Should you choose a gasoline helicopter?

[carey shurley]

If you've never flown an actual model helicopter, I'd suggest you not choose a gasoline powered helicopter as your first model. I have a few reasons:

the setup and tuning of the motor is very different from a nitro powered model. If you don't have access to somebody who can help with this, you're going to fight the motor or its impacts until you get the hang of it. by then you could be really frustrated. I've seen this over and over.
crash costs will likely be more. most of the gas motors weigh about 2lbs more than their equivalently sized nitro motor. Even if the mfgr has gotten the overall weight of the model down some, when it hits the ground its going to do more damage because there is more weight and inertia to be dissipated.
the model will be heavier than the equivalent nitro version (assuming an apples to apples model comparison). As as result, it will be more stable. This is both good and bad, when you're learning to hover it will be easier. If your goal is to more 3D maneuvers, it will require more effort. you will have to learn more control timing to properly lead the model as it will not react instantly. It will also require more control inputs for an equivalent response. you're complicating the learning curve.

If you already know the basics of model helicopters and/or have some local help that ensure that the model is working/running correctly then go for it. all the things previously mentioned will still be an issue but at that point you're just learning the model. Trying to learn the model, the power system AND how to fly as well is an awful lot to ask.

Has it been done? of course. have a lot of folks been very frustrated trying? yup.

Whats the bottom line?

never flown a model helicopter (or one using liquid fuel)? - probably shouldn't start with a gasoline helicopter.

[Doozer]

I have moved from electric to liquid fueled. I wanted a gasser as a first liquid fueled because nitro is so expensive. I wanted to convert a Pantera, but someone here (HF) told me it was a bad idea to start off with a gasser. I took the advice Carey is giving and I'm really glad I took it. Ended up with a used Hirobo Sceadu Evo and a OS 50 Hyper. It was a great choice. Now, I'm completely stoked on engines, and I think I'm ready for the move gassers.

[rockinar]

I think a gasser is good if you have basic tail in hover skills. I found it was hard to progress very rapidly with the nitro because I was going through fuel at a brutal rate practicing hovers and the fuel gets expensive and you can whip through a gallon with ease in one trip to the field. A hobby shop is not always a quick trip. Often the closest one that carries nitro can be 20 or 30 miles away.

With a gasser you can use Coleman fuel. I noticed even my grocery store carries gallon containers of Coleman. It's $13, but it's 4 minutes from my house. Need fuel at 3:00 AM? Head to Walmart.

[nesperatu]

My gasoline helicopter
The reason I chose a long flight time
I'm so glad this model

In addition, I want to ask you a question.
In addition, I want to select a gasoline helicopter
This helicopter flight with a total weight 16 ~ 20 kg would be
Do you have a model that can do it
I've got an open source kit helibug core7
Can I remove that weight with this kit?

[carey shurley]

If I'm interpreting your question properly, I think you're asking if there is a model helicopter that can carry 16-20kg?

thats about a 40lb payload

I'd suggest you check with Bergen R/C in regards to their industrial helicopter line or you may check with Century about their new UAV models

I wouldn't put that much weight on a typical 700-800 class model, they simply aren't designed to carry that sort of weight especially with all the fuel you'll probably want to carry

[Atomic Skull]

I would buy a 500 or 550 sized gasser in a heartbeat. It would be the ultimate casual sport flyer. Long flight times from small fields and easy to transport.

[karl k]

:o

What would you need to lift that's 40lbs? Even if that includes the heli, that's a lot!!

[nesperatu]

You can remove weight
a rc helicopter gasoline
Can you tell combination of

[Rototerrier]

Should you "chose" a gasoline helicopter?

Choose

[carey shurley]

doooh

[nesperatu]

trex 700 core7 open source G290RC kit and Zenoah
flybar

[MotorRotor]

Back in 2002 one of our local universities had a project that needed a heli that could comfortably lift a 22lb. payload. They used a Century Predator GS with the standard G231 motor and 720mm RT blades.

It easily lifted that weight while still remaining quite maneuverable. If one wanted to add pay load and sacrifice maneuverability, it could carry even more.

It all depends more on the blades used (disc loading) and the gearing to optimize for load carrying capabilities, rather then for 3D aerobatics.

That is why Century has their big Condor series, Bergen has their industrial twin and the large Varios that all use blades in the 800mm plus range.

[Azalin]

My gasoline helicopter
The reason I chose a long flight time
I'm so glad this model

In addition, I want to ask you a question.
In addition, I want to select a gasoline helicopter
This helicopter flight with a total weight 16 ~ 20 kg would be
Do you have a model that can do it
I've got an open source kit helibug core7
Can I remove that weight with this kit?

