Gyro’s

Gyro’s are probably the one thing that causes more confusion on set up than perhaps any other bit of equipment.

Futaba GY401

Regardless of make of transmitter it is best not to use the radio’s gyro gain software as this will probably only make set up more complicated, just use a spare channel which can be controlled by a two position switch, the gear switch and channel is normally a good choice.
Set the travels for the channel to about 60%, one way will be heading hold (AVC) the other will be normal mode and if you’re a beginner set the travels on the rudder channel to about 60% as well to give a slower rate of rotation to start with.
Remember the tail servo travels are set by the little limit pot on the gyro and not on the transmitter!
You want to set the tail linkage up to you get equal throws in both direction, in other words full use on all the travel available to the tail pitch slider and don’t worry about having the right amount of pitch at centre stick, having full travel is all that matter with Futaba gyro’s, it will be out of trim in normal mode but just fly the model constantly in heading hold mode (AVC). Try to use a servo arm that will allow about 100% on the limit pot, if you have to set it much lower than this then you risk wearing out the servo sooner. If you using a digital servo don’t forget to switch the gyro in to digital servo mode, if your not using a digital servo then get one it will improve the performance a lot!
Futaba GY601/611
Regardless of make of transmitter it is best not to use the radio’s gyro gain software as this will probably only make set up more complicated, just use a spare channel which can be controlled by a two position switch, the gear switch and channel is normally a good choice.
The default display on the gyro amp screen will show you the gyro gain and mode so use this to set gain values and adjust the gain channels travels on your transmitter to achieve this. You want the gyro amp screen to show a value of about gain value of about 35 to 37% you can go higher than this and chances are you won’t see the tail wag as the gyro’s/ servo’s response is so quick but it will wear the servo out quickly.
You want to set the tail linkage up to you get equal throws in both direction, in other words full use on all the travel available to the tail pitch slider and don’t worry about having the right amount of pitch at centre stick, having full travel is all that matter with Futaba gyro’s.
Remember the tail servo travels are set on the gyro display screen on the gyro amp and not on the transmitter, it will be out of trim in normal mode but just fly the model constantly in heading hold mode (AVC). Try to use a servo arm that will allow about 100% throw in each direction, if you have to set it much lower than this then you risk wearing out the servo sooner.

CSM Gyro’s

The basic set up procedure is the same on all the following CSM gyro’s} ICG360, ICG540, SL310, 420, 630 and 720
Regardless of make of transmitter it is best not to use the radio’s gyro gain software as this will probably only make set up more complicated, just use a spare channel which can be controlled by a two position switch, the gear switch and channel is normally a good choice.
The CSM gyro’s have most of their parameters set from the transmitter while the gyro is in set up mode, how to do this is detailed in the instructions but guys are always concerned that they might permanently screw something up while the gyro is in set up mode, don’t worry you can’t! Just keep redoing it until you are happy everything is working as you want, it doesn’t matter how many times you go though the set up mode, you will not permanently damage anything while in this mode.
Remember tail servo travel is set while in the set up mode, the radio’s rudder channel travel limits just control the speed of rotation (pirouette speed)

Basic building tips

Model by model, we're going to offer some build tips to help out where the instructions fall short or where we feel there's scope for drama avoidance. We see a lot of different interpretations of kit assembly, from the occasional lack of loctite across the spectrum to extraordinary imagination. We love this hobby but its also a pretty uncompromising sport; these are complex machines with little margin for error, both in terms of flying and mechanical integrity. Failures will not only be costly, but could also cause injury and for this reason its important to adopt the right approach to building and maintaining.

Some General Principles

Tightening screws. Be aware of materials, sizes and driver size. A 2mm set screw with a 1.5 mm Allen drive going into steel does not require the same torque as a 4mm engine mounting bolt. Over tightening will not reduce the chance of loosening in flight. A small dab of blue thread lock applied to clean surfaces will. Over tightening and securing with red thread lock will definitely ensure that you will then need a new Allen driver when the inevitable time arrives to remove it (purely in the interest of maintenance of course..)

Sounds daft, but don't cross thread a bolt. Threaded steel into any threaded metal should be smooth. If its tight, or stiff, stop and check it. It should be square into the thread, carefully remove, if you have a tap and dye set, clean the threads up and start again. Then remember to insert bolts squarely into surfaces. Then it won't happen again.

