In my previous blog I presented some pitch angles that are a good place to start for doing autorotations. However, if you are in the process of learning to hover it’s important to reduce the collective pitch range to keep the helicopter from being too sensitive. Many helicopter setup instructions recommend 5 to 10° of […]

I received the following e-mail from Jim Ryan about autorotations and the required pitch angles to make them work. Hi Paul, Hope winter is treating you well – what am I saying? Of COURSE winter is treating you well! Durned Floridians. I’ve set a task to myself to really master autos this year, and which will in […]

One of the latest flight control enhancements to our hobby is the incorporation of GPS positioning data into flybarless flight control system software. As we all know from using GPS in our cars, it can pinpoint our location with great accuracy and give us directions to almost any spot on the planet. However, one GPS […]

First flight test your helicopter with its standard tail rotor configuration, and note the gyro sensitivity setting as well as the tail rotor response on specific maneuvers. Now replace the stock tail rotor mounting bolt with a longer one so weights can be added to each side of the tail rotor blade. I have found […]

How It All Works – This now results in two opposing forces acting on the tail rotor system. The aerodynamic force wants to streamline the blades to zero pitch while the centrifugal force wants to rotate the blades to their maximum pitch. These tail rotor weights produce a centrifugal restoring moment (CRM) because they act […]

Last week, we looked at some basic principles of full-scale tail rotor design. This week, let’s investigate more into the four weights that are used in a full-scale helicopter rotor to reduce control power. But first, let’s review some engineering principals we already know. If you were to tie a small rock to the end […]

Now that the weather is turning colder many of you will be putting up your helicopters for the winter.  Although this is a time for general maintenance and cleaning I also recommend you spray down your complete helicopter with WD-40. The WD stands for water displacement and the 40 is the number of compounds they […]

Tail rotor design in full scale helicopters is an on-going science to reduce weight, noise, and power requirements while increasing efficiency and stability. Although these same design parameters are also important to our model helicopters, their effects are a lot less noticeable and can be overcome without seriously degrading flight performance. As an example, if […]

Audacity Models is an American company located in Florida, and their new red, white, and blue fiberglass canopy was inspired by our flag.  Adding to the bold Pantera P6 look are the waves in the stripes, which blend motion with patriotic emotion. Crafted of hand laid lightweight fiberglass, each is hand laid up in a mold, and once […]

The Axe 100 CP is one of the most innovative helis available. A flybarless, collective pitch head gives it a wide performance range with a low parts count, making it more efficient and more durable than a flybar design. Digital servos are used for speed and precision, with a full case design for damage and […]

I was looking for a solution to charging a pair of 6s 5000 mah lipo’s for my Trex 700E when I heard of  “The Hardline Solution” combo from Progressive RC. This combined an iCharger 3010B along with a Mean Well SE-1000-24 power supply in a PRC Hardline Case, along with all the accessories I needed. […]

Last week, we discussed the basics of LiPo batteries in this post. Now, let’s get into what the numbers mean and how to choose a battery that’s right for your helicopter. Voltage All Lithium Polymer cells have a nominal voltage of 3.7v per cell, and when fully charged the cell should read 4.2v. Another important […]