RC Helicopters

Author: Tim DiPeri

People watching a model helicopter fly at a field

STEVE HELMS
MEMORIAL
FUN-FLY

By Tim DiPeri | timdiperi@caseco-inc.com

I’VE BEEN GOING to the helicopter fun-fly in Huntsville, Alabama, for approximately 30 years. The event has gone through transformations and regenerations many times since that first fun-fly. None of those were as significant as when Steve Helms helped set up Futaba USA in Huntsville after moving from Irvine, California, many years ago, only a few miles from the flying field location. Futaba USA is a big supporter of this event. Yasuichi Sawamura, who heads up the company, spent some time at this year’s gathering.

The fun-fly is put on by the Huntsville Heli Flyers (HHF) each year on property owned by a local university. The long and mostly flat flying field allows for multiple flight stations and wide-open space for any style of flying incorporated within the model helicopter discipline. At this event, I have seen or flown F3C, Scale, 3D, speed, and vintage helicopters. There is even some opportunity, if it doesn’t interfere with helicopter flying, to play with some fixed-wing models as well.

One of the things I love about the Steve Helms Memorial Fun-Fly is the chance to get together with old friends and meet new people. It really doesn’t matter about the quality or experience of a pilot’s flying ability; everyone just has a passion for model helicopter flying.

Many world-class professional helicopter pilots attend this long-running event to answer questions and demonstrate their skills in front of an appreciative audience. The event is friendly for everyone, young and old alike, and it’s great to see families gather and attend together.

One of the more notable names there was Nick Maxwell, who represents Nick Maxwell Products, JR PROPO, and XLPower. He put on numerous demonstrations of his XLPower Nick Maxwell Edition nitro heli. Watching Nick fly is a real treat, and he is one of the most talented model helicopter pilots in the world. Anyone who has seen Nick fly in person or in videos knows his skills with a helicopter.

Historical photograph of Steve Helms and other competition winners — Steve Helms’ name was synonymous with quality and performance. This advertisement from 1976 shows him during a period when he was a well-known and formidable competition RC Aerobatics competitor.

Steve Helms’ name was synonymous with quality and performance. This advertisement from 1976 shows him during a period when he was a well-known and formidable competition RC Aerobatics competitor.

Another pilot who is a longtime visitor is past F3C world champion and multi World Championship team member and manager Cliff Hiatt. Cliff spent a good deal of time working with others and flying his spectacular F3C contest model. I’m sure anyone who has interacted with Cliff immediately recognizes his wealth of knowledge (he’s a retired engineer) and the fact that he’s a master of analytics.

Another individual whom many might recognize from his online presence is Ben Minor (aka “Dr. Ben”). Ben is well known to answer many questions on several subjects, with a primary focus on Kontronik power systems and Futaba—two sponsors of the event.

There were also members of Team Horizon Hobby and Team HeliDirect on-site, who flew all weekend and answered questions for anyone who approached them. HeliDirect is a great supporter of events across the country and has made great efforts as one of the better “go-to” companies within the model helicopter community.

There are always new things being shown or displayed at the fun-fly. New products, new professional pilots, and new “tricks of the hobby” are regularly displayed and demonstrated.

Event Heritage

Steve Helms, an AMA Hall of Fame inductee who passed away in 2016, was one of the pioneers of what we think of as precision RC flying. A second-generation

Competition model helicopter on grass — (Above and below): Former F3C world champion Cliff Hiatt flew his beautiful competition model, a Futaba-driven Quest Japanese helicopter.

Pilot standing beside a model helicopter in a field — (Above and below): Former F3C world champion Cliff Hiatt flew his beautiful competition model, a Futaba-driven Quest Japanese helicopter.

A green-and-white RC helicopter flying over a blurred field — One of the many Tron helicopters that were flown.

Model helicopters and people gathered beneath a canopy at a fun-fly — This is what the Steve Helms Memorial Fun-Fly is all about—fun, fellowship, and flying. This group made its way from the Nashville TN, area to Huntsville for the get-together.

A man in a Futaba team shirt working on an RC helicopter — Dr. Ben Minor provided help to a modeler.

model aviation pilot, he parlayed his model aviation skills into a rich career in the hobby industry. Most people who were involved in the hobby in the 1970s would know his name or recognize his image in the many magazine advertisements for equipment that he used.

I first heard of Steve two decades before we were introduced. Back in the mid-1970s (when I was a very young man), Steve worked for one of the premier RC manufacturers, Kraft Systems. In addition to winning numerous competitions with Kraft RC electronics for guidance, he hand-manufactured many of the “Signature Series” top-end radios that Kraft offered.

Those radios, with the calculation of inflation, would cost more than $5,000 today! I still have one of those radios in my collection and it always reminds me of my friend Steve.

Steve worked in the model aviation industry until his retirement. He switched interests from fixed-wing aircraft to helicopters in the 1990s, which is when we became friends.

That friendship continued and grew when he moved to Huntsville with Futaba, and we talked, flew, and/or had lunch weekly. I miss my friend and will always look back fondly at our relationship.

Things to Do in Huntsville

One of the other benefits of gathering in Huntsville is the rich history of the city with the US space program—it is home to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

There are almost unlimited fun things to do in the area—whatever your interest, there are lots of options, because Huntsville has it all.

The fun-fly came and went far too fast for me. I look forward to the next one where I’ll fly and spend time with new and old friends.