Introduction to R/C Helicopters
So, you have decided to fly R/C helicopters...but where do you start? What helicopter do you buy?
What radio do you buy? What field equipment do you need? You probably have even more questions
in your mind. In this article I am going to explain the very basic stuff needed to get started.
First, you need,
R/C Stuff
Field Equipment
Other Tools
Optional Stuff
There may be other tools that you might need but the above are the basic ones that you'll be using frequently.
Now, before going out and buying all the stuff mentioned above and trying to get our helicopter to fly, I'd like to share some advice. First, pay a visit to your local flying field and look around.
Tip: Don't start talking to all of them...you'd get confused, trust me...it happens.
Make a trip to you local hobby store and ask the owner which models he stocks the parts for. It's VERY important to buy a model where it's easy to get parts. It won't be cheap. Ask him how much a combo deal would cost. You will then have a ballpark figure to work with.
Generally, you should start with a 30-size model; by the way...the basics sizes are 30, 46 and 60. These numbers denote the sizes of the engine in the helicopter and thus the dimensions of the helicopter too. The main reason to start with a 30-size model is the fact that they are cheaper to repair in case the inevitable happens...you CRASH.
Tip : Don't fall in love with your first heli !!
You can of course start with a bigger model if you can afford it, but, it is not recommended as they can be a hand full to fly as they are generally more responsive and more powerful than the 30 sized ones (not to mention again, expensive to repair). There are many brands out there, and again, the BEST
advice is to visit the local field and the local hobby store and find out what is the most popular and most often stocked model.
The helicopter's engine is a bit different than the fixed wing version as it has an oversized heat sink (head). This is necessary for the helicopter as it helps to provide more area for cooling inside a tight engine compartment area. The most popular engine is the OS and I will have to recommend it for reliability. If you choose to fly the 30-size model, then the OS engine would be the OS32SX-H. Most engines are either ABC or Ringed. This means the pistons/sleeves are made from different metals for the ABC (Aluminum piston with Brass sleeve which is Chromed) engine, where the expansion of these metals will provide for the compression. The same is true for the Ringed engine except that it has a metal ring on the piston to get the compression needed for combustion. ABC engines are more powerful than ringed engines by a fraction but ringed engines are longer lasting. Most of the time the model you choose will come with a suitable muffler. Use this for now. You can always change to a more efficient one later.
Now the radio system, if you can squeeze it in your budget, I highly recommend a radio with 8 channels. The most popular ones are the Futaba 8UHPS or the JR 8103 ADT.
They both have their advantages and disadvantages. Again...pay a visit to the local club, this time to find out the most popular radio system in your area. The reason being, if you decide to go with their choice, you have immediate access to expertise in programming the radio. Not that it's very difficult, but expert help is always welcome. The entry-level radios, which have limited functionality, are the Futaba 6HX, the JR 652 and the Sanwa RD 6000. There are many people who have flown the models mentioned and complained that they actually have grown out of them in a very short time. So, before buying your radio, think about if you plan to be in the hobby for a long time (after all the crashing and constant rebuilding) and if you could squeeze a bit of the budget, to get the 8 channel radios. The higher end radios are the Futaba 9Z and
the JR PCM 10, which have extra features that are very nice to have but they can be quite expensive for some. The main difference in an airplane radio and a helicopter radio of the same model and brand is the way some switches are arranged. Almost all computer radios allow plane and helicopter mode by just adjusting the menu. The helicopter radios will have the Flight-Mode or Idle-Up switch located strategically so that you can access it easily while flying. On some radios, you can program where you want the Flight-Mode or Idle-Up switch to be.
Generally, the servos that come with helicopter radios are a bit different. The helicopter servos have bushings or bearings supporting the drive shaft of the servo. This is important, as the load on these servos is greater if used on helicopters instead of planes. For the 30 size models, you can stay with
standard ball bearing servos, but if you choose to fly a 60 machine, it will definitely call for higher torque servos. A rule of thumb is that a 30-size machine will require at least servos with 40-50 oz of torque and the 60 machine will require about 70 oz of torque. This doesn't mean that the 30 machine will NOT work with the higher torque servos, just that the higher the torque the more expensive they get. This is generally for the cyclic, collective and throttle controls. The tail on the other hand will benefit from a fast servo. The tail will work with standard speed servos but with a faster servo, the response will improve a lot. Again, a faster servo means, it's more expensive. Helicopters need a minimum of 5 servos, i.e. 2 for the cyclic, 1 for throttle, 1 for the collective and 1 for the tail rotor.
