Radio Control Helicopters-2011/11

THANK YOU for coming back to the
helicopter hangout. You should get those
holiday wish lists made out; it is nearing
that time when the calendar clicks over once
again.
It would be nice if we all received the
helicopter we wanted as a gift this year.
That is usually some far-fetched dreaming,
though. The reality is we will have to save
up our own funds and take on that
responsibility ourselves.
Getting a new helicopter is a joyous time
for every pilot. The new helicopter smell
Dreaming of helicopters
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Helicopters Mark Fadely
from Brookston, Indiana. He longed to be an
RC heli pilot but knew that his physical
condition was a limiting factor. After much
thought, he figured out a way to use two
fingers on his right hand to control both
sticks on a standard transmitter. It is a pretty
amazing story and I will let Ryan tell you
about it in his own words.
“I have always been fascinated by
helicopters ever since I was a kid. I love all
things that fly, but helicopters are the
coolest. I just happened to wander out to the
local RC field here in Lafayette, Indiana,
and I saw the other guys flying helis. I just
knew I had to do that. I had to at least give it
a shot. Of course, I have cerebral palsy and
only have one good hand to work with. I
figured out a way to make it work, but my
learning is probably about half [the] speed
of a regular two-handed person.
“Some really nice pilots here helped me
learn by using the buddy-box system, all the
Also included in this column:
• Holiday wish list
• Pilot overcomes obstacles
• Hoosier Heli Rumble
• Blade mCP X
that pours out of the box is to die for.
Best wishes to all of you and remember
to not eat too much turkey at Thanksgiving.
It has been shown to slow brain function (à
la the afternoon nap during the football
game). We must keep our mental capacities
fully functioning so that our thumbs will be
quick and nimble. I cannot mention quick
and nimble without starting to sing “Ice,
Ice, Baby.” (Sorry I digress.)
Okay, getting back to the subject at hand
and thinking about nimble hands makes me
remember a nice young man I met this
summer at a fun-fly. He had a disability
with one of his hands and could only
control his right-hand digits.
His name is Ryan Maxson and he is
Left: Ryan Maxson demonstrates his
manipulation of the transmitter
sticks. He only has the use of one
hand, but has figured out a way to live
his dream of being an RC heli pilot.
Dave Ketelhut locks his Compass 6HV into a
rock-solid inverted hover. Compass dominated
this year’s Lafayette Rumble and a no-holdsbarred
attitude prevailed.
Left: The sky was a beautiful, deep blue at the
Hoosier Heli Rumble this year. The lack of wind,
combined with the cloudless blue sky, made for
some spectacular photos.
114 MODEL AVIATION
while giving me time to perfect the dexterity
needed to fly with one hand. I flew with
them for a while, and then as my confidence
grew, I started flying around a little bit. I
spend a lot of time on the simulator, which
really helps, and I try to fly outside as much
as I can. I fly electric helis only because
they are easier to work with my disability. It
would be great to give a nitro model a try. I
am still thinking about that.
“The T-Rex 550 is working really well
and I’ve been flying for two summers now.
A single-stick radio may be the way to go in
the future. The limits of what can be done
with one hand are being pushed. I can loop,
roll, and fly a bit of inverted, but for really
complicated moves I need to be able to fully
control all the axes of the heli.
“The best thing I can say to anyone new
to RC helis is just don’t give up. If I can do
it, then you can too. You have [to] practice.
There is no secret on how the top pilots
have gotten so good. They practice a lot.”
Good words of advice, Ryan. Sometimes
we do not want to work hard, but it is
necessary for RC helicopters.
The Annual Hoosier Heli Rumble took
place in July. This Central USA fun-fly
attracts pilots from near and far for three
days of heli nirvana. It was great to meet
Ryan Maxson and make several new
acquaintances at this year’s event.
On Saturday, I met a knowledgeable
pilot named Dave Ketelhut. He is the team
Right: This light, powerful Compass
6HV runs on a 12s battery in a 50-
size heli. Climbouts and other
power-demanding moves are a
piece of cake for this monster.
Below: Jim Stark wrings out his new Raptor X-50. This newcomer to
the 50-size nitro-powered market, available with or without a flybar,
looks promising.
Above: CB Frazier shows off the
flight capabilities of the elegant,
Italian-made Eli.Q Vision 90
helicopter. This head-on shot
shows the attention to a low drag
component.
manager for Compass models in the USA.
He is from the Detroit area and knows how
to throw a helicopter around.
He has been flying for five years, with
his main focus on large and small electric
helis. The flagship model for Compass is the
Atom 6HV, which is a 600-size model with
an awesome power-to-weight ratio. Dave
loves flying that helicopter because it has the
power to do any maneuver he can think up.
He says one of the latest training aids he
has been using is the Blade mCP X. Here is
what he had to say about it:
“The Blade mCP X is a fantastic training
aid for any type of heli flying. It makes you
have good collective management skills.
You can’t manhandle it and expect it to fly
through the maneuver. You can try learning
moves in the opposite orientations that you
are used to.
“The tiny, durable heli is kind of like a
real-life simulator with a reset button. When
things go wrong, you just hit throttle hold to
stop the rotor blades and then go pick it up
off the ground and fly again. I have never
damaged my mCP X with those kinds of
crashes.
“What is also nice is you can fly 15 backto-
back flights, whereas I only do around
three flights at a time with the bigger
models. That equals a lot more flight time
and practice hours.
“My advice for anyone learning aerobatics
is to first learn how to control and manage
collective in a smooth [way] and in a way to
not rob power from the system. That is really
the best part of the mCP X. It teaches you the
proper way to really fly a heli.”
Wow, Dave. Thanks for the insight into
how an ultramicro heli can help with your
flying style. Many pilots believe you need
to get a bigger, faster helicopter to achieve
your potential as a pilot.
Keep these thoughts in mind while you
make out those wish lists for gifts this year.
I know most of us will be buying our own
gifts and these points are good food for
thought as you plan out your equipment list
for next year.
If you are going inside to fly this winter,
then a 3-D ultramicro heli is great for indoor
training until spring.
That’s all for this month. See you back here
next time. MA
Sources:
International Radio Controlled Helicopter
Association
www.ircha.org
Blade Helicopters
(217) 352-1913
www.bladehelis.com
Compass models
www.compassmodel.de