| Remote control helicopters are just about the most | | | | Hobby-grade is anything that is not a 2 channel toy. |
| complicated RC models there are (we will start as we | | | | Toys are for little kids. As a novice pilot, you will start |
| mean to go on, and avoid referring to them as toys!) | | | | on 3 channel or above. |
| There are just so many moving parts operating at the | | | | RC helicopters can be one of two types - single rotor |
| same time. Even if you are familiar with RC fixed wing | | | | or co-axial. Single rotor craft are further divided into |
| craft (airplanes) you will soon see that flying an RC | | | | fixed-pitch (FP) or collective-pitch (CP) helicopters. Pitch |
| helicopter is a whole new ball game. | | | | relates to the way the main rotor is controlled. On |
| Although there are different ways of powering an RC | | | | fixed pitch craft, the rotor cannot be angled in any |
| chopper, the one most newcomers will come across is | | | | way, and lift is achieved by throttle alone. On CPs, lift is |
| battery power. This is because practically all RTF | | | | achieved by a combination of pitch control and throttle. |
| (ready-to-fly) helicopters are electric, and they are sold | | | | The fixed pitch RC helicopter normally has a 4 channel |
| everywhere. They're also cheap. Since an RTF craft | | | | receiver; the CP 5 (more commonly, 6.) This makes |
| is definitely best for a beginner, that is what we'll | | | | collective pitch helicopters incredibly manoeuvrable - |
| discuss here. | | | | but totally unsuited to beginners. 4 channels are quite |
| That being said, apart from the power source, method | | | | enough to be going on with. |
| of starting the engine etc, RC helicopters are all pretty | | | | But what are all the controls for? Well, keeping to a |
| much alike in terms of how they fly. And they fly | | | | basic 4 channel fixed-pitch model, first there's the |
| pretty much the way a full-size helicopter does. How | | | | throttle. But on its own, that only lifts the helicopter up |
| easy they are to fly, depends on how the rotors | | | | and down. At some point you will want to stop rising |
| operate. | | | | and go into hover mode - that's where the tail rotor |
| A helicopter lifts off the ground by rotary motion. | | | | comes in. Then, you will want to go forward and back, |
| Straightaway you can see that, with just one rotor | | | | roll side-to-side and do all the other exciting things |
| spinning, the body of the craft will want to spin in the | | | | helicopters do in the air. For that, you need fore-and-aft |
| opposite direction. This is called torque. To avoid this | | | | and side-to-side cyclic controls. |
| happening another rotor must be introduced, spinning in | | | | Hopefully, you will see by now that even piloting a |
| the opposite direction. If you now apply the throttle, the | | | | simple fixed-pitch radio control helicopter is a tricky |
| helicopter will lift off the ground in a straight line. | | | | thing to master. To steer, you first have to hover. To |
| RC helicopters are controlled by means of a | | | | hover, you have to co-ordinate the two rotor blades. |
| transmitter, which sends signals to the receiver, which | | | | Get it wrong, and you're picking bits of shattered E-sky |
| then transmits them to various electronic servos and, in | | | | mainframe out of your hair. |
| hobby-grade models, a gyro (on the tail end) | | | | |