Author: Mark Fadely

Edition: Model Aviation - 2013/06
Page Numbers: 113, 114, 116
,
,

Make your own custom heli hauler

by Mark Fadely <REDACTED>

Hello, helicopter lovers. I am glad you checked in this month.

June is one of the greatest month of the year for outside RC events. The biggest contest for 3-D helis, the Extreme Flight Championships (XFC), will be held June 14-16. This is one radical flight demonstration that you do not want to miss.

The world's best aerobatic helicopter and airplane pilots will compete at the AMA's International Aeromodeling Center (IAC) in Muncie, Indiana. If you can make it to this event for only one day, it will be worth the trip. It is an RC spectacle you will not see anywhere else. Both heli and large-scale model airplane pilots are at this invitational competition.

There is an opportunity for any pilot to try out for the contest during a special session on Thursday before the official start. If you think you have what it takes to compete in this event, show up Thursday morning with a four-minute music program and a choreographed flight routine. If the judges like what you show them, you might be flying in the 2013 XFC!

Many enjoy watching the entertaining competition. The show combines individual pilots' artistry and creativity with power, speed, and technology. If you attend the contest you will not be disappointed.

Custom Heli Hauler

Have you ever wanted an easier way to transport your equipment to the field? Have you wished for a way to neatly pack your stuff and still be able to keep it organized and easily available? My friend, Tyler Lovell, has a unique solution that combines something old, something new, and a bunch of good, old-fashioned ingenuity. Tyler built a custom helicopter-hauling trailer. I will let him explain how he did it.

"Modelers realize great satisfaction when challenges are faced and resolved with creativity. Restoration projects often require more effort than starting with something new. Such is the case with this project for a purpose-built RC trailer. We are talking about my quest for a small, lightweight trailer that could be towed with a family-friendly vehicle, stored on a small footprint, and carry a week's worth of modeling supplies.

"Thoughts of great heli vacation trips to places like the five-day International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association (IRCHA) Jamboree were inspired by seeing the out-of-production Aero Express trailers at modeling events. Airplanes up to 50cc and multiple helicopters with all support gear, parts, fuel, and tools could be fitted into a compact trailer. Sourcing an old camping relic led to a little dreaming and the employment of several friends and craftsmen to perform a unique transformation.

"A Michigan company called Vesely Manufacturing offered a series of Apache dinette campers in the early 1960s. This project began with a pristine, single-owner Apache Chief that was retired after generations of family camping adventures. It is 100% lightweight aluminum and offered many advantages in design and future longevity. To maintain those advantages, recycled aluminum diamond plate was used by Diligent Innovations and Fabrication of Momence, Illinois, during construction.

"The lightweight sheet-metal construction of the original camper restricted the feasibility of a hinged lid. The Apache provided a flat workbench surface that needed to be retained to eliminate using folding tables at the field. A hinged lid would interfere with this goal.

"Fergilli FA-400-L-12-30 linear actuators at each corner provide a combined 1,600 pounds of lifting force to raise a lid while consuming 12 amps total at 12 volts. The new trailer lid can be stopped at any position and travels 30 inches in about one minute. The controller is protected by lock and key. When fully raised, access to the work surface is available from all sides of the trailer. The lid provides shade.

"Storing support equipment in the compartments below keeps the work surface uncluttered. Four side doors open to be used as additional shelf space on-site, and they lock for a weather-tight seal during transport. [The] helicopters are held securely in place by skid clamps.

"Restoration of the suspension and weather-seal gaskets required custom solutions. Kankakee Spring and Alignment manufactured suitable leaf springs to accommodate the new trailer weight of 1,000 pounds when fully loaded. Handling and safety on the road was greatly improved.

"Finishing the trailer with modern lighting, new locks, high-speed tires, galvanized wheels, new axle hubs and bearings, weather sealing, a removable tongue, and solar charging, nearly completed the project. The new tow vehicle's factory paint was applied to the trailer by a close friend and automotive paint professional. The family minivan is still a family vehicle and all modeling equipment is towed in the trailer while yielding 25 mpg. The trailer also pulls easily behind a golf cart locally and at IRCHA.

"Visit [the website listed in 'Sources'] for more details, videos, and links."

Thank you for that story about your trailer, Tyler. It looks like a great way to keep the entire family happy, because none of your heli equipment will need to be kept in the family minivan.

That is it for this month. See you back here next time. Now, go fly!

SOURCES:

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.