122 MODEL AVIATION
Predictions of what innovations we’ll see next
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Helicopters Mark Fadely
Also included in this column:
• Exclusive insights from Curtis
Youngblood
Justin Jee—who is 6 years old—can mix it
up with the big boys. Kids today! Wow!
This is his 90-size, nitro-powered T-Rex
700.
Kyle Dahl’s Mikado 600 swoops in for an inverted, backward Hurricane. This machine
uses the Mikado V-Bar flybarless system. These electric-powered models’ performance is
amazing.
Nick Maxwell shows off his T-Rex 700 equipped with Curtis Youngblood’s own-design
flybarless system. It worked flawlessly during the XFC; Nick finished second.
Curtis Youngblood inspects Nick Maxwell’s
machine after a hard flight. It looks like all
the pieces are still there! Curtis sponsors
Nick and Jamie Robertson.
HELLO! Another year is winding down. Fall
is a good time here in the Midwest; the cooler
temperatures are a nice change from the hot
summer months. Our engines run better. And
the air is thicker, which helps helicopter
blades bite better.
The optimal temperature to get the best
overall performance from our equipment is
near 50°. Athletes perform better in certain
temperature ranges, and our helicopters are
much the same.
Our modern machines are certainly more
resistant to weather extremes than they used
to be, and the components keep getting better
each year. I wonder what new equipment
developments we will see in 2010.
I wrote about flybarless control-system
advancements a few issues ago. Several inside
sources have told me that some amazing
things are getting ready to happen with
flybarless technology.
Wouldn’t it be cool to have a 450-size
helicopter with an excellent flybarless head
setup? The possibilities are exciting to
consider. Mechanical aspects of the flybar
limit a helicopter’s performance in many
ways. That limiting factor is compounded on
the smaller, electric-powered indoor models.
10sig4.QXD 8/21/09 1:36 PM Page 122
October 2009 123
Jamie Robertson won the 2009 XFC. At 16, he became the youngest champion in the
event’s history. He flew this electric T-Rex 700 in the Known rounds and used a glow
version of the same model for his Freestyle flights.
Tom Rolfson came all the way from Norway
to fly in the 2009 XFC and was nicknamed
“The Viking” by XFC announcers. His
Raptor 90 was a formidable contender.
If an extremely light flybarless control
system could be fitted to our 450- and 250-
size helicopters, that would open up the flight
envelope of the mini models. There are some
operational units out there now, but further
work is needed to perfect their operation.
On the topic of cutting-edge products and
engineering developments, I had the
opportunity to talk with Curtis Youngblood
at the Extreme Flight Championships (XFC)
this year. His history of innovation within the
hobby is amazing. Curtis said that we would
see some revolutionary things in the near
future.
He has hired Nick Maxwell and Jamie
Robertson to fly for his company, Curtis
Youngblood Enterprises. Following is the
conversation we had at the XFC.
MF: Curtis, your two crack pilots, Jamie
Robertson and Nick Maxwell, are at the top
of the leader board in this contest right now.
What have you done to help these youngsters
achieve the level they are flying at right
now?
CY: Nick is actually an employee of mine,
and both of them are sponsored pilots. Nick
is 19 years old and Jamie just turned 16.
MF: What is the best way for a pilot to gain
the knowledge and skills necessary to
compete in the XFC?
CY: They watch other pilots a lot, and they
have spent many hours watching other top
pilots’ videos online. They have tried to pick
up on techniques and interesting maneuvers.
Nick is fortunate, because he is also an
airplane pilot. He talks to the other airplane
pilots about various maneuvers that can be
transferred to helicopters. Nick and Jamie
also feed off of each other when they fly, so
they both get a nice spectrum of ideas to
work on in their flying. They also attend a lot
of fun-flys throughout the year.
MF: How many flights per month do you
think Nick and Jamie fly?
CY: Oh my, it’s hard to say. But I know
sometimes when I have been flying with Nick
and leave the field at 5 p.m., I find out he
burned 2 more gallons of fuel after I left.
That’s like another 15 flights in just one
evening.
So I have no clue how much he actually
flies. It’s a ridiculous amount. He flies way
over 1,000 flights per year. Jamie usually flies
around 15 flights a day during fun-flys.
MF: Do either Nick or Jamie use a
simulator?
CY: I know Jamie does, but Nick doesn’t.
Nick’s flying style doesn’t lend well to a sim.
He flies a lot of open, large, fast maneuvers
that don’t translate well on the computer.
MF: Have the two pilots influenced each
other’s style?
CY: Yes, that always happens. Each one picks
up things from the other. Jamie flies tighter-in
moves, while Nick is faster and bigger. Now
we are seeing a little of both styles from each
guy.
