Helicopter Flight Via Remote Control

By: Mike Etney

Remote control helicopters come in many shapes and sizes. Some are able to fly with only battery power, and others require gasoline for their combustion engines. Some come ready to fly and others must be assembled from scratch. Even the ones that claim to be ready to fly require set-ups, tuning, and tinkering before they can take to the air. More often than not, new pilots just starting out with this hobby expect their new model that comes labeled as flying right out of the box, to do just that. Be prepared to spend at least a few minutes preparing your new helicopter for flight. Being able to fly right out of the box is rare, however you may be able to find one that is ready to fly if it is purchased at a kids toy store rather than a hobby shop.

One choice you will have to make is whether to purchase a single rotor or dual rotor helicopter. The dual rotor helicopter has more popularity due to its unequivocal stability in the air, which makes it substantially easier to master when compared to its single rotor counterpart. The flight characteristics of the dual rotor are also more predictable so that they can be flown within smaller areas, such as within the inside of your house or apartment.

One other distinction that must be made is whether the helicopter is fixed pitched or collective pitched. Many beginners have no idea what this even means. Basically, helicopters generate lift by utilizing the engine power to rotate a rotor, which acts like a wing, through the air. With a fixed pitch rotor helicopter, more lift is generated and the helicopter ascends as the rotor spins faster. With collective pitch, on the other hand, the rotor rotates at a constant speed, and the lift generated is altered by changing just the pitch alone.

In comparison, a collective pitch helicopter is much more agile, responsive, and smoother to fly. The tradeoff with a collective pitch rotor is that it is more difficult to learn to fly, requires a more sophisticated and costly transmitter, and the helicopter itself can be more complex and cost much more than almost any fixed pitched system.

In conclusion, a fixed pitch rotor has less moving parts, making it quite ideal for a novice as it requires less maintenance, is easier to learn to fly, and is less expensive to fix when it crashes. For a more experienced pilot, the collective pitch helicopter will be much more fun and realistic, and therefore more desirable.

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

The author of this article is a part-time volunteer helicopter tour pilot with LA Helicopter Tours. He is also an estate planning attorney in LA, California.

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