142 MODEL AVIATION
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I’ll start by thanking Dan Williams for his
dedication in delivering a monthly column in which he did his
best to have something for everyone. This can be an exceptionally
difficult task.
I recall one month during which Dan received two E-mails
from two very different people. One asked for an article about
getting started, and the other asked him never to print another
word about getting started because it had been beaten to death. I
guess you can’t please everyone!
I have read a few comments on the various helicopter forums
regarding the lack of helicopter content in MA. My response is
always the same: I like to read about all parts of the RC hobby. I
think MA contains more useful content regarding the entire RC
hobby than any other magazine in print today. If you would like
to see more helicopter content, submit an article! It isn’t that hard.
My goal for this column is to show you things that are new
and interesting with model helicopters. I will also try to print and
answer relevant E-mail questions.
So who am I? I would consider myself an average RC helicopter
pilot. Weather permitting, I fly most
weekends. I’m not an aeronautical
engineer or even a self-appointed net
expert. I won’t be throwing complicated
numbers and charts at you, mostly because
I can’t understand them! I will share
different ideas about what has worked for
me and ideas from my flying buddies.
I started flying helicopters in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, approximately 20 years ago.
My first helicopter was a Schluter Mini
Boy that my father gave me. I flew it using
a Futaba AM Conquest four-channel radio.
The nice thing about the AM radio was
that if anything on the all-aluminum Mini
Boy came loose, the radio glitches were
the first to let you know!
My father had one of the first Schluter
Cobra helicopters in the country. It never
flew very well, but my dad had been bitten
by the helicopter bug and naturally so had
I. That Cobra is still around. My father
Ray Stacy, 15 W. Main St., Webster NY 14580; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL HELICOPTERS
Ray’s Intrepid 90 ready to be strapped to Pro60 camera mount.
You can see trigger servo epoxied to top of camera.
Shown are electronics for mount. Miniature camera under mount
was eventually epoxied to front of camera.
Helicam Solutions’ soft mount system makes it easy to attach the
camera mount to any helicopter.
Ray’s father’s original Schluter Cobra and the smaller Kalt Cobra in the foreground. Email
Ray if you know of a Schluter Cobra that is available.
passed away recently, and I now have it hanging in my shop. I am
looking to purchase another Schluter Cobra. If you know of one
for sale, please send me an E-mail note.
I belonged to the Pittsburgh Area Rotor Runners and flew with
Paul Tradelius, Dave Darr, Dave Davison, Ron Osinski, and
others. We had nothing but fun. 3-D didn’t exist. If you could
loop and roll, you were doing well! Inverted flight was for the
elite. I remember Jeff Sumey converting his X-Cell 60 to Cyclic
Collective Pitch Mixing (CCPM), which was unheard of! Today
many helicopters use CCPM. I guess Jeff was just ahead of his
time.
I made my way through the Shuttles and Concepts and had
settled in on X-Cells, when my job moved me to upstate New
York. I certainly missed flying with my father and my friends, but
I quickly hooked up with a couple of guys who were flying
helicopters. Today in our area we have more than 20 helicopter
fliers, and new pilots are coming along continuously.
January 2005 143
Cameraman is in garage watching video and snapping pictures.
Dan Williams (left) and Curtis Youngblood at the 2004 Northeast
Model Helicopter Jamboree in Macedon, New York.
Ray’s 9-year-old son Kyle plays with the Stinger 30.
I belong to two clubs: ARCH, which
is the helicopter club I originally joined,
and the Rochester AeroModeling Society
(www.rcplane.com), or RAMS, which is
a local airplane/helicopter club. The
RAMS hosted the Northeast Model
Helicopter Jamboree that Dan Williams
wrote about in the December column.
The pilot whom I am most proud of is
my 9-year-old son Kyle. He currently
flies a Stinger 30, a Raptor 50, and a
Vigor CS, and he is getting ready to take
over my Stinger 50 from Gohbee
Aviation (www.gohbee.com).
I love having my son drag me to the
flying field! This truly is a great hobby to
share with our children. The kids are our
future and I do everything I can to
support them. Okay, enough of that for
now.
