Abe's RC Airplanes
Everything You Ever Needed to Know!

The Basics of Choosing and Operating your RC Helicopter

Radio controlled airplanes attracted me as a kid. The airplane had such a freedom to it - no tethers, just the real feel of flying. Plus it was rather loud, and definitely the coolest toy on the block. Once the rc airplane was mastered, some of us moved on to the radio controlled helicopter. The trick was to buy cheap, and when you got the hang of it, you would upgrade by buying cooler and trickier RC helicopters. Those were a little more challenging to fly.

If you are new to the RC helicopter scene, here are a few tips to get you up to speed and into the air quickly.

Different Types of Radio Controls
Various types of radio controls are available. Some rc helicopters are operated by wireless control, which means the user controls the vehicle with a stand-alone controller that sends radio signals to the helicopter. With wired control, the vehicle is tethered to the controller as in slot cars. There is another classification called light control or infrared, whereby signals are sent through beams of light.

Different Types of RC Helicopters
Now that you know the basic kinds of radio controls, you can contemplate the wide range of RC helicopters. You can pick from electric, gas, co-axial (double bladed) and micro helicopters.

Micro RC helicopters, which can fit in the palm of your hand, became all the rage when they were introduced in the late 90’s. Many people believe they are ideal for getting used to flying an RC helicopter because they can take quite a bit of abuse in crashing. Best of all, the controls are simple.

The complexity and appearance of RC helicopters vary extensively. The more you are willing to spend, the cooler your toy will be. For a ballpark figure of $100, you can purchase fairly realistic mock ups of huey helicopters. My personal favourite - Airwolf!

Controlling your RC Helicopter
Hobby grade RC helicopters are designed to operate like actual helicopters, and are a step up from flying RC airplanes. The RC helicopters require experienced users in order to manage their more intricate controllers.

If you are just starting out, you should buy a 2 or 3 channel model that flies up and down, forwards and sometimes backwards. With experience, you can purchase a model with a controller that changes the pitch and speed of the rotors. As you work your way up the ladder of experience, you will want to get more realistic helicopter action.

Whatever your age, whatever your level of experience, and whatever your thrill, there is an RC helicopter just for you.

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