August 2007 121
HELLO AGAIN, EVERYONE. Thanks to all of you who have
been sending E-mails to me. Your input has much to do with this
column’s future direction. I have gotten letters from quite a few of
you, and this month’s story comes to you via one member’s
Internet correspondence.
There is more activity going on with RC helicopters than ever.
I have written about how the new breed of mini electrics has
greatly boosted interest in helicopters.
If you have ever considered getting into helicopters, now is the
time. We are seeing new pilots of all ages getting a great start,
thanks to the recent advancements in every aspect of the
equipment.
The 2.4 GHz radios and clean, smoke-free mini helicopters are
taking over! I still enjoy flying my big 90-
size nitro model, but it is not a beginner’s
machine. The mini electric bug has bitten
me too. They are a lot of fun and they keep
your skills sharp if you can’t fly outside in
the winter.
I know many of you are airplane fliers
and you read this column every month
because you are interested in helicopters
too. What are you waiting for? Go buy a
little electric helicopter and give it a go. I
don’t think you will regret it.
I don’t know of any airplane-to-helicopter
converts who have given up helicopters to go
back to airplanes exclusively; it is usually
the opposite. I do know of several former
airplane pilots who now fly only
helicopters. It surely says something if
A teacher’s story about helicopter activity in his school
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Helicopters Mark Fadely
Also included in this column:
• Helicopter-flying philosophy
This group is enthusiastic about flying helicopters. They formed a school club that is open
to anyone. Dave Hagelganz is teaching them the right stuff.
Serious training time on the helicopter simulator. The students
spend a great deal of time helping each other learn.
Dave is passionate about introducing these youngsters to the
hobby. He makes a solid nose-in hover look simple.
Maintenance and setup is as important as piloting skill. Helicopter
instructor Dave Hagelganz shows proper techniques.
08sig4.QXD 6/22/07 12:41 PM Page 121
helicopters are so much fun that pilots are willing to give up a
part of the hobby they have loved.
I received a great E-mail from Dave Hagelganz: a junior high
teacher in Idaho who is also a helicopter pilot. He has taken time
to share his passion for the hobby with his students. He wrote:
“First I’d like to say how much I’m enjoying the helicopter
articles in Model Aviation magazine. You’re doing a great job!
Very up to date and in touch with what’s going on in helicopters
today.
“In your first column you made the observation that RTF
E[lectric] helicopters are bringing young people into the hobby.
Since reading that, I’ve had some experience with that very thing
at work.
“I’m a junior high teacher and somehow word has gotten out
around school that I’m into helicopters. So students have been
showing up in my room wanting to talk helicopters, fly
helicopters, work on helicopters, etc.
“It’s now considered normal for a kid to walk into my room
while I’m helping another student with real school work, hand
me a transmitter and ask if I would please trim his helicopter. So
I take the transmitter, hover the helicopter in my room, make a
couple of comments and then hand the transmitter back.
“The other kids in the room watch quietly. The owner of the
helicopter says thank you, folds his blades and leaves the room.
Then we just go back to work as if nothing unusual happened.
It’s all a bit surreal.
“So now after school in come the helicopter pilots. We fly,
perform impromptu rebuilds, and crowd around my computer to
check out the helicopter forums. I finally contacted the principal
about starting a club. I got keys to the gym and we’re going to
have weekly flys after school.
“I’m setting up my outdated copy of RealFlight G2 on a spare
computer. I’ve got a car battery next to my desk, which at this
very minute is charging some kid’s Li-Poly. The spare room is
littered with entry-level helicopters.
“I set up a large sound system in my spacious room and we’re
going to play cool music for the kids to fly to. Get the energy up,
ya know? We’ll do some obstacle stuff, pick up rings, etc.
“Most of the kids have fixed pitch pod and boom helicopters
or coaxials. I’m teaching them safe modeling practices such as
flightlines, frequency control and just common sense. (Like not
trying to fly your CX2 inverted just because you saw your
teacher do it with a T-Rex. I’ll bring in local experts to do
demos.)