As are many of us, I am always looking
for new things to do in this hobby. I was
intrigued by the possibility of putting a
camera in my helicopter. I did some
searching on the helicopter forums and
found that most of the equipment used to
do this is priced way out of my reach.
The Internet helicopter forums are a good
way to get answers quickly.
After making a post regarding looking
for camera mounts, Jody Prather—owner
of Helicam Solutions (www.helicam
solutions.com)—came to my rescue. He
is great to talk to, and he spent more than
enough time explaining what he had to
offer and what has worked well for him.
We shared ideas, and I learned that Jody
had the same vision I did: an affordable
mount for the hobbyist.
Helicam Solutions has a 30-size sport
mount for just $199. The 60-size sport
mount is $249. I went with the Pro60
mount so I could use my eBay-purchased
spy-camera downlink to actually see
where my Kodak digital camera was
aimed.
Others have said they have had good
luck just going up and shooting pictures
blindly. I tried this and found that getting
that one good shot isn’t too difficult.
The nice thing about Helicam’s mount
is that it is universal. Using Jody’s soft
mount system, I am able to install the
system quickly and easily on any of my
60-size models. I use a separate receiver
and battery pack on the mount to control
the tilt and yaw servos as well as fire the
camera.
The spy cam is the downlink video
source when shooting digital stills. For
movies I use the video outport on my
video camera and the Black Widow 900
MHz video/audio (www.blackwidow
av.com/) downlink. I tried the 2.4 GHz
transmitter and found that I prefer the
900 MHz system. The 900 MHz
transmitter is not as vulnerable to
structure interference.
All video on the ground is viewed
through a 7-inch LCD monitor that is
similar to those mounted in the back of
headrests in some of today’s automobiles.
For the camera trigger I use a microservo
epoxied to the top of the camera. I also
epoxied the miniature spy cam to the front
of the camera. It is simple but effective.
This system has proven to work well
on my glow-powered Bergen Intrepid 90
and my larger gasoline-powered Intrepid.
I recently purchased Helicam’s
conversion unit, which I will permanently
mount to the front of my Bergen gasser.
Helicam Solutions also makes a
double-decker mount that will let you
carry a digital camera and a movie camera
at the same time. Jody mentioned two new
products that I will be reviewing in the
near future, the first of which is a 3 Axis
Gyro Stabilization System. It will work to
keep your camera pointing in the correct
direction, regardless of helicopter
movement.
The second is a Micro Mount for
electric-powered helicopters. Using the
Sony Cyber-shot camera as an example,
the entire mounting system including
camera will weigh less than 16 ounces
and will sell for $99 without the camera.
All of the camera work I have done has
been for fun—nothing commercial and no
paying jobs. You need to remember that if
you take your camera model out and start
charging for your services, you are not
covered by your AMA insurance. That is
incredibly important.
My homeowner’s insurance told me
the same thing. As soon as you start
charging for your services, your
homeowner’s insurance will not cover
you.
In today’s world where anyone can sue
anybody, you need to be careful and make
wise decisions about what you do with
your model. I have read that some people
have been successful in getting coverage
for their camera work. I haven’t pursued
this much yet, but the couple calls I did
make didn’t go far or show much promise.
I have some great products to look at in
the upcoming months. Next month I will
show you the Stinger 50 from Gohbee
Aviation and the new Stinger conversion
head for the Raptor 30 and 50. John
Dennis will install the head on his Raptor
50 and give it a good workout.
Juan Rodriguez will do a nice review
on the Star Flight fiberglass and carbonfiber
blades. He will use the SAB
fiberglass blades as a benchmark. I am
eager to see how the Star Flight blades
compare.
I will continue to use different people
to test products. I think variety is a good
thing, and it will give us different
perspectives on our hobby.
If you made it this far, thanks for sticking
with me. E-mail me with your thoughts on
what you would like to see in this column.
