional lift? I’ll just touch on enough to
get you what you need to keep learning to
fly. When the helicopter starts to move
forward relative to the surrounding air, it
develops what is known as transitional lift.
Not only are the blades developing the
lift necessary to keep the helicopter in a
hover, but there’s also forward air
movement through the blades. The blades
develop more lift because of the forward air
movement, and they become more
efficient. The result is more lift than is
necessary for a hover. The helicopter rises.
I don’t want to get technical here. There
are good Internet discussions about
transitional lift, and I don’t want to get
bogged down in the details. That’s
unnecessary for learning to fly. Learn that
it’s there and it has an effect on the
helicopter.
There are several ways to get a feel for
how forward flight will be without fully
committing. From a hovering position, try
nudging the helicopter into forward flight a
bit by pushing the right stick forward
slightly. The nose will point down, and the
helicopter will accelerate a bit and rise up
from the extra lift. Getting the helicopter
into forward flight is really that easy.
You’re tipping the blade disk forward, and
some of the hovering downdraft is going to
push the helicopter forward.
Let the right stick go back to center and
let the helicopter slow back down into a
hover. If it doesn’t, pull back on the right
stick a bit and give it a bit of throttle stick.
Once the helicopter has stopped moving
forward, hold it in a hover and back it up
toward yourself. This little exercise will
help show you what it’s like to get into
forward flight.
Another exercise is to get out in the
middle of the flying area and fly around
yourself. Keep facing the side of the
helicopter as you go around in a large
circle. As you speed up the movement,
you’ll start to experience the feel of
transitional lift, getting the helicopter into
forward flight and then back into a hover.
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:26 am Page 123
124 MODEL AVIATION
Practice circling in both directions.
Another way to try forward flight is to do
some figure eights out in front of you,
turning the helicopter into the direction of
flight as you go. Ease into it slowly. As you
start the slow figure eights, you’ll find that
you need to use rudder to get the helicopter
to turn; otherwise, it will bank but it won’t
turn. This is the big difference from flying a
fixed-wing model. You’ll learn the value of
rudder rather quickly.
Don’t forget to practice the eights going
both ways. As you bank, use a little back
cyclic by pulling back a bit on the right stick.
This will compensate for the lack of lift as
the helicopter banks around the turn.
Straighten everything out at the end of the
turn by banking back to straight and letting
go of the back cyclic.
Getting a helicopter out of forward flight
can be a bit trickier, especially if you’ve
really picked up momentum and altitude.
Pull back slowly on the right stick, and ease
down on the throttle stick a bit as the
helicopter tries to rise up from the back
cyclic. This will take away the forward force
and start slowing the helicopter.
As the disk is getting tipped back, some
of the downdraft keeping the helicopter aloft
is going to be pushed forward, further
slowing the model. I usually start this as the
helicopter approaches me so I end up getting
back into a full hover somewhere out past
my position.
Just call and ask for
cowlings, wheelpants or
floats from Carl Goldberg
Models, Midwest Products,
Global Hobbies, Great
Planes Manufacturing, Pica
Products and many more.
Most cowlings are
seamless.
Call for
Price
List
or
visit
us
on the
internet!
Make it last
with fiberglass.
We have a large selection
of one piece, epoxy
resin cowlings and
wheel pants.
Stan’s Fiber Tech
2575 Jackson, Riverside, CA 92503
909-352-4758 • www.stansfibertech.com
Micro-Mark has more than 2,600 name-brand and hard-to-find
tools and accessories…many at discount prices. You’ll complete
your projects in less time with more professional results!
340-3219 Snyder Avenue
Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922-1538
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE ZIP COUNTRY
JEWELERS’ QUALITY DRILL PRESS
To order our catalog, send $1 and this coupon to:
1-800-225-1066 • www.micromark.com
Please say you saw our ad in the January issue of Model Aviation.
MICRO-MARK’S
got it!
®
#81631
As you start slowing the helicopter, it
will start to sink. If you’re too high, that’s a
good thing. If you’re already too low, you
need to add more throttle stick to gain some
altitude. It is a balancing act between cyclic,
which is slowing the model, and
throttle/collective, which is going to add
power.
Once the helicopter stops moving
forward, give whatever collective is
necessary to hold it in a hover and use the
right stick to keep a level attitude. I’ve
included a couple of pictures to illustrate
what the helicopter looks like when it’s
getting into and out of forward flight.
If you know of a fixed-wing model club
or belong to one, see if you can get some
stick time on someone’s trainer airplane.
That’s one of the best ways to learn what to
do in forward flight because a helicopter
acts much like an airplane does. Doing the
approach to landing is almost like getting
the helicopter slowed and back into a hover.
At nearly the time that the airplane is
rotating to land, the helicopter should be
leveled, have power added, and be brought
up into a hover.
That’s it for this month. Keep E-mailing me
and I’ll include what information I can. If
you have pictures from an event, pass them
along and give me some information; I’d be
glad to include it. Keep practicing! Success
is found at the bottom of each gallon of fuel
burned. You’ve got to burn it to learn it! MA
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:26 am Page 124
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/01
Page Numbers: 119,120,123,124
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/01
Page Numbers: 119,120,123,124
January 2004 119
WE GOT ROUGHLY a month of decent
weather with more sun than rain, but it still
managed to rain at least one day of the
weekend almost every week. Those of us
who live in the Northeast learn to get what
we can out of the nice weather. Then there
are those who are really lucky and get to go
south for the winter for flying all the time.
