Modeling Spoken Here
Helicopters in Model Aviation
A segment of our hobby/sport that does not get nearly enough coverage in MA is helicopters. In the world of model aviation the helicopter is almost unique. Except for a few free-flight helicopters that have been produced throughout the years, model-helicopter flying has been strictly an RC activity. It is unlike any other RC-aircraft modeling activity in a couple of ways.
Helicopters are capable of forward and reverse flight, as well as hovering. They can fly sideways and pirouette. Naturally, this type of flight envelope requires specific control mechanisms and a somewhat different pilot skill set than RC-airplane flying does.
The machines themselves are not constructed from balsa and plywood like an airplane, but rather from alloy tubing, alloy plates and other metals, reinforced nylon, and composite bits and pieces. They are truly engineering masterpieces.
Learning to Fly
I must confess that I have not yet learned to fly a model helicopter. I did try once many years ago, but that was in the infancy of the sport and long before gyros were adapted. I was able to get the craft to hover a few inches off the ground for seconds at a time, but all of my cerebral circuits were in overload. I'm quite certain that I would have totaled the model if I had tried to do even one more thing with it. The experience gave me great respect for those who could fly model helicopters seemingly effortlessly.
I have recently tried to fly some helicopters on modern simulators and have had moderate success, so I guess the time is right to bite the bullet, go to the field with an instructor, and get involved.
Advice from Michael Ramsey
MA's Associate Editor Michael Ramsey is a journeyman RC helicopter pilot, and I spoke with him before writing this piece about helicopter flying. What Michael had to say made sense, and I want to share it with you in his own words.
"There are a number of rules we're taught when learning to fly an aircraft. One of the more important ones is that power equals altitude and pitch equals airspeed. If you've taken instruction on how to fly a full-scale aircraft, you've surely heard your instructor make this exact statement a number of times.
"The meaning of this statement is no better demonstrated than with a model helicopter. For a helicopter to lift from the ground it must have power in the spinning blades to gain altitude. As for airspeed, a helicopter must pitch the rotor forward to transfer the momentum of the rotor into forward flight.
"When you've seen a helicopter in forward flight, it carries a noticeable 'nose-down' attitude.
"Pilots who take the opportunity to learn how to fly helicopters often learn at the same time how to become better fixed-wing pilots. Not just in the power vs. pitch example, but also in advancing their aptitude of the eye-hand skills necessary to become a more confident pilot.
"With an aircraft, pilots have the security of knowing that their model is always flying forward. Because of this, students are often taught to rely on inputs from just the right stick to control the aircraft. Only later are they taught to integrate the left-stick inputs.
"With a helicopter, forward flight isn't the only option, and therefore its pilot is more focused on all the controls. Realistically, this means the helicopter pilot works much harder. However, the higher level of concentration required is typically rewarded with an aptitude gained at a faster rate.
"The skills learned flying a helicopter to coordinate turns and control the airspeed and altitude are directly transferable to fixed-wing aircraft. Likewise, when a helicopter is in forward flight, it acts much like an airplane, so those fixed-wing pilots who want to try a helicopter will find at least part of the experience not so unfamiliar."
Thanks for those thoughts, Michael. When explained in a logical manner, the whole thing does not seem so daunting!
Recent Events: F3C World Championships and IRCHA Jamboree
There were a couple of significant happenings in the model-helicopter world this past summer, and we have reports on them for you in this issue.
One was the F3C Helicopter World Championships, in which the US team presented itself very well indeed, capturing the Silver Medal in team competition. Team Manager Mike Goza prepared a report about the team's excellent adventures in Zamora, Spain.
The other big RC helicopter happening was the International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association Jamboree, known in the sport simply as the "IRCHA Jamboree." MA helicopter columnist Ray Stacy attended this affair, and his report is included. By the way, Ray also took the fantastic cover photo for this issue. Dramatic, isn't it?
The IRCHA Jamboree was a huge affair with 467 registered pilots. It was an international event, with pilots coming from as far as Australia, Germany, and England. This event was held at AMA's International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. In fact, it was the largest single-discipline event ever held at the site!
We took this opportunity to add a couple more helicopter articles and turn this into a mini theme issue.
Conversions and Reviews in this Issue
- Bob Fiorenze converted his Century Models Bell 222 ARF helicopter to electric power. He used the mechanics of Miniature Aircraft's new electric Ion, which was designed by Chris Stephenson. Bob provided a photo essay of his conversion, and we have included it here.
- We are presenting two helicopter reviews:
- Michael Ramsey reports on the E-flite Blade CP (collective pitch) from Horizon Hobby. This well-engineered RTF electric offering is attractively priced to get more modelers involved with RC helicopter flying.
- AMA Technical Director Steve Kaluf, an accomplished helicopter pilot, reviews the Hirobo XRB SR (Sky Robo) Lama. This is an electric-powered RTF helicopter designed with the new model-helicopter pilot in mind.
If you are an RC airplane pilot who is looking for a new modeling experience, why not give helicopters a try? You might find a whole new world of modeling enjoyment.
NEAT Fair
Each year the SEFLI club, based on Long Island, hosts the world's largest electric fun-fly in the beautiful Catskill Mountains region of New York. Last year this affair was literally washed out by the remnants of Hurricane Ivan.
This year the weather was much improved, and the Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology (NEAT) Fair once again welcomed electric modelers from around the globe to three days of great fun-flying, fabulous flight demonstrations, and informative technical symposia.
This publication and AMA were well represented at this year's NEAT Fair by MA Technical Editor Bob Aberle, Associate Editor Michael Ramsey, Sport Aviator editor Frank Granelli, and myself. Bob is a member of the SEFLI group and assistant event director of the affair. He and Event Director Tom Hunt co-founded the NEAT Fair concept.
I was honored to have been asked to come to the NEAT Fair and give a demonstration flight of my electric-powered Genesis Extreme CL Precision Aerobatics model. I wasn't sure how this would go over among the predominantly RC group, but I was pleasantly surprised that many took the opportunity to welcome me and chat about their own CL experiences. Many also indicated that they would like to give electric-powered CL a try.
Michael Ramsey has written a report about this year's NEAT Fair for this issue.
Contact
If you want to contact me, I'm usually hovering around the phone and can be reached at (610) 614-1747, or the computer at [email protected]. My address is:
Box 68 Stockertown, PA 18083
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
