What can you do with a helicopter (other than 3D)?

[phcret]

Seems like the majority of people flying are in to the whole 3D thing. But that's not really my style and I'm not into competition. I just like to fly. So, what else can you do with a helicopter? Are there any kind of obstacle courses to fly? Does anyone do simulated SAR (search and recover) missions?

I've seen camera rigs, which is something I may get into. I was an aerial photographer in the Navy for 20 years, so I know a lot about that. I just won't be riding along with the camera. I've also seen that some guys are into scale. That interests me, but I'm not sure if my wife would agree with the money it takes to do scale right.

Anyway, just looking for answers before I dive head first into this fascinating field of RC flight.

[Automan]

I have similar thoughts as you have regarding these helis, i want to get a scale body for my t600, and i like to fly scalelike... but sometime i do fly a little mixed hard 3d and aerobatics.

Running a obstacle course, and going on a rescue misson.... well, it's all possible and very doable, it just takes imagination and a little time to set up and then put in on video for the whole world to see you in that dangerous rescue misson... fighting weather and putting you life on the line to rescue people from sertain death.
I think you know what i mean, it's all possible, just your imagination that sets the borders, it's all there if you want it, and using a heli is great cause you can do such great movement with it, it is so flexible to work with creating a cool movie, or using as a cameraship or whatever, and using electric you dont have that irretating smoke and very annoying sound of the engine that a nitro create.. and not to talk about all the mess on the heli, using a electic you have clean great sounding heli with no mess and just a real happy time with it.

I would say, dive in and enjoy, there is no limit to what you can do :thumbup: Think about it, a heli is very flixible and will be just as fun using as a camera ship and or scale flying. 30-50size is a good stable size, bigger you go the more the scalebody cost and the lipos will be more expencive with bigger heli, but as you are going to run scale etc, you dont have to get the hotest lipos and motors, so that will save some money. And as you are going to fly easy with it, the failure (dumb thumbs/material failure).rate will be close to 0, maybe a rock stable 0 ;)

Good luck, and hope to see you soon :thumbup:

Edit, i think half the fun is building it and tuning it to run perfect. I just cant wait to get my hands on a scale fuseleg for my t600 now, I WANT IT !! maybe i will try to work it in as a christmasgift to myself ;)

[TheBum]

You could also strap a still/video camera on it and do some aerial photography/videography. I'm not interested in 3D either, but I do hope to get to the point where I can do some aerobatics (loops, rolls, flips, stall turns).

[whtmex]

I'm in an Army UH-60 company. Me and a buddy used to rig up a cargo hook and do sling loads.

[Naruto28]

Did someone say obstacle course? video (http://youtube.com/watch?v=BqAWinNbVR0)

[tz250w]

I'm not a 3Der either, and just recently got to the roll, loop, flip stage. I have a cheap "scale" body for one of my Trex 450s (the one in my avatar) and have thought about other things to do with the helis...

SAR, maybe you could go to the field and retrieve other folk's wrecks (those 3Ders...) with a hook or something. That would be interesting! :lol:

Sounds to me though like you need to go scale. Just work into it slowly and don't try to build a masterpiece first time out.

[phcret]

I'm not a 3Der either, and just recently got to the roll, loop, flip stage. I have a cheap "scale" body for one of my Trex 450s (the one in my avatar) and have thought about other things to do with the helis...

SAR, maybe you could go to the field and retrieve other folk's wrecks (those 3Ders...) with a hook or something. That would be interesting! :lol:

Sounds to me though like you need to go scale. Just work into it slowly and don't try to build a masterpiece first time out.

Yeah...scale is definitely how I'm leaning. For the past 25 years I've envisioned building a scale SH-3 Sea King with a tiny Navy Photographer hanging out of the side. I've also thought about a Bell with a news logo on the side and a videographer standing out on the skids.

[tz250w]

Then you might want to check out www.scalerchelis.com (http://www.scalerchelis.com) (not trying to take anything away from this awesome sight). Several of us here are over there as well and it's devoted entirely to scalers.

[SeismicCWave]

>>Seems like the majority of people flying are in to the whole 3D thing.<<

Actually I will bet that the majority of the people flying RC helicopters are NOT into the whole 3D thing. It takes a lot of years of flying and practice to actually fly an RC helicopter proficiently to do aerobatics. Then from there you learn to fly in the third dimension which is backward flight.

At least that is my interpretation of 3D.

There are many things to do with a model helicopter. Basically your imagination is your limit. The reason why you see some flyers fly their RC helicopter in attitude that seems unreal is because they can and their RC helicopter can.

That is the neat thing about an RC helicopter. If you over power it you can do a lot of strange maneuvers.

OTOH you don't have to over power an RC helicopter to have fun. There is an entire set of maneuvers that are not 3D and the competition is just as intense. The FAI F3C competition is still the world standard of RC helicopter competition. Of course now there is a off shoot from this F3C competition and let the flyer compete in the 3D competition.