Ah, retirement. Someday.
So far I’ve gotten some really good,
positive feedback about my column and one
scathing E-mail. It seems that I shouldn’t
write any more about the basics of learning
to fly. The writer claims that learning to
hover nose in has been reiterated “ad
nauseum” and that I should point readers to
the Internet for the required information.
Maybe I should point the readers to the
Internet for everything in this column and
close it out from Model Aviation completely.
Yes, the Internet is certainly timelier for
breaking news, but it is not as convenient as
a magazine.
How many of you take your laptops to
the “reading room” to surf the Internet? Not
me. And I certainly cannot afford to hook up
to the Internet while I do my traveling. I take
magazines, such as Model Aviation, with me
on my trips wherever I go. They’re great for
those long airplane flights. You can take
them to the model field if you like. Did you
ever try to find something you’re looking for
on the Internet among the endless volumes
of drool out there?
Thank you, but I’ll continue to read the
magazine. There are those who desperately
need the information I provide here, and I
will continue to do so. I pity the poor soul
who goes to this gentleman for help at the
field. “Hey ‘new guy,’ don’t bother me. Go
find whatever it is you’re looking for on the
Web and leave me to my flying.”
Newcomers to this hobby outnumber
those who stick around for the long haul.
Many leave because of the lack of help in
sport-flying helicopters. I struggled for a
long time to learn to fly helicopters because
there wasn’t a local club with that pool of
knowledge for me to tap into to overcome
my learning difficulties.
To ignore those individuals who are
coming into this hobby in favor of those
who already know it all would do a great
disservice to the Academy of Model
Aeronautics and everything for which it
stands. I will continue to do whatever it
takes to make the task of learning to fly
helicopters less painful. There will be more
people involved with the specialty as a
result. That’s how a hobby evolves.
Dan Williams, 27 Treeline Dr., Liverpool NY 13090; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL HELICOPTERS
Part of the 2003 IRCHA Jamboree flightline at the National Flying Site.
The Jamboree featured 10 pilot stations for plenty of flying opportunities.
Events included a Scale contest at which East Coast Helicopters had a display.
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:25 am Page 119
120 MODEL AVIATION
One last thing: you helicopter gurus who think there’s a huge
lack of stuff of interest in Model Aviation for you, you’re right. Do
you want to do something about it? Stop griping, get off of your
butts, and write something! Okay, I’ll get off of my soapbox now.
The month of August brings thoughts of the largest gathering of
helicopters, pilots, and manufacturers. This year the International
Radio Control Helicopter Association (IRCHA) put on the annual
IRCHA Jamboree and the 10th-annual Heli-Internationals in
Muncie, Indiana, at the Academy of Model Aeronautics’ National
Flying Site.
If you’ve never been to the AMA site, you’re missing
something. It is by far the most awesome place to fly. Except for
the occasional tree, there’s really nothing to interrupt the view all
the way to the horizon. Well, it seems that way anyway. Basically
there’s nothing except terra firma to hit with a model.
The author hates painting canopies, and shown is the answer to
his prayers. Many vendors exhibited their wares.
Getting into forward flight. Tip blade disk forward, and
downwash from the blades propels the helicopter forward.
Getting out of forward flight. Tip disk (and model) back; blades’
air movement pushes out forward, slowing helicopter.
BRODAKManufacturing &
Distributing Co., Inc.
The largest supplier of control-line airplanes
TRU-LAUNCH STOOGE
If you want to go flying by yourself, you will need
a reliable and safe launching device. The Tru-
Launch Stooge was designed to handle this job
for you. It features a sturdy 1/8 inch thick
aluminum base plate onto which are riveted
three turned aluminum uprights.
BH-848 Tru-Launch Stooge TLS-1 . . . . . . . . . . .16.99
also available Catalogue #12-B Send $5.00 to
Brodak’s 100 Park Avenue • Carmichaels, PA 15320
Phone: 724-966-2726 • Fax: 724-966-5670
E-Mail: [email protected] • Web Site: www.brodak.com
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:26 am Page 120
January 2004 123
I visited the site in 2001 for the F3C
World Championships, which was
followed immediately by the eighth-annual
Heli-Internationals. I didn’t make it this
year, but I got a report and some
photographs from my good friend Chuck
Wright of Syracuse, New York. Chuck
flies with the Syracuse Helicopter Group.
He made the trek to Muncie with his
family and got to see some of the most
incredible helicopter flying anywhere.
Everybody who’s anybody shows up
for this event. There isn’t a better place to
get help, see the latest stuff, see some great
flying, and fly gallon after gallon. With 10
flight stations marked out along the
runway, there’s no excuse not to fly.
This year the Heli-Internationals was
held August 14-17. The event brought in
378 registered pilots and more vendors
than ever. Every day at noon the flightlines
were shut down and demonstrations
commenced. All of the major helicopter
manufacturers demonstrated their stuff
with the best 3-D flying you’ll ever see.
There were drag racing and autorotation
contests. There was a Scale contest
Saturday, and that night there was a nightflying
contest. That alone is worth the trip
to Muncie. Everything these pilots did
during the day was done at night along
with music. It’s quite the spectacle.
At an event such as this you’ll meet
some of the nicest people. Darrell Bell (Big
D) befriended Chuck’s daughter Hannah,
and he arranged to get some hats signed by
all of the top pilots for Chuck’s group.
