A Few Tips for Remote Control Helicopter Pilots
Even the most advanced pilots of remote control helicopters have problems from time to time. However, one should never be embarrassed when a mistake has been made. The best pilot flying the best model will still have an occasional crash after all, and it is better to be prepared for what might happen in that case as opposed to succumbing to that natural panic.
If a few remote control helicopters do actually crash, it is important
to keep cool and calm. Doing anything rash won't help the situation at
all. An inventory of the helicopter should always follow a crash. Make
sure that each piece is picked up. Parts for remote control helicopters
can be very difficult to purchase individually, so it's also a good idea
to have a good relationship with the dealer so that there will be a
constant source of quality parts available when one takes a dive.
Before flying with a particular helicopter, it is always a good idea to
check each mission critical screw and tighten them up. This is
especially true of any screw that controls the tail unit. Securing the
receiving unit's frequency control crystal with some tape might be a
good idea, since it can sometimes come loose from vibrations. Models
that use e-rings are a particular problem, and these need to be watched
carefully. These components have a nasty habit of falling off, but they
can also fall into the model and be impossible to recover. Throttle
linkages might also have come loose, so they should always be secured
before a flight. Naturally, they should be set to idle before starting
the engine.
Some models use small glow starters to start up the engine, and it's
really easy to leave these on after the engine is running. This can kill
the battery and the unit itself will get hot. One should never forget
to remove these regardless of how easy it is to do so. However, no one
should get the idea that flying remote control helicopters is some how
only for experts. Anyone can do it if they keep a few simple guidelines
in mind.
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