Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Helicopters / January 2009

It's odd though isn't it Steve. No matter what hobby you find yourself
immersed in, "someone" gets the idea that you have to be an "expert" or
you're simply "no good". With me and heli's (or piano playing and guitar
playing) it was never and still isn't an issue, but I got back into
motorbikes a few years ago and the general concesus is that if you don't
have the latest sportsbike, you're not  real biker.

Now I don't ride a sportsbike, I ride a 1000cc naked bike (more akin to a
streetfighter in the US) which is capable of exceeding 155mph on the clock
(probably not that quick in reality) but it's not a sportsbike, so "I don't
count" :-) Of course, those sportsbike riders I pass on the inside while
cornering with my missus on the back of the bike feel slighted when I do it,
but they usually have the excuse "I wasn't in a hurry". And don't MENTION
Harley's, coz of course, they're nothing more than tractors:-)

To each his own and to each their own way.

There was a time when it was guestimated that over 90% of heli's bought in
the 80's only ever flew once and then spent the following years in garages
gathering dust before they were consigned to the bin. I spent 20 years
teaching people to fly these things and I believe it. In fact, I bought lots
of them:-) People had NO idea how to build them and even less of an idea how
to fly them. Even starting the engines was too complicated for lots of the
guys :-).

You have to remember though that we didn't miss the gyro's or the radio
mixing, because they hadn't been invented yet, but as soon as it became
clear exaclt what they could do to make life easier and the flying more fun,
they were bought and used. I tihnk it's fair to say I've used every possible
gadjet and radio function over the years, but things have almost gone full
circle now.

We used to have seperate mechanical anti-torque mixers, mechnical
throttle/pitch mixers etc, then electronic mixers T/R gyro's, Rx's etc and
then the highly programmable radio's came along taking out the need for
electronic mixers for tail rotor compensation or pitch/throttle linkages.
Then came the Heading Holders. Wow. Now we didn't need ANY tail mixing from
the radio, in fact we COULDN'T use it as it defeated the gyro. Then we got
throttle governors, so we didn't "need" to spend time making a good
throttle/pitch relationship, we just dialled in the rotor speed we wanted
and went flying. Now everything is being done by seperate electronic boxes
(some are combined too, like gyros and governors) and we can do every
manoeuvre in the book with little more than a basic 5 or 6 channel radio and
a couple of add-on boxes. Fantastic stuff when you tihnk about it.

Of course, we didn't have the instant access to spares like we enjoy today
(early Internet dealings were few and VERY far between), so any slight
damage done on Saturday, put paid to ANY more attempts for at least a week
(I just had to stop writing to answer the phone...someone wanting lessons
for f.cks sake.:-)

So one small smack, no heli for a week (if you were lucky enough to get the
time to go shoping and have the time to replair the broken heli) and then it
was the same thing next time out. Five minutes of uncontrolled mayhem,
followed by another hit to the wallet. And broken heli's need to be repaired
to the point where they'll fly and many weren't, so no matter how hard the
guys tried, the heli would just refuse to play.

A good setup cured that, but the people who could effect a good setup were
thin on the grund, so struggling was what it was all about. Then I decided
that having been through ALL the crap, maybe I could make it easier for some
others and I started teaching, building, setting up, the lot.

In the early days, there were a few of the "Club Experts" (planks) who
thought they'd be able to "do this helicopter thing" with ease, but they
soon discovered they weren't going to be able to, so they gave up, saying
that heli's were "boring". (Yeah, right). What they REALLY meant was they
were frustrating, but it was these guys who gave heli's the bad name they
had "back then". They f.cking HATED it when someone managed to get a handle
on flying them and when that someone took a heli out of the hover and flew
circuits, well that was ludicrous.

Now they had to share actual airspace with the lowly helicopter instead of
just keeping away from a few square yards of floor space. These same guys
were almost apoplectic when heli's started flying aerobatics and this lead
to a massive split in the hobby. Planes and heli's have never mixed well
since. My first loop, came on the same flight as my first circuit and the
first crash of any significance came on the same flight too:-)  That flight
REALLY f.cked a few people off, to the extent I left the club as soon as I
found somewhere else to fly.) The loved the crash, but they hated tthe fact
that a heli could loop, but not as much as they hated me saying tothem years
later "I can do that with a heli AND I can do it while the heli is flying
full speed BACKWARDS.

You can't f.cking beat a good heli :-)

Hello Beav & Steve I still check this group, I,m one of those peeps who has
managed with help from the likes of yourselves to hover and sort of maintain
my heli's but as Brian has already said just to get a half hour hover is a
bonus and I have not progressed from there due to time weather etc. I have
even had the chance and let it go to meet up with Beav for a training
session but I always had a reason not to be able to do it, So again this
Christmas holiday came and went I found I had a day to play, got my kit out
cleaned all checked all charged all batteries etc. started to fill the tank
with fuel and the pump packed in, I had no replacement so that was that, all
shops shut so I did get the heli running on the fuel I got in I had a while
hovering and now everything has been put away until next time. Was I unhappy
no, pissed off a bit yes, but I will do it all again in spring bank hols :-)
I have now got a manual pump so that wont happen again :-) :-)

Best Regards

Rob

Oh man, life's tough!  I'd put of building a model for a day for the
opportunity to fly a full size bird, especiallly if "I" was the one flying
it.  You'll get very little sympathy from me!

Fly Safe,
Steve R.

How'd you think I developed an acid tongue eh/ Go one, tell me that.

I'll check with Mrs Beav as she's sure to know:)