[BlueFin]

I became a HeliFreak last night, Helifreak.com - Fun, Learning, Friendship and Mutual Respect, looks like some of you guys are already over there with your Tormach's. Just curious who all is into RC helicopters and what have you machined lately? I have opted for a Blade 450 3D to learn on since the T-Rex 450 is too expensive to wreck all the time like I will be doing at first My plans for part making will be setting up a FPV system and then some scale/functioning fire fighting tools like a Bambi Bucket and logging grapples.

[Magnum164]

I became a HeliFreak last night, Helifreak.com - Fun, Learning, Friendship and Mutual Respect, looks like some of you guys are already over there with your Tormach's. Just curious who all is into RC helicopters and what have you machined lately? I have opted for a Blade 450 3D to learn on since the T-Rex 450 is too expensive to wreck all the time like I will be doing at first My plans for part making will be setting up a FPV system and then some scale/functioning fire fighting tools like a Bambi Bucket and logging grapples.

I am a helifreak, although I do not fly anymore. Have two customers making parts and several being sold overseas. But, can't disclose what company as they have asked for non-disclosure.... Been a member for several years now

I had the first T-Rex 450 Sport with all of the upgrades. Thing was wicked to fly - for me. I may get back in, but in a larger scale. Perhaps a Zenoah powered helie

[MichaelHenry]

I was into R/C helicopters for a while but just never had time to do the hobby justice. I bought one of those $60 electrics that you charge off a PC USB port and that is more my speed now.

I still have a Kyosho Concept gas heli and an electric from those days and think about selling them off every now and again. Is there much of a market for that sort of thing?

Mike

[HelicopterJohn]

Hi Bluefin,

Also been a HeliFreak for quite a while. A GREAT bunch on guys on the forum that are always willing to help you out. Been flying R/C Helicopters since they were invented back in 1970.

That is what got me into metal working machines and finally into CNC machines. I make some tools and accessories for the R/C Model sport. You can visit my website Helicopter John and take a look at my Gallery which has some videos of some of my projects.

Recently purchased a used Shopbot CNC Router and I am currently in the progress of doing a complete retrofit of the electronics.

Flying R/C airplanes and helicopters is a GREAT sport and have had a ton of fun in the hobby for years.

The best money saving thing you can do is get a R/C Flight Simulator like Real Flight. If you learn to fly the model on the simulator you will have good success when you actually try and fly the real model.

John

[skray775]

Don't have a fancy machine :violin: just a round column mill I converted....
Here is my thread on HeliFreak.

Custom Aluminum Frame - HeliFreak

[apeman88]

Been a Helifreak for a few years. Been flying R/C helis and planes since the early 80's. My first Heli was a GMP Hughes 300 and moved on to Kalt Baron, Excalibur, Concept 30, Shuttles, TSK, a few X-Cells then moved on to the electrics with Trex. I've got a full family of Trex from 250, 450s, 500s, and 600 and since around 2005, pretty much fly electrics exclusively now. Still got 2 nitro JR 60 helis but about to sell them on eBay. You'll be surprised at the resell value for RC Helis.

I got into Machining around 2002 with a Taig but outgrew it within a few years. Bought my Tormach for RC parts, gun parts and other hobbies.

If you are interested in starting helis on a limited budget... look into the HK450 from Hobbyking.com. It's a Trex 450 Clone and is 99.9% compatible with the Trex 450. It flies 95% like the Trex 450. Only when you start flying aggressive will you be able to tell the difference. The best thing is... the base HK450 kit is $27. Ya... not a type-o... $27!! One with torque tube and all the upgrades (metal head and etc) is $70. At these prices... I buy a few spare kits for spare parts. Keep in the mind the kits are frames only and do not have any electronics so you will have to buy the brushless motor, ESC and etc. But if you stay with HK stuff... a decent motor and ESC will set you back $40 for the set! Servos... Hitec HS65 are the ones everyone is using and goes for around $40ea... but if you go with HK brand... it's under $10ea and they do work good. I have 5 450s.... 2 Align Trex 450 and 3 clones. One of the clone I decided to go as cheap as possible and built it with all HK stuff and put it together for under $200 with a 2.4G radio. It flies well... no complaints at all. And it is the one I try all my tricks on... if I crash... it's $27 if I total it.

