HELLO, EVERYONE. My name is Mark Fadely and I will be
contributing to the helicopter column. I have been a modeler
since the age of 6 and I received my first MA magazine from a
family friend in 1972.
I have always had a fascination with flight, whether it is a
helicopter, an airplane, a bird, or even a kite; it doesn’t matter.
Anything that flies has my attention. I’m looking forward to
writing this column because I know the readers are a diverse
group and I hope some pilots develop an interest in the
helicopter side of the hobby.
Helicopters are definitely not as hard to understand and/or
operate as they used to be. In fact, I see many airplane pilots
giving the little electric-powered helicopters a go. Some of the
top airplane pilots such as Jason Noll, Andrew Jesky, and Chip
Hyde fly helicopters as well. There are many crossover pilots
these days.
There used to
be a line drawn in
the sand; either you
were a “plank”
pilot or a helicopter
freak, and there
was no in between.
Those days are
coming to an end, thanks to the recent advances in technology.
Simulators and foolproof, ready-built helicopters have
accelerated the learning curve toward success in RC helicopters.
Not too many years ago you had to be an expert mechanic
and a glow-engine tuning specialist to get one of these whopper
helicopters into the air and back down without some kind of
structural damage. Those days are over, thank goodness, and the
new revolution (pun intended) of high-performance, electricpowered
ARF helicopters is here.
Clean electric-powered, high-performance aircraft are
revolutionizing the airplane and helicopter sides of the hobby.
Also included in this column:
• A look at the young guns of
the helicopter world
Colin Bell checks his machine before a demo flight.
Nir Meiri’s Stratus during a near-perfect
routine at the 2006 IRCHA Jamboree.
Nigel Brown’s helicopter in flight. You
can’t get much lower than this.
Alan Szabo is joined by Marcus Kim during
his noon demonstration flight.
Recent developments in realistic computer simulators have helped
countless newcomers ease their way into an otherwise difficult
hobby.
First there were micro-size helicopters that were cool, but they
were also fragile and expensive. Then along came the mini-size
models, such as the wildly popular T-Rex.
Recently several manufacturers have introduced 600-size
electric helicopters. They are basically equivalent in size to a 50
The author with his machine.
glow-powered helicopter, sporting main blades that are 600mm
long. The performance of these amp-gulping monsters is
astounding.
I was at the IRCHA (International Radio Controlled
Helicopter Association) Jamboree this year, where Eric Larson
was flying his new Miniature Aircraft 50-size, electric-powered
Razor. He was telling me how much fun it was to fly this new EP
helicopter. Then he handed me the transmitter and said, “Give it a
go.”
A little earlier I had been flying my 90-size glow helicopter,
so I was expecting to take things a bit easier with this smaller
electric model. Boy, was I surprised!
I took off and the Razor shot up in the air, so I thought,
Nick Maxwell at the 2006 Great Planes E-Fest.
“Okay, let’s see how it does some
demanding maneuvers.” I think I scared
Eric, though, because he made sure to tell
me that the model was a prototype
probably four times during the flight.
I ran the Razor through most of the
motor-bogging maneuvers I could think of,
and it just purred and asked for more. I was
impressed.
It’s no wonder so many pilots are
getting excited about helicopters now. Any
flier who can fly an airplane can be
successful with a helicopter too, and that
hasn’t always been the case.
Helicopters have traditionally been
reserved for those RC enthusiasts who love
an almost impossible challenge. Today, if a
pilot is willing to put in the time, he or she
can be successful.
With all this new excitement about
equipment, guess what else has been
happening? Kids are coming back to the
hobby. It’s about time. In the last two years
I’ve noticed that there has been a strong
resurgence of youth interest.
The youth are our future, and it’s
exciting to be witnessing the return of the
younger generation to our hobby. It’s been a
long time coming. The RC helicopter
fraternity has a new bevy of young pledges
who are shaking up the sport in radical
fashion. Let’s meet a few of them.