This is basically a fly-in, not a contest
event, so there aren’t the normal contest
pressures making the pilots anxious. You
can fall asleep under a canopy to the
constant drone of 10 helicopters flying on
the flightline. This is a great place to
unwind, get your fill of helicopters, and
have a great time with a bunch of friends.
Make sure you get a chance to attend
one of these events. You’ll be hooked and
will come back year after year. Next month
I’ll share some pictures and good times
from an event much closer to my home that
was attended by the undisputed master of
helicopters: Curtis Youngblood.
WWW.PSPEC.COM
Complete engine and muffler packages are available.
VISIT US AT WWW.PSPEC.COM.
DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME!
TWISTER 4-STROKE MUFFLERS & ELBOWS
PISTON/CYLINDER ASSEMBLIES
ULTRATHRUST MUFFLERS
PERFORMANCE SPECIALTIES
PO Box 3146 • Gardnerville, NV 89410
Phone: 775-265-7523 • Fax: 775-265-7522
This month I’ll continue what I started a
couple of months ago and discuss the next
stage of development for increasing flying
proficiency: beginning forward flight.
Many of these topics have been discussed
in the past, and many have been brought up
in this column.
My take is that there are always
newcomers in the hobby, and the basics
have to be reiterated from time to time. I
love to teach people about helicopters, and
I like to present my experiences during the
learning process in the hopes that more
people will try helicopters.
Radio setup should be in Normal Mode
and is usually shown in the helicopter’s
instruction manual. It usually consists of a
throttle curve that starts at idle for low
stick, 50-60% throttle at half stick (hover),
and 100% or full throttle at high stick.
Many starter radios provide three points
of adjustment for throttle and pitch curves
as a minimum. Use these points as a place
to begin if you don’t have the helicopter
manual. For the pitch it’s usually 3-5°
negative at low stick, approximately 5° at
half stick (hover), and close to full pitch, 9-
or 10° positive, at high stick.
Now we need some education. What is
transitional lift? I’ll just touch on enough to
get you what you need to keep learning to
fly. When the helicopter starts to move
forward relative to the surrounding air, it
develops what is known as transitional lift.
Not only are the blades developing the
lift necessary to keep the helicopter in a
hover, but there’s also forward air
movement through the blades. The blades
develop more lift because of the forward air
movement, and they become more
efficient. The result is more lift than is
necessary for a hover. The helicopter rises.
I don’t want to get technical here. There
are good Internet discussions about
transitional lift, and I don’t want to get
bogged down in the details. That’s
unnecessary for learning to fly. Learn that
it’s there and it has an effect on the
helicopter.
There are several ways to get a feel for
how forward flight will be without fully
committing. From a hovering position, try
nudging the helicopter into forward flight a
bit by pushing the right stick forward
slightly. The nose will point down, and the
helicopter will accelerate a bit and rise up
from the extra lift. Getting the helicopter
into forward flight is really that easy.
You’re tipping the blade disk forward, and
some of the hovering downdraft is going to
push the helicopter forward.
Let the right stick go back to center and
let the helicopter slow back down into a
hover. If it doesn’t, pull back on the right
stick a bit and give it a bit of throttle stick.
Once the helicopter has stopped moving
forward, hold it in a hover and back it up
toward yourself. This little exercise will
help show you what it’s like to get into
forward flight.
Another exercise is to get out in the
middle of the flying area and fly around
yourself. Keep facing the side of the
helicopter as you go around in a large
circle. As you speed up the movement,
you’ll start to experience the feel of
transitional lift, getting the helicopter into
forward flight and then back into a hover.
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:26 am Page 123
124 MODEL AVIATION
Practice circling in both directions.
Another way to try forward flight is to do
some figure eights out in front of you,
turning the helicopter into the direction of
flight as you go. Ease into it slowly. As you
start the slow figure eights, you’ll find that
you need to use rudder to get the helicopter
to turn; otherwise, it will bank but it won’t
turn. This is the big difference from flying a
fixed-wing model. You’ll learn the value of
rudder rather quickly.
Don’t forget to practice the eights going
both ways. As you bank, use a little back
cyclic by pulling back a bit on the right stick.
This will compensate for the lack of lift as
the helicopter banks around the turn.
Straighten everything out at the end of the
turn by banking back to straight and letting
go of the back cyclic.
Getting a helicopter out of forward flight
can be a bit trickier, especially if you’ve
really picked up momentum and altitude.
Pull back slowly on the right stick, and ease
down on the throttle stick a bit as the
helicopter tries to rise up from the back
cyclic. This will take away the forward force
and start slowing the helicopter.
As the disk is getting tipped back, some
of the downdraft keeping the helicopter aloft
is going to be pushed forward, further
slowing the model. I usually start this as the
helicopter approaches me so I end up getting
back into a full hover somewhere out past
my position.
Just call and ask for
cowlings, wheelpants or
floats from Carl Goldberg
Models, Midwest Products,
Global Hobbies, Great
Planes Manufacturing, Pica
Products and many more.
Most cowlings are
seamless.
Call for
Price
List
or
visit
us
on the
internet!
Make it last
with fiberglass.
We have a large selection
of one piece, epoxy
resin cowlings and
wheel pants.
Stan’s Fiber Tech
2575 Jackson, Riverside, CA 92503
909-352-4758 • www.stansfibertech.com
Micro-Mark has more than 2,600 name-brand and hard-to-find
tools and accessories…many at discount prices. You’ll complete
your projects in less time with more professional results!
