Radio Control: Helicopters
I RECENTLY received an MRC Schluter Heli-Baby training stand for evaluation. Not only is the training stand well designed with typical Schluter high quality, but the way that it works is phenomenal. The kit contains all the necessary parts for quick and easy assembly and step-by-step instructions and also detailed trimming and flying hints! Properly set up, the stand makes it possible to completely trim out a new Heli-Baby or a newly-repaired one so perfectly that it will fly hands off! The stand's functions can be locked one by one, permitting separate attention to roll, pitch, and yaw. It can be used for flight training by a rank novice or by an experienced flier to sharpen up on a particular part of his flying skill.
Radio Control: Helicopters
I HAVE BEEN ASKED to write a monthly column on helicopters. How I came to be asked is beyond my comprehension. There must be a lot of people better qualified that I am, but nevertheless, I will try to do a good job of it at least for a while. After seeing Dieter Schluter fly a Huey Cobra at Toledo several years ago, I knew that from that moment on my RC life was to undergo a change. I'll give a little background about myself, and then maybe the reading will be a little more interesting and thus keep you reading to the last part of the column where the good part is anyway.
Radio Control: Helicopters
I have received quite a few pictures of unusual helicopter designs so this month's column will deal with a few and will give credit to their designers. It is a good idea to keep a good sense of humor when working with RC helicopters, and as you see, these people have; and their efforts also help others to do the same! Egmont von Websky of Santa Barbara, CA, has created several unusual configurations. The one that looks like a potato bug is built around Jet Ranger mechanics, weighs in at 12 pounds, and flies really well. He calls it "Keep on Buggin." The other one is called "The All-American Way." Both are built of balsa and plywood and are finished with Hobbypoxy paint.
Radio Control: Helicopters
UPON ARRIVING at Toledo each year, one is usually greeted by unbelievable cold and windy weather. This is a real shock, especially for me, being a tenderfoot from Florida, but this year was different! Oh, it was a little cold Saturday morning, but the sun was shining and a little wind was blowing. By mid-afternoon it actually got up in the high seventies and then cooled off by late evening. This year's Toledo show was more of a business trip for me so I did not have as much time to see the displays as in years before. However, I did get to all the helicopter booths and that is where my interest lies and yours, too, or you wouldn't be reading this.
Radio Control: Helicopters
WE HAVE BEEN talking about the Novice-Group I maneuvers and Intermediate-Group II maneuvers, and now we will take a look at Expert-Group III-Free-Style. The experts will fly Group I and II and then select as many free-style maneuvers as they can do in three minutes including landing. Again the judges will be looking for quality and not quantity. The expert maneuvers have varying K-factors determined by the complexity of the particular maneuvers. They will be scored 0-10 and the K-factor used as a multiplier. Consequently, the smart expert contestant will pick maneuvers that he can do well in three minutes. It is far better to get a high score with a fairly good K-factor than to get a low score and a high K-factor. Above all, don't pick a maneuver that will wreck your machine.