Bobby Watts is 17 years old and has
been flying for two years. He lives on the
East Coast, and the Maryland Helicopter
Association club members helped him get
started the right way.
If you saw Bobby’s jaw-dropping
demonstration flights at the IRCHA
Jamboree this year, you would have sworn
he had been flying for at least 10 years. He
flies a Miniature Aircraft Stratus 90 and the
new Razor electric.
Another IRCHA 2006 standout was Nir
Meiri of Israel, who was also just 17 years
old. He earned a second-place finish at the
3D Masters, which was held in the United
Kingdom in July. Nir flies a Miniature
Aircraft Stratus 90.
Kyle Stacy is a well-known youngster.
It’s hard to believe that a 10-year-old could
lay down some of the shocking flights he
did at the IRCHA Jamboree. He is from
Rochester, New York, and has a great fulltime
mechanic—his dad Ray—to help him.
Kyle flies a Raptor 90 as well as smaller
electric-powered helicopters.
Tyler Bonita is an up-and-coming pilot
who is also 10 years old. He flew in the
Xtreme Flight Championships (XFC) this
year and turned quite a few heads with his
well-rounded flying style. Tyler is always
cool and in full control of his model. He has
some wonderful sponsorship from his dad
and Team VISA (Ha! Ha!).
I saw another new young guy for the first
time at the IRCHA Jamboree: Nigel Brown.
He can really fly, and he’s just 17 years old.
These young great pilots are showing up
around the world. Nigel is from New
Zealand, and he is sponsored by the new
Synergy helicopter company. He flew a new
90-size model to perfection.
Nick Maxwell is from my home state of
Indiana. He is 16 years old and has been
flying for seven years! Pilots start young
these days. Nick flies a T-Rex 600 outdoors
and the smaller mini T-Rex indoors. Nick
flew in the 2006 XFC this year, and he is a
pleasant young man.
Marcus Kim is 20 years old, and he
represents the upperclassmen of this group.
He is always fun to watch, with his deathdefying,
on-the-deck routines. Marcus has
flown in the XFC for the last three years and
never disappoints the crowd with his
thrilling flights. He is flying an Avant from
Carbon Extreme.
There are also the Szabo brothers: Alan
and Danny. They have been icons in the
helicopter community for the last several
years. Danny is still just a kid, at 17, but
Alan is one of the older pilots now, at age
20. Both have signed on to fly the new
Aurora 90 helicopter from Carbon Extreme.
Those are just a few of the outstanding
young pilots I got to meet at the 2006
IRCHA Jamboree in Muncie, Indiana.
Remember these names; you’re going to be
seeing a lot of them.
That’s all I have room for in this issue. I
hope this gets some of you excited about
the great and growing world of RC
helicopters.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 120,121,122
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 120,121,122
HELLO, EVERYONE. My name is Mark Fadely and I will be
contributing to the helicopter column. I have been a modeler
since the age of 6 and I received my first MA magazine from a
family friend in 1972.
I have always had a fascination with flight, whether it is a
helicopter, an airplane, a bird, or even a kite; it doesn’t matter.
Anything that flies has my attention. I’m looking forward to
writing this column because I know the readers are a diverse
group and I hope some pilots develop an interest in the
helicopter side of the hobby.
Helicopters are definitely not as hard to understand and/or
operate as they used to be. In fact, I see many airplane pilots
giving the little electric-powered helicopters a go. Some of the
top airplane pilots such as Jason Noll, Andrew Jesky, and Chip
Hyde fly helicopters as well. There are many crossover pilots
these days.
There used to
be a line drawn in
the sand; either you
were a “plank”
pilot or a helicopter
freak, and there
was no in between.
Those days are
coming to an end, thanks to the recent advances in technology.
Simulators and foolproof, ready-built helicopters have
accelerated the learning curve toward success in RC helicopters.
Not too many years ago you had to be an expert mechanic
and a glow-engine tuning specialist to get one of these whopper
helicopters into the air and back down without some kind of
structural damage. Those days are over, thank goodness, and the
new revolution (pun intended) of high-performance, electricpowered
ARF helicopters is here.
