Radio Control: Helicopters
BASICS of the Helicopter radio. It wasn't many years ago when our radios had only two control sticks and a few trim levers. Then came a new era of radio with features like servo reverse and dual rates. These new radios were said to have "bells and whistles," or features that weren't really necessary but were nice to have-and it wasn't long before we came to accept these "extras" as standard equipment. And now a new generation of radios, with even more "bells and whistles," has become standard equipment for us Helicopter fliers. When I first saw a Helicopter radio, I wondered if all those switches and knobs were really needed; but, after seeing how much easier and more enjoyable Helicopter flying is with these special features, I wouldn't think of flying without them. Each radio manufacturer has a different layout of switches, knobs, and other features, but at a minimum they all have the basic mixing functions we need for our Helicopters. Let's take a closer look at some of the features you can expect to get with any Helicopter radio.
Radio Control: Helicopters
WELCOME BACK! As you may recall, in a recent article I asked for comments from readers about their experiences with GMP Shuttles. I subsequently received an excellent letter from Mr. James Katz, who resides in Massachusetts. While his letter is too long to reproduce here, I'd like to comment on some of its highlights. First, the Shuttle was Katz' initial RC Helicopter. He and his son successfully learned to fly the Shuttle with no outside help. Because of hard landings, their machine often suffered boom strikes (main rotor blade hitting the tail boom) with resultant damage to the mixing arm, main rotor blades, tail tube, and fuselage main frames.
Radio Control: Helicopters
WORLD CHAMPIONS. I know that 99% of the U.S. RC Helicopter pilots (and that ratio probably holds true worldwide, too) don't compete in contests. However, there is an RC Helicopter World Championships every two years, and the U.S. does send a team there. This year the World Champs was held in Bern, Switzerland, June 29 through July 4. I'm sure that all of you are proud that "our team," consisting of Curtis Youngblood, Robert Gorham, and Mike Mas, finished in a strong second place, with Curtis Youngblood becoming the first U.S. F3C World Champion. Congratulations, gentlemen! You did an excellent job of representing yourselves and your country overseas.
Radio Control: Helicopters
WELCOME BACK. Before I start this month I'd like to thank those readers who have responded to my pleas for more reader input. In the last month I received 10 responses, some even with pictures. That's great news to a columnist. It makes him feel good that someone out there is listening, and it gives him some ammunition for the next column. It's really a pain in the neck to try to think up an interesting subject for each month's writing. When the readers contribute, all of us are rewarded. Please, if you have an idea, a new ship, or you've got some pictures of you and your flying buddies doing your thing, why don't you think about sending a copy and maybe a little note. I'll do my best to answer questions and get the information out in the open.
Radio Control: Helicopters
IF YOU RECALL, last month's column was dedicated to a novice named Curt Sparnicht and my involvement in helping him finish his Schluter Mini-Boy. I'm also helping another first-time chopper pilot, Dale Garcia. After my adventure with Curtis, I decided to question Dale in regards to his experience in trying to finish his first machine. What I found interesting was that their problems were pretty much the same. I had thought that because of Curt's young age he might have problems associated with general lack of experience. However, Dale is in his late 20s, and his problems and questions were identical to Curt's. By the way, Dale is working on a Kobe Fox, so my comments which follow don't relate to just one particular make of model.
