The latest Handheld remote control Helicopters

Creativity and crafts are hobbies which individuals of all ages can potentially take pleasure in. One craft which has been preferred for quite a while is model making. You will discover a variety of model kits you can buy, from ones that have been created to be just decorative to others with which you can easily make working models.

The latest handheldremote control helicopter is the latest toy which people of any age can actually take pleasure in. You can buy the latest model kit to make your own remote controlled helicopter so you can get the pleasure and fulfillment of constructing your own working toy! You will discover the latest large range of model remote controlhelicopters to pick from, and each one is built to be the latest scaled down version of the latest real helicopter. The models come packaged in kits and also the correct tools you'll need for building.

You will discover a multitude of locations you can buy handheld remote control helicoptermodel kits from, such as specialist shops, toy shops and online model sites. One online sales company is skyline models. They deal in a great many different helicopter and aeroplane models and have now been running for more than 10 years.

A number of the remotecontrolled helicopters that are around are extremely compact, some measuring only 3.5 cm! These miniature models are brilliant for inexperienced model makers, and because they are very lightweight, are likely to fly quite easily. appear to be quite long lasting and tend to can be purchased away from the latest fall or crash without much damage.

The remote controlledhelicopters are run on rechargeable batteries. On the latest compact remote control helicopter, the battery has a tendency to last about 7 minutes, before it might need charging again for approximately an hour.

One of these compact helicopters can offer a person with excellent amusement, and they are very great value for the money.

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

Should you wish to read more on <A HREF="http://www.skylinemodels.co.uk"> handheld remote control helicopter</a> in addition to details about Skyline Models, head over to www.skylinemodels.co.uk

Small Electric Helicopters

 

One thing that seems to cause a lot of uncertainty is which micro heli is the right one? Well there is no simple answer to this as they all have their own place in the market. So to help you make a choice I have laid out the basics of each model.

Currently the Align T Rex 450 followed by the Thunder Tiger Mini Titan are by far the most popular mini helis although this is a very dynamic part of the heli market so things are changing all the time.

All the effective micro/mini helis are battery powered, an IC (internal combustion) engine at this size is not very practical and is a noisy messy little thing which is not really what you want for flying around or close to the house anyway!

A Little History

The development pace of small electric models has been incredibly rapid, just a few years back the standard micro heli would have been the Icarus Picolo or Century Hummingbird, both are conventional single main rotor fixed pitched models, their size and slow rotor RPM made them effectively very unstable and hard work to fly, they don’t tolerate wind at all well which means they are more suited for flying indoors, but their poor stability makes flying them indoors very hard work.
At the same time if you wanted a micro heli with collective pitch and aerobatic / 3D capability then the MS Hornet was the best available but needed very careful building and set up to get the best out of it, for it’s size and time it was great but needed a good amount of skill and experience to have any really chance of making it fly well.

The two most significant things to happen to this size of models and in effect split it up into two separate size and types of models was:

Firstly the development of the contra rotating models like the Twister Medivac (click here to see) & more recently the Blade CX 2 (Click here to see).
The advantage of this type of model is they are much more stable than a model of this size should be due to the very heavy flybar weights, a feature which would not work well on a conventional model. These models all come ready built and ready to fly. They are the most economical way to get into model helicopters, their stability and size mean they really can be flown inside the average house with little practice. As they are still fixed pitch type models, which run at a relatively low rotor speed, they have little energy in them so don’t tend to damage themselves much in a crash. The flip side of this low rotor speed and their small size means they do not tolerate much wind so although they can be flown outside it really does have to be truly calm.

