Archive for September, 2009

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Do you have BMFA Insurance to fly your RC helicopter at events?

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

If you have grown tired of flying your RC helicopter on your own and fancy getting together with other RC helicopter hobbyists then you may want to look into joining a club which holds regular flying events through the year. However to be able to participate, for safety reasons, you will first need to obtain BMFA insurance. But what does BMFA stand for?

The BMFA is the British Model Flying Association which is based in Leicester. The BMFA was set up to promote and protect the sport of hobby flying in the UK. The insurance covers up to £5million third party indemnity. If you want to know how about getting insurance for RC helicopter flying at events up and down the country have a look on their website at: www.bmfa.org and you can also read about it further in the next blog article.

At all reputable events relating to radio control helicopters proof of insurance is always required before you will be allowed to fly. If you forget it then this will certainly jeopardise your chance to fly at the event and it could ruin your whole day. It is that serious!

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Scale Fun Fly for RC Helicopters on 18th October

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

It has been announced by the Alcester Model Helicopter Club that their Fun Fly day is provisionally scheduled for Sunday 18th October. If you are a keen enthusiast of scale radio control helicopters and you live in or around the Warwickshire area then this really is an event you do not want to miss.

The Fun Fly will take place in the front field at the Arrow Mill Hotel, opposite Ragley Hall and near to Alcester. You will be able to purchase refreshments from the hotel bar. The event is weather dependant and may be cancelled if it is deemed safe on the day to fly.

This Fun Fly event is held around the end of the flying season each year for those interested in scale RC helicopters. The day is open to anyone who likes to fly these scale machines, but you will only be able to fly on the day however, if you have valid BMFA insurance.

To ensure everyone’s safety, all helicopter transmitters need to be handed in to TX control upon arrival.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Alcester Model Helicopter Club, then to gain further info regarding the event, and to find out how to become a member, visit the website at: www.alcestermodelhelicopterclub.co.uk or email the Club Chairman Steve Parkes at: info@alcestermodelhelicopterclub.co.uk.

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A Beginner’s Guide to flying RC helicopters Part 2

Monday, September 28th, 2009

As we started to explain in the last article, there are a few things you need to do in order to prepare the helicopter for its first flight. You need to make sure the area you are flying the helicopter in is suitable and that you have taken all the necessary pre-flight checks to get the helicopter ready to fly.

Now you can turn on the transmitter making sure the right beginner settings are selected. You can now connect the battery with the helicopter and calibrate it with the gyro.

Once the transmitter and gyro are in sync the helicopter will now be ready to fly.

While you are starting out and only just mastering the basics of the craft you should make sure the helicopter is a reasonable distance away from you and that it not facing in your direction.

You can try finding out what the controls do, but make sure you don’t fly the helicopter too high at first and the flying is done at a safe distance away from other obstacles.

Remember, it does not take much to lose control of the helicopter at the beginning, so make sure if you do find it spiralling towards the ground, the descent is not too rapid and it does not get damaged upon impact with the ground.

When you have finished at the end of this session, make sure you disconnect the battery again before you switch off the transmitter.

Persevere with your RC helicopter and you will surely get it right in the end!

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A Beginner’s Guide to flying RC helicopters Part 1

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

When you buy your first RC helicopter some of the instructions can seem a little daunting, even when the radio control helicopter is ready-to-fly so to speak. Therefore, a few pointers to get you started wouldn’t go amiss.

Here we will look at flying a 6 Channel electric RC helicopter, which has many moving parts and does take a bit of getting used to at first. You may want to use a training stand at first when flying outdoors for the first time, but this is up to you. You will also need bags of patience, so check out the guide below and get your helicopter in the air.

Firstly, find a decent spot outdoors, in an open area with no hazards which could get in the way and possibly damage your helicopter in the event you lost control.

Make sure that the blades of the RC helicopter are aligned and are positioned at 90 degrees to the flybar. Check that everything is tight and no parts of the helicopter are loose. You should always do this check before flying. Also ensure that the paddles are level with the rotor head.

We will continue with this guide in the next article.

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What are the advantages of 2.4Ghz RC helicopters? Part 2

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

Following on from the last article, we will now be looking at some more advantages to using RC helicopters which utilise a 2.4Ghz frequency as opposed to the 35Mhz system.

Safe and Secure
The security of the 2.4Ghz system allows for a much greater level of radio control to be maintained and this ensures your own safety as well as those around you. This means that other pilots cannot interfere with your radio frequency and reduce the chances of crashes or loss of control over the craft. The reduction in the conflicts between other radio control helicopters means they are more widely accepted when flying in public places.

The technology means that the pairing of the transmitter to the receiver is synchronised more effectively and securely. If a frequency is being used, the set will automatically move to another frequency and this means that there are fewer radio glitches.

Efficiency
Within a range of 250 metres, this system will consume a much lower level of power when compared with the 35Mhz frequency. This will save you money and time on charging your batteries and allows you to enjoy flying your RC helicopter for much longer.