One word of caution... the HK is a clone so don't expect everything to fit perfectly. You will need to make sure all moving parts do spin freely and if not... you'll need to trim or make adjustment... but it is minimal. Oh... it does not come with a manual as well... they expect you to use the original Trex manual for reference.

Have fun! It's a great sport. I just finished building a HK450 a few weeks ago for my 7yr old kid. He's been wanting one and have been flying co-axials and micros for over a year and are doing pretty well. He'll get his HK450 this coming weekend.

Good luck!

Ken

[dbrija]

I was into R/C helicopters for a while but just never had time to do the hobby justice. I bought one of those $60 electrics that you charge off a PC USB port and that is more my speed now.

I still have a Kyosho Concept gas heli and an electric from those days and think about selling them off every now and again. Is there much of a market for that sort of thing?

Mike

+100 on not having time. My Raptor 60 is still collecting dust in the garage. Must say, with all the heat in Texas, so is my 1100 for the moment....

[BlueFin]

Wow, cool, there are a good number of you out there. Impressive videos John. And I will take a look at the HK lineup. I should have something by the end of the week and will start the learning process. Our helicopter pilot at work currently flies a UH1-H Huey and learned on a CH-47 Chinook, and he said the RC was the hardest to learn of all, but just like learninhg to machine a part, it can be done.

[Magnum164]

and he said the RC was the hardest to learn of all,

Not true...:nono: It's no different than learning to fly planes or drive R/C cars. It is true that people who fly real helicopters or airplanes can have difficulty in learning to fly R/C as they have to adjust to watching the plane instead of being in it to fly it. I was instructing a pilot one time and he had a hard time on landings when the controls are reversed. But in general, if you follow most training outlines you will have no trouble learning. Get a flight sim.....

Just remember, Even with electric helio's they are the MOST DANGEROUS of the R/C types. You have a spinning lawnmower just feet from you most of the time and I have the scars to prove it!

[apeman88]

Also... with today's Head locking gyros and auto pilots... they are very easy to fly compared to the early 80's when a lot of us learned how to fly without a gyro.

A friend just built his first heli... a HK450 and on the first maiden flight, was able to get it up and hover around for a few mins and land. He did spend hours on the sim.... but what saved him from crashes was the flymentor auto pilot he put in... when he lost coordination, he let the sticks go and it leveled the heli for him.

Keep in mind a Heli is like a balloon. It will drift with wind or will continue to go in one direction unless you give it opposite commands to correct it. A Flymentor (a copy of the Captron Helicommand) is an auto pilot with 3 gyros and a CCD camera used as an elevation sensor. With this... when you let go of the stick, it will self level all 3 axis (tail, aileron, aft) plus elevation. Great for learning how to fly but would not recommend after you know how to fly. It's a little more to setup than a standard tail gyro... but the results will save you quite a few crashes!

Ken

[Magnum164]

A friend just built his first heli... a HK450 and on the first maiden flight, was able to get it up and hover around for a few mins and land. He did spend hours on the sim.... but what saved him from crashes was the flymentor auto pilot he put in... when he lost coordination, he let the sticks go and it leveled the heli for him.

I learned to hover a heli in one day. With a Shuttle (pre-bearing model I think around 85) I went to the local club with wind gusts of 5MPH with an occasional 30MPH. Expecting to just shoot the bull, the old timers said NO, go practice hovering, the wind shifts will be good for you. While hovering i was hit by a 35MPH plus wind and my heli went straight up in seconds. Expecting me to pull the throttle (major mistake if I had) and have it crash everyone watched with great expectation of a spectacular crash! Instead somehow I managed to rotate the tail, point the heli down field and moved into my very first FAST forward flight and landing 30 yards away from me..... I was no longer referred to as the newbie


Awe.. I miss those days.

[JC1]

I've been flying since around 2003 and have been a member of helifreak (Nick is Sar) since they created the site but started out on runryder. Good bunch of folks at both places.

I learned on a raptor 60. Have had a raptor 50 and Bergen intrepid gasser as well but have been flying a mini-Titan 450 for the last few years. Really miss the bigger helis but not the costs.

Hoping to use my cnc machine for something related to the hobby but no ideas at the moment. It was fun to see this topic show up here.

