| Copyright 2006 Michael Cottier | | | | realism, building, maintaining and flying! You will be able |
| RC helicopters have become a very common RC toy | | | | to personalize your chopper exactly the way you |
| lately and come in a variety of prices and types. Many | | | | want it, like hover time and rotor speed. Once you get |
| problems that beginners face are what type of | | | | a feel for your helicopter, and have everything |
| helicopter to choose, power source for it and whether | | | | adjusted perfectly, your helicopter will fly just the way |
| they want an indoor or outdoor one. With many more | | | | you want it and not the way some factory decided it |
| options on top of those you can imagine how difficult it | | | | should. |
| is for beginners to take off, literally. First let's talk about | | | | The next challenge beginner helicopter pilot's face is |
| the different power sources that a RC model | | | | learning how to fly their chopper. This is a big problem |
| helicopter can have, and which one will best suit you. | | | | since a helicopter is the hardest aerial vehicle to fly and |
| If you are a beginner RC helicopter pilot, then the best | | | | having a miniature version of one doesn't make things |
| power source for you is electric. Electrically powered | | | | easier. If you have no helicopter flying experience and |
| chopper engines are still very fast, but yet still quiet, | | | | you try to fly it, most likely it will crash into the ground. |
| and can maneuver just as good a full sized fuel | | | | To save yourself frustration you need to learn how to |
| powered one! Another main attraction to electric | | | | properly put it together and fly it. |
| helicopters is the fact that you don't have to deal with | | | | I recommend that you read the instruction manual, front |
| messy fuels or with tuning the engine at all. Plus fuel | | | | to back, before you attempt to put it together and |
| cost money and electricity is much cheaper. If you are | | | | when you actually do, make sure you tighten every |
| a beginner then I definitely recommend that you get an | | | | bolt and include every screw. One missing screw or |
| electric powered RC helicopter and then progress | | | | loose bolt can throw the whole helicopter off and send |
| your way up to a glow powered one. | | | | it crashing to the ground because it is unbalanced. |
| Glow engines have been used in RC airplanes for | | | | Learning how to fly a RC helicopter is a challenge |
| some time now, and have made there way over to | | | | within itself, and could never be fully taught over the |
| helicopters. Glow engines have a simple ignition system | | | | internet or through some book. The best way to learn |
| that uses a glow plug rather than a spark plug. The | | | | is to get real flying experience with an instructor at first, |
| glow plug is heated by a battery operated glow | | | | and then on your own later. You can find an instructor |
| starter, and meanwhile the modeler uses a starter to | | | | at a local RC airplane and helicopter club. RC airplane |
| turn the engine over. When fuel enters the combustion | | | | clubs are most common and exist in just about every |
| chamber, it is ignited by the heated glow plug and the | | | | state and country, and since most of them will have |
| engine starts up. | | | | experience with planes they most likely will also know |
| If you want to seriously get into the RC helicopter | | | | how to fly RC model helicopters too. |
| hobby, then a glow engine chopper is perfect for | | | | |