Start off With Flying RC Helicopters

Radio-controlled helicopters may seem like a daunting hobby to delve into, but with the right approach, you can quickly master them. There are loads of different types to choose from, so an important first step is identifying which are most ideal for beginners. Once you decide on one, starting off with a simple baby-step approach will help you learn each of its various functions. Continuing this pragmatic approach from there will then help you get further up, up, and away with minimal crashes.

Steps

Choosing Your First Helicopter

1. Go with a “toy” for expendability. As a beginner, it is very likely that you’ll crash your helicopter at some point, so just take that as a given and start off with something that you won’t mind banging up. Choose a “toy” helicopter rather than a “hobby-grade” one. Familiarize yourself with the basic principles of flying before upgrading to a more advanced or expensive model.
   • Another bonus is that toys are preassembled, while hobby-grade ones often require you to put them together yourself. A mistake will affect your helicopter’s performance. And if your helicopter isn’t performing correctly, learning how to fly it correctly obviously becomes much more difficult.
   • Toy helicopters are often cheaper than hobby-grade ones, but not always. If the packaging is vague in description and you're unsure of which one a particular model is, visit a brick-and-mortar hobby store or join an online forum for enthusiasts to ask.
2. Start with a cheap “hobby-grade” helicopter for longevity. Don’t expect toys to last very long. If you definitely have a long-term interest in flying RC helicopters, consider buying a lower-end hobby-grade helicopter if money is an issue. Benefits include:
   • Replaceable batteries: The battery life for both toys and hobby-grade helicopters is usually under ten minutes. The batteries in toys are typically fixed in place (which means you have to recharge them before flying again), but with hobby-grade helicopters you can swap the drained battery with a fresh one.
   • Replaceable parts: Toys can’t be repaired once things start to break (which they will definitely start doing in a short amount of time). Hobby-grade helicopters, however, allow you to replace specific parts when they break or wear out.
   • Better design: Even the cheapest hobby-grade helicopter is designed with the enthusiast in mind, rather than someone looking for a fun one-time thrill. This means they perform much better than a toy, which makes learning how to control them easier.
3. Pick a “coaxial” for more stability. Whether you go with a toy or a hobby-grade helicopter, expect a variety of designs. Since you’re a newbie, opt for a “coaxial,” which are more stable in flight and thus easier to control. A coaxial helicopter has two rotors on top instead of one, and none on the tail.
   • One drawback to coaxials is that they are less agile in the air than the traditional “single-rotor” helicopter design. Their stability makes them ideal for beginners, but if money is an issue and you definitely want to advance to some fancy maneuvering, you may want to go with a single rotor instead.
4. Stick to 2- or 3-channel controls. The number of “channels” that a control has corresponds to the number of directions that the helicopter can travel. As a beginner, opt for the fewest channels possible so you can concentrate on those and master them faster. However, you can always go with a 4-channel helicopter and just pretend it only has two or three if you can’t afford to keep trading up to more advanced models.
   • 2-channel controls only allow you to lift, lower, and turn your helicopter to the left and right. One drawback: the helicopter always moves forward when in operation.
   • 3-channel controls allow you to stop the helicopter from moving forward so it can hover in place instead. Some also let you move it backward.
   • 4-channel controls enable you to move the helicopter sideways without moving forward, as opposed to turning its nose to either side while moving forward.

Taking a Baby-Step Approach

1. Come up with a training schedule. Expect mastering the controls to take a lot of practice. At the same time, remember that the battery life for most RC helicopters is usually limited to six to eight minutes. Decide which aspect of flying you want to focus on before you start each practice. Make the most of the short time you’ll have.
2. Practice inside at first. This may seem as bad of an idea as playing ball inside the house, but take your first few flights indoors. Start off in a controlled environment. See how the helicopter responds to your commands without interference from other elements, like winds or uneven ground.
   • Favor large spaces like garages or enclosed patios. Obviously, avoid the family parlor where you keep all your fragile heirlooms and antiques.
   • If practicing inside isn’t feasible, wait for a day with little to no wind and stick to level ground, like a paved parking lot, for easier lift-offs and landings.
3. Stay low and nearby in the beginning. Resist the urge to test the helicopter’s limits in terms of range right off the bat. Fly it low to the ground, no higher than three feet or a meter in the air. Keep a safe distance (a few feet or couple meters) between the helicopter and yourself, but not so far away that you can’t see it or its surroundings in detail.
   • Again, keep that short battery life in mind. You don’t want to be flying as high or far away as possible when it suddenly runs out.
4. Start with basic maneuvers. Don't try any fancy flying right off the bat. For now, just concentrate on the basics. For example, focus on lifting off, flying in a straight line, and landing again after a short distance for your first couple practices. Once you master that, try lifting off, turning to the right in a full circle, and then landing once you straighten out. Then repeat with turning to the left. From there, move on to flying in more complex patterns, like a figure-eight, before landing.

Growing More Familiar with Your Helicopter

1. Be slow and steady with your controls. Whether you’re adjusting the helicopter’s speed or direction, make your adjustments gradually. Avoid sudden, drastic changes. Expect these to result in a loss of control and increase the likelihood of crashing.
   • This is another good reason to stick low to the ground at first, especially if you’re outside. Air currents are weakest here, which means you should only need to make slight adjustments to your controls anyway in order to keep it steady.
2. Practice higher elevations bit by bit. As you grow more confident with flying within a few feet of the ground, start going higher up. As you do, expect your helicopter to meet more air resistance. This means you will have to make more pronounced adjustments to your controls in order to accomplish the same feats that you pulled off in the beginning, so increase your elevation by increments. For example:
   • Instead of shooting up as far as you can go right away, stick to within six feet or two meters off the ground.
   • Repeat all the exercises that you did in the beginning to grow familiar with any changes that you have to make in your adjustments.
   • Once you feel confident operating at this height, increase the elevation by another three feet or meter and repeat.
3. Inspect the helicopter after each crash. Hopefully, the baby-step approach will have kept you from crashing thus far. However, the more you branch out, the more likely you’ll lose control at some point as you deal with new elements and interference. In the event of a crash, always give the helicopter a look-over. Confirm that nothing has broken before attempting to fly it again.
   • Loose parts can break off in flight, which means they may come flying at you or anyone else nearby. Never attempt another flight if any part seems broken.
4. Pay attention to how your helicopter sounds. As you put in more and more time with your helicopter, keep your ear tuned to the engine. If it begins to sound any different than it did when you first started flying it, land it immediately. Expect changes in sound to possibly indicate damage or malfunctioning parts.
   • This is especially true if you’ve crashed it any point. Keep in mind that not all damage may be visible (or recognizable to a beginner).
   • Even if the helicopter appears to be functioning normally at present, repeated use may make problems worse.

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