From: djs@idm.com (David J Schur)
Subject: Re: more on helicopters please !
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 16:57:53 GMT
Organization: Information Data Management

jbm@hal.com (Brad Might) writes:
: 
: 
: Let's have more stories and advice on helicopters ! I am ready to get into
: them and am interested in learning all I can before I lay down my cash !
: 
Since there seems to be some interest in this thread lately on getting started,
and since some discouraging comments about the amount of money and time it 
takes to start on helis,ve been made I thought I would share my experiences. 

I flew CL and RC gliders as a kid, most recently I spent the last 7 years 
running a hydroplane. One thing that upset me about the gliders and hydros 
was the amount of time spent in repairs as compared to the actual amount of 
time spent enjoying the sport. I never glassed my hydro, and it ran at about 
55 MPH, so every time I hit a good wave, it was back to epoxy and paint.

Like you, and others, I was always curious about RC helicopters, but until the
last couple of years, they were too expensive and tricky to set up and fly.
I really feel that recently, they have become a lot more reasonably priced, and
there is a lot of expert instruction on how to set up and learn hovering. But
back to my story.

This summer I decided to make the leap and get into helicopters. Initially I
also expected to spend a ton of money (I was given estimates of ~$1500 from 
the hobby shop people I talked to). I was at the local hobby shop (AL's in
Chicago - Its an excellent heli store), and they told me about a used heli that
there were selling. They took me into the basement and showed it too me. 

Here's what it included:
Hirobo Shuttle ZX (mint condition fitted with many "gold" parts) 
O.S. 32 F-H engine (already broken in)
Futaba 153BB gyro 

I got this package for $300. It took me about 10 seconds to decide. The hobby 
shop even arranged for the previous owner to mail me all of the manuals.
(As soon as I learn the HIROBO version of english they ought to be handy ;)

It was the best way I could have gotten into the hobby. I already have a four
channel FM that I could have easily used to get started, but I decided to 
dump $225 into a Futaba 5NLH heli radio. This extra expense wasn't really 
necessary. I also bought some extras (larger flight pack, heli fuel, and 2 sets 
of rotor blades) for about $100. I already had a flight box, control panel,
starter and fuel pump (all of which I got used for $25), so that is a lot
of expense you can save if you're already involved in RC.

So, I had spent ~$600 dollars, and I was ready to go, all I needed to do
is learn how to fly, and It was really a lot easier than I thought it would
be.

I built training gear (hula hoop $.99, four 3/8 dowels $2.50, plastic ties
to hold it together, took 5 minutes to make). 

The hobby shop gave me info about local helicopter club (Northern Illinois R/C 
Helicopter Association) and advised me to get some help from them when 
starting out.

excellent advice.

It turns out this club has their own field for helicopters only (so I wouldn't
accidentally behead any neighborhood dogs while learning:). 

They also have a "beginners" night every Thursday where the experienced pilots
leave their machines at home and come out to the field for the sole purpose
of helping beginners like me. So, after reading a many books and magazines
about how to fly, I packed up my stuff and went to the field.

When I got to the field, I met Gary, the guy who had owned my helicopter
before me. I turns out he currently has 7 or 8 helicopters (that's how you
blow a lot of money on helis), and he was really interested in helping new 
people get started. Gary checked over my radio installation, set up the pitch
of the rotors, trimmed the tail rotor and helped me tune the engine. 
He flew it for a while to make sure everything was trimmed correctly with my 
radio, and set it up so it could (practically) hover hands free. I didn't
even try to fly that first night, and I was glad. It was really nice to not
be nervous about trying to fly, and Gary's help on setting my (his old) 
helicopter up was a god-send. I went home that night with a perfectly trimmed
helicopter, and I could start to learn to hover on my own.
Definitely get some help like this from an experienced pilot, it will cut
your learning time dramatically. If the person wants to charge you to help,
find someone else, its a hobby, not a business.

I want to break for a second to put on my flame-proof suit, because I know
a lot of people would jump on my approach to learning, and here are their
reasons. First of all, I hadn't built my heli from a kit, this means I 
really didn't know everything about the mechanics of the machine. This is
very true, but I would learn quickly when I started to repair it. Secondly,
I hadn't trimmed the helicopter myself, so I didn't know much about setting
it up. This is also true, but I would learn this at my own pace when
trying to fiddle and adjust settings without suffering through hair-pulling
weeks of not even getting it to fly. It was really nice to be able to 
start learning to fly without first needing to become an expert on RC
helicopters.

So, I started to learn to hover. This is absolutely the most important
thing to learn when learning to fly helis. When you move on to forward
flight and circuits, if you are comfortable with a smooth hover, when
you get your heli into an awkward situation, you can always pull out into
a hover, catch your breath, and bring it down safely. For most of the
first 5-10 sessions, you will be within 2-3 inches of the ground, and
part of your training gear will be touching the ground (training gear is
a must). The analogy I think of when learning to hover is that it is
similar to trying to balance a large book on a pencil, or stand on a ball.
I spent my first session with an experienced pilot, but after that, I did
most of my training on my own. I was actually surprised with how quickly
I was able to pick it up. By the end of my first gallon of gas, I was able to
hold a smooth hover at about 3 feet as long as I wanted.

