iving in Muncie, Indiana, has
its benefits, but for me, winter
is not one of them. Having
moved to Indiana from Florida, I miss
the ability to fly outdoors year round.
I’m trying to embrace the “winter
build season” and whittle away at a
closet full of future projects. I even
have an airplane in need of repair
after a disagreement with terra firma.
Winter also brings indoor flying and
swap meets; I am certainly
appreciative of that!
One of the biggest benefits to
living in Muncie is flying at AMA’s
International Aeromodeling Center
(IAC) and attending many of the
events. Aside from the Nats, the
largest event, judged by pilot
participation, is the IRCHA
Jamboree. This helicopter-only
gathering draws nearly 1,000 pilots
each year and has been held at the
IAC for 10 years.
I have attended the event for four
years straight and I find myself
looking forward to it more each time.
For me, helicopters have gone from
being an oddity to something really
cool. At IRCHA, I get to see the latest
high-performance and Scale
helicopters flown by the world’s top
pilots. Modelers of all skill levels get
together and share their passion with
like-minded individuals.
Whether you missed the Jamboree
or just want to reminisce about the
great time you had flying your
helicopters, Mark Fadely has captured
all the excitement of what some
would consider “the helicopter pilots’
Woodstock.”
Not wanting to skimp on your
helicopter issue, we enlisted the help
of Jim Ryan to bring you a rotorrelated
construction article. Although
Jim might be best known for his 400-
size electric warbirds, he has also
embraced RC helicopters and
designed and built the AH-56
Cheyenne.
I was impressed when I saw his
creation at the 2011 Toledo Expo and
the judges apparently felt the same
way, awarding Jim’s Cheyenne first
place in the Helicopter Class. The
model made its flying debut at
IRCHA and garnered much interest.
If you want to set your sights on
something even bigger than Jim’s
Cheyenne, we have Chuck Bucci’s
story of how his love of RC
helicopters inspired him to build a
full-scale Rotorway in his garage. His
dream took flight this summer and
makes me wish I had my own
personal helicopter—especially
during rush hour!
A helicopter-themed issue
wouldn’t be complete without a
review. Roth Heyes brings us his take
on the A Main Hobbies Frenzy V2—a
glow-powered machine that is
available at a bargain price.
So … if someone asks you,
“Helicopters are cool, right?” give
them this issue and invite them to
IRCHA 2012.
If helicopters are not your thing,
we have the next installment from
Dave Scott on mastering straight lines
and course adjustments and an article
on a competition with a collegiate
flair to hold you over until next
month!
Edition: Model Aviation - 2011/12
Page Numbers: 6