340-3219 Snyder Avenue
Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922-1538
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE ZIP COUNTRY
JEWELERS’ QUALITY DRILL PRESS
To order our catalog, send $1 and this coupon to:
1-800-225-1066 • www.micromark.com
Please say you saw our ad in the January issue of Model Aviation.
MICRO-MARK’S
got it!
®
#81631
As you start slowing the helicopter, it
will start to sink. If you’re too high, that’s a
good thing. If you’re already too low, you
need to add more throttle stick to gain some
altitude. It is a balancing act between cyclic,
which is slowing the model, and
throttle/collective, which is going to add
power.
Once the helicopter stops moving
forward, give whatever collective is
necessary to hold it in a hover and use the
right stick to keep a level attitude. I’ve
included a couple of pictures to illustrate
what the helicopter looks like when it’s
getting into and out of forward flight.
If you know of a fixed-wing model club
or belong to one, see if you can get some
stick time on someone’s trainer airplane.
That’s one of the best ways to learn what to
do in forward flight because a helicopter
acts much like an airplane does. Doing the
approach to landing is almost like getting
the helicopter slowed and back into a hover.
At nearly the time that the airplane is
rotating to land, the helicopter should be
leveled, have power added, and be brought
up into a hover.
That’s it for this month. Keep E-mailing me
and I’ll include what information I can. If
you have pictures from an event, pass them
along and give me some information; I’d be
glad to include it. Keep practicing! Success
is found at the bottom of each gallon of fuel
burned. You’ve got to burn it to learn it! MA
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:26 am Page 124
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/01
Page Numbers: 119,120,123,124
January 2004 119
WE GOT ROUGHLY a month of decent
weather with more sun than rain, but it still
managed to rain at least one day of the
weekend almost every week. Those of us
who live in the Northeast learn to get what
we can out of the nice weather. Then there
are those who are really lucky and get to go
south for the winter for flying all the time.
Ah, retirement. Someday.
So far I’ve gotten some really good,
positive feedback about my column and one
scathing E-mail. It seems that I shouldn’t
write any more about the basics of learning
to fly. The writer claims that learning to
hover nose in has been reiterated “ad
nauseum” and that I should point readers to
the Internet for the required information.
Maybe I should point the readers to the
Internet for everything in this column and
close it out from Model Aviation completely.
Yes, the Internet is certainly timelier for
breaking news, but it is not as convenient as
a magazine.
How many of you take your laptops to
the “reading room” to surf the Internet? Not
me. And I certainly cannot afford to hook up
to the Internet while I do my traveling. I take
magazines, such as Model Aviation, with me
on my trips wherever I go. They’re great for
those long airplane flights. You can take
them to the model field if you like. Did you
ever try to find something you’re looking for
on the Internet among the endless volumes
of drool out there?
Thank you, but I’ll continue to read the
magazine. There are those who desperately
need the information I provide here, and I
will continue to do so. I pity the poor soul
who goes to this gentleman for help at the
field. “Hey ‘new guy,’ don’t bother me. Go
find whatever it is you’re looking for on the
Web and leave me to my flying.”
Newcomers to this hobby outnumber
those who stick around for the long haul.
Many leave because of the lack of help in
sport-flying helicopters. I struggled for a
long time to learn to fly helicopters because
there wasn’t a local club with that pool of
knowledge for me to tap into to overcome
my learning difficulties.
To ignore those individuals who are
coming into this hobby in favor of those
who already know it all would do a great
disservice to the Academy of Model
Aeronautics and everything for which it
stands. I will continue to do whatever it
takes to make the task of learning to fly
helicopters less painful. There will be more
people involved with the specialty as a
result. That’s how a hobby evolves.
Dan Williams, 27 Treeline Dr., Liverpool NY 13090; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL HELICOPTERS
Part of the 2003 IRCHA Jamboree flightline at the National Flying Site.
The Jamboree featured 10 pilot stations for plenty of flying opportunities.
Events included a Scale contest at which East Coast Helicopters had a display.
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:25 am Page 119
120 MODEL AVIATION
One last thing: you helicopter gurus who think there’s a huge
lack of stuff of interest in Model Aviation for you, you’re right. Do
you want to do something about it? Stop griping, get off of your
butts, and write something! Okay, I’ll get off of my soapbox now.
The month of August brings thoughts of the largest gathering of
helicopters, pilots, and manufacturers. This year the International
Radio Control Helicopter Association (IRCHA) put on the annual
IRCHA Jamboree and the 10th-annual Heli-Internationals in
Muncie, Indiana, at the Academy of Model Aeronautics’ National
Flying Site.
If you’ve never been to the AMA site, you’re missing
something. It is by far the most awesome place to fly. Except for
the occasional tree, there’s really nothing to interrupt the view all
the way to the horizon. Well, it seems that way anyway. Basically
there’s nothing except terra firma to hit with a model.
The author hates painting canopies, and shown is the answer to
his prayers. Many vendors exhibited their wares.
Getting into forward flight. Tip blade disk forward, and
downwash from the blades propels the helicopter forward.
Getting out of forward flight. Tip disk (and model) back; blades’
air movement pushes out forward, slowing helicopter.
BRODAKManufacturing &
Distributing Co., Inc.
