RC Helicopters
Mark Fadely [[email protected]]
State of the sport and XFC minireport
Also included in this column:
- Torque tube or belt?
HELLO, EVERYBODY. This year is flying by! Pun intended. Fall is approaching and another year is about to go into the helicopter history books. I hope you have had fun this season. It has been a great one for me.
I have witnessed a “changing of the guard” in the ranks of top helicopter pilots this year. A talented group of young pilots is setting a new standard for 3-D flying.
I was at the 2008 Extreme Flight Championships (XFC) in June, where we saw seven rookie competitors. The average age of the top 10 finishers was a youthful 21, and two of the competitors didn’t have their driver’s licenses yet. It made me wonder what I was doing there.
You might still be able to play basketball in the NBA in your mid-40s, but I doubt if you will place too high at any future XFC contests. I keep saying it; the influx of youth in our hobby is amazing. It has been a shot of much-needed adrenaline for the sport.
The flying was incredible at this year’s XFC. I know I sound like a broken record, still claiming how advanced the pilots are getting, but it is the absolute truth. Many of the fliers were doing reversing pirouetting flips just inches off the tarmac.
The pilots seem so much more “connected” with their machines, as if they need only think of a maneuver and voilà! They can do it. It looks so easy to an outsider. The reality is that it takes hours upon hours of practice to do what they do.
The difference today is that the helicopters are so much more capable and reliable. The modern helicopter’s power-to-weight ratio enables it to fly in unimaginable ways. It is now up to the pilot to create new and different ways to exploit the machine’s flight envelope—not conform to it.
Several new helicopters were flying at XFC 2008. Miniature Aircraft, Align, and Hirobo had new prototypes in the mix. JR/Horizon Hobby showed off its new Vibe 50 that recently hit the market. Thunder Tiger was there with an updated Raptor 90, and the Germans had a fleet of various electric-powered Mikado Logos.
I sat down with Wendell Adkins (XFC co-founder/helicopter director) to talk about the state of the sport. He competed in many helicopter contests before helping to develop the XFC format. I asked him to summarize his thoughts about the last seven years of this contest.
He said:
“It’s funny; we were sitting around talking this week and the subject came up about how much the skill level has improved at the XFC. We thought it would be interesting to take the last-place guy from this year and pit him against the first-place pilot of the first year. The flier from this year would probably win that competition. The skill level has really gone up exponentially.
“We are happy to have so many international pilots this year too. Nearly 50% of the entrants are from countries outside the USA. It has always been our goal to make this an international contest.”
Wendell also talked about potential changes for the next couple years.
“We like the Team and Night Fly competition, so that should be part of future XFCs. We also want to review the scoring criteria and make some changes that better reflect the way modern flying is progressing.
“We are not getting tired of putting on this contest; in fact, we really want to take it to the next level. Our goal is to gain enough attention that maybe ESPN or some other TV network will televise the event.”
I asked Wendell if there was anything else he wanted to add. He said:
“I’m a huge fan of the ‘Last Chance Qualifier’ event. That is a contest within a contest, where any open spots in the XFC are filled by having a flyoff the day before the official start.
“I encourage competitive pilots to try out for that. I was always troubled by this event being invitation only. I really like the idea that an unknown pilot can just show up and fly a good flight and get in the contest.”
Thanks, Wendell, for all you and the rest of the XFC staff have done to promote the hobby. I believe that the level of flying we enjoy today is partly because of your efforts.
I remember that it used to be difficult to fill the field with competitors, but now there is a long waiting list of XFC hopefuls. I wish you the best for the future events.
Tail Drives: Torque Tube or Belt?
Let’s shift gears to some of the hardware we use. We will always be tweaking and tuning our precious mechanical marvels, so I thought this might be a good time to discuss the popular topic of tail drives.
Many pilots ask whether a torque tube or belt is the better tail-drive system. It is a good question, because there are positives and negatives to either type.
From a manufacturing standpoint, belts are good because they are cheaper and require no special parts inside the tailboom. However, pilots who want the best performance from their helicopters will choose a tube, because it robs less power from the drivetrain and will not slip.
I have made a list of the pros and cons so each pilot can make a more informed decision.
Advantages of tube drive:
- Drivetrain is more efficient with less power loss.
- Will not slip as belts can.
- No need for periodic adjustment.
- Lasts longer.
- No static build up.
Disadvantages of tubes:
- More expensive.
- Breaks easily in a crash.
- Heavier.
Advantages of belt drive:
- Less costly.
- Usually survives a crash.
- Lighter.
Disadvantages of belts:
- Robs power from the tail-drive system.
- May need periodic adjustment.
- Can develop static electricity that might interfere with other electronic components.
- May slip under demanding conditions.
Thanks for checking in this month. Keep the cards and letters coming, and I will see you back here next time. MA
Sources:
Miniature Aircraft USA (X-Cell 90) (352) 383-3201 www.miniatureaircraftusa.com
Align USA (T-Rex 700) www.alignrcusa.com
Hirobo (Turbulence) (732) 225-2100 www.modelrec.com
JR/Horizon Hobby (800) 338-4639 www.horizonhobby.com
Thunder Tiger (949) 900-3300 www.acehobby.com
Mikado 49 (0) 331 23749-0 www.mikado-heli.de
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
