INTRODUCTION TO RADIO CONTROLLED HELICOPTERS

Radio controlled helicopters dates back to the early seventies when the Schlüter company presented the world's first radio controlled model helicopter. The design then was simple, but with drastic compromises. There was no pitch control and the motor speed was used to control the helicopter in upward and downward flight.

The interest caught on but flying a radio controlled helicopter was not easy. There were no experts around, and so anyone who wanted to learn the skill had to learn it on their own. The industry bloomed, and very soon, helicopter kits were in mass production. It was not long before the first of the collective pitch helicopters came to the market.

Today, there are many companies that produce the finest kits available, with precision engineered parts. But even so, with the sophistication level that has been reached with these kits, the pilot would still need to learn how to fly the machine.

This is something that cannot be avoided, and crashes are always almost certain. This would mean spending money on spares and not having the opportunity to fly... and learn. When the model has been fixed, the pilot would again take his helicopter to one corner, hop it around the ground for a while, and hopefully not wind up with another broken model.

For many people, getting pass this stage is perhaps the hardest, and for those who do, the reward is the most satisfying experience one can have with his machine. It's like taking a bull by its horns and finally being able to have it eat off your hands, with your arms around his neck like a buddy.

And for those that don't? It can be the most frustrating moments of seeing money literally crashing over and over again. For these people, they may never again step to the field and their wonderful machines will be left to rot and rust in one corner of the room.

The newcomer is what this site is all about. Flying a helicopter is not really difficult, provided you - the pilot - have taken the time to understand every aspect of the hobby. Patience in learning even before purchasing your first heli, and patience again in understanding the machine in all details of setup, operation and physics, will go a long way to ensure the journey is a successful one.

I'm a self taught RC Helicopter pilot, with only 2 crashes under my belt. Glad to say that only 1 crash was the result of pilot error. The other crash was due to the receiver battery coming loose - a lesson to learn.

So, if you like to venture into the world of Radio Controlled Helicopter flying, turn the pages of these site and find out more. Hope to see you at the field one day!