Secondly small models got a little bigger, the 450 sized was developed of which the Align T Rex 450 (click here to see) has been the most successful and practical.
All these models feature collective pitch control of the main rotor and have significant advantages over the older collective micro models like the MS Hornet just by being a little bigger means they are big enough to use more conventional construction techniques, i.e. they are screwed and bolted together rather than glued together which means construction, maintenance and repair is a whole lot easier! That little extra size also means they are no where near as fiddly to build or set up, the stability and ability to fly in wind goes up dramatically to.
At one time there was some pretence that one model could be used for both indoors and outside flight. Whilst any small model can be used for both, anything with collective pitch will run at too high a rotor speed and be too sensitive to cyclic inputs to comfortably fly inside an average room but great for a garden, park or large sports hall. The contra rotating models like the Blade CX2 or Medivac are absolutely ideal for flying in a limited area as they have the stability and slow damped reactions you need to learn to fly and progress in a limited area. So decide what sort of model you want and where you plan to fly it, Garden, Sports field etc then collective pitch is the way to go, if it’s going to be mainly around the house, office or work shop then got with one of the contra rotating models.
How Big are they? How Long will They Fly for on 1 Charge of the Battery?

First of all these models are small.
The contra rotating models are about 340mm rotor diameter and weighs about 230grams.
The T Rex 450 is roughly 700mm rotor diameter and weighs about 800 grams.
The average 30 sized glow model like the Raptor 30 V2 which has a rotor diameter of 1245mm, is 1150mm long and weighs about 3000 grams!

Because of their small size they do not and can not have the same stability as a larger model but their low mass does allow them to bounce much better than larger models so survive a crash that would re-kit a larger model. Spares are also normally cheaper for the smaller models.

All of the later electric models use Lithium Polymer (Li-poly) battery packs with a few using Lithium Ion packs, these all have much better performance than the older NiCad batteries and are basically the same type as used in Laptops and mobile phones. Lithium batteries need a little more care when using and charging but are really the only practical option.

Flight times on most small electrics either a contra rotating model or 450 sized will be roughly the same at about 7 to 8 minutes depending on flying style. Recharge time is normally about a hour, it’s common to buy 2 or 3 batteries so you can have a good flying session although in the early stages of learning you will find your brains fairly cooked after one pack and you will need to take a short break anyway.

Contra Rotating Indoor Models

All these models come ready to fly out of the box, you just have to charge the flight battery and put the none rechargeable batteries in the transmitter. The transmitters supplied with most of these models can be used with a flight simulator which a very useful feature but they are non computerized basic transmitters so can’t really be used with a more advanced helicopter. They are simple models which are a very easy and cost effective way in to helicopters but are limited to hovering or slow forward flight only, can only be flown out side in calm conditions.

450 Class Helicopters

Most of this size models come in kit form or possibly with the airframe mostly built but the radio equipment still needs fitting.
As they have collective pitch they need a reasonably capable radio control transmitter, the ones supplied with the contra rotating type models will not do the job. The good thing about needing a reasonably capable transmitter is that this same transmitter can then be used for almost any larger helicopter or even fixed wing model in you might acquire in the future.
You will need a motor, Electronic Speed Controller, 4 small servo’s, a receiver and tail rotor gyro to finish fitting out the model, obviously you will need the flight battery and a charger for this before it can take to the air as well. Batteries and chargers are a mine field but don’t get too worried about these at this time, one thing is for sure you will need and eventually buy more than one battery and charger!
Do not be fooled in to thinking it’s a good idea to go for the cheapest model and fit the cheapest servo’s and gyro in it because your only learning to fly and that you will get something better when you can fly. This is very much a false economy as the model will be much harder to fly and will not be so robust in a crash - leading to a longer more frustrating and demanding time learning to fly it.

Always fit good quality servo’s preferably with metal gears, the best ones for the T Rex 450’s and Mini Titan’s are the Align DS410M. The Spartan Quark gyro is at this time the best gyro to go for, go for a cheap gyro and you will almost certainly not be happy with it and will end up buying Quark shortly afterwards anyway. The radio control (transmitter) will make up a big part of the cost of your purchase and currently the newer 2.4G radio’s seem the way to go as they offer lots of advantages to any one flying electric models in particular as they are almost immune to interferences which can be a issue with electric models. The number of 2.4G radio’s available currently is limited but the available choice is set to grow rapidly in the next few months, a 6 channel radio is all you need for this size of model but if your planning to move up to bigger or glow engine powered models then you ideally need 7 channels so keep this in mind.

Instruction Manuals

Read them. Read again. Before you start building, get a flavour for how the model helicpoter 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 RC helicopter 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.

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