I am looking forward to another great
year in helicopters. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/01
Page Numbers: 142,143,144,145
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/01
Page Numbers: 142,143,144,145
142 MODEL AVIATION
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I’ll start by thanking Dan Williams for his
dedication in delivering a monthly column in which he did his
best to have something for everyone. This can be an exceptionally
difficult task.
I recall one month during which Dan received two E-mails
from two very different people. One asked for an article about
getting started, and the other asked him never to print another
word about getting started because it had been beaten to death. I
guess you can’t please everyone!
I have read a few comments on the various helicopter forums
regarding the lack of helicopter content in MA. My response is
always the same: I like to read about all parts of the RC hobby. I
think MA contains more useful content regarding the entire RC
hobby than any other magazine in print today. If you would like
to see more helicopter content, submit an article! It isn’t that hard.
My goal for this column is to show you things that are new
and interesting with model helicopters. I will also try to print and
answer relevant E-mail questions.
So who am I? I would consider myself an average RC helicopter
pilot. Weather permitting, I fly most
weekends. I’m not an aeronautical
engineer or even a self-appointed net
expert. I won’t be throwing complicated
numbers and charts at you, mostly because
I can’t understand them! I will share
different ideas about what has worked for
me and ideas from my flying buddies.
I started flying helicopters in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, approximately 20 years ago.
My first helicopter was a Schluter Mini
Boy that my father gave me. I flew it using
a Futaba AM Conquest four-channel radio.
The nice thing about the AM radio was
that if anything on the all-aluminum Mini
Boy came loose, the radio glitches were
the first to let you know!
My father had one of the first Schluter
Cobra helicopters in the country. It never
flew very well, but my dad had been bitten
by the helicopter bug and naturally so had
I. That Cobra is still around. My father
Ray Stacy, 15 W. Main St., Webster NY 14580; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL HELICOPTERS
Ray’s Intrepid 90 ready to be strapped to Pro60 camera mount.
You can see trigger servo epoxied to top of camera.
Shown are electronics for mount. Miniature camera under mount
was eventually epoxied to front of camera.
Helicam Solutions’ soft mount system makes it easy to attach the
camera mount to any helicopter.
Ray’s father’s original Schluter Cobra and the smaller Kalt Cobra in the foreground. Email
Ray if you know of a Schluter Cobra that is available.
passed away recently, and I now have it hanging in my shop. I am
looking to purchase another Schluter Cobra. If you know of one
for sale, please send me an E-mail note.
I belonged to the Pittsburgh Area Rotor Runners and flew with
Paul Tradelius, Dave Darr, Dave Davison, Ron Osinski, and
others. We had nothing but fun. 3-D didn’t exist. If you could
loop and roll, you were doing well! Inverted flight was for the
elite. I remember Jeff Sumey converting his X-Cell 60 to Cyclic
Collective Pitch Mixing (CCPM), which was unheard of! Today
many helicopters use CCPM. I guess Jeff was just ahead of his
time.
I made my way through the Shuttles and Concepts and had
settled in on X-Cells, when my job moved me to upstate New
York. I certainly missed flying with my father and my friends, but
I quickly hooked up with a couple of guys who were flying
helicopters. Today in our area we have more than 20 helicopter
fliers, and new pilots are coming along continuously.
January 2005 143
Cameraman is in garage watching video and snapping pictures.
Dan Williams (left) and Curtis Youngblood at the 2004 Northeast
Model Helicopter Jamboree in Macedon, New York.
Ray’s 9-year-old son Kyle plays with the Stinger 30.
I belong to two clubs: ARCH, which
is the helicopter club I originally joined,
and the Rochester AeroModeling Society
(www.rcplane.com), or RAMS, which is
a local airplane/helicopter club. The
RAMS hosted the Northeast Model
Helicopter Jamboree that Dan Williams
wrote about in the December column.
The pilot whom I am most proud of is
my 9-year-old son Kyle. He currently
flies a Stinger 30, a Raptor 50, and a
Vigor CS, and he is getting ready to take
over my Stinger 50 from Gohbee
Aviation (www.gohbee.com).
