Don’t miss the 2012 IRCHA Jamboree - 2012/08

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
fl ying 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-fl ys 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-fl y. It stays open late
into the night every night,
with awesome night-fl ying
action that culminates into
the fantastic Saturday night
competition. If you don’t feel
like fl ying 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 afi cionados 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
Do 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 fl ying the E-fl ite mQX for a
while, I was pleased to see how well it
fl ew. 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
fl ying 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
fi nd 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
RC HELICOPTERS
The realistic-looking Cobra XQ fuselage only adds
6 to 7 ounces of weight, so flying is not a­ ected
by having it attached.
Keith Sparks designed and built this plastic Cobra
XQ fuselage. It sells for $47 and transforms popular
quadcopters into cool, military machines.
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 fi lled the plaster casts with
automotive body fi ller 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 fi t
between them.
Adding the details
to the form tools
and creating the
small parts took about
a week, and the same
adjustments and test-fi t
method were used.
“As I assembled the fi rst
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
fi nished 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 fl ight.
“My next concern was keeping my
orientation during fl ight. 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
camoufl age 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 fi ts
with what is relevant among active
helicopter pilots. See you all back here
next month.