MF: I noticed that both Nick and Jamie were
flying T-Rex 700 machines and, interestingly,
Jamie flew an electric version for his Known
maneuvers. What’s up with that?
CY: The electric-conversion T-Rex 700 that
Jamie was flying is a machine that Ray
Nemovi built. The Robertsons had been
working with Ray to develop that machine,
and Jamie wanted to use it for his XFC
Knowns. He had the same setup in it as he
used for the glow-powered version.
MF: Curtis, you have become quite the
helicopter entrepreneur these days. Can you
fill us in on the structure of your various
companies?
CY: CurtisYoungblood.com is my main
company. That’s the outlet for the Radix
blades, Solid G gyros, and such. Power
Helis.com is the online outlet for Power R/C
Hobbies out of Bryan, Texas. I do own Power
R/C Hobbies, but I don’t run it.
Jamie is sponsored by PowerHelis.com
and Nick is sponsored by Curtis Youngblood
Enterprises. Youngblood Enterprises is a
distributor, where PowerHelis is a retail outlet.
MF: What is in store for the future, Curtis?
CY: The flight control systems are coming
into their own. Things have been a little
awkward starting out, but the technology is
getting better all the time. I’m talking about
the flybarless control systems; we call them
flight control systems.
I think those systems are going to be much
easier to set up, and they will work a lot
better. It is going to be the same kind of
revolution that heading hold brought to gyros.
It will allow a lot of people to get models that
fly really, really good without much
knowledge of how to make them fly good.
The benefit for all pilots will be that any
given helicopter will be able to be set up
much more aggressively and still fly even
smoother at the same time. It is the best of
both worlds without having to make the
compromises involved with the flybar.
Curtis, thanks so much for your insights
and explanations. I have really enjoyed your
presence at this year’s XFC. Good luck to
you, your pilots, and your companies.
Drop me an e-mail with any input you might
have for the helicopter column. Thanks for
reading. MA
Sources:
Curtis Youngblood Enterprises
(979) 779-2172
www.curtisyoungblood.com
PowerHelis.com
(877) 385-4633
www.powerhelis.com
IRCHA (International Radio Controlled
Helicopter Association)
www.ircha.org
10sig4.QXD 8/21/09 1:25 PM Page 123
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/10
Page Numbers: 122,123
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/10
Page Numbers: 122,123
122 MODEL AVIATION
Predictions of what innovations we’ll see next
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Helicopters Mark Fadely
Also included in this column:
• Exclusive insights from Curtis
Youngblood
Justin Jee—who is 6 years old—can mix it
up with the big boys. Kids today! Wow!
This is his 90-size, nitro-powered T-Rex
700.
Kyle Dahl’s Mikado 600 swoops in for an inverted, backward Hurricane. This machine
uses the Mikado V-Bar flybarless system. These electric-powered models’ performance is
amazing.
Nick Maxwell shows off his T-Rex 700 equipped with Curtis Youngblood’s own-design
flybarless system. It worked flawlessly during the XFC; Nick finished second.
Curtis Youngblood inspects Nick Maxwell’s
machine after a hard flight. It looks like all
the pieces are still there! Curtis sponsors
Nick and Jamie Robertson.
HELLO! Another year is winding down. Fall
is a good time here in the Midwest; the cooler
temperatures are a nice change from the hot
summer months. Our engines run better. And
the air is thicker, which helps helicopter
blades bite better.
The optimal temperature to get the best
overall performance from our equipment is
near 50°. Athletes perform better in certain
temperature ranges, and our helicopters are
much the same.
Our modern machines are certainly more
resistant to weather extremes than they used
to be, and the components keep getting better
each year. I wonder what new equipment
developments we will see in 2010.
I wrote about flybarless control-system
advancements a few issues ago. Several inside
sources have told me that some amazing
things are getting ready to happen with
flybarless technology.
Wouldn’t it be cool to have a 450-size
helicopter with an excellent flybarless head
setup? The possibilities are exciting to
consider. Mechanical aspects of the flybar
limit a helicopter’s performance in many
ways. That limiting factor is compounded on
the smaller, electric-powered indoor models.
10sig4.QXD 8/21/09 1:36 PM Page 122
October 2009 123
Jamie Robertson won the 2009 XFC. At 16, he became the youngest champion in the
event’s history. He flew this electric T-Rex 700 in the Known rounds and used a glow
version of the same model for his Freestyle flights.
Tom Rolfson came all the way from Norway
to fly in the 2009 XFC and was nicknamed
“The Viking” by XFC announcers. His
Raptor 90 was a formidable contender.