I love having my son drag me to the
flying field! This truly is a great hobby to
share with our children. The kids are our
future and I do everything I can to
support them. Okay, enough of that for
now.
As are many of us, I am always looking
for new things to do in this hobby. I was
intrigued by the possibility of putting a
camera in my helicopter. I did some
searching on the helicopter forums and
found that most of the equipment used to
do this is priced way out of my reach.
The Internet helicopter forums are a good
way to get answers quickly.
After making a post regarding looking
for camera mounts, Jody Prather—owner
of Helicam Solutions (www.helicam
solutions.com)—came to my rescue. He
is great to talk to, and he spent more than
enough time explaining what he had to
offer and what has worked well for him.
We shared ideas, and I learned that Jody
had the same vision I did: an affordable
mount for the hobbyist.
Helicam Solutions has a 30-size sport
mount for just $199. The 60-size sport
mount is $249. I went with the Pro60
mount so I could use my eBay-purchased
spy-camera downlink to actually see
where my Kodak digital camera was
aimed.
Others have said they have had good
luck just going up and shooting pictures
blindly. I tried this and found that getting
that one good shot isn’t too difficult.
The nice thing about Helicam’s mount
is that it is universal. Using Jody’s soft
mount system, I am able to install the
system quickly and easily on any of my
60-size models. I use a separate receiver
and battery pack on the mount to control
the tilt and yaw servos as well as fire the
camera.
The spy cam is the downlink video
source when shooting digital stills. For
movies I use the video outport on my
video camera and the Black Widow 900
MHz video/audio (www.blackwidow
av.com/) downlink. I tried the 2.4 GHz
transmitter and found that I prefer the
900 MHz system. The 900 MHz
transmitter is not as vulnerable to
structure interference.
All video on the ground is viewed
through a 7-inch LCD monitor that is
similar to those mounted in the back of
headrests in some of today’s automobiles.
For the camera trigger I use a microservo
epoxied to the top of the camera. I also
epoxied the miniature spy cam to the front
of the camera. It is simple but effective.
This system has proven to work well
on my glow-powered Bergen Intrepid 90
and my larger gasoline-powered Intrepid.
I recently purchased Helicam’s
conversion unit, which I will permanently
mount to the front of my Bergen gasser.
Helicam Solutions also makes a
double-decker mount that will let you
carry a digital camera and a movie camera
at the same time. Jody mentioned two new
products that I will be reviewing in the
near future, the first of which is a 3 Axis
Gyro Stabilization System. It will work to
keep your camera pointing in the correct
direction, regardless of helicopter
movement.
The second is a Micro Mount for
electric-powered helicopters. Using the
Sony Cyber-shot camera as an example,
the entire mounting system including
camera will weigh less than 16 ounces
and will sell for $99 without the camera.
All of the camera work I have done has
been for fun—nothing commercial and no
paying jobs. You need to remember that if
you take your camera model out and start
charging for your services, you are not
covered by your AMA insurance. That is
incredibly important.
My homeowner’s insurance told me
the same thing. As soon as you start
charging for your services, your
homeowner’s insurance will not cover
you.
In today’s world where anyone can sue
anybody, you need to be careful and make
wise decisions about what you do with
your model. I have read that some people
have been successful in getting coverage
for their camera work. I haven’t pursued
this much yet, but the couple calls I did
make didn’t go far or show much promise.
I have some great products to look at in
the upcoming months. Next month I will
show you the Stinger 50 from Gohbee
Aviation and the new Stinger conversion
head for the Raptor 30 and 50. John
Dennis will install the head on his Raptor
50 and give it a good workout.
Juan Rodriguez will do a nice review
on the Star Flight fiberglass and carbonfiber
blades. He will use the SAB
fiberglass blades as a benchmark. I am
eager to see how the Star Flight blades
compare.
I will continue to use different people
to test products. I think variety is a good
thing, and it will give us different
perspectives on our hobby.
If you made it this far, thanks for sticking
with me. E-mail me with your thoughts on
what you would like to see in this column.