But it was not all roses. I let my wife try to learn, and she stared to bring
it off the ground, held it at about 2 inches for 5 seconds, and then it
started to get away from her. Time for some more advice, when learning to 
hover, if the heli starts to get even a little bit away from you, don't be
afraid to slam the throttle down. The heli most likely won't get hurt from the
height you're at while training, and that's why you have the training gear.
Well, my wife didn't do this, and proceeded to take the heli off to our left.
Somehow, she managed to find the only obstruction in the area, a five foot
steel post buried in the ground. I thought for sure it would be recked, but
I got away lucky. I took it home, took the whole head off, and found that
all I needed to fix it was a new main shaft, feathering shaft, flybar, and 
rotors blades. Here is another piece of advice, to cut down on costs, build 
your own rotor blades. For the Hirobo, there is a company called SkyWard who
sells a set for $20. Build a couple of pairs at a time, because you will need
them, and its easier to build and balance a bunch at once rather than do them
as you need the. As far as the other parts go, the total was $20 for some cheap
parts made in Taiwan by that SkyWard company. This was one of the things I
enjoy most about helis, if you crash (and you will), all it takes is some
parts, and a couple of hours, and its as good as new. I didn't have to chop 
down a tree, glue tooth picks together, or get any strange incurable
disease from epoxy that would ruin my life and make me miserable ;).

I've had many other crashes, most of them minor which only required new rotors
(NEVER fly on rotors that have been crashed, its a good way to reck your heli)
and a fly bar.l

My worst crash was when I was trying to fly on a windy day (~15 MPH winds), and
let the heli start flying away (forward) from me. Instead of chopping the 
throttle and letting it bounce, I watched it get further and further away (~150
feet). Don't let a heli get that far away when you're learning, keep it within 
25 feet. The heli got a forward tilt to it, the training gear caught the 
ground, the front of the rotor disk touched, and then my helicopter 
proceeded to eat itself. Parts were thrown all over (I found the battery pack
25 feet away), and the entire tail was totally shredded. I had to replace
everything (except some bolts) from the tail back. Total cost - $120,
Total repair time, 4Hrs. I was flying again the next day.

At the end of the fall, I have moved on to forward flight, and started
flying circuits. I haven't had any serious crashes, and think they will be
less common. I am not flying this winter (I like feeling in my fingers), but
being in Texas, you can fly all year.

So, what I hope to impress on anyone thinking of starting in RC helis is, go
for it! Don't be afraid of the horror stories you have heard. RC helis have
come a long way, and they are less expensive and easier to fly. I would say
my total investment thus far has been ~$900, and I bought a radio that I 
really didn't need. I have seen many radios (what would one use 7 or 9 channels
on a glider for? ) which cost more than I've spent total so far. Now, I have
no doubt that I'll but a more expensive radio in the future as I get better,
but I really feel that every penny I've spent so far has been worth it.

As far as recommending a helicopter to start out with, I would say you're crazy
to consider anything other than a Kyosho Concept 30, or Hirobo Shuttle.
I am very partial to the Shuttles as they are popular where I fly. The parts
are cheap and easy to get in my area. If you do get a Shuttle, get a Z or ZX
model. They don't cost much more, and are "stretched" with a larger rotor
diameter and weighted blades so they are more stable and easier to learn 
hovering with. From what I've heard and seen, the Concepts also have an
excellent record. If you're going to get a heli, go with either of these that
is popular in your area and easy to get parts for. Also, I have had very 
good luck with a used heli, and would actually reccommend over a new machine.
As far as engines go 
for a 30 size machine, you can't go wrong with an O.S. 32-FH. They are 
super-reliable, and easy to run. Mine always starts right away runs well, and
I got it used. For a gyro, any will do, but you MUST have one, also it is
a little easier to install if it is made by the same manufacturer as your 
radio, because you don't have to change the connectors. I would also get
a larger flight pack than comes with most radios, as the gyro will pull a lot 
of juice from your flight pack. I use a 1700MaH pack, and
have never dropped the voltage enough to have to re-charge while out for the
day. 

In short, don't be worried about the "mystique" around rotary wings. They
aren't that difficult to fly, and with their increasing popularity, their
expense and prices have come down. I enjoy helis more than any other RC
models I have done, because I don't have a lot of spare time to build
scratch or kit planes, and helis can start flying almost right out of the
box. (I know, I should try ARF planes, but I'm now hooked on helis). Also
with helis, you don't need a huge area to fly, any empty lot (without a
lot of people around) will do.

While I'm here, I have a quick question for any other heli people out 
there- (for anyone whose stuck with this article this far)

A while back, I heard about Hirobo coming out with a new 60 size machine. It
was supposed to be quite reasonable (not nearly as much as the eagle), and
was supposed to be based on the Shuttle and Eagle mechanics. Has anyone
heard when these will be out or seen one?



   __                 ()                     --------------------------------
  /  )                /\       /             | Dave Schur    (djs@idm.com)  |
 /  / __. , __/>     /  )  _. /_  . . __     | Software Engineer            |
/__/_(_/|_\/ (__    /__/__(__/ /_(_/_/ (_    | Information Data Management  |
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   __                 ()                     --------------------------------
  /  )                /\       /             | Dave Schur    (djs@idm.com)  |
 /  / __. , __/>     /  )  _. /_  . . __     | Software Engineer            |
/__/_(_/|_\/ (__    /__/__(__/ /_(_/_/ (_    | Information Data Management  |
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