Clean electric-powered, high-performance aircraft are
revolutionizing the airplane and helicopter sides of the hobby.
Also included in this column:
• A look at the young guns of
the helicopter world
Colin Bell checks his machine before a demo flight.
Nir Meiri’s Stratus during a near-perfect
routine at the 2006 IRCHA Jamboree.
Nigel Brown’s helicopter in flight. You
can’t get much lower than this.
Alan Szabo is joined by Marcus Kim during
his noon demonstration flight.
Recent developments in realistic computer simulators have helped
countless newcomers ease their way into an otherwise difficult
hobby.
First there were micro-size helicopters that were cool, but they
were also fragile and expensive. Then along came the mini-size
models, such as the wildly popular T-Rex.
Recently several manufacturers have introduced 600-size
electric helicopters. They are basically equivalent in size to a 50
The author with his machine.
glow-powered helicopter, sporting main blades that are 600mm
long. The performance of these amp-gulping monsters is
astounding.
I was at the IRCHA (International Radio Controlled
Helicopter Association) Jamboree this year, where Eric Larson
was flying his new Miniature Aircraft 50-size, electric-powered
Razor. He was telling me how much fun it was to fly this new EP
helicopter. Then he handed me the transmitter and said, “Give it a
go.”
A little earlier I had been flying my 90-size glow helicopter,
so I was expecting to take things a bit easier with this smaller
electric model. Boy, was I surprised!
I took off and the Razor shot up in the air, so I thought,
Nick Maxwell at the 2006 Great Planes E-Fest.
“Okay, let’s see how it does some
demanding maneuvers.” I think I scared
Eric, though, because he made sure to tell
me that the model was a prototype
probably four times during the flight.
I ran the Razor through most of the
motor-bogging maneuvers I could think of,
and it just purred and asked for more. I was
impressed.
It’s no wonder so many pilots are
getting excited about helicopters now. Any
flier who can fly an airplane can be
successful with a helicopter too, and that
hasn’t always been the case.
Helicopters have traditionally been
reserved for those RC enthusiasts who love
an almost impossible challenge. Today, if a
pilot is willing to put in the time, he or she
can be successful.
With all this new excitement about
equipment, guess what else has been
happening? Kids are coming back to the
hobby. It’s about time. In the last two years
I’ve noticed that there has been a strong
resurgence of youth interest.
The youth are our future, and it’s
exciting to be witnessing the return of the
younger generation to our hobby. It’s been a
long time coming. The RC helicopter
fraternity has a new bevy of young pledges
who are shaking up the sport in radical
fashion. Let’s meet a few of them.
Bobby Watts is 17 years old and has
been flying for two years. He lives on the
East Coast, and the Maryland Helicopter
Association club members helped him get
started the right way.
If you saw Bobby’s jaw-dropping
demonstration flights at the IRCHA
Jamboree this year, you would have sworn
he had been flying for at least 10 years. He
flies a Miniature Aircraft Stratus 90 and the
new Razor electric.
Another IRCHA 2006 standout was Nir
Meiri of Israel, who was also just 17 years
old. He earned a second-place finish at the
3D Masters, which was held in the United
Kingdom in July. Nir flies a Miniature
Aircraft Stratus 90.
Kyle Stacy is a well-known youngster.
It’s hard to believe that a 10-year-old could
lay down some of the shocking flights he
did at the IRCHA Jamboree. He is from
Rochester, New York, and has a great fulltime
mechanic—his dad Ray—to help him.
Kyle flies a Raptor 90 as well as smaller
electric-powered helicopters.
Tyler Bonita is an up-and-coming pilot
who is also 10 years old. He flew in the
Xtreme Flight Championships (XFC) this
year and turned quite a few heads with his
well-rounded flying style. Tyler is always
cool and in full control of his model. He has
some wonderful sponsorship from his dad
and Team VISA (Ha! Ha!).
I saw another new young guy for the first
time at the IRCHA Jamboree: Nigel Brown.