I am looking forward to another great
year in helicopters. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/01
Page Numbers: 142,143,144,145
142 MODEL AVIATION
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I’ll start by thanking Dan Williams for his
dedication in delivering a monthly column in which he did his
best to have something for everyone. This can be an exceptionally
difficult task.
I recall one month during which Dan received two E-mails
from two very different people. One asked for an article about
getting started, and the other asked him never to print another
word about getting started because it had been beaten to death. I
guess you can’t please everyone!
I have read a few comments on the various helicopter forums
regarding the lack of helicopter content in MA. My response is
always the same: I like to read about all parts of the RC hobby. I
think MA contains more useful content regarding the entire RC
hobby than any other magazine in print today. If you would like
to see more helicopter content, submit an article! It isn’t that hard.
My goal for this column is to show you things that are new
and interesting with model helicopters. I will also try to print and
answer relevant E-mail questions.
So who am I? I would consider myself an average RC helicopter
pilot. Weather permitting, I fly most
weekends. I’m not an aeronautical
engineer or even a self-appointed net
expert. I won’t be throwing complicated
numbers and charts at you, mostly because
I can’t understand them! I will share
different ideas about what has worked for
me and ideas from my flying buddies.
I started flying helicopters in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, approximately 20 years ago.
My first helicopter was a Schluter Mini
Boy that my father gave me. I flew it using
a Futaba AM Conquest four-channel radio.
The nice thing about the AM radio was
that if anything on the all-aluminum Mini
Boy came loose, the radio glitches were
the first to let you know!
My father had one of the first Schluter
Cobra helicopters in the country. It never
flew very well, but my dad had been bitten
by the helicopter bug and naturally so had
I. That Cobra is still around. My father
Ray Stacy, 15 W. Main St., Webster NY 14580; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL HELICOPTERS
Ray’s Intrepid 90 ready to be strapped to Pro60 camera mount.
You can see trigger servo epoxied to top of camera.
Shown are electronics for mount. Miniature camera under mount
was eventually epoxied to front of camera.
Helicam Solutions’ soft mount system makes it easy to attach the
camera mount to any helicopter.
Ray’s father’s original Schluter Cobra and the smaller Kalt Cobra in the foreground. Email
Ray if you know of a Schluter Cobra that is available.
passed away recently, and I now have it hanging in my shop. I am
looking to purchase another Schluter Cobra. If you know of one
for sale, please send me an E-mail note.
I belonged to the Pittsburgh Area Rotor Runners and flew with
Paul Tradelius, Dave Darr, Dave Davison, Ron Osinski, and
others. We had nothing but fun. 3-D didn’t exist. If you could
loop and roll, you were doing well! Inverted flight was for the
elite. I remember Jeff Sumey converting his X-Cell 60 to Cyclic
Collective Pitch Mixing (CCPM), which was unheard of! Today
many helicopters use CCPM. I guess Jeff was just ahead of his
time.
I made my way through the Shuttles and Concepts and had
settled in on X-Cells, when my job moved me to upstate New
York. I certainly missed flying with my father and my friends, but
I quickly hooked up with a couple of guys who were flying
helicopters. Today in our area we have more than 20 helicopter
fliers, and new pilots are coming along continuously.
January 2005 143
Cameraman is in garage watching video and snapping pictures.
Dan Williams (left) and Curtis Youngblood at the 2004 Northeast
Model Helicopter Jamboree in Macedon, New York.
Ray’s 9-year-old son Kyle plays with the Stinger 30.
I belong to two clubs: ARCH, which
is the helicopter club I originally joined,
and the Rochester AeroModeling Society
(www.rcplane.com), or RAMS, which is
a local airplane/helicopter club. The
RAMS hosted the Northeast Model
Helicopter Jamboree that Dan Williams
wrote about in the December column.
The pilot whom I am most proud of is
my 9-year-old son Kyle. He currently
flies a Stinger 30, a Raptor 50, and a
Vigor CS, and he is getting ready to take
over my Stinger 50 from Gohbee
Aviation (www.gohbee.com).