The largest supplier of control-line airplanes
TRU-LAUNCH STOOGE
If you want to go flying by yourself, you will need
a reliable and safe launching device. The Tru-
Launch Stooge was designed to handle this job
for you. It features a sturdy 1/8 inch thick
aluminum base plate onto which are riveted
three turned aluminum uprights.
BH-848 Tru-Launch Stooge TLS-1 . . . . . . . . . . .16.99
also available Catalogue #12-B Send $5.00 to
Brodak’s 100 Park Avenue • Carmichaels, PA 15320
Phone: 724-966-2726 • Fax: 724-966-5670
E-Mail: [email protected] • Web Site: www.brodak.com
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:26 am Page 120
January 2004 123
I visited the site in 2001 for the F3C
World Championships, which was
followed immediately by the eighth-annual
Heli-Internationals. I didn’t make it this
year, but I got a report and some
photographs from my good friend Chuck
Wright of Syracuse, New York. Chuck
flies with the Syracuse Helicopter Group.
He made the trek to Muncie with his
family and got to see some of the most
incredible helicopter flying anywhere.
Everybody who’s anybody shows up
for this event. There isn’t a better place to
get help, see the latest stuff, see some great
flying, and fly gallon after gallon. With 10
flight stations marked out along the
runway, there’s no excuse not to fly.
This year the Heli-Internationals was
held August 14-17. The event brought in
378 registered pilots and more vendors
than ever. Every day at noon the flightlines
were shut down and demonstrations
commenced. All of the major helicopter
manufacturers demonstrated their stuff
with the best 3-D flying you’ll ever see.
There were drag racing and autorotation
contests. There was a Scale contest
Saturday, and that night there was a nightflying
contest. That alone is worth the trip
to Muncie. Everything these pilots did
during the day was done at night along
with music. It’s quite the spectacle.
At an event such as this you’ll meet
some of the nicest people. Darrell Bell (Big
D) befriended Chuck’s daughter Hannah,
and he arranged to get some hats signed by
all of the top pilots for Chuck’s group.
This is basically a fly-in, not a contest
event, so there aren’t the normal contest
pressures making the pilots anxious. You
can fall asleep under a canopy to the
constant drone of 10 helicopters flying on
the flightline. This is a great place to
unwind, get your fill of helicopters, and
have a great time with a bunch of friends.
Make sure you get a chance to attend
one of these events. You’ll be hooked and
will come back year after year. Next month
I’ll share some pictures and good times
from an event much closer to my home that
was attended by the undisputed master of
helicopters: Curtis Youngblood.
WWW.PSPEC.COM
Complete engine and muffler packages are available.
VISIT US AT WWW.PSPEC.COM.
DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME!
TWISTER 4-STROKE MUFFLERS & ELBOWS
PISTON/CYLINDER ASSEMBLIES
ULTRATHRUST MUFFLERS
PERFORMANCE SPECIALTIES
PO Box 3146 • Gardnerville, NV 89410
Phone: 775-265-7523 • Fax: 775-265-7522
This month I’ll continue what I started a
couple of months ago and discuss the next
stage of development for increasing flying
proficiency: beginning forward flight.
Many of these topics have been discussed
in the past, and many have been brought up
in this column.
My take is that there are always
newcomers in the hobby, and the basics
have to be reiterated from time to time. I
love to teach people about helicopters, and
I like to present my experiences during the
learning process in the hopes that more
people will try helicopters.
Radio setup should be in Normal Mode
and is usually shown in the helicopter’s
instruction manual. It usually consists of a
throttle curve that starts at idle for low
stick, 50-60% throttle at half stick (hover),
and 100% or full throttle at high stick.
Many starter radios provide three points
of adjustment for throttle and pitch curves
as a minimum. Use these points as a place
to begin if you don’t have the helicopter
manual. For the pitch it’s usually 3-5°
negative at low stick, approximately 5° at
half stick (hover), and close to full pitch, 9-
or 10° positive, at high stick.
Now we need some education. What is
transitional lift? I’ll just touch on enough to
get you what you need to keep learning to
fly. When the helicopter starts to move
forward relative to the surrounding air, it
develops what is known as transitional lift.
Not only are the blades developing the
lift necessary to keep the helicopter in a
hover, but there’s also forward air
movement through the blades. The blades
develop more lift because of the forward air
movement, and they become more
efficient. The result is more lift than is
necessary for a hover. The helicopter rises.
I don’t want to get technical here. There
are good Internet discussions about
transitional lift, and I don’t want to get
bogged down in the details. That’s
unnecessary for learning to fly. Learn that
it’s there and it has an effect on the
helicopter.
There are several ways to get a feel for
how forward flight will be without fully
committing. From a hovering position, try
nudging the helicopter into forward flight a
bit by pushing the right stick forward
slightly. The nose will point down, and the
helicopter will accelerate a bit and rise up
from the extra lift. Getting the helicopter
into forward flight is really that easy.
You’re tipping the blade disk forward, and
some of the hovering downdraft is going to
push the helicopter forward.
Let the right stick go back to center and
let the helicopter slow back down into a
hover. If it doesn’t, pull back on the right
stick a bit and give it a bit of throttle stick.
Once the helicopter has stopped moving
forward, hold it in a hover and back it up
toward yourself. This little exercise will
help show you what it’s like to get into
forward flight.
Another exercise is to get out in the
middle of the flying area and fly around
yourself. Keep facing the side of the
helicopter as you go around in a large
circle. As you speed up the movement,
you’ll start to experience the feel of
transitional lift, getting the helicopter into
forward flight and then back into a hover.
