Radio Control Helicopters - 2010/06

THANKS FOR STOPPING by the helicopter department of MA.
The warm summer months are almost upon us. There are outdoor
helicopter events popping up like mushrooms everywhere.
I have explained before that one of the most enriching
experiences you can have in this hobby is attending an event.
Don’t let this year pass you by without going to at least one.
At the bigger events you will meet a wider variety of helicopter
pilots. You do not
even have to bring
your model to have
a great time. There
is plenty of time for
flying when you get
home, but the times
you will be around
so many experienced pilots are probably few.
If you ask any good pilot where he or she learns the most, you
will usually hear, “at an event.” Get out there and make it happen
this year.
AMA will host the world’s largest helicopter fun-fly in 2010.
There are many fantastic helicopter happenings taking place this
summer at the AMA’s National Flying Site in Muncie, Indiana.
The XFC (Extreme Flight Championships) kicks off the season
June 11-13. This is an invitational event where you will see the
2010 AMA events
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Helicopters Mark Fadely
Also included in this column:
• Tony Whiteside tells his story
Tony Whiteside, age 37, constantly works on his “game” and
recently became a team pilot for Outrage Helis.
This is an Outrage Velocity 50 doing some wicked 3-D maneuvers
at the 2009 IRCHA Jamboree with Henry Caldwell at the controls.
Bert Kammerer takes his T-Rex 700 to the next level! Visit the
2010 XFC and prepare to be amazed by Bert’s talent.
Matt Botos plans to bring his Synergy N9 to the 2010 XFC. He
employed ground pyrotechnics at last year’s competition.
June 2010 115
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(L-R) Bert Kammerer, Steve Helms, and Bobby Watts shed
nerves after winning the synchronized team flight.
At last year’s XFC, the entire Thunder Tiger Team got together
before each pilot’s flight for some cheerleading.
best helicopter and airplane pilots from
around the globe.
Later in the summer, and just for the
helicopter people, the 2010 Helicopter
Nationals starts on August 8. The Nats runs
through the 12th, followed by the IRCHA
(International Radio Controlled Helicopter
Association) Jamboree. All of this
helicopter mayhem finally ends on August
15.
It is so cool to visit the AMA grounds.
The museum is fantastic, as is the stylish
AMA Headquarters building. Right behind
Headquarters lays the wide-open spaces of
the flying site.
You know you are looking at a special
place for modelers when you gaze across
the 1,000 acres of manicured grass. If you
can make it to any of these events in 2010, it
will probably be well worth it for you.
I often write about meeting people at
helicopter events. That is exactly how I met
my good friend, Tony Whiteside.
Few modelers have a heart for the hobby
as big as Tony’s. He and I were introduced
at the Lexington, Kentucky, fun-fly last
September. I was immediately impressed by
his attitude and willingness to help other
pilots.
Tony has become a proficient flier in a
short amount of time. As do many good
pilots, Tony devotes much time and energy
to his flying. Those around him benefit from
that hard work because he freely shares his
knowledge.
Tony, thanks for agreeing to let me ask
you a few questions for this month’s
column. Let’s find out who Tony Whiteside
of Shepherdsville, Kentucky, really is.
MF: How long have you been flying
helicopters?
TW: Four years.
MF: Are you married or single?
TW: I have been married to my wife,
Melissa, for 11 years. I have a 21-year-old
daughter, Sabrina, in college, and two halfyear-
old twins, Aliyah and Sevyn.
MF: What do you do for a living?
TW: I have been a mason for over 20 years.
I own New Age Construction LLC.
MF: What are your other interests?
TW: I love my music and spending time
with all my friends in heliworld, haha.
MF: Tony, you have a lot of enthusiasm for
helicopters. Where did that come from?
TW: How could you not be excited about
this hobby? Man, it has everything—great
people, cool machines, and it’s a challenge.
I don’t think you can ever master helis.
Just when you think you have it figured out,
there is a new maneuver to learn or a leap in
technology that pushes the ability of the
machine to even higher levels. It keeps it so
exciting, so for me it never goes stale; there
is always something cool happening.
MF: Are helicopters hard to build, fix, and
work on?
TW: No, not really, if you get an
experienced pilot to sit down and help you
with the first couple. There is a lot of good
information on the forums to help a new
guy get started if he doesn’t have an
experienced pilot in his area, but even as an
experienced pilot, the smallest things can
throw you for a loop. It’s surprising how
much easier and more affordable it has
gotten in the last few years.
MF: What is your favorite kind of flying,
and how many flights a week do you put in?
TW: Hard-core, and what I mean by that is
fast, low to the ground, with a lot of
direction changes. Craziness—that’s the
best word for it. I myself like to do four or
five flights a day. If the weather is bad, I
will try to hit the sim [simulator] for a
couple of hours. Us “older guys” have to
stay after it to keep up with the youngsters.
MF: You went to a lot of fun-flys last year.
What are your plans for 2010?
TW: Toward the end of last year, I bought a
big camper to take to events, so hopefully I
will hit a lot more this year. I would love to
get out to the West Coast this year. I know
some guys out west I would like to go fly
with at their home fields.
MF: Who are your favorite pilots and why?
TW: Henry Caldwell, because he is the
definition of hard-core flying. His flying
style is so quick that you can’t keep up with
what he is doing. His reversals are
amazing, and he has the reflexes of a 15-
year-old.
If you don’t watch him closely, you will
miss a lot of the little things he does. He is
a wonderful soul and has big love for
children in this hobby.
There is also another pilot who
influenced me; I don’t know his real name,
but they call him Beast [Beresford Davis].
I’ve always watched him very closely and
he enjoys helping anyone and everyone—
another super soul!
MF: Do you have any advice for
newcomers to the hobby?
TW: Simulator, simulator, simulator! Then
get a heli that’s set up real well and fly it
till the blades fall off. Mark, you know, the
old saying is true. Success comes at the
bottom of a 55-gallon drum of fuel.
MF: What helicopters are best for 3-D and
why?
TW: There are a lot of factors to consider
when you buy a heli: cost of parts,
durability, and ease of maintenance.
I’ve flown everything out there and the
Outrage Velocity 50 has suited my style of
flying the best. It’s really quick, parts are
cheap, and it can take a heck of a beating. I
have a friend that tells me all the time, “if
we locked you in a room with a feather and
an anvil, you would break the anvil.” I
think he is saying I am hard on my stuff.
Thanks, Tony, and good luck to you. I
hope to see you at a fun-fly soon. I hope
some of the readers will have a chance to
meet you as well.
You can spot Tony at the flying field
fairly easily. He will be the one with a large
group of friends hanging around.
June 2010 117
Have a great June, everyone. I’ll be
back next month. MA
Sources:
Extreme Flight Challenge
www.futaba-rc.com/xfc-rc
Nats
www.modelaircraft.org/events/nats.aspx
International Radio Controlled
Helicopter Association
www.ircha.org