“So now we’re a club! We only have a half dozen members so
far but I’m sure it’s going to grow. The kids and I are having a
great time.
“Thanks again for putting so much heart and energy into your
column. Each month I read something that rings true.
“Here’s what a couple of the students have said about
helicopters: Garret Burman likes helicopters because, ‘They are
so maneuverable. They can do things airplanes can’t.’
“Jacob Holthaus says, ‘They’re interesting because of their
complexity. It’s really satisfying when you pull off a new
move.’”
Wow, Dave! That is such a great story. I wish I had a teacher
like you when I was in junior high. That is
an awesome experience you are giving
those kids. You can see how much they
love it in the pictures.
I asked Dave to tell me a little about
himself: what his background in RC is,
where he’s from, and how he got into
helicopters.
“I am 49 years old and live in Pullman,
Washington. I’ve been married for 28
years. I teach junior high in Lewiston,
Idaho, which is 33 miles south of Pullman.
“I’ve been in RC for about 30 years.
I’ve been a fixed wing 3D fanatic for
years, flying everything from profiles to
giant scale IMAC [International Miniature
Aerobatic Club] models.
“Since being bitten by the helicopter
bug about five years ago, fixed wing has
kind of taken a back seat. I consider
myself an intermediate helicopter pilot. I
can fly backwards upright and inverted, do
basic tic tocs, but am still working on
pirouette flips.”
Nice! It is good to hear from another
40-something pilot. I am 47 and it seems
to be a great age to be flying helicopters.
Even though I forget where my glasses are
many times, I don’t forget how to fly a
helicopter. I guess as you get older your
brain prioritizes what you need to know,
and helicopters are high on the list.
I really appreciate Dave’s taking the
time send in his story. I hope all the
students have a long career in RC
helicopters. In 20-30 years I hope they are
teaching their kids how to fly.
I love to hear stories like Dave’s. If you
are doing something like this or have a fun
helicopter-related story of any kind, I
would enjoy hearing about it. It is nice to
get a real-world account of how
helicopters are bringing the hobby to new
pilots in unique ways.
The flying season is in full swing now.
Have you revisited your flying goals for
the year or have you been working on
them?
I keep coming back to this in my
column because I think it is important to
keep training at the forefront of your mind.
There are many ways to enjoy this hobby,
but there are very few pilots who do not
want to improve their game.
It is a great deal of work to train
consistently and improve your flying. I
have all the same feelings, so you are not
alone in this. Sometimes you are really
fired up to go fly, and at other times it
seems that every excuse not to fly is what
you think about.
I saw a post about this online recently,
and plenty of good information was
exchanged. Some people said not to fly if
it does not feel right. Others claimed that
the only way to get over those negative
feelings is to fly your way through them.
It seems that fear of crashing (FOC) is
one of the most common flight stoppers.
The longer it is between flights, the higher
the FOC. The only way to get over this is
to go fly. If this sounds familiar to you, get
out there.
If you were told that you could no
longer fly, would you have any regrets
about what you had or had not done? We
should view our hobby with this kind of
urgency to get the most out of it. Is there a
young pilot you have meant to help out but
have not made time for? The gist of all this
is to not get lazy.
Dave’s story is inspirational to me not
just because he is helping the kids but
because he is helping himself by staying
fresh and active in the hobby. It does not
matter how old you are; it just matters how
long you have been flying and at what
point your enthusiasm fades a bit.
It will probably happen to everyone
sooner or later, and that is the time to
decide whether the benefits this hobby
holds are worth the effort you have to put
in. That is a personal decision for
everyone, but if you were excited to get
into helicopters you should work out a
way to keep that feeling alive.
I am getting off my soapbox now. Just
go fly and have fun! Thanks for reading;
I’ll be back next month. MA