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:26 am Page 123
124 MODEL AVIATION
Practice circling in both directions.
Another way to try forward flight is to do
some figure eights out in front of you,
turning the helicopter into the direction of
flight as you go. Ease into it slowly. As you
start the slow figure eights, you’ll find that
you need to use rudder to get the helicopter
to turn; otherwise, it will bank but it won’t
turn. This is the big difference from flying a
fixed-wing model. You’ll learn the value of
rudder rather quickly.
Don’t forget to practice the eights going
both ways. As you bank, use a little back
cyclic by pulling back a bit on the right stick.
This will compensate for the lack of lift as
the helicopter banks around the turn.
Straighten everything out at the end of the
turn by banking back to straight and letting
go of the back cyclic.
Getting a helicopter out of forward flight
can be a bit trickier, especially if you’ve
really picked up momentum and altitude.
Pull back slowly on the right stick, and ease
down on the throttle stick a bit as the
helicopter tries to rise up from the back
cyclic. This will take away the forward force
and start slowing the helicopter.
As the disk is getting tipped back, some
of the downdraft keeping the helicopter aloft
is going to be pushed forward, further
slowing the model. I usually start this as the
helicopter approaches me so I end up getting
back into a full hover somewhere out past
my position.
Just call and ask for
cowlings, wheelpants or
floats from Carl Goldberg
Models, Midwest Products,
Global Hobbies, Great
Planes Manufacturing, Pica
Products and many more.
Most cowlings are
seamless.
Call for
Price
List
or
visit
us
on the
internet!
Make it last
with fiberglass.
We have a large selection
of one piece, epoxy
resin cowlings and
wheel pants.
Stan’s Fiber Tech
2575 Jackson, Riverside, CA 92503
909-352-4758 • www.stansfibertech.com
Micro-Mark has more than 2,600 name-brand and hard-to-find
tools and accessories…many at discount prices. You’ll complete
your projects in less time with more professional results!
340-3219 Snyder Avenue
Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922-1538
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE ZIP COUNTRY
JEWELERS’ QUALITY DRILL PRESS
To order our catalog, send $1 and this coupon to:
1-800-225-1066 • www.micromark.com
Please say you saw our ad in the January issue of Model Aviation.
MICRO-MARK’S
got it!
®
#81631
As you start slowing the helicopter, it
will start to sink. If you’re too high, that’s a
good thing. If you’re already too low, you
need to add more throttle stick to gain some
altitude. It is a balancing act between cyclic,
which is slowing the model, and
throttle/collective, which is going to add
power.
Once the helicopter stops moving
forward, give whatever collective is
necessary to hold it in a hover and use the
right stick to keep a level attitude. I’ve
included a couple of pictures to illustrate
what the helicopter looks like when it’s
getting into and out of forward flight.
If you know of a fixed-wing model club
or belong to one, see if you can get some
stick time on someone’s trainer airplane.
That’s one of the best ways to learn what to
do in forward flight because a helicopter
acts much like an airplane does. Doing the
approach to landing is almost like getting
the helicopter slowed and back into a hover.
At nearly the time that the airplane is
rotating to land, the helicopter should be
leveled, have power added, and be brought
up into a hover.
That’s it for this month. Keep E-mailing me
and I’ll include what information I can. If
you have pictures from an event, pass them
along and give me some information; I’d be
glad to include it. Keep practicing! Success
is found at the bottom of each gallon of fuel
burned. You’ve got to burn it to learn it! MA
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:26 am Page 124
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/01
Page Numbers: 119,120,123,124
January 2004 119
WE GOT ROUGHLY a month of decent
weather with more sun than rain, but it still
managed to rain at least one day of the
weekend almost every week. Those of us
who live in the Northeast learn to get what
we can out of the nice weather. Then there
are those who are really lucky and get to go
south for the winter for flying all the time.
Ah, retirement. Someday.
So far I’ve gotten some really good,
positive feedback about my column and one
scathing E-mail. It seems that I shouldn’t
write any more about the basics of learning
to fly. The writer claims that learning to
hover nose in has been reiterated “ad
nauseum” and that I should point readers to
the Internet for the required information.
Maybe I should point the readers to the
Internet for everything in this column and
close it out from Model Aviation completely.
Yes, the Internet is certainly timelier for
breaking news, but it is not as convenient as
a magazine.
How many of you take your laptops to
the “reading room” to surf the Internet? Not
me. And I certainly cannot afford to hook up
to the Internet while I do my traveling. I take
magazines, such as Model Aviation, with me
on my trips wherever I go. They’re great for
those long airplane flights. You can take
them to the model field if you like. Did you
ever try to find something you’re looking for
on the Internet among the endless volumes
of drool out there?
Thank you, but I’ll continue to read the
magazine. There are those who desperately
need the information I provide here, and I
will continue to do so. I pity the poor soul
who goes to this gentleman for help at the
field. “Hey ‘new guy,’ don’t bother me. Go
find whatever it is you’re looking for on the
Web and leave me to my flying.”
Newcomers to this hobby outnumber
those who stick around for the long haul.
Many leave because of the lack of help in
sport-flying helicopters. I struggled for a
long time to learn to fly helicopters because
there wasn’t a local club with that pool of
knowledge for me to tap into to overcome
my learning difficulties.
