RADIO CONTROL HELICOPTERS
Author
Eric Hawkinson 319 Yellowstone Ave., Billings MT 59101 E-mail: [email protected]
It's another great month to be enjoying the sport of radio control (RC) helicopters! Last month I spent some time discussing accessories that the average fixed‑wing pilot will need to acquire when a helicopter is added to the hangar. This month I'll continue with a few more "new things" that you will be dealing with during your introduction to helicopters, but first I have a few product notes.
Product notes
Last month I wrote that Thunder Tiger's U.S. distributor—Ace Hobby Distributors—had announced that the Raptor 50 was discontinued. I knew that a V2 was on the way, completing the transition of all Raptors to V2 (Version 2) status, but I had no confirmation from Ace. That changed in mid‑December; the new Raptor 50 V2 kits are due to arrive long before you read this.
The major differences will be the same as on the Raptor 30 V2. New frames, rotor hub and head, start shaft system, and canopy will be incorporated into the Raptor 50. As with the 30‑size kits, the pricing has gone up fairly aggressively. I'll be flying a 50 V2 in the spring, but don't expect any surprises since I have plenty of time on the 30 V2. The 50 V2 should be a good choice for 3‑D performance at a lower price than the 60‑size machines.
Major Raptor 50 V2 changes:
- New frames
- New rotor hub and head
- New start shaft system
- New canopy
Another helicopter has seen an improvement and a major price adjustment—but this time the price change is in a favorable direction! The Vigor CS from JR, distributed by Horizon Hobby, has been one of my all‑time favorite helicopters since it was released.
The Vigor has a responsive and precise CCPM (Cyclic Collective Pitch Mixing) control system, a bulletproof and lightweight frame set, constant‑drive torque‑tube tail, and the ability to easily accommodate engines up to .91 size and blades up to 720 mm. Add a locked‑in feel and rolls like a Pattern model, and what's not to like?
There were two things I didn't like. One was the molded fiberglass canopy. Raw fiberglass is unpopular with helicopter pilots, many of whom do not have the time, equipment, or facilities for priming and painting. The other thing that many people were displeased with was the price. At a street price of barely less than $1,100, the Vigor CS was pushing the envelope a bit past the comfort level.
Horizon has responded by making two changes:
- Prepainted fiberglass canopy: The Vigor CS now includes a prepainted fiberglass canopy. It is close to the same design as before, but now when you open the box, all of the priming, patching, sanding, and painting are done for you. The finish is all white with the windshield portion painted black. Len Sabato, Horizon's helicopter guru (and member of the FAI World Championships team—congratulations, Len), says that it is actually painted and clearcoated. This means you can simply apply decals and fly, or mask and spray final color trim. Either way, you save a great deal of time and money by having the base color painted for you.
- Price drop: The Vigor CS now has a price of $949. It's still not "cheap," but it's pretty much in line with the other top‑of‑the‑line 60–90 size machines.
"... not only can you master the new aircraft type, but also that you will find it to be an enjoyable process."
The last new product I have to write about is a major upgrade to an already popular helicopter. The Eagle Freya from Hirobo was its replacement for the Tsurugi model, intended to be the low‑cost Hirobo 60 machine for sport and 3‑D flying. The Freya has been a good‑selling helicopter and is a solid performer.
Although it doesn't fly like a particularly heavy aircraft because of the large rotor disc, the Freya has always been roughly 8–16 ounces weightier than its peers. The stock model also has a few parts that seem to wear a bit faster than desired: the metal slide block and the radius block. Upgrades totaling $60 solved that problem but pushed the price up. Altech has announced two big changes for the Freya 60, both of which are available at your dealer.
The standard Freya 60 is unchanged except for a big price drop; now it's selling in the $550–$600 range. It's a lot of helicopter for that price.
For approximately $300 more you can get the new Freya X‑Spec. The basic layout is the same, but there are many differences. Standard on the X‑Spec:
- Metal radius block and slide block
- Metal head block
- Push‑pull collective
- Metal auto hub
- EX washout
- Delrin gears
- Gear ratios for 60/70 and 80/90 engines
- New carbon‑fiber lower frame set (Altech claims this shaves nearly a full pound off the helicopter's weight without loss of strength or rigidity)
That's an amazing amount of weight savings, and there is no loss of strength or rigidity.
Advice for fixed‑wing pilots who are switching to helicopters
Back to the discussion for fixed‑wing pilots heading into helicopters for the first time. Having gathered all the new and different tools and gadgets required, there are still the remaining small tasks of building, setting up, then flying the model. And for many of you, there is the added challenge of ignoring the little voice in your head (and the louder comments from some of your less‑enlightened fixed‑wing flying buddies) wondering if you are crazy for even trying helicopters.
I'll sidestep the issue of your mental health since I don't know you very well, but I am comfortable in asserting that not only can you master the new aircraft type, but also that you will find it to be an enjoyable process. I can even help you understand your flying pals' misgivings.
Most of the negative feelings at the airplane field stem back to the good old days. There was a time when kits, engines, radios, and (maybe) gyros were less than desirable, and the combination of all those "not ready for prime time" components meant that few people who attempted to fly helicopters achieved any success.
There are also some natural difficulties in trying to mix operation of helicopters and airplanes at the typical busy R/C club site; very few clubs work this out. And since the usual scenario is that the airplane pilots were there first, naturally the helicopter‑flying "newcomers" are labeled as "problems." Since the helicopter pilot is often not an existing member of the airplane group, thus doesn't understand the amount of work and expense that the club has invested in its flying site, he or she often decides that the airplane pilots are a bunch of snobs.
AMA members tend to be a cut above average, and many of you reading this will already have some airplane experience, so hopefully the whole name‑calling thing can be avoided. But you do need to understand that there are big differences in the way that helicopters and airplanes operate, and it will take some diplomacy and effort to keep things going smoothly at the airplane field.
Practical advice:
- Don't expect to be welcome if you take your new helicopter to the airplane field on a busy weekend and fly your first five tanks of fuel trying to hover in the middle of the runway. Blocking the runway (effectively closing it to airplanes) to practice with the only type of aircraft that doesn't need a runway is not a great way to make helicopters welcome.
- Don't fly your model around behind their backs. That will create problems.
- If you are a member of a fixed‑wing club that has working policies for helicopters, make sure to understand and follow them.
- If there are no policies, get started early to see if your club wants to work on setting up some guidelines to keep everyone happy. Smaller clubs will have fewer problems; busy club fields are where the issues get heated.
- Remember that you don't need a prepared runway to fly a helicopter; you may choose to fly somewhere other than the local airplane field. There are pitfalls there, too—your yard is not big enough unless it is measured in acres, and most city parks and school yards are poor choices for safety reasons.
Until next time, fly safely and happy rotoring!
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
