RADIO CONTROL HELICOPTERS
Ray Stacy, 15 W. Main St., Webster NY 14580; E-mail: [email protected]
OUR FLYING SEASON here in upstate New York has started with a big bang. The weather has been great and my flying buddies have been getting out daily. I recently moved into a new house, which has slowed me down, but I hope to fix that soon and get back to flying!
Helicopter flying has been increasing steadily here in the last few years. I think there are two main reasons for the growth, the first of which is the availability and reliability of reasonably priced helicopters and radio equipment.
This started a few years ago with the Concept 30, then the Raptor, the Gobee Stinger, and now a new machine that I recently received called the Tiger 50. I am looking forward to getting the Tiger into the air; my friend Stan Kopreski has one and speaks highly of it.
The second reason for the growth is the massive amount of helicopter support we have in the area. We are fortunate to have a local hobby-shop owner who wants to support helicopters in any way he can.
A few years ago, Tom McCoy of Performance Hobbies (www.performance-hobbies.com) in Webster, New York, decided he wanted to get into helicopters and was willing to make the investment to do so. Knowing that it would be difficult to compete with Internet/mail-order pricing, he went the extra mile and started offering such services as helicopter repair, setup, and testing.
Tom's goal is to have a shop that people want to come to and hang out. It works for me; that is where I can usually be found!
There are also several pilots in our group who are exceedingly capable and always willing to help. Peer pressure is rampant and is responsible for the rapid progression of new pilots such as David Playfair. David started flying his LMH Corona roughly a year ago. He moved on to a Raptor and started flying at the local field.
He quickly hooked up with fellow pilots Jeff Francis, Norm Roof, John Dennis, and others. That trio pushed David to constantly improve his skills. Today he is one of the top pilots in our group and now drives himself and others to improve on every flight.
I always get a chuckle when David tells me he pulled another all-nighter doing a rebuild so he didn't miss a day of flying. I love that enthusiasm!
I have been working on a new practice exercise with my son Kyle. In an attempt to make sure he is comfortable in all orientations of helicopter flying, I have him start out flying a nice-size Figure Eight.
At some point in the maneuver I tell him to do a Half Roll, so he is flying the same Figure Eight inverted. Then I have him do a Half Pirouette, so he is flying that same Figure Eight pattern inverted and backward. To finish, he will do a Half Roll so he is flying the Figure Eight upright and backward.
Kyle loves to be challenged, and this exercise does that. I also mix up the Rolls and Pirouettes just to keep him on his toes.
Kyle first tried the exercise on his Reflex XTR Simulator from Model Rectifier Corporation (www.modelrectifier.com), or MRC, which has quickly become his simulator of choice. Once he became proficient at performing the exercise there, he moved on to his Raptor 50. He found that his Raptor performed the
RC Helicopters
Ray Stacy
same maneuvers much as the simulator did.
We like to run through this exercise at least once during our outings. It keeps the skills up and prepares him for any type of bailout should the need arise.
I have a couple new machines sitting on the bench. One is ready and the other needs to be finished but looks as though it will be a great machine.
The first is my Eagle Freya X-Spec from MRC. This 90-size helicopter is best described as practical and built strong to last long! It doesn't have much in the way of "bling," but it doesn't need it.
The X-Spec is the result of MRC's Jeff Green's wanting to deliver a helicopter for the serious 3-D pilot who would not be afraid to fly it. Many of us have probably seen the completely decked-out helicopters that never leave the ground because of the fear of rebuild time and cost. This is not the case with the X-Spec; it assembles quickly and easily. Every part Jeff put in this kit was included for price or performance.
The helicopter has a snazzy look, with its sleek canopy and carbon-fiber side frames. It uses the new SSZ-II machined rotor head that performs well. Control is fast and crisp, yet the model has a nice, stable feel. The X-Spec proves that you can get a hot 3-D machine that still sits well in hover.
For my X-Spec's first flights I installed a set of MHF main blades that were giving me fits of blade flutter in flight. I had purchased them for a good price on one of the Internet forums, and I guess I got what I paid for. I have since switched to V Blades (www.vblades.com), and the flutter problem has gone away.
The X-Spec utilizes a hexagonal-shaped tailboom that prevents any rotation of the horizontal or vertical fins. The system is strong and secure. The belt drive has quickly become my preferred method of turning the tail rotor. It is a solid system that is virtually maintenance free. The repair cost is cheaper and simpler than for a shaft-drive unit.
My initial flights on the X-Spec showed a buzzing in the tail I could not get resolved. I am running a YS 91 engine and Youngblood Muscle Pipe, which has proven to be the most reliable combination in my other machines, so I really didn't think I had a problem in that department.
I placed a call to Jeff Green at MRC, and he answered the phone! I like that. No prompts or electronic operator to listen to. Nice! His first question was whether or not I dial indicated the fan. I thought I had, but who can remember?
I had two choices and both involved dropping the engine. I could dial indicate the fan and clutch or I could change to the Eagle III fan, which uses a collet for alignment. I have found this design to be accurate, and since I was dropping the engine anyway, I opted for the new fan. I did dial indicate the new setup and found that I had less than .001 runout.
A quick test hop in my back yard showed that the buzz was gone. I probably could have corrected the stock fan but chose to go with the preferred collet system. Now I'm anxious to turn the X-Spec over to my son and let him have a go at it. Kyle isn't exactly easy on a machine. We'll see what it does in the long haul.
The second machine I am working on is a Tiger 50 from Audacity Models (www.audacitymodels.com). It is an E-CCPM (Cyclic Collective Pitch Mixing) machine that appears to be wonderfully made. It is priced to play in the Raptor 50 arena, with affordable spare parts. It won't break your wallet when you crash it!
The Tiger can be configured for beginners or 3-D hotdog pilots. I like the looks of it and will soon be installing my O.S. Hyper .50 engine and turning it over to some friends to see what they think of it. Stay tuned!
As I write this, our annual local fun-fly is coming up in a couple of weeks. This year's featured pilots are Alan Szabo Jr., Jeff Green, Pete Niotis, Jeff Swartz, and Malorie Zastrow. I even heard that 9-year-old Kyle Stacy will be there this year doing demos! Our last two fun-flys have been tremendous successes, and this one will be even bigger.
Come on out and meet the pros in our hobby at the next event. They are a nice bunch of people. For more details go to www.rcplane.com.
Thank you for all the E-mails. I try to answer every question that comes my way. If I did not get back to you, please send another message. My Spam filter may have snagged it and I may have missed it. MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