There are many gyros available and most are either mechanical or piezo. The mechanical gyro uses a flywheel within the gyro to sense movement and corrects the nose by giving instruction to the tail servo. The piezo doesn't have any mechanical moving parts in it thus making it more durable compared to mechanical gyros. It uses 'piezo electric' technology to sense movement and correct the
nose. Most of the gyros out there are of the piezo kind because of technological advancement. Among piezo gyros, there is the normal piezo and the heading hold or tail locking gyros. What's the difference? Simple, the head hold gyro will only change its hold on the nose when there is input from the tail rotor stick. The normal piezo on the other hand will change its hold IF the wind is blowing
strong enough. I recommend the heading hold gyro because, when its setup properly, it will HOLD the tail and this in turn makes the learning process easier and more pleasurable. You don't have to worry about correcting the tail a lot. But, almost ALL HH gyros benefit from a fast servo and GOOD setup. A
beginner will definitely find it a bit difficult. Expert help when learning to fly R/C helicopters is a big BONUS.
The blades that usually come with the helicopter kits are made from wood and that is usually good enough to learn on. They are cheap and have good lift. The other kinds of blades are made from fiberglass and carbon. These blades are VERY stiff and don't warp if taken care of properly. The downside of these types of blades is that they cost about 5 times more expensive than wood blades. Wait until you can fly circuits properly or until you don't crash every other week before decided to use the FG or CF blades.
A glow plug extension is used to 'bring' the glow plug out from the engine compartment so you can put the glow igniter on easily and start the engine. Almost all helicopters will need it and usually this will NOT be included in the kit that you purchase. You have to buy it separately. If it's not used, access to the glow plug maybe cumbersome, you may be able to live with it for a short period, but in the long run, you'll probably get irritated at constantly having to open the canopy to insert the glow igniter. Convenience has its price.
On the topic of field equipment, get all the items that are listed above. It helps to make your day at the flying field a smooth one. I would like to touch a little on the fuel aspect too. Fuel contains methanol for combustion and castor oil or synthetic oil for lubrication. For ABC engines, its better to use castor oil based fuel as this helps in prolonging the piston/sleeve's life. For ringed engines its better to use synthetic oil based fuel. This is just a rule of thumb. I personally use synthetic fuel for all of my engines, ABC and Ringed, because synthetic oil based fuel burns cleaner compared to castor based fuel. The by-product of this is that, the internal parts and external surface finish of the engine stays cleaner with synthetic based fuel. Castor also has the tendency to clog up the carburetor's jet and become 'gummy' if left without use for a long time. This means a lot of frequent cleaning up work on the engine. ABC engines running on synthetic oil based fuel will not last long IF they are frequently run lean. Oh yes, there is also some fuel with a combination of castor and synthetic oil. Some of the most popular fuel is Morgan Fuel, SIG, Wild Cat, Byron and others. The reason I recommend 15% fuel is that OS engines are designed to 'run' better on fuel with higher nitro content. Higher nitro not
only helps produce more power, it also helps the engine to idle better and run cooler. These are the 2 important criteria that are a must for a helicopter engine. There are engines that don't 'like' high nitro, and they run like crap on 15% nitro but run perfect with 0%. Examples of these engines are Webra
and Rossi, however there are also versions of these engines that are designed to run on high nitro fuel.
The other basic tools as listed above are important too. After a fun day of flying your helicopter, its important to check for loose components, like nuts and bolts. You can use the tools to keep your helicopter 'tight'. This is called preventive maintenance. Helicopters are made from a minimum of 400 parts and they all work together. In the event any one of them decides to come off during your hovering practice, you are in for a BIG surprise! You would need a plastic bag to bring your helicopter back home. Get what I am saying? So, constant checking of the helicopter is a must if you don't want to rekit your helicopter regularly.
If you look at the items in the optional list above, I have mentioned the simulator. I learned on the simulator before hovering my helicopter and I didn't even need a training stand. After about 10 hours of practice on the simulator, I was confident enough to hover. Not everyone can do it within 10 hours. I have seen kids do it with only 2 hours of simulator time, but most people will need more. The bottom line is, the simulator has worked VERY well for me. In fact, the simulator was my first R/C investment, and I still use it to practice orientation. It will not help you in terms of proper timing for your maneuvers but, as mentioned, it will help you practice your orientation. The simulator that I am using is the CSM version 9, but there are many other brands out there. Give your local hobby store a visit and find out what they carry. You can get proper support if you buy what they sell. If you have to do it without the simulator's help, please get the training stand. It will save you a fair amount of money and a LOT of frustration. As for the fast charger, it will be convenient to have one, as you may need to charge the receiver's battery if it's low so you don't need to stop flying for the day.
Lastly, I would like to stress that it is VERY important to get help from experienced pilots at least in setting up the helicopter and trimming it in the first flights. Please do this even if you have to drive 3 hours to get to an experienced pilot to help. If you have to do it alone, take it one, careful step at a time and I am sure you will reach your goal.
A little bit on safety, the approximate speed of the blade tip is about 200 MPH, so you can imagine what kind of damage it can do IF it hits you or someone standing nearby. So, please take all measures to ensure that your helicopter is at a safe distance from everyone.
Well, that's all for now.