I love having my son drag me to the
flying field! This truly is a great hobby to
share with our children. The kids are our
future and I do everything I can to
support them. Okay, enough of that for
now.
As are many of us, I am always looking
for new things to do in this hobby. I was
intrigued by the possibility of putting a
camera in my helicopter. I did some
searching on the helicopter forums and
found that most of the equipment used to
do this is priced way out of my reach.
The Internet helicopter forums are a good
way to get answers quickly.
After making a post regarding looking
for camera mounts, Jody Prather—owner
of Helicam Solutions (www.helicam
solutions.com)—came to my rescue. He
is great to talk to, and he spent more than
enough time explaining what he had to
offer and what has worked well for him.
We shared ideas, and I learned that Jody
had the same vision I did: an affordable
mount for the hobbyist.
Helicam Solutions has a 30-size sport
mount for just $199. The 60-size sport
mount is $249. I went with the Pro60
mount so I could use my eBay-purchased
spy-camera downlink to actually see
where my Kodak digital camera was
aimed.
Others have said they have had good
luck just going up and shooting pictures
blindly. I tried this and found that getting
that one good shot isn’t too difficult.
The nice thing about Helicam’s mount
is that it is universal. Using Jody’s soft
mount system, I am able to install the
system quickly and easily on any of my
60-size models. I use a separate receiver
and battery pack on the mount to control
the tilt and yaw servos as well as fire the
camera.
The spy cam is the downlink video
source when shooting digital stills. For
movies I use the video outport on my
video camera and the Black Widow 900
MHz video/audio (www.blackwidow
av.com/) downlink. I tried the 2.4 GHz
transmitter and found that I prefer the
900 MHz system. The 900 MHz
transmitter is not as vulnerable to
structure interference.
All video on the ground is viewed
through a 7-inch LCD monitor that is
similar to those mounted in the back of
headrests in some of today’s automobiles.
For the camera trigger I use a microservo
epoxied to the top of the camera. I also
epoxied the miniature spy cam to the front
of the camera. It is simple but effective.
This system has proven to work well
on my glow-powered Bergen Intrepid 90
and my larger gasoline-powered Intrepid.
I recently purchased Helicam’s
conversion unit, which I will permanently
mount to the front of my Bergen gasser.
Helicam Solutions also makes a
double-decker mount that will let you
carry a digital camera and a movie camera
at the same time. Jody mentioned two new
products that I will be reviewing in the
near future, the first of which is a 3 Axis
Gyro Stabilization System. It will work to
keep your camera pointing in the correct
direction, regardless of helicopter
movement.
The second is a Micro Mount for
electric-powered helicopters. Using the
Sony Cyber-shot camera as an example,
the entire mounting system including
camera will weigh less than 16 ounces
and will sell for $99 without the camera.
All of the camera work I have done has
been for fun—nothing commercial and no
paying jobs. You need to remember that if
you take your camera model out and start
charging for your services, you are not
covered by your AMA insurance. That is
incredibly important.
My homeowner’s insurance told me
the same thing. As soon as you start
charging for your services, your
homeowner’s insurance will not cover
you.
In today’s world where anyone can sue
anybody, you need to be careful and make
wise decisions about what you do with
your model. I have read that some people
have been successful in getting coverage
for their camera work. I haven’t pursued
this much yet, but the couple calls I did
make didn’t go far or show much promise.
I have some great products to look at in
the upcoming months. Next month I will
show you the Stinger 50 from Gohbee
Aviation and the new Stinger conversion
head for the Raptor 30 and 50. John
Dennis will install the head on his Raptor
50 and give it a good workout.
Juan Rodriguez will do a nice review
on the Star Flight fiberglass and carbonfiber
blades. He will use the SAB
fiberglass blades as a benchmark. I am
eager to see how the Star Flight blades
compare.
I will continue to use different people
to test products. I think variety is a good
thing, and it will give us different
perspectives on our hobby.
If you made it this far, thanks for sticking
with me. E-mail me with your thoughts on
what you would like to see in this column.