You are not looking to distort materials when tightening bolts. Over tightening not only reduces the chances of successful removal but it will also stretch the material of either the bolt or the surface of the thread. This in turn will dramatically increase the likelihood of failure. For example consider the role of the 'Jesus' bolt holding the head assembly to the mainshaft: OK, I can understand the logic which says 'better make sure this is tight, don't want that one to work loose!' fair enough, but what are the forces acting on it? Rotational and longitudinal, naturally we don't want it to allow any slop, but over tightening this bolt will stretch and weaken it. Normally its retained by a Nyloc nut, these are good things and resist loosening extremely effectively. However, once they've been on and off a few times they become less effective, they cost peanuts, just replace it.

OK, so I built my heli before I read this and I want to undo a set screw, bolt etc that doesn't want to play. First things first, DON'T keep trying until you wear out the hex drive. You will need this or you will have to skip to the 'very advanced rescue' section. Heat is the first option, this is very good with steel bolts into aluminium (aluminium expands faster than steel) but is still effective steel to steel as it will reduce the impact of thread lock. An oven works fine, but try a hair drier first, sometimes just gentle heat is enough to break the bond, but do not apply too much torque, strip that driver and your day just took a major hit. If its still not moving, apply more heat. Love that driver, its your friend.

Bolts into plastic. Truly a bastardisation of the fine art of engineering. Still its a fact of life, the concept of a finely cut metric thread tearing its way through a smooth plastic bore is shocking but a commercial necessity. So use compassion, when it starts to tighten up, give it a nip and leave it. Essentially, such advanced engineering will not be used in critical areas, so strength is probably not too important. The thing to bear in mind is to be doubly careful the second time you have to insert the bolt, and trebly careful the third time etc...

Self tapping screws into plastic, a little more acceptable but still invokes memories of some third rate Discovery channel DIY show. Just be careful. A cunning Japanese invention we didn't know we needed until we discovered we didn't want it but by that time it was too late.

Instruction Manuals

Read them. Read again. Before you start building, get a flavour for how the model goes together and works. Check out the icons, most of them have a symbol for oil, grease and THREAD LOCK. Obey them, if you're not sure about something give us a call, we've normally built at least one of everything we sell and this is what we're here for. Except for German speed controller manuals, throw them away and ask a mate who's got one. Never buy a German brushless speed controller if you haven't got a mate who's got one. If you haven't got a mate call us.

The Raptor....

We've sold a lot of replacement blades to people who haven't managed to get their raptor into the air. Tip; the plastic covering on the blades is supposed to be there - leave it on, this is part of the blade construction and prevents the ingress of moisture. Remove a part around the root for gluing (epoxy) the plastic root reinforcement strips.

Ball links, the balls are not supposed to swivel on their mountings, the plastic ball link should swivel on the steel ball, so make sure these are tight, they are part of your control system.

If this is your first helicopter, get an experienced flier to check it over (if you can get to us, even better) this is time well spent, it takes a while to get into the groove of what to look for. A minor defect can result in an instant rebuild at best and injury at worst.

Getting Started- Part 1

You want to get started in Model Helicopters. So what do you need to think about?

Obviously The Helicopter Itself A Suitable Engine The Radio System The Tail Rotor Gyro A Suitable Muffler Starting Equipment That's it basically but like all things it's a little more complicated than it first seems, so to go into detail:

The Model There are now lots of suitable models available and fortunately not to many bad ones, what model will best suit you depends on a number of factors: If there are others flying Helis in your area If you want to fit the model in a scale body later Size Considerations How much you want to spend Yes even the local weather

The Power Plant (Engine) Generally the better engines are made in Japan or Taiwan, there are some economically priced engines made in other countries & although they are rapidly improving their quality is still on the whole not up to the standard that will allow trouble free running in a beginners model. The most user friendly engines are made by OS Engines in Japan, Thunder Tiger & YS are also OK. However the price of OS engines has recently got a lot more competitive than it has even been in the UK so there is now very little reason to consider anything else other than OS as they really do make the most practical engines. <=== The OS 50 "Hyper"