He can really fly, and he’s just 17 years old.
These young great pilots are showing up
around the world. Nigel is from New
Zealand, and he is sponsored by the new
Synergy helicopter company. He flew a new
90-size model to perfection.
Nick Maxwell is from my home state of
Indiana. He is 16 years old and has been
flying for seven years! Pilots start young
these days. Nick flies a T-Rex 600 outdoors
and the smaller mini T-Rex indoors. Nick
flew in the 2006 XFC this year, and he is a
pleasant young man.
Marcus Kim is 20 years old, and he
represents the upperclassmen of this group.
He is always fun to watch, with his deathdefying,
on-the-deck routines. Marcus has
flown in the XFC for the last three years and
never disappoints the crowd with his
thrilling flights. He is flying an Avant from
Carbon Extreme.
There are also the Szabo brothers: Alan
and Danny. They have been icons in the
helicopter community for the last several
years. Danny is still just a kid, at 17, but
Alan is one of the older pilots now, at age
20. Both have signed on to fly the new
Aurora 90 helicopter from Carbon Extreme.
Those are just a few of the outstanding
young pilots I got to meet at the 2006
IRCHA Jamboree in Muncie, Indiana.
Remember these names; you’re going to be
seeing a lot of them.
That’s all I have room for in this issue. I
hope this gets some of you excited about
the great and growing world of RC
helicopters.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 120,121,122
HELLO, EVERYONE. My name is Mark Fadely and I will be
contributing to the helicopter column. I have been a modeler
since the age of 6 and I received my first MA magazine from a
family friend in 1972.
I have always had a fascination with flight, whether it is a
helicopter, an airplane, a bird, or even a kite; it doesn’t matter.
Anything that flies has my attention. I’m looking forward to
writing this column because I know the readers are a diverse
group and I hope some pilots develop an interest in the
helicopter side of the hobby.
Helicopters are definitely not as hard to understand and/or
operate as they used to be. In fact, I see many airplane pilots
giving the little electric-powered helicopters a go. Some of the
top airplane pilots such as Jason Noll, Andrew Jesky, and Chip
Hyde fly helicopters as well. There are many crossover pilots
these days.
There used to
be a line drawn in
the sand; either you
were a “plank”
pilot or a helicopter
freak, and there
was no in between.
Those days are
coming to an end, thanks to the recent advances in technology.
Simulators and foolproof, ready-built helicopters have
accelerated the learning curve toward success in RC helicopters.
Not too many years ago you had to be an expert mechanic
and a glow-engine tuning specialist to get one of these whopper
helicopters into the air and back down without some kind of
structural damage. Those days are over, thank goodness, and the
new revolution (pun intended) of high-performance, electricpowered
ARF helicopters is here.
Clean electric-powered, high-performance aircraft are
revolutionizing the airplane and helicopter sides of the hobby.
Also included in this column:
• A look at the young guns of
the helicopter world
Colin Bell checks his machine before a demo flight.
Nir Meiri’s Stratus during a near-perfect
routine at the 2006 IRCHA Jamboree.
Nigel Brown’s helicopter in flight. You
can’t get much lower than this.
Alan Szabo is joined by Marcus Kim during
his noon demonstration flight.
Recent developments in realistic computer simulators have helped
countless newcomers ease their way into an otherwise difficult
hobby.
First there were micro-size helicopters that were cool, but they
were also fragile and expensive. Then along came the mini-size
models, such as the wildly popular T-Rex.
Recently several manufacturers have introduced 600-size
electric helicopters. They are basically equivalent in size to a 50
The author with his machine.
glow-powered helicopter, sporting main blades that are 600mm
long. The performance of these amp-gulping monsters is
astounding.
I was at the IRCHA (International Radio Controlled
Helicopter Association) Jamboree this year, where Eric Larson
was flying his new Miniature Aircraft 50-size, electric-powered
Razor. He was telling me how much fun it was to fly this new EP
helicopter. Then he handed me the transmitter and said, “Give it a
go.”