I am looking forward to another great
year in helicopters. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/01
Page Numbers: 142,143,144,145
142 MODEL AVIATION
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I’ll start by thanking Dan Williams for his
dedication in delivering a monthly column in which he did his
best to have something for everyone. This can be an exceptionally
difficult task.
I recall one month during which Dan received two E-mails
from two very different people. One asked for an article about
getting started, and the other asked him never to print another
word about getting started because it had been beaten to death. I
guess you can’t please everyone!
I have read a few comments on the various helicopter forums
regarding the lack of helicopter content in MA. My response is
always the same: I like to read about all parts of the RC hobby. I
think MA contains more useful content regarding the entire RC
hobby than any other magazine in print today. If you would like
to see more helicopter content, submit an article! It isn’t that hard.
My goal for this column is to show you things that are new
and interesting with model helicopters. I will also try to print and
answer relevant E-mail questions.
So who am I? I would consider myself an average RC helicopter
pilot. Weather permitting, I fly most
weekends. I’m not an aeronautical
engineer or even a self-appointed net
expert. I won’t be throwing complicated
numbers and charts at you, mostly because
I can’t understand them! I will share
different ideas about what has worked for
me and ideas from my flying buddies.
I started flying helicopters in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, approximately 20 years ago.
My first helicopter was a Schluter Mini
Boy that my father gave me. I flew it using
a Futaba AM Conquest four-channel radio.
The nice thing about the AM radio was
that if anything on the all-aluminum Mini
Boy came loose, the radio glitches were
the first to let you know!
My father had one of the first Schluter
Cobra helicopters in the country. It never
flew very well, but my dad had been bitten
by the helicopter bug and naturally so had
I. That Cobra is still around. My father
Ray Stacy, 15 W. Main St., Webster NY 14580; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL HELICOPTERS
Ray’s Intrepid 90 ready to be strapped to Pro60 camera mount.
You can see trigger servo epoxied to top of camera.
Shown are electronics for mount. Miniature camera under mount
was eventually epoxied to front of camera.
Helicam Solutions’ soft mount system makes it easy to attach the
camera mount to any helicopter.
Ray’s father’s original Schluter Cobra and the smaller Kalt Cobra in the foreground. Email
Ray if you know of a Schluter Cobra that is available.
passed away recently, and I now have it hanging in my shop. I am
looking to purchase another Schluter Cobra. If you know of one
for sale, please send me an E-mail note.
I belonged to the Pittsburgh Area Rotor Runners and flew with
Paul Tradelius, Dave Darr, Dave Davison, Ron Osinski, and
others. We had nothing but fun. 3-D didn’t exist. If you could
loop and roll, you were doing well! Inverted flight was for the
elite. I remember Jeff Sumey converting his X-Cell 60 to Cyclic
Collective Pitch Mixing (CCPM), which was unheard of! Today
many helicopters use CCPM. I guess Jeff was just ahead of his
time.
I made my way through the Shuttles and Concepts and had
settled in on X-Cells, when my job moved me to upstate New
York. I certainly missed flying with my father and my friends, but
I quickly hooked up with a couple of guys who were flying
helicopters. Today in our area we have more than 20 helicopter
fliers, and new pilots are coming along continuously.
January 2005 143
Cameraman is in garage watching video and snapping pictures.
Dan Williams (left) and Curtis Youngblood at the 2004 Northeast
Model Helicopter Jamboree in Macedon, New York.
Ray’s 9-year-old son Kyle plays with the Stinger 30.
I belong to two clubs: ARCH, which
is the helicopter club I originally joined,
and the Rochester AeroModeling Society
(www.rcplane.com), or RAMS, which is
a local airplane/helicopter club. The
RAMS hosted the Northeast Model
Helicopter Jamboree that Dan Williams
wrote about in the December column.
The pilot whom I am most proud of is
my 9-year-old son Kyle. He currently
flies a Stinger 30, a Raptor 50, and a
Vigor CS, and he is getting ready to take
over my Stinger 50 from Gohbee
Aviation (www.gohbee.com).