To ignore those individuals who are
coming into this hobby in favor of those
who already know it all would do a great
disservice to the Academy of Model
Aeronautics and everything for which it
stands. I will continue to do whatever it
takes to make the task of learning to fly
helicopters less painful. There will be more
people involved with the specialty as a
result. That’s how a hobby evolves.
Dan Williams, 27 Treeline Dr., Liverpool NY 13090; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL HELICOPTERS
Part of the 2003 IRCHA Jamboree flightline at the National Flying Site.
The Jamboree featured 10 pilot stations for plenty of flying opportunities.
Events included a Scale contest at which East Coast Helicopters had a display.
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:25 am Page 119
120 MODEL AVIATION
One last thing: you helicopter gurus who think there’s a huge
lack of stuff of interest in Model Aviation for you, you’re right. Do
you want to do something about it? Stop griping, get off of your
butts, and write something! Okay, I’ll get off of my soapbox now.
The month of August brings thoughts of the largest gathering of
helicopters, pilots, and manufacturers. This year the International
Radio Control Helicopter Association (IRCHA) put on the annual
IRCHA Jamboree and the 10th-annual Heli-Internationals in
Muncie, Indiana, at the Academy of Model Aeronautics’ National
Flying Site.
If you’ve never been to the AMA site, you’re missing
something. It is by far the most awesome place to fly. Except for
the occasional tree, there’s really nothing to interrupt the view all
the way to the horizon. Well, it seems that way anyway. Basically
there’s nothing except terra firma to hit with a model.
The author hates painting canopies, and shown is the answer to
his prayers. Many vendors exhibited their wares.
Getting into forward flight. Tip blade disk forward, and
downwash from the blades propels the helicopter forward.
Getting out of forward flight. Tip disk (and model) back; blades’
air movement pushes out forward, slowing helicopter.
BRODAKManufacturing &
Distributing Co., Inc.
The largest supplier of control-line airplanes
TRU-LAUNCH STOOGE
If you want to go flying by yourself, you will need
a reliable and safe launching device. The Tru-
Launch Stooge was designed to handle this job
for you. It features a sturdy 1/8 inch thick
aluminum base plate onto which are riveted
three turned aluminum uprights.
BH-848 Tru-Launch Stooge TLS-1 . . . . . . . . . . .16.99
also available Catalogue #12-B Send $5.00 to
Brodak’s 100 Park Avenue • Carmichaels, PA 15320
Phone: 724-966-2726 • Fax: 724-966-5670
E-Mail: [email protected] • Web Site: www.brodak.com
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:26 am Page 120
January 2004 123
I visited the site in 2001 for the F3C
World Championships, which was
followed immediately by the eighth-annual
Heli-Internationals. I didn’t make it this
year, but I got a report and some
photographs from my good friend Chuck
Wright of Syracuse, New York. Chuck
flies with the Syracuse Helicopter Group.
He made the trek to Muncie with his
family and got to see some of the most
incredible helicopter flying anywhere.
Everybody who’s anybody shows up
for this event. There isn’t a better place to
get help, see the latest stuff, see some great
flying, and fly gallon after gallon. With 10
flight stations marked out along the
runway, there’s no excuse not to fly.
This year the Heli-Internationals was
held August 14-17. The event brought in
378 registered pilots and more vendors
than ever. Every day at noon the flightlines
were shut down and demonstrations
commenced. All of the major helicopter
manufacturers demonstrated their stuff
with the best 3-D flying you’ll ever see.
There were drag racing and autorotation
contests. There was a Scale contest
Saturday, and that night there was a nightflying
contest. That alone is worth the trip
to Muncie. Everything these pilots did
during the day was done at night along
with music. It’s quite the spectacle.
At an event such as this you’ll meet
some of the nicest people. Darrell Bell (Big
D) befriended Chuck’s daughter Hannah,
and he arranged to get some hats signed by
all of the top pilots for Chuck’s group.
This is basically a fly-in, not a contest
event, so there aren’t the normal contest
pressures making the pilots anxious. You
can fall asleep under a canopy to the
constant drone of 10 helicopters flying on
the flightline. This is a great place to
unwind, get your fill of helicopters, and
have a great time with a bunch of friends.
Make sure you get a chance to attend
one of these events. You’ll be hooked and
will come back year after year. Next month
I’ll share some pictures and good times
from an event much closer to my home that
was attended by the undisputed master of
helicopters: Curtis Youngblood.
WWW.PSPEC.COM
Complete engine and muffler packages are available.
VISIT US AT WWW.PSPEC.COM.
DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME!
TWISTER 4-STROKE MUFFLERS & ELBOWS
PISTON/CYLINDER ASSEMBLIES
ULTRATHRUST MUFFLERS
PERFORMANCE SPECIALTIES
PO Box 3146 • Gardnerville, NV 89410
Phone: 775-265-7523 • Fax: 775-265-7522
This month I’ll continue what I started a
couple of months ago and discuss the next
stage of development for increasing flying
proficiency: beginning forward flight.
Many of these topics have been discussed
in the past, and many have been brought up
in this column.
My take is that there are always
newcomers in the hobby, and the basics
have to be reiterated from time to time. I
love to teach people about helicopters, and
I like to present my experiences during the
learning process in the hopes that more
people will try helicopters.
Radio setup should be in Normal Mode
and is usually shown in the helicopter’s
instruction manual. It usually consists of a
throttle curve that starts at idle for low
stick, 50-60% throttle at half stick (hover),
and 100% or full throttle at high stick.
