Radio Control Helicopters - 2011/06

108 MODEL AVIATION
Also included in this column:
• F3C World Championship
Most people enjoy watching the XFC. It is
a show that combines an individual pilot’s
artistry and creativity with power, speed, and
technology.
Manufacturers unveil their latest
equipment at this first major competition of
the season. One thing that you will see more
of this year is flybarless head control systems.
Kyle Dahl won the 2010 XFC using his
flybarless Mikado electric-powered
helicopter.
In the last two years flybarless
development has reached a level of frenzy.
Many people are trying it. The new flybarless
head setups have fewer linkages and other
head parts, making them mechanically less
complicated. There are aerodynamic
advantages as well.
A flybar with paddles acts like a damper
for the whole head of a helicopter. When that
damping effect is removed, the main blades
are allowed to travel freely at more extreme
pitch ranges. The stability that the flybar
provided can be retained electronically within
the “brain” of the flybarless systems.
HI, HELICOPTER LOVERS. I am glad
you checked in this month. I have a lot to
cover, so I’ll get to it.
The month of June is one of the greatest of
the year for outdoor RC events. The largest 3-
D helicopter event—the Futaba XFC
(Extreme Flight Championships)—is
happening June 3-5.
This is one demonstration you do not want
to miss. The world’s best aerobatic pilots will
compete at AMA’s National Flying Site in
Muncie, Indiana. If you can make it for even
one day, it will be worth the trip.
I have attended every XFC in Muncie, and
it is an RC spectacle you will not see anywhere
else. Helicopter and large-scale airplane pilots
convene at this invitational competition.
There is an opportunity for any pilot to try
out for the contest during a special session on
the day before the official start. If you think
you have what it takes to compete in the XFC,
show up Thursday morning with a 4-minute
music program and a choreographed flight
routine. If the judges like what you show
them, you might be flying in the 2011 event!
Attend the Extreme Flight Championships
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Helicopters Mark Fadely
I have had experience with several
flybarless systems. I recently reviewed
Horizon Hobby’s flybarless ultramicro Blade
mCP X. What an incredible little aerobat. See
the product review on page 44 of this issue.
One great aspect of the mCP X is its crash
resistance. A pilot can learn 3-D with no fear
of crashing, because no damage can be done
to the machine. It is remarkable indeed.
My second, and most recent, flybarless
experience was with the new Futaba CGY750
three-axis gyro and governor. This little unit is
a must-see. It is super small but huge on
features and control.
My friend and local flybarless expert, Matt
Brown, helped me by installing and setting up
the system with my Futaba 12FGH helicopter
radio. There is an online software download
for older radios such as mine. The download
installs new gyro menus into the transmitter
and readies it for CGY750 operation.
Competition pilots Bobby Watts and Kyle
Stacy have been testing the prototype
CGY750 for more than a year. Bobby had it
installed on his Furion 6 helicopter when he
Kyle Dahl, last year’s XFC champion, flew his flybarless 600-size Mikado in a
precision and expertly choreographed routine. His flights were the most
consistent, and he wowed the crowd with sudden stops and unusual attitudes.
The author’s Futaba CGY750 setup. The new
flybarless system controls the head via “fly-bywire”
and incorporates a tail gyro. The
sophisticated electronics are controlled by an SBus
cable plugged into the receiver. The CGY750
can make adjustments in the field without a
separate computer hookup.
Nick Maxwell demonstrates the aerobatic prowess of his electricpowered
flybarless Rave ENV. He was in first place during the 2009
XFC when this was taken.
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June 2011 109
Manabu Hashimoto’s FAI machine is capable of 3-D-style flying.
FAI helicopters fly precision routines in which exact lines and
figures are critically judged. This photo is from the 2009 F3C
World Championship in Muncie IN.
A good reason to visit the XFC is the night-flying competition. Last year
the luminous presentation was spectacular. All parts of the helicopters
were lit to show spinning blades and fuselage outlines.
Below: Brazil’s Adriano Neto flew in his first XFC in 2010. He
earned an impressive ninth-place finish and was invited to fly in
the One contest at the IRCHA Jamboree, which offered a $7,000
first-place prize!
won the One contest at the IRCHA (International Radio Controlled
Helicopter Association) Jamboree last August.
Futaba has done its homework and, with Bobby and Kyle’s help,
the system was perfected before release. Instead of having to make
numerous adjustments to the electronics, you simply plug it in with the
factory defaults and fly.
I have flown the CGY750 on a Fury 55, and my first impressions
are positive. I have flown both an Align 550E and a T-Rex 700N
equipped with flybarless systems. The Fury 55 with the CGY750 felt
both sold and super responsive.
That is the beauty of the flybarless setup; it is a no-compromise
type of head control. I am excited to get more flights on flybarless
helicopters of all kinds this flying season. I will report back after more
extensive flight testing.
This year the US will defend its F3C World Championship title in
Italy. The contest is held every two years, and the last time was at the
AMA’s National Flying Site in Muncie, Indiana.
Nick Maxwell has earned a spot on the US team this year. He will
fly in the company of epic contest pilots Curtis Youngblood and
Wayne Mann. Tim DiPeri, longtime helicopter pilot, has stepped up
this year to be team manager.
Our team needs financial help to make the trip to Italy. It is
expensive and all the money comes from donations. We have a great
team to support.
The FAI sets the rules and requirements for this type of RC flying.
Some helicopter pilots have never seen FAI contest flying performed.
In the FAI’s F3C class, which is for RC helicopters, there is a set
program of maneuvers that has been laid out and competitors are
judged on the precision of an entire flight.
It is one thing to see a 3-D pilot flip a helicopter around with daring,
close-to-the-ground moves. F3C pilots paint a different picture with
their flights. Every attitude, direction, hover position, and so forth is
critically judged to the point where a slight bobble can ruin an entire
score.
The best 3-D pilots have F3C elements within their flying styles.
Curtis Youngblood has long been respected as one of the top 3-D
pilots. It comes as no surprise that years of F3C contests have been the
foundation of his signature style. Nick Maxwell won the 3-D Masters
in Spain last year, and now he is confidently joining the US World
Championship Team.
One of the best things you can do to help your flying is to work on
hovering maneuvers from the F3C contest definitions. If you look up
the specifics you will find language that defines hovering motionless
over points on the ground while turning the helicopter in different
directions.
Every line that is flown needs to be straight, and circular segments
need to be perfect. Precision such as this separates good from great.
It doesn’t matter if you are flying a micro electric in your
living room or a fantastic-looking turbine-powered scale machine.
If you concentrate on improving the precision with which the
flight is performed, you will be accomplishing much.
Check out the F3C team website; the address is in the “Sources”
list. Keep Curtis Youngblood, Nick Maxwell, and Wayne Mann in
mind this year as they represent the United States by flying in the
highest level of RC helicopter competition.
That will do it for this month. I hope you have a good month of
flying and I will be back here in July. MA
Sources:
Extreme Flight Championships
www.futaba-rc.com/xfc-rc
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
Great Planes
(800) 637-7660
www.futaba-rc.com
FAI
www.fai.org
US F3C team:
www.usaf3c.com
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