How to get started in RC Helicopters Part 1

Flying RC Helicopters is one of the most difficult of all radio control hobbies. Hopefully this article will help you avoid some of the pitfalls of learning to fly RC helicopters and save some frustration (and money) along the way.

The key to becoming a successful RC helicopter pilot is dedication. If you take the time to learn the basics, you will become a proficient pilot and find a very rewarding hobby.

The first thing you want to purchase is a good flight simulator. This may seem strange, but if you have decided to get into the RC Helicopter hobby, realizing that there is a steep learning curve, spending a couple hundred dollars on a flight simulator is a great investment that will save you lots of money during the beginning phases of flying RC helicopters.

You will want to purchase a flight simulator that has true to life copies of the helicopters you will be flying out in the field. There are a number of great flight simulators on the market today. The most popular are the Real Flight G5.5 simulator by Great Planes, the Phoenix R/C Pro Simulator V3.0 form Horizon Hobby, and the AerofFly V5.5 from Ikarus.

After spending some time on the simulator, it will be time to purchase a helicopter. Things can get very confusing quickly. There are a lot of inexpensive “knock-off” imports available and many have great low prices, but most of these helicopters are not engineered as well as the name brand helicopters and replacement parts are usually hard to find. A great recommendation is to visit your local hobby shops to find out what brands they carry and if they keep a good supply of replacement parts in stock.

The next part of the RC helicopter purchasing process is understanding the different kinds of helicopters that are available. The reason this is important is that by having a good understanding of the helicopter types before you make a purchase, you will be able to determine how far you flying skills can advance with a particular model.

Coaxial Helicopters – Coaxial helicopters are true beginner RC helicopters. Coaxial helis have a dual rotor head system designed for stability and are not real agile helicopters. Each rotor has two blades and these are placed with one rotor on top of the other rotating in opposite directions. The coaxial system eliminates the need for tail blades because each rotor spins in the opposite direction. The helicopter is controlled by the speed of the rotors which are controlled by the remote control transmitter

Fixed Pitch Helicopters – A fixed pitch RC helicopter is one that typically has a two-bladed rotor system. The speed of the rotor head controls the height of the helicopter. The fixed pitch helicopter’s direction is controlled by the tail rotor

Collective Pitch – A collective pitch RC helicopter typically has two rotor blades and the rotor head runs at a constant speed. As the pilot pushes on the throttle (collective) stick up and down, the pitch (angle) of the blades changes. Collective pitch helicopters are complicated machines that have tail rotor control, gyros, flybarless or flybar options and are the most difficult RC Helis to fly.

The biggest difference flying a collective pitch helicopter is that the RC helicopter can be flown upside down because enough negative pitch can be applied to the rotors. This is how the ‘Pros’ can do 3D aerobatics with a RC helicopter.

Starting out, it is recommended to get a Coaxial RC Helicopter. These are good choices because they react a little slower to commands, can be flown indoors and will (with some models) hover is you let go of the sticks

Starwood Scale UH-1C RC Huey Helicopter

This is a RC Heli Video of a Starwood Scale Model's Bell UH-1C Huey RC Helicopter painted in California Department of Forestry colors.  The RC Helicopter is owned by Al Wert. His model is a reproduction of the Bell UH-1C Helicopter. Its reproduction includes details molded into the fiberglass fuselage, five operational doors, a dashboard and console, aluminum landing gear, windows, a wood components kit. The Huey Helicopter sounds, smell and looks like the full-size UH-1C and even has the familiar Huey main blade 'whoop' of the rotor blades turning in flight.

Bell AH-1 Assault Helicopter

The Bell AH-1W SuperCobra twin-engined attack helicopter, delivered to the USMC from 1986, was developed from the ubiquitous AH-1, versions of which served the Army (AH-1G) and Marines (AH-1T SeaCobra). They all have their roots in the Bell company’s 1950s studieds related to armed helicopters that led to the OH-13X modified version of the Bell 47/AH-47 Sious and the UH-1/AH-1 Huey/Model 209 HueyCobra. The later entered Army service as the AH-1G in the 1960’s, and were deployed to Vietnam as gunships from September 1967. The AH-1G performed well in Southeast Asia. It’s small size made it difficult to hit, while the Army found that it could reach the the target in about half the time taken by a Huey Helicopter.

The AH-1Q, armed with eight TOW anti-tank missiles, followed for the Army, while the AH-1R featured a more powerful engine, gearbox and transmission. For the AH-1S the engines were further uprated and became a standard model.

The Marines had ordered the AH-1J SeaCobara, and 67 were delivered from February 1971, and these were shipped to Vietnam, joining the Corps’ interim order of 38 AH-1Gs. The Marines preferred the Pratt & Whitney twinpac engine that gave not only increased power but also safety while flying over the sea. The AH-1T featured additional armaments including TOW, which required increased power. The improved engine and transmission resulted in increased sized tailboom and fuselage. Design improvements were also made to improve reliability.

In 1985 the AH-1W entered service with the Marines as the SuperCobra, with full night fighting capability using the Night Targeting System (NTS). Further power improvements enabled the helicopter to be the first to carry air-to-air missles, including Sidewinders, as well as Sidearm anti-radiation missles. Armed with a three-barrel 20mm Gatling gun, the SuperCobra can also launch a range of rockets and rocket bombs.

An AH-1W remanufacture upgrade program is currently being implemented to produce the AH-1Z. Among the many enhancements will be replacement of the two-bladed rotor head, which produces a distinctive sound, by a new hingeless and bearingless four-bladed main rotor head, with semi-automatic folding to keep the footprint to a minimum, reductions in rotor vibration, and significant increases in the flight envelope, payload, maximum speed, and vertical rate of climb, as well as advanced targeting and electronic warfare systems. The first batch of AH-1Zs are in the process of being delivered. A similar program is being conducted with the Corps’ UH-1N utility helicopters.

While the Army retird their Cobras in 1999, deliveries of the Bell AH-1Z SuperCobra are planned out to 2013, enabling the Marine Corps to have a capable attack and escort helicopter to operate well into the future.

History of the AH-64 Apache Assault Helicopter

Found this cool article on the AH-64 Apache Helicopter.  Here is an excerpt: 

The AH-64 Apache Helicopter was originally designed by Hughes in the 1970s to meet an Army requirement for an advanced attack helicopter. Production was not authorized until 1982. The first Apache helicopter deployed in 1986. The AH-64A became the Army’s primary attack helicopter and a total of 824 were put into Army service.

The Apache helicopter can react quickly to engage in close combat to destroy, disrupt or hold up enemy forces. The primary weapon on the helicopter is the AGM-114A Hellfire anti-armor laser-guided missile of which 16 can be carried. The Apache can also carry unguided 2.75 inch rockets for use against softer targets and is equipeed with a 30mm M230 Chain Gun for self-protection. Some versions can launch air-to-air missiles. The helicopter can be transported in the C-5, C-141, and C-17 airplanes.

The Apache Helicopter was deployed in substantial numbers during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Critics claimed that the performance of the helicopter would be unacceptably low were proven wrong. Instead, it achieved a readiness rate about 90 percent. Such was the effectiveness of the Apache that, as soon as the Iraqis realized that they were being targeted, most of them hurriedly exited their tanks and armored personnel carriers and surrendered. The Iraqis named the Apaches the “Black Death.”

 

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