Radio Control: Helicopters
I HAVE BEEN ASKED to write a monthly column on helicopters. How I came to be asked is beyond my comprehension. There must be a lot of people better qualified that I am, but nevertheless, I will try to do a good job of it at least for a while. After seeing Dieter Schluter fly a Huey Cobra at Toledo several years ago, I knew that from that moment on my RC life was to undergo a change. I'll give a little background about myself, and then maybe the reading will be a little more interesting and thus keep you reading to the last part of the column where the good part is anyway.
Radio Control: Helicopters
Toledo 1975, the year of small inexpensive RC helicopters. The Toledo show was greatly expanded this year, which permitted a larger number of display booths and also increased comfort for the spectator. I have attended this show for many years, but this was the first time you could get to the more popular booths and not be crushed. My main interest being "good radios" and helicopters, kept me busy the first day asking the radio manufacturers if their radio would work well in helicopters. I was very disappointed in the answers I received. Most of them hedged on giving a definite response. The only manufacturer who is exerting any real effort to solve helicopter problems is EK-Logic-trol. They are now field testing a radio especially developed for helicopters. Aubrey Radford of Jacksonville, Fla., has been putting several sets through unbelieveable tough helicopter tests. Aubrey is the first person to do controlled rolls with RC helicop ters. He happens to be an individual who tells things like they are, and the reports coming from him speak very well for the EK-Logic-trol helicopter radio. The radio has extremely good noise rejection and yet has plenty of range. The servos are hybrid design that have speed and power and tight centering.
Radio Control: Helicopters
Gazelle Modifications: When you chose a Schluter Gazelle, you chose a good helicopter. This machine is the end product of Schluter's helicopter evaluation. The machine is simple to set up, and normally flies on the first attempt. But after a little time on the machine, it be comes apparent that in its present configuration its maneuverability is limited and in some respects can be disastrous! I have done extensive testing and developing of mods for this helicopter and can now tell you that it can be made as quick and aerobatic as you wish. The Fuselage: One of the most disastrous things to happen to any helicopter is to have the main rotor cut the tail boom off on a tail first or hard landing. This can really destroy your machine and is a terribly demoralizing situation to get into. This happened to me and several of my friends. After trying longer output shafts, shorter blades, and lots of other things too, I finally discovered what was happening. It was found that the blades could not be bent down to the tail cone no matter how hard I tried.
Radio Control: Helicopters
By the time you read this column, the 1975 Helicopter Nationals will be history. There will be some winners and some that didn't win but tried. Best of all, those that competed will have enjoyed the greatest part of this sport that of competing. By competing you will enjoy the fellowship of other pilots, learning from others, the development of skill, and the betterment of the machine. Almost anyone can learn to fly a helicopter, but it takes skill to compete. Practically any helicopter can be made to fly, but it takes development to make a machine competitive. If we are going to compete, we obviously need rules to govern the pilot and the machine. These rules cannot just be made up from imagination but rather from experience and trial. The following rules cover the pilot's experience, whether it be little or great. Rules should be challenging and yet be feasible. They should provide maneuvers with increasing difficulty so that a pilot will have a higher class to shoot for.
Radio Control: Helicopters
BETWEEN THE DOWNPOURS of rain that had deluged Louisiana for over a week, we set up the flying course equipment for the RC Helicopter event. The very amiable Deputy Cooper of the sheriff's department had the grass mowed, and the general flying area was clean as a whistle. Through Nick Nixon's efforts, I had all the good help I could use. He lined up the judges, the timers, and the couriers and had them there on time. Two years in a row this Lark's sparkplug has come through one hundred percent. Thanks, Nick, I couldn't have done it without you. Speaking of super help, Steve and Eileen Mintz flew from New Orleans to Lake Charles and worked through the whole meet. Eileen kept all the records up to the minute while Steve judged. This is the second year this young couple has done this at their own expense. Believe me, you meet some great people in this sport!
