Helicopter Flying by Remote Control

Remote control helicopters come in numerous types and sizes. Some are able to fly with simple battery power, and others require gasoline for their little combustion engines. Some come ready to fly and others must be assembled from scratch. The ones that come ready to fly often require set-ups, tuning, and tinkering before they can take to the air. Often, new pilots just starting out with this hobby expect their new model that comes labeled as flying right out of the box, to do just that. Be prepared to spend at an hour or so preparing your new helicopter for flight. Being able to fly right out of the box is very rare, however you may be able to find one that is ready to fly if it is purchased at a kids toy store rather than a hobby shop.

One choice you will have to make is whether to purchase a single rotor or dual rotor helicopter. Dual rotors are usually preferable due to their unequivocal stability in the air, which makes them substantially easier to master when compared to their single rotor counterpart. The flight characteristics of the dual rotor are also more predictable so that they can be flown within smaller areas, such as within the inside of your home or apartment.

Another significant distinction that must be made is whether the helicopter is fixed pitched or collective pitched. Many beginners have no idea what this even means. Basically, helicopters generate lift by utilizing the engine power to rotate a narrow wing through the air. With a fixed pitch rotor helicopter, more lift is generated and the helicopter ascends as the rotor spins faster. With collective pitch, on the other hand, the rotor rotates at a constant speed, and the lift generated is altered by changing the pitch angle alone.

On other hand, a collective pitch helicopter is much more agile, responsive, and quite smoother to fly. The tradeoff with a collective pitch rotor is that it is much more difficult to learn to fly, requires a more complicated and costly transmitter, and the helicopter systems will be more complex and cost much more than almost any fixed pitched system.

Finally, a fixed pitch rotor has fewer moving parts, making it preferable for a novice as it requires less maintenance, is easier to fly, and is far less costly to fix when it crashes. For a more experienced pilot, the collective pitch helicopter will be more fun and operate more like a real helicopter.