The radio gear of the helicopter is much easier to install and the transmitter and receiver are much shorter and less likely to break.

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What are the advantages of 2.4Ghz RC helicopters? Part 1

Friday, September 25th, 2009

If you want to fully make use of the latest technology and more recent developments in RC helicopters then it is wise to go for 2.4Ghz radio control helicopters. But what makes these helicopters superior to the 35Mhz frequency?

Well, to start with, this technology allows for the transmitter and receiver of the RC helicopter to be locked onto the same frequency which ensures reliability is increased substantially and greater peace of mind for the pilot.

We will now explain all the major advantages over this and the next article.

Reliable
As we have stressed previously, operating at this frequency is more reliable to use as it gives the pilot greater control over the helicopter. The radio control is therefore out of the frequency range of any noise caused by nearby electronic components and other interference that can easily affect a 35Mhz frequency.

Excellent performance
The performance has been improved by a great extent with much quicker and more responsive controls, compared to the other system.

Competition
For those who like to fly their radio control helicopter competitively, this eliminates the need for frequency control to be checked prior to flying.

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The big weekend has now arrived for all lovers of RC helicopters

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

As we have been relaying recently, there are many exciting events to look forward to over the next few weeks for RC helicopter enthusiasts.

The competition, which is being held over this Saturday and Sunday, will contain three rounds of competitive flying.

There will be one round of four-set manoeuvres within a freestyle flight, a three minute freestyle round and one more similar round set to music.

The fly-off positions will be determined by the combined scores of the two highest scoring rounds of each competitor. In this fly-off, the top five pilots from each group will get to perform their flights again (scores will be reset) and the results will determine the overall winners.

More news on the 3D Championships which is being held this coming weekend: It is rumoured that Petr Novotný and Daniel Jetschin are two of the demo pilots at this amazing event at Croft Farm Water Park.

The weekend does promise to live up to expectations, so it is a must for all RC helicopter lovers around the country. Get there bright and early ready for the 10am start.

For further info visit the website at: www.3DChampionship.co.uk.

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Charmouth RC helicopter Fly-in

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

We mentioned a couple of articles ago the events you have to look forward to over the next few weeks. If you haven’t already heard about the 3D championships that are taking place this upcoming weekend then where have you been?

Another event to put in your diary for the beginning of October is the bi-annual fly-in event at Charmouth, Dorset. The autumn event will take place on the 10th and 11th of October at the Newlands Holiday Park. The event is always great fun and with flyers from around the country competing you won’t be disappointed at the thrills on offer.

The event in March was fantastic so the autumn event is attracting a lot of attention. Because the event takes place at a holiday park, there are usually some caravans available at the site for you to stay in to make a weekend of it. Competitors must have proof of BMFA membership and a minimum A(H) certificate if you want to fly solo.

To give you a little help with the directions the Postcode for the park is DT66RB and the postcode for the flying field (which is on the other side of the road) is EX138SZ.

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The RC helicopter 3D championship competition days

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

We brought you news yesterday about the events that all you RC helicopter flyers have to look forward to over the next few weeks. Not least the 2009 UK 3D Championships that are due to take place this weekend at Croft Farm Waterpark. The events start on Friday, but here is a brief rundown about the competition days on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday the 26th is competition day 1 and flying starts between 10:00 and 10:30 am. The event should run until around 6pm and there will be loads going on, so make sure you are there on time. The night flying competition starts at 8pm and will finish at approximately 11pm, so if the weather is expected to be lousy make sure you bring some warm clothes as it can get really chilly at this time of year. The spectator’s fee is only £3 so you can bring all the family and it won’t cost you a fortune.

Sunday the 27th is competition day 2. Flying again will start between 10:00am and 10:30am and is expected to finish around 4pm. After this there will of course be the trophy presentations and the victory flights and all those of you who buy raffle tickets throughout the weekend to help raise funds for cancer research, the prize draw will take place. Prizes on offer in the raffle include all sorts of RC helicopter parts and accessories including motors and speed controllers, heli-bags, rotor blades and a fantastic Trex 700 kit.

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The 2009 UK 3D Championships

Monday, September 21st, 2009

There are some fantastic events to look forward to at the end of September and throughout October if you are interested in RC helicopters. The sport has seen an upturn in members recently and if you are new to flying or are a seasoned pro, these are the places to be throughout the month.

This weekend sees the UK 3D championships 2009 take place at Croft Farm Waterpark. The venue is easily found from junction 8 or 9 from the M5 motorway and has pitches available for all you tenters, or if you are into caravanning there are 20 pitches available.

Friday is funfly day and flying starts at 10:00am. Anyone can take part; all you have to do is book in your transmitter to fly for free. Because there is free flying all day it might get a little busy so be sure to get to the event early to book in. The spectators price is only £3 which is payable on the day.

The RC helicopter competition really starts to get going on Saturday and Sunday and we will bring you information about both these days and also other events in October tomorrow.

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