Bu helikopter ortalama en fazla 8kg çekiyor olmalı. Yani ek ağırlık olarak 8-12 kg eklemişsin. Merak ettim, bu kadar ağırlığı ne oluşturuyor?

That kit you speak of should weigh about max 8kg so you have added 8-12kg more. What do you want to lift that weighs 8-12 kg?

[rbort]

Back in 2002 one of our local universities had a project that needed a heli that could comfortably lift a 22lb. payload. They used a Century Predator GS with the standard G231 motor and 720mm RT blades.

It easily lifted that weight while still remaining quite maneuverable. If one wanted to add pay load and sacrifice maneuverability, it could carry even more.

Back in around 2002 timeframe for me, I worked with MIT to develop an autonomous helicopter that we went to California, Arizona, Chicago and other areas to demo for the military and other interested parties.

The helicopter total weight was 17 to 18 lbs and it flew quite well. At some point we did load it up with 12 lbs of payload, it was a 1005 gasser with a G231, and it flew OK in my opinion but was by no means flying comfortably and quite maneuverable. I would say as a pilot who was actually flying it that it was lifting the weight yes and flying, but get it going in some direction pretty fast and you're going to have a hard time stopping it. And that was only 12 lbs payload, i.e. total weight of 24-25 lbs. When you say above it had a payload of 22 lbs i.e. total weight of 34-35 lbs, I find that hard to agree with because I flew the 1005 gasser with 12 lbs and know how that felt.

-=>Raja.

[carey shurley]

I once tested a 1005 with a 20lb concrete block strapped to it.

hovered........it wasn't all that happy. My guess is it would have eventually had a frame failure unless special bracing was done

[nesperatu]

Bu helikopter ortalama en fazla 8kg çekiyor olmalı. Yani ek ağırlık olarak 8-12 kg eklemişsin. Merak ettim, bu kadar ağırlığı ne oluşturuyor?

That kit you speak of should weigh about max 8kg so you have added 8-12kg more. What do you want to lift that weighs 8-12 kg?

I weight
red epic and
gimbal weight
calculated as
the lens included

[tango 9]

Howdy fellow helicopter pilots, Yes, I think a gas helicopter would be a good first choice in different ways. I'm going on 65 now, and back when I was 61 or so, I finally got real interested in these model helicopters. I tried to fly one on microsoft flight sim, but it was always a fast crash. So, I thought, these things are not as fun as flying a plane, too hard, and almost boring. So I thought. Then my wife's brother sent me a little coax foam heli. I thought this is never gonna work. But, I eventually got it to fly and crashed it a lot, but I could eventually fly it all over the living room. That's fun! Went to a hobby store in town, the only one, and got talking to the kid that owned it. He showed me some coax little ones, and then some align 450 and 500. That looked pretty interesting... He stressed getting a flight sim first. I didn't want to spend the extra money, rather put it into a bigger helicopter. So, he called a friend who let me use his sim, and I can't remember the name of it, but it taught me how to control a sim helicopter. At first, it was bad. Took a long time to get the hang of the controls.. but it came along. Then I bought a dx6i and phoenix flight sim. I practiced every day all fall, winter and spring.. I could now hover, move around , fly, fly upside down, auto's. It was really working. Well, after looking at how much a nice sized nitro would cost, plus fuel, I decided to invest in the Radical G20. A lot of money, but I liked the idea of a gas engine. (I've got a Husky 372 chain saw that just purrs.) Also the heavy weight seemed to make sense to me as far as a little stabler in flight. So, in the fall I got the kit. Read the manual a lot. And the forums have all the info you need to solve a problem. I really enjoyed building the machine. Didn't know anything about them. Yeh, I think the building part is equal to the flying part of it. So, came the day to fire it up and fly it! Lots of shaky hands, heheh, Got my wife out to video it. It starts quite easily after a few pulls. I leave the starting pulley on. Well, I held the dx6i as calm as I could and gave it some throttle. It rose off the ground and hovered easier than I thought was gonna happen. Did some landings and take offs, hovered, moved it around a little, and landed it and whooshed a sigh of relief... Boy! was that fun!!!
Best thing is to get the radio you'd like and then get a good flight sim and practice a lot. This is getting a little long, but if it helps someone see that flying a gasser as a first heli can be done, maybe that is what you should do. There's a big clear cut through the woods that I can get it up high and move it around a lot. I take it pretty easy, as if I were inside it. Lot of fun, and I really enjoy the fact that I can actually fly a helicopter! Thanks for listening, I enjoy reading everyone's ideas about this cool way of flying, Jim