The RadioRadios like house hold electronics have rapidly improved while at the same time the real price of them has spiralled downwards, today’s radios in real terms are twice as good a value as they were only 5 years ago, have a lot more features & are easier to use due to bigger screens, easier data input, simpler menus & cheaper. Suitable Entry level radios would be the Futaba 6EX-H, Spektrum DX6i or the 7 channel radios from these companies the Futaba FF7 or Spektrum DX7, the Futaba FF8 is another good option but slightly more complex to use & of course costs a little more. Most radios are supplied as standard with 4 servos but the helicopter will need 5 in total so you are going to need another one to complete the helicopter requirement. Generally the higher specification radio’s will be supplied with slightly better ball raced servo's compared to the entry level 6 channel radio’s servo’s which are normally bushed servo's. The servo’s supplied with say the DX7 or Futaba FF9 can be used in up to 50 sized machines for learning to fly or basic flying but aren’t up to the job of flying a 90 sized model. It’s worth making the effort to contact your local clubs in advance to find out which radio’s are most commonly used & consider this when choosing your radio, chose a radio that no one uses locally & you might struggle to get help in setting the model up if no one knows how to use it. Also they won't be able to link your radio up on a buddy box lead for safe training (buddy box training is where a lead is used to link two transmitters so a instructor can safely give & take control for you at the flick of a switch but this can only happen between two radios of the same make). The best advice I can give is to give some serious thought to what radio you want, the entry level radios will certainly get you going & all are capable of giving the basic throttle curve needed for 3D aerobatics but you will find that they are lacking in some of the more advanced features found in high spec radios. So if you think helis are definitely for you & if you feel you can justify the extra money, go for a higher spec radio like the Spektrum DX7, JR DSX9 2.4G FF8 or even the Futaba 14MZ (pictured left), This will actually save you money in the long term as this way will be far cheaper than buying another new radio a few months after you first start flying. The features you will probably "desire" most that aren’t on the entry level radios are multiple flight modes (idle ups) & multi point pitch/throttle curves. There is also a element of for lack of a better saying (techno desire) meaning you will almost certainly desire a better radio than you really need, there is nothing wrong with giving into this desire if you can afford to, anything that will make you feel more confident in your equipment or abilities can't be a bad thing. The down side of this is the more money you put into the model the more afraid you will be to take risks with it & you do have to take some risk to progress! As the single most expensive part of the radio set (the Transmitter) does not normally fly it is at little risk, so extra money spent on a radio does not add to the **fear factor** in the same way as a expensive model can.

A new Remote controlled Helicopter For Everyone

Creativity and crafts are hobbies which men and women spanning various ages can take pleasure in. One craft that has been preferred for a long time is model making. You can get a variety of model kits you can purchase, from ones which are built to be just decorative to others that you can actually make working models.

The remote controlhelicopter is an important toy which men and women of all ages can actually enjoy. You can purchase a model kit to produce your own remote control helicopter so that you can have the pleasure and satisfaction of constructing your own working toy! You can get the latest large range of model remote controlled helicopters to pick from, and each one is built to be a scaled down version of the latest genuine helicopter. The models come packed in kits along with the correct tools you need for building.

You can get a multitude of locations you can buy remote controlled helicopter model kits from, for instance such as specialist shops, toy shops and online model sites. One online sales company is skyline models. They deal in a good many different helicopter and aeroplane models and have been operational for more than ten years.

A portion of the remotecontrolled helicopters which one can find are incredibly small, some measuring only 3.5 cm! These miniature models are ideal for inexperienced model makers, also, since they are very lightweight, are likely to fly without difficulty. appear to be quite long-lasting and are likely to can be purchased away from a new fall or crash without much destruction.

The remote controlledhelicopters are run using rechargeable batteries. On a new small remote controlled helicopter, the battery is likely to last about seven minutes, before it will need charging once again for around an hour or so.

One of these brilliant modest helicopters can provide a person with top quality entertainment, plus they are quite good value for money.

Natalie Eastaugh is the Internet Marketing Specialist for JDRWebsites.co.uk

Should you wish to learn more on <A HREF="http://www.skylinemodels.co.uk"> handheld remote control helicopter</a> along with information about Skyline Models, head over to www.skylinemodels.co.uk