Radio Control: Helicopters
DIE HARD. That's the name of my latest movie project, and I'd like to pass along some ideas and experiences I've gained while working on it. Die Hard is a new Fox production starring Bruce Willis. There is some spectacular full-size helicopter flying done in the film: flying close to buildings-and at night, to boot. I was pretty thrilled when offered the chance to do the film, as it meant building some UH-1s, and I would be working for Boss Films (which is fast becoming the premier special effects house in Hollywood). There were two major shots requiring miniatures. The first was to be a crane shot looking down on top of a building while a miniature flew through a giant fireball. The second shot was a crash sequence off the top of a building, ending with the tail boom totally separating from the Huey in flight.
Radio Control: Helicopters
THIS IS A DIFFICULT COLUMN for me to write, but as they say, all things must pass, and so it is that the time has come to pass this column to another dedicated scribe. Next month Paul Tradelius will be the new Helicopter columnist for Model Aviation. I hope all of you appreciate the commitment Paul has made to ensure that Model Aviation has the finest up-to-date helicopter column available to the RC helicopter enthusiast. Many of you are pondering and perhaps asking why the change. The truth of the matter is that when I accepted the responsi bilities of this column in 1983, I had no idea I would be writing it 10 years later. During the last 10 years, my life has changed drastically, and I am sure yours has as well.
Radio Control: Helicopters
WELCOME BACK. I hope that all of you are getting some flying in the evenings now that summer is here. It sure makes a day's work go faster when you've got a flight session to look forward to. Last month I talked about the large UH-1s I'd made for a movie and said that we would be taking a look at Hirobo's new Boeing Vertol, but I'd like to save that for next month, as it really is time that I discussed Miniature Aircraft Supply's first solo venture, the X-Cell. Anyone who has been in the hobby for any length of time knows of Walt Schoonard. If you've been around long enough, you know that Walt was the first (I believe) Helicopter columnist for Model Aviation back in the early Seventies. Anyway, Walt has always been an avid Helicopter flier and promoter.
Radio Control: Helicopters
JUST BEFORE the Toledo Show John Gorham called and wanted to know if I'd like to visit him at Calabassas and check our the new GMP machine, the Legend. I knew John had been working on a new Helicopter design with emphasis on aggressive aerobatics, but I didn't think he would be ready for a Toledo debut in April. We agreed to meet on Saturday morning. I met John and his son, Robert, at the familiar GMP testing ground, where Robert already had the new machine airborne. Even though Robert is truly an outstanding pilot, I immediately noticed how nicely the Legend was skating across the sky. I saw consecutive loops, rolls, great Belgiums, and groovy straight flight between the maneuvers.
Radio Control: Helicopters
"DIE HARD" REVISITED. Welcome back! Two months ago I told you about the large-scale UH-1s I was flying for the movie, "Die Hard." At the end of that column I promised that I'd give a description of the inexpensive tail drive I used on these models. So here goes. If you have given any thought to flying Scale Helicopters, you've undoubtedly found that some of the best full-size ships have high-mounted tail rotors. This can be a real problem, as you must figure out some system to drive the model's high-mounted tail rotor-one that doesn't leave ugly, nonscale parts hanging out in the breeze. The system I use is the old speedometer-cable-running-in-the-curved-brass-tube trick. Now, I realize that this system is as old as Dieter's Hegi Cobra, but it works-and works well!