[jakeg1999]

I'd like to add a couple questions to this topic. I have 10+ years of rc heli time, built more than I can remember, and although I am not Youtube worthy of flight videos, I am very comfortable with building, setup, tuning, and flying both nitros and electrics. I also have a some time with gas in the plank spectrum, but I always hated the vibes of the single cylinders. However, I have always had a fondness for gas. I am decent with the tuning, and love tearing apart and working with motors, but again, I don't like chasing vibes all day. One of the most important features of today's helis for me, is the set it, and forget it setup. I love not having to constantly "chase" problems, hence for the past two years I have just stuck with electric.
Now I know I can live with the flying style of the gasser, as it's more my style anyway. I have a TDR on order, but like most things, I am struggling with the wait perios. My last heli was a TDR, and so far it's the best fit for me, I absolutely love it. I also pre-ordered a Synergy E5 which should be arriving within the next 2 weeks.
Ok, so I can't stop thinking about a G Whippy! I have most the components for the TDR, but am starting to think of getting a G Whippy now, and getting a TDR on the next batch, and just saving the ESC/Motor I have now. I have not run all the numbers, but roughly it looks like the G Whippy will be a bit cheaper. Ok, enough blah blah...

How are the vibes on this heli? Are these motors/helis reliable enough to let them sit for 2 weeks, then just fire them up and go? (I can deal with motor starts in between just to keep the motor healthy like I do my yard equipment). Will I constantly be tweaking and working on the heli? I used to really enjoy doing that with Nitro's, but where I am in life my time is more limited. I should be able to get in a couple flights a week no problem. Last but not least, I would love to hear some thoughts from some folks who have been doing this for awhile, and have experience with all 3 types of power.....Thanks in advance.....Jake

[Doug Darby]

The Whiplash G is extremely durable as well as reliable. With a solid TRM VX270TT engine it will start the first time and virtually everytime. I have owned 5 Gassers and built many more and this Whiplash Platform is the best I have own and Flown.
I still own and fly some electrics, but my favorites are my Gassers for the ease of use, and lack of attention to battery charging. It's as simple as grabbing the gas can and heading out. And if you are low on fuel you swing through the gas station on the way to the field.
It's a very fun way to enjoy the hobby.
Quit contemplating and make the jump. You won't regret it.
Let us know if we can help.

[rcnut]

I've been flying helis for 28 years now. Most of that time was spent teaching myself how to fly. After getting into the right group of advanced pilots, my 3D flying has improved greatly. My biggest problem is going through glow fuel faster than I can buy it, and my electrics burn through packs in 4 minutes! Just not enough time to really enjoy my electrics.

I've had the desire to try a gas powered heli for some time. I watched videos, read threads, seen the latest at IRCHA, and even talked to pilots owning gassers, but never took the plunge...so sad. However, MA introduced their Whiplash Gasser and made me stand up and take notice...once again! I asked 20 questions and watched live demos...

So I bought one!!

I plan one using the TRM270TT motor in this beast! It should be a blast! I've built, setup, and flown gas powered airplanes for 10+ years...including setting up and test flying for other people. So I'm looking forward to this new adventure!

[carey shurley]

How are the vibes on this heli? Are these motors/helis reliable enough to let them sit for 2 weeks, then just fire them up and go? (I can deal with motor starts in between just to keep the motor healthy like I do my yard equipment). Will I constantly be tweaking and working on the heli?


Vibes are mostly a function of whether you use a balanced motor. If you just WON'T, then use the 240RC
they run pretty clean, so there's little to cleanup
if you empty the fuel and pump out the carb, you'll have little storage issues (at least for short terms)
no need to start weekly although it WILL be easier to start the first time if you do

[jakeg1999]

Thanks guys, I would for sure go with a nice motor and I definitely enjoy working on them, I've just read a lot about the older helis struggling a bit with vibes and in turn gyro issues. You guys however have informed me that today's motors have improved greatly. Now I just need to figure out whether or not I want to go with the TDR that's on order or get a Whippy now. I just don't have the funds for both right now.

Jake

[Atomic Skull]

I wonder if it's possible to convert the Gaui X4 nitro to gas?

[AlvaSpeed]

I would buy a 500 or 550 sized gasser in a heartbeat. It would be the ultimate casual sport flyer. Long flight times from small fields and easy to transport.

Me too......

[AlvaSpeed]

I wonder if it's possible to convert the Gaui X4 nitro to gas?

If you can fit a 50, you can probably fit a 90, and if you can fit a 90 then you may be able to fit the new OS gasser engine GT15HZ (when it finally comes out)
Hot rodding...