I love having my son drag me to the
flying field! This truly is a great hobby to
share with our children. The kids are our
future and I do everything I can to
support them. Okay, enough of that for
now.
As are many of us, I am always looking
for new things to do in this hobby. I was
intrigued by the possibility of putting a
camera in my helicopter. I did some
searching on the helicopter forums and
found that most of the equipment used to
do this is priced way out of my reach.
The Internet helicopter forums are a good
way to get answers quickly.
After making a post regarding looking
for camera mounts, Jody Prather—owner
of Helicam Solutions (www.helicam
solutions.com)—came to my rescue. He
is great to talk to, and he spent more than
enough time explaining what he had to
offer and what has worked well for him.
We shared ideas, and I learned that Jody
had the same vision I did: an affordable
mount for the hobbyist.
Helicam Solutions has a 30-size sport
mount for just $199. The 60-size sport
mount is $249. I went with the Pro60
mount so I could use my eBay-purchased
spy-camera downlink to actually see
where my Kodak digital camera was
aimed.
Others have said they have had good
luck just going up and shooting pictures
blindly. I tried this and found that getting
that one good shot isn’t too difficult.
The nice thing about Helicam’s mount
is that it is universal. Using Jody’s soft
mount system, I am able to install the
system quickly and easily on any of my
60-size models. I use a separate receiver
and battery pack on the mount to control
the tilt and yaw servos as well as fire the
camera.
The spy cam is the downlink video
source when shooting digital stills. For
movies I use the video outport on my
video camera and the Black Widow 900
MHz video/audio (www.blackwidow
av.com/) downlink. I tried the 2.4 GHz
transmitter and found that I prefer the
900 MHz system. The 900 MHz
transmitter is not as vulnerable to
structure interference.
All video on the ground is viewed
through a 7-inch LCD monitor that is
similar to those mounted in the back of
headrests in some of today’s automobiles.
For the camera trigger I use a microservo
epoxied to the top of the camera. I also
epoxied the miniature spy cam to the front
of the camera. It is simple but effective.
This system has proven to work well
on my glow-powered Bergen Intrepid 90
and my larger gasoline-powered Intrepid.
I recently purchased Helicam’s
conversion unit, which I will permanently
mount to the front of my Bergen gasser.
Helicam Solutions also makes a
double-decker mount that will let you
carry a digital camera and a movie camera
at the same time. Jody mentioned two new
products that I will be reviewing in the
near future, the first of which is a 3 Axis
Gyro Stabilization System. It will work to
keep your camera pointing in the correct
direction, regardless of helicopter
movement.
The second is a Micro Mount for
electric-powered helicopters. Using the
Sony Cyber-shot camera as an example,
the entire mounting system including
camera will weigh less than 16 ounces
and will sell for $99 without the camera.
All of the camera work I have done has
been for fun—nothing commercial and no
paying jobs. You need to remember that if
you take your camera model out and start
charging for your services, you are not
covered by your AMA insurance. That is
incredibly important.
My homeowner’s insurance told me
the same thing. As soon as you start
charging for your services, your
homeowner’s insurance will not cover
you.
In today’s world where anyone can sue
anybody, you need to be careful and make
wise decisions about what you do with
your model. I have read that some people
have been successful in getting coverage
for their camera work. I haven’t pursued
this much yet, but the couple calls I did
make didn’t go far or show much promise.
I have some great products to look at in
the upcoming months. Next month I will
show you the Stinger 50 from Gohbee
Aviation and the new Stinger conversion
head for the Raptor 30 and 50. John
Dennis will install the head on his Raptor
50 and give it a good workout.
Juan Rodriguez will do a nice review
on the Star Flight fiberglass and carbonfiber
blades. He will use the SAB
fiberglass blades as a benchmark. I am
eager to see how the Star Flight blades
compare.
I will continue to use different people
to test products. I think variety is a good
thing, and it will give us different
perspectives on our hobby.
If you made it this far, thanks for sticking
with me. E-mail me with your thoughts on
what you would like to see in this column.
I am looking forward to another great
year in helicopters. MA