Ray Hostetler

To the Editor, I feel I must sit down and reply to the Helicopter column written by Paul Tradelius in the September 1993 issue of Model Aviation. Mr. Tradelius states how computer radios have made helicopter setup so much easier than it was in the past. I couldn't agree more. However, Paul then goes on to state that the pitch curve for the helicopter should be set up with a linear line for a starting point. It is at this point that I must disagree with Mr. Tradelius. Setting up initial pitch with a linear line wastes time, and does not help at all with the final setup. Instead, the initial pitch curve should be setup according to the helicopter manufacturer's recommendations (which will probably not be a linear line), and the fine tuning should be done from there. Let me explain.