Don’t miss the 2012 IRCHA Jamboree
by Mark Fadely [email protected]
Hi, and thank you for making your way back to the helicopter section of Model Aviation magazine. All the cool people hang out here, you know.
It is hard to believe that the 2012 flying season is moving along so quickly, and the year's biggest event is right around the corner. I am speaking of the International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association (IRCHA) Jamboree. It will be held August 15–19, 2012, at AMA Headquarters in Muncie, Indiana.
I often talk about the importance of going to fun-flys because of all the valuable information you can absorb there. You can meet the world's top pilots face-to-face at this huge event, and most of them are approachable. Attending the Jamboree can be a helpful experience for a beginner pilot. Write down questions so that when you speak with knowledgeable pilots, you can remember all the things you wanted to ask.
IRCHA is not a normal fun-fly. It stays open late into the night every night, with awesome night-flying action that culminates in the fantastic Saturday night competition. If you don't feel like flying in the evening, you can relax and chat with the hundreds of pilots who camp on-site throughout the week.
Does this sound like one big party? Yes, that's because it is. Throughout the years, IRCHA has become more and more of a social gathering. I think that is the best part. This is your chance to attend the largest gathering of "rotorheads" in the world. Many devoted helicopter aficionados travel from around the world to be there. Enthusiastic helicopter pilots from Asia, South America, Australia, and Hawaii all made the trip to IRCHA in 2011. Make plans now to be there and get ready for the most fun you will ever have at a heli event.
Keith Sparks' Project
You ever wonder how things are made in our hobby? RC helicopters require so many special parts and pieces it must be quite an undertaking to design and make all the parts from scratch. I met a parts designer who shared his interesting manufacturing story with me. His name is Keith Sparks and he is the owner of ParkFlyer Plastics. The company manufactures plastic accessories for RC aircraft. I asked Keith to tell us about his latest project, the Cobra XQ. Here is what he had to say:
"After flying the E-flite mQX for a while, I was pleased to see how well it flew. The next logical step was to have one that was larger and easier to repair or modify with off-the-shelf equipment.
"I went to www.hoverthings.com and wound up with the popular VC 450 frame. Now, I know a lot of people are flying quads with cameras mounted and putting them to work, but for me, the payload should be about fun.
"What I wanted was a body of some kind to put on my quad and all I could find were the plastic shells to protect the control board, so I went to work. I made a quick sketch of a fuselage for what I thought a military quadcopter would look like, and then added a Cobra-style cockpit so it would look conceivable.
"My requirements for my project were that it wouldn't weigh more than the cameras being used. The mounting method had to be temporary and adaptable to other frames. Access to the control board and battery had to be easy with no tools required and assembly should be as easy as possible.
"The next step was tooling the molds to form the fuselage. Foam sheeting was used to construct a fuselage mockup on the frame to ensure the propellers had proper clearance and there would be room for the battery. The foam fuselage was then removed, reassembled, and plaster casts were taken to copy the shape.
"I filled the plaster casts with automotive body filler then broke the plaster away, revealing the tooling I would be working with. It was necessary to form the fuselage in three separate pieces to maintain the proper plastic thickness.
"Five fuselages were assembled with small adjustments made with each version to test the trim lines and fit between them. Adding the details to the form tools and creating the small parts took about a week, and the same adjustments and test-fit method were used.
"As I assembled the first fuselage, I took notes and developed a construction sequence that allows for drying time and still keeps your hands busy with the detail work. What I found surprising about the finished model was that the supplied magnets that hold the top fuselage half in place were strong enough to lift the model with no battery. This test quickly evaporated my concern about the top coming off in flight.
"My next concern was keeping my orientation during flight. The features of the fuselage are easy to see even at a distance, so it's not a problem. However, I wouldn't recommend a military camouflage paint scheme below the tree line."
Thanks for sharing that manufacturing story with us, Keith. It is fun to hear about how things in our hobby are designed and manufactured.
Wrapping Up
That is all I have for this month. I want to thank those of you who have been sending me emails. It helps to hear your ideas and concerns so the information in this column fits with what is relevant among active helicopter pilots. See you all back here next month.
SOURCES:
- ParkFlyer Plastics
(817) 233-1215 www.parkflyerplastics.com
- IRCHA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
