I'll start with what I have been told by almost every person I have ever talked to about the
topic an R/C Helicopter of any sort is NOT a toy, it is a fully operational scaled down version
of the real thing, it runs in the same way and on the same principles. If not looked after and properley maintained it can become a very dangerous piece of equiptment. Now after the
downer flying an R/C Helicopter is one of the most rewarding hobbies around, it is mastering
a new skill, it is seeing the sheer power of your helicopter, and it is showing off to your friends
and family. Even though learning and perfecting your flying skills can take years it just makes
it all the more rewarding in the end.

The basic R/C Helicopter

An R/C Helicopter has 3 main parts:
The Engine and drive part
The tail rotor part
The Control part



The Engine and drive part:

This area of the helicopter is what gives it the power to work. The engine drives the first gear which in turn drives the main gear which turns the main mast and rotor head. The first gear also turns the timing belt which drives the tail blades.



The tail rotor part:

The tail rotor part is the unit at the other end of the tail boom from the body of the helicopter. The tail unit consists of a couple of pulleys, a shaft and the tail blades and there casing, there are also a couple of control linkages. The tail blades turn when the pulleys are turned by the timing belt. Some of the newer electric helicopters have a small motor in the tail unit to turn the tail blades, this feature eliminates the need for a timing belt and also lets the helicopter run more efficentley.






The control part:
The control part in a helicopter consists of 5 servos, a reciever and a whole load of linkages. The reciever recieves information from the radio and sends it to the servos which carry out the operation. Pushrods connect the servos to the parts of the helicopter that need to be moved for control purposes. The 5 servos are normally located towards the front of the body, sometimes a helicopter will have a mini-servo positioned in the tail unit or at the body end of the tail boom which eliminates the need for the long pushrod that runs along the tail boom, thus giving quicker response times.




Shuttle Picture Gallery