Radio Control: Helicopters
THIS MONTH'S MODEL AVIATION revolves around newcomers to the hobby: how we can help them get started, expand their knowledge, and share the enjoyment of flying with them. In the past we have thought of these newcomers as youngsters, but now we're expanding the definition to include everyone who would like to enter the hobby-even those of the "older" generation. However, we should still make every effort to get young people involved in a worthwhile hobby, so in years to come they can expand what we have started. Whenever I think of helping someone enjoy our hobby, I can't help but think of my childhood in New York City, and how modeling had such an important influence on my life. The story goes something like this: I was born and raised in the heart of NYC, and saw my first model airplane at the age of five in one of the city's few public parks. I was immediately fascinated by thoughts of being up in the air and traveling to distant places, and it wasn't long before I was drawing and designing airplanes.
Radio Control: Helicopters
CANOPIES: Last month I talked about repairing and painting damaged canopies, but there will always be that canopy you have been looking at long enough, or just don't want to fix for whatever reason. When that happens you may want to give Just Canopies a call: (800) 747-7033. As their name implies, they only do canopies, for almost any helicopter flying. I called and requested a canopy for my X-Cell, painted three specific colors in a certain pattern, with a tinted windshield. I received the canopy joined and painted, ready to mount to the helicopter, for $50. When you consider the cost of the canopy itself, and then the time and expense to trim, glue it together, and paint, this price is very reasonable. World Heli-Hams is a nonprofit organization for people with interest in helicopters and amateur short-wave radio, and provides another means to communicate ideas and techniques pertaining to our hobby. (I am not a ham radio operator, so I have not been able to join in with any discussions, but I'm sure that many of you have ham equipment and will find this means of getting together very interesting. Contact Marden Pride, 34 Fountain St. A5, Haverhill MA 01830.
Radio Control: Helicopters
SERVO CONTROL EFFECTIVENESS: Those of you who have been in the radio control hobby for many years will remember the early proportional servos-the ones with linear push-pull output. At that time it was thought that linear output was desirable because it more closely matched the transmitter stick position, but the mechanics involved caused the servo to be both large and heavy. These linear-output servos were only available for a few years, until the radio manufacturers settled on the rotary-output servos we now have. Aside from the history lesson, the real purpose of the story is to show that linear servo output is more desirable than the rotary output we now have, and that this was realized many years ago. The next thought that comes to mind may be "What is so wrong with the rotary output of our servos? We have been using them for years with great success." The answer is there is nothing really wrong with a rotary output, except that the servo loses its effectiveness as the arm (or wheel) rotates away from the center position.
Radio Control: Helicopters
Midwinter Maintenance: Most fliers probably haven't flown their helicopters in the past couple of months, and aren't making plans for the next flying season, still several months away. This is an easy trap to fall into-no one wants to admit that the flying season is over. We all hope for that one additional nice day in late fall when we can get to the field one more time before winter settles in for good. Often that means our helicopters are in the same condition as when we last flew them-lacking the TLC they will need to overcome the inactivity of the winter.
Radio Control: Helicopters
FLIGHT SIMULATORS: In the past few years personal computers (PCs) have become more common household items. Several companies have developed helicopter flight simulators that enable a flier to practice flying in the comfort of his/her home-without fear of crashing. Because these simulators are not inexpensive, the two most common questions I hear are 1) Are they worth the money? and 2) Can a person learn to fly a helicopter using a simulator? As far as the price is concerned, the real value of a flight simulator is that it keeps you from crashing your own helicopter. Whenever you go out to practice-whether it's basic hovering for the novice or 3-D flying for the expert-there is always the possibility of a mishap (I don't like the word crash). We certainly try to keep mishaps to a minimum, but unfortunately, making mistakes is part of the learning process. What makes us better pilots is learning from our mistakes.