If an extremely light flybarless control
system could be fitted to our 450- and 250-
size helicopters, that would open up the flight
envelope of the mini models. There are some
operational units out there now, but further
work is needed to perfect their operation.
On the topic of cutting-edge products and
engineering developments, I had the
opportunity to talk with Curtis Youngblood
at the Extreme Flight Championships (XFC)
this year. His history of innovation within the
hobby is amazing. Curtis said that we would
see some revolutionary things in the near
future.
He has hired Nick Maxwell and Jamie
Robertson to fly for his company, Curtis
Youngblood Enterprises. Following is the
conversation we had at the XFC.
MF: Curtis, your two crack pilots, Jamie
Robertson and Nick Maxwell, are at the top
of the leader board in this contest right now.
What have you done to help these youngsters
achieve the level they are flying at right
now?
CY: Nick is actually an employee of mine,
and both of them are sponsored pilots. Nick
is 19 years old and Jamie just turned 16.
MF: What is the best way for a pilot to gain
the knowledge and skills necessary to
compete in the XFC?
CY: They watch other pilots a lot, and they
have spent many hours watching other top
pilots’ videos online. They have tried to pick
up on techniques and interesting maneuvers.
Nick is fortunate, because he is also an
airplane pilot. He talks to the other airplane
pilots about various maneuvers that can be
transferred to helicopters. Nick and Jamie
also feed off of each other when they fly, so
they both get a nice spectrum of ideas to
work on in their flying. They also attend a lot
of fun-flys throughout the year.
MF: How many flights per month do you
think Nick and Jamie fly?
CY: Oh my, it’s hard to say. But I know
sometimes when I have been flying with Nick
and leave the field at 5 p.m., I find out he
burned 2 more gallons of fuel after I left.
That’s like another 15 flights in just one
evening.
So I have no clue how much he actually
flies. It’s a ridiculous amount. He flies way
over 1,000 flights per year. Jamie usually flies
around 15 flights a day during fun-flys.
MF: Do either Nick or Jamie use a
simulator?
CY: I know Jamie does, but Nick doesn’t.
Nick’s flying style doesn’t lend well to a sim.
He flies a lot of open, large, fast maneuvers
that don’t translate well on the computer.
MF: Have the two pilots influenced each
other’s style?
CY: Yes, that always happens. Each one picks
up things from the other. Jamie flies tighter-in
moves, while Nick is faster and bigger. Now
we are seeing a little of both styles from each
guy.
MF: I noticed that both Nick and Jamie were
flying T-Rex 700 machines and, interestingly,
Jamie flew an electric version for his Known
maneuvers. What’s up with that?
CY: The electric-conversion T-Rex 700 that
Jamie was flying is a machine that Ray
Nemovi built. The Robertsons had been
working with Ray to develop that machine,
and Jamie wanted to use it for his XFC
Knowns. He had the same setup in it as he
used for the glow-powered version.
MF: Curtis, you have become quite the
helicopter entrepreneur these days. Can you
fill us in on the structure of your various
companies?
CY: CurtisYoungblood.com is my main
company. That’s the outlet for the Radix
blades, Solid G gyros, and such. Power
Helis.com is the online outlet for Power R/C
Hobbies out of Bryan, Texas. I do own Power
R/C Hobbies, but I don’t run it.
Jamie is sponsored by PowerHelis.com
and Nick is sponsored by Curtis Youngblood
Enterprises. Youngblood Enterprises is a
distributor, where PowerHelis is a retail outlet.
MF: What is in store for the future, Curtis?
CY: The flight control systems are coming
into their own. Things have been a little
awkward starting out, but the technology is
getting better all the time. I’m talking about
the flybarless control systems; we call them
flight control systems.
I think those systems are going to be much
easier to set up, and they will work a lot
better. It is going to be the same kind of
revolution that heading hold brought to gyros.
It will allow a lot of people to get models that
fly really, really good without much
knowledge of how to make them fly good.
The benefit for all pilots will be that any
given helicopter will be able to be set up
much more aggressively and still fly even
smoother at the same time. It is the best of
both worlds without having to make the
compromises involved with the flybar.
Curtis, thanks so much for your insights
and explanations. I have really enjoyed your
presence at this year’s XFC. Good luck to
you, your pilots, and your companies.
Drop me an e-mail with any input you might
have for the helicopter column. Thanks for
reading. MA
Sources:
Curtis Youngblood Enterprises
(979) 779-2172
www.curtisyoungblood.com
PowerHelis.com
(877) 385-4633
www.powerhelis.com
IRCHA (International Radio Controlled
Helicopter Association)
www.ircha.org
10sig4.QXD 8/21/09 1:25 PM Page 123