You can fly your RC helicopter in tight spaces amonst the trees. That is definitely one way to hone your skills. You can use the RC helicopter as a lifting machine. Something like an aerial crane. Surveillance is another use for RC helicopters. Aerial photography is another use. How about pest control? Fertilize your trees?

I use an RC helicopter to stoke my camp fire.

[jrohland]

There are (at least) two other sub-specialties:

Drag racing
World speed record

jrohland

[phcret]

Then you might want to check out www.scalerchelis.com (http://www.scalerchelis.com) (not trying to take anything away from this awesome sight). Several of us here are over there as well and it's devoted entirely to scalers.

Thanks Max. I will definitely check it out.

[dDavid]

I use an RC helicopter to stoke my camp fire.
Might wanna rethink that one...

[ghtracey]

Did someone say obstacle course? video (http://youtube.com/watch?v=BqAWinNbVR0)

Wow! Cheesy though it may be, there is some skill making it through that course.

[JasonJ]

Did someone say obstacle course? video (http://youtube.com/watch?v=BqAWinNbVR0)

I actually kinda liked that. If only we could have game shows like that here. Instead, we have shows like Deal or No Deal where you win money by standing there and guessing. It would be nice to have a show where people have to demonstrate actual skill in something. Instead we reward them for having a pulse...

At least there is still Jeopardy. Not enough helicopter action in that though...

[tz250w]

As lousy as Japanese TV usually is, every now and then they come up with something interesting... That was a "special" many years ago.

[bpd964]

That was interesting!

[WayneBrown]

There's always using a heli for a glider tow vehicle..
Just make sure the release is on the HELI, not the glider.. ask FBaity about that experience.

[oldskool]

There's always using a heli for a glider tow vehicle..
Just make sure the release is on the HELI, not the glider.. ask FBaity about that experience.

Dude... Don't forget fishin'! As a matter of fact my brother in law is dying for me to hook up a system for bait deployment farther than he can cast!

[WayneBrown]

how could I forget trex fishin'? man, they say the mind is the first to go....

[Wrench69]

Man that QoJ ep12 is stable machine.

[istandalone]

[
As lousy as Japanese TV usually is, every now and then they come up with something interesting... That was a "special" many years ago.
/QUOTE]
idk where this show came from, but have you ever seen MXC? the "Most Extreme Elimination Challenge"? that is some funny stuff, especially the dialogue that is dubbed in. i don't think they play it anymore, though.

[QUOTE]how could I forget trex fishin'?
man, i love to fish, and i love to fly even more (i'm not very sucessful at either), but put the two together? awesome. i'm going to try to rig up my rhino rod onto my H550 skids and see how that goes. something tells me the noise and vibration might scare any would-be trout dinners away!

[Danyboy]

What we do at our field...

"handbag-ing"

Yes, you heard right... ;)

Out of scrap-Balsa, you build a pyramid or similar shape, then a tube you would normally use for the flexible strings that connect control-surfaces on the planks is used to build a ring on top.
Alternatively, used tupperware works as well, but usually needs to be made heavier with self-adhesive lead, that you can get at your garage, where it's being used to balance wheels.
Optimum is when the ring is as big as possible but still smaller / not higher than the heli's rotordisk (for safety). Of course you can make it bigger (which also makes it easier), but for me, I like the mental aspect, that if I should set down the heli close to the bag, for whatever reason, the blades will not throw the bag around.
If you want, add some colour and in the end, it should look like one of those "cheap" handbags you can get from Gucci... ;) Just with a slightly higher utility-value... :rolling

For beginners, just pick one bag up with the skids and set it down again. Don't worry yet, where to set it down, for the moment just be happy not to miss it and not to throw it over...
For advanced ones, put two hula-hop-rings on the ground, about 20ft apart, put the "handbags" in one ring, leave the other empty. Goal is to transfer the bags from one into the other hula-ring.
You can do this just to practice precise hovering close to the ground or you can set a system up to fly with buddies, like taking the time it takes to transfer all the bags, handicaps for bags that were thrown over or dumped when still inflight...

At a first glance maybe not as exciting as 3D, but once you know how to fly heli, you will certainly acknowledge the perfection in handling when watching someone working the bags...

Cheers,

Daniel

[fogger]

dude you need to come up with a more masculine definition for your pick-and-place objects... That sounds way too gay to even suggest at my field, I'd get heckled the hell off the field :)

;)

[Danyboy]

Okay...

Different approach...

Take some emptied budweiser-cans, fill them some with water, bend the lid/ring to be upright, then pick that up... ;)

Better? :)

[istandalone]

why empty? use full ones and every time you get one right, CHUG! after a couple few went down the gullet it'd get pretty interesting. i flew once after a couple pints with dinner. i'll never do that again. i never really realized how much alcohol really does screw with your co-ordination and reaction time. i won't even fly hungover anymore.