A little earlier I had been flying my 90-size glow helicopter,
so I was expecting to take things a bit easier with this smaller
electric model. Boy, was I surprised!
I took off and the Razor shot up in the air, so I thought,
Nick Maxwell at the 2006 Great Planes E-Fest.
“Okay, let’s see how it does some
demanding maneuvers.” I think I scared
Eric, though, because he made sure to tell
me that the model was a prototype
probably four times during the flight.
I ran the Razor through most of the
motor-bogging maneuvers I could think of,
and it just purred and asked for more. I was
impressed.
It’s no wonder so many pilots are
getting excited about helicopters now. Any
flier who can fly an airplane can be
successful with a helicopter too, and that
hasn’t always been the case.
Helicopters have traditionally been
reserved for those RC enthusiasts who love
an almost impossible challenge. Today, if a
pilot is willing to put in the time, he or she
can be successful.
With all this new excitement about
equipment, guess what else has been
happening? Kids are coming back to the
hobby. It’s about time. In the last two years
I’ve noticed that there has been a strong
resurgence of youth interest.
The youth are our future, and it’s
exciting to be witnessing the return of the
younger generation to our hobby. It’s been a
long time coming. The RC helicopter
fraternity has a new bevy of young pledges
who are shaking up the sport in radical
fashion. Let’s meet a few of them.
Bobby Watts is 17 years old and has
been flying for two years. He lives on the
East Coast, and the Maryland Helicopter
Association club members helped him get
started the right way.
If you saw Bobby’s jaw-dropping
demonstration flights at the IRCHA
Jamboree this year, you would have sworn
he had been flying for at least 10 years. He
flies a Miniature Aircraft Stratus 90 and the
new Razor electric.
Another IRCHA 2006 standout was Nir
Meiri of Israel, who was also just 17 years
old. He earned a second-place finish at the
3D Masters, which was held in the United
Kingdom in July. Nir flies a Miniature
Aircraft Stratus 90.
Kyle Stacy is a well-known youngster.
It’s hard to believe that a 10-year-old could
lay down some of the shocking flights he
did at the IRCHA Jamboree. He is from
Rochester, New York, and has a great fulltime
mechanic—his dad Ray—to help him.
Kyle flies a Raptor 90 as well as smaller
electric-powered helicopters.
Tyler Bonita is an up-and-coming pilot
who is also 10 years old. He flew in the
Xtreme Flight Championships (XFC) this
year and turned quite a few heads with his
well-rounded flying style. Tyler is always
cool and in full control of his model. He has
some wonderful sponsorship from his dad
and Team VISA (Ha! Ha!).
I saw another new young guy for the first
time at the IRCHA Jamboree: Nigel Brown.
He can really fly, and he’s just 17 years old.
These young great pilots are showing up
around the world. Nigel is from New
Zealand, and he is sponsored by the new
Synergy helicopter company. He flew a new
90-size model to perfection.
Nick Maxwell is from my home state of
Indiana. He is 16 years old and has been
flying for seven years! Pilots start young
these days. Nick flies a T-Rex 600 outdoors
and the smaller mini T-Rex indoors. Nick
flew in the 2006 XFC this year, and he is a
pleasant young man.
Marcus Kim is 20 years old, and he
represents the upperclassmen of this group.
He is always fun to watch, with his deathdefying,
on-the-deck routines. Marcus has
flown in the XFC for the last three years and
never disappoints the crowd with his
thrilling flights. He is flying an Avant from
Carbon Extreme.
There are also the Szabo brothers: Alan
and Danny. They have been icons in the
helicopter community for the last several
years. Danny is still just a kid, at 17, but
Alan is one of the older pilots now, at age
20. Both have signed on to fly the new
Aurora 90 helicopter from Carbon Extreme.
Those are just a few of the outstanding
young pilots I got to meet at the 2006
IRCHA Jamboree in Muncie, Indiana.
Remember these names; you’re going to be
seeing a lot of them.
That’s all I have room for in this issue. I
hope this gets some of you excited about
the great and growing world of RC
helicopters.