Many starter radios provide three points
of adjustment for throttle and pitch curves
as a minimum. Use these points as a place
to begin if you don’t have the helicopter
manual. For the pitch it’s usually 3-5°
negative at low stick, approximately 5° at
half stick (hover), and close to full pitch, 9-
or 10° positive, at high stick.
Now we need some education. What is
transitional lift? I’ll just touch on enough to
get you what you need to keep learning to
fly. When the helicopter starts to move
forward relative to the surrounding air, it
develops what is known as transitional lift.
Not only are the blades developing the
lift necessary to keep the helicopter in a
hover, but there’s also forward air
movement through the blades. The blades
develop more lift because of the forward air
movement, and they become more
efficient. The result is more lift than is
necessary for a hover. The helicopter rises.
I don’t want to get technical here. There
are good Internet discussions about
transitional lift, and I don’t want to get
bogged down in the details. That’s
unnecessary for learning to fly. Learn that
it’s there and it has an effect on the
helicopter.
There are several ways to get a feel for
how forward flight will be without fully
committing. From a hovering position, try
nudging the helicopter into forward flight a
bit by pushing the right stick forward
slightly. The nose will point down, and the
helicopter will accelerate a bit and rise up
from the extra lift. Getting the helicopter
into forward flight is really that easy.
You’re tipping the blade disk forward, and
some of the hovering downdraft is going to
push the helicopter forward.
Let the right stick go back to center and
let the helicopter slow back down into a
hover. If it doesn’t, pull back on the right
stick a bit and give it a bit of throttle stick.
Once the helicopter has stopped moving
forward, hold it in a hover and back it up
toward yourself. This little exercise will
help show you what it’s like to get into
forward flight.
Another exercise is to get out in the
middle of the flying area and fly around
yourself. Keep facing the side of the
helicopter as you go around in a large
circle. As you speed up the movement,
you’ll start to experience the feel of
transitional lift, getting the helicopter into
forward flight and then back into a hover.
01sig4.QXD 10/27/03 9:26 am Page 123
124 MODEL AVIATION
Practice circling in both directions.
Another way to try forward flight is to do
some figure eights out in front of you,
turning the helicopter into the direction of
flight as you go. Ease into it slowly. As you
start the slow figure eights, you’ll find that
you need to use rudder to get the helicopter
to turn; otherwise, it will bank but it won’t
turn. This is the big difference from flying a
fixed-wing model. You’ll learn the value of
rudder rather quickly.
Don’t forget to practice the eights going
both ways. As you bank, use a little back
cyclic by pulling back a bit on the right stick.
This will compensate for the lack of lift as
the helicopter banks around the turn.
Straighten everything out at the end of the
turn by banking back to straight and letting
go of the back cyclic.
Getting a helicopter out of forward flight
can be a bit trickier, especially if you’ve
really picked up momentum and altitude.
Pull back slowly on the right stick, and ease
down on the throttle stick a bit as the
helicopter tries to rise up from the back
cyclic. This will take away the forward force
and start slowing the helicopter.
As the disk is getting tipped back, some
of the downdraft keeping the helicopter aloft
is going to be pushed forward, further
slowing the model. I usually start this as the
helicopter approaches me so I end up getting
back into a full hover somewhere out past
my position.
Just call and ask for
cowlings, wheelpants or
floats from Carl Goldberg
Models, Midwest Products,
Global Hobbies, Great
Planes Manufacturing, Pica
Products and many more.
Most cowlings are
seamless.
Call for
Price
List
or
visit
us
on the
internet!
Make it last
with fiberglass.
We have a large selection
of one piece, epoxy
resin cowlings and
wheel pants.
Stan’s Fiber Tech
2575 Jackson, Riverside, CA 92503
909-352-4758 • www.stansfibertech.com
Micro-Mark has more than 2,600 name-brand and hard-to-find
tools and accessories…many at discount prices. You’ll complete
your projects in less time with more professional results!
340-3219 Snyder Avenue
Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922-1538
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE ZIP COUNTRY
JEWELERS’ QUALITY DRILL PRESS
To order our catalog, send $1 and this coupon to:
1-800-225-1066 • www.micromark.com
Please say you saw our ad in the January issue of Model Aviation.
MICRO-MARK’S
got it!
®
#81631
As you start slowing the helicopter, it
will start to sink. If you’re too high, that’s a
good thing. If you’re already too low, you
need to add more throttle stick to gain some
altitude. It is a balancing act between cyclic,
which is slowing the model, and
throttle/collective, which is going to add
power.
Once the helicopter stops moving
forward, give whatever collective is
necessary to hold it in a hover and use the
right stick to keep a level attitude. I’ve
included a couple of pictures to illustrate
what the helicopter looks like when it’s
getting into and out of forward flight.
If you know of a fixed-wing model club
or belong to one, see if you can get some
stick time on someone’s trainer airplane.
That’s one of the best ways to learn what to
do in forward flight because a helicopter
acts much like an airplane does. Doing the
approach to landing is almost like getting
the helicopter slowed and back into a hover.
At nearly the time that the airplane is
rotating to land, the helicopter should be
leveled, have power added, and be brought
up into a hover.
That’s it for this month. Keep E-mailing me
and I’ll include what information I can. If
you have pictures from an event, pass them
along and give me some information; I’d be
glad to include it. Keep practicing! Success
is found at the bottom of each gallon of fuel
burned. You’ve got to burn it to learn it! MA
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