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Many people have different
reasons for choosing their helicopter. What I based my decision on was the type of flying I was interested
in... Aerial Photo / Video.
There are four; 3D, scale, F3C and
aerial photo/video
3D
This is stunt flying.
The RC pilot performs maneuvers that is totally impossible
in a real helicopter. But some of the stunts are
possible on a full scale helicopter. Go on You Tube and look
for BO105. You'll see what I mean.
The RC pilot can fly the
helicopter inverted. With sharpened blades the pilot can probably
cut grass. LOL Barrel rolls, loops, and various other
stunts are all possible.
Diego Arce
flying the Trex700 Nitro - 2008/08/03
Scale
This is for the purist. As
the name says, it's simply flying a scaled down version of the real
thing. Popular helicopters such as the "Airwolf" and "Blue
Thunder" from the TV series, Commanche, Apache, Chinook and
many others are all available. Some create some very serious
and realistic scale helicopters with lights, detailed cockpits and retractable landing
gears.
MD500
F3C
This is precision
flying. Where sets of specific maneuvers, called
schedules, are performed by the pilot.
Aerial Photography / Videography
This was the first reason why I
got into this; for Aerial Photography. This is accomplished by mounting a camera with remote shutter triggering on
the helicopter.
Another feature that can be added
is a video downlink. This will allow you to see what the camera
is seeing.
Remote triggering can be
accomplished many ways. A popular way, crude but simple, is
through the use of a small servo.
Various camera mounts are
available. Some who are very handy make their own camera
mounts with materials that are readily available from your local
home improvement and electronic stores.
Videographers also use this
technique to capture unique viewpoints. Aerial video through
the use of RC helicopters is also becoming popular in the movie
industry. Military and law enforcements are also using this
for tactical and investigational purposes.
Maxi-Joker2 with AP
Landing gear and CopterFilms CF-30.
Other Considerations
Of course there are other details
to base your decisions on. What I mentioned above was what I
personally used to start.
Some may base it on the
helicopters engine; should you go gas, nitro, electric or turbine?
Size? 30?
40? 50? 60? 90? These numbers refer to the size of the
engine. Not the physical size.
Availability. Remember when
you're deciding this. Think about spare parts. Are parts
readily available in case you need immediate repairs? Most
reputable RC shops have spare parts in stock and sometimes are open
seven days a week.
You also have the option of
ordering online. Many vendors have online stores you can order
from. Sometimes it's best to call them to place an order.
This way you can develop a relationship with them and they can
probably give you a deal.
Generally you can use any medium
to large size
helicopter for AP. The components you choose for the helicopter will determine
its capacity for AP. For example you can choose various size
motors, main rotors, speed controller, power source, flight
controllers, gyros, etc. I personally chose the Maxi-Joker 2 from
Minicopter
for its reputation as a cameraship.
Maxi-Joker2
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