[apeman88]

I learned to hover a heli in one day. With a Shuttle (pre-bearing model I think around 85) I went to the local club with wind gusts of 5MPH with an occasional 30MPH. Expecting to just shoot the bull, the old timers said NO, go practice hovering, the wind shifts will be good for you. While hovering i was hit by a 35MPH plus wind and my heli went straight up in seconds. Expecting me to pull the throttle (major mistake if I had) and have it crash everyone watched with great expectation of a spectacular crash! Instead somehow I managed to rotate the tail, point the heli down field and moved into my very first FAST forward flight and landing 30 yards away from me..... I was no longer referred to as the newbie


Awe.. I miss those days.

Ya... the advances of technology today makes it so much easier. My first flight was on a GMP Hughes 300 without a gyro... they just came out and was too expensive. Flying with fixed pitch and no gyro was a bit of a challenge... the tail would whip left and right with the slightest command not to mention the RPM variance. I never hovered that GMP very well until I finally got a mechanical gyro.

Brings back memories! :-)

Ken

[David Bord]

Im a member there as well. I posted that I had a tormach and I think posted some pics several months ago.

Wife bought me a little Blade MCX2 coax for Christmas. Then bought a Blade SR120 single rotor fixed pitch, then its smaller brother the MSR, then a DX7, a simulator, an Align 450, and then a align 450 clone because the align was too nice to crash.. haha. All in the span of about 3 months. Im suprised my wife didnt kill me! Yeah I was out of control...

The CP helis are really challenging, but the technology, as mentioned earlier is getting very good in the area of self leveling gyros that are tuneable. Im waiting for one of those to be reasonably priced.

The 450 kinda scares the crap out of me when it spools up and lifts off. Its freaking insane.

David

[apeman88]

Im waiting for one of those to be reasonably priced.

The 450 kinda scares the crap out of me when it spools up and lifts off. Its freaking insane.

David

The original Captron Helicommand is still around $500 for the auto pilot module... but the Flymentor clone dropped to $70! I got my first one when it came out at $125. HobbyKing Online R/C Hobby Store : Flymentor 3D helicopter stabilisation System

The little 450s spin pretty fast! Some of the 3D guys I've seen spins it at over 5000rpm... that's over the rating of the blades... scares the cr@p out of me when they fly.... but what a sight to see! You should also see the 60's and 90's gas helis... they don't spin as fast as the 450s... but it moves a lot of air with their 690mm to 710mm blades!

Ken

[twocik]

Not sure if you guys have seen these... Seems to be a pretty big demand ! If anyone here wants to partner up on a project like this I'm in.

Store « Aericam

Home

[JC1]

Not sure if you guys have seen these... Seems to be a pretty big demand ! If anyone here wants to partner up on a project like this I'm in.

Store « Aericam

Home

Hi Twocik, about 7 years ago I worked with a friend doing an Aerial Helicam thing. We had 2 Bergen Intrepids with some nice pro pan/tilt mounts. ( Jon's R/C Helicopters - Bergen Intrepid EB nice piece of machinery!) and did a couple of test shots with them. The gassers were great as they had a lot of power and with a huge rotor disc it was no problem dragging up cameras.

We linked the camera to a video down-link, one of us would watch the video and control the camera while the other one did the flying. We tried the setup first on a Raptor 50 at our local R/C field

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTBZE3Iyyfs]‪Helicam Monitoring the Launch of a Model Rocket‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

And then we did some footage of a High Power rocketry event as seen below. (sorry the video is lower quality, it was 7 years ago and shot on mini-DV and the video support of an 8MP Canon camera)

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3Slajq4_OU]‪CTRA NARCON 2005 Invitational Rocket Launch Via Heli-Cam Sept-10 2004‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

Good times though things didn't work out. There's still a lot of room in the industry though you have to lock yourself in on insurance (the hardest part!) and some places simply don't allow you to do heli's over non-sanctioned areas and others you'll need a permit, etc. For doing property shots a lot of people are doing extendable booms which mount to their trailer hitches with a pan-tilt mount on top of a 50+ foot mast which eliminates most hazards other than powerlines.

And if that's not quite your style, you can always fly in first person
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PadPhVBG96E"]‪FPV Flight 3 Reactor Biplane‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

[apeman88]

Here's my Aerial rig... Flies surprisingly well. Have a few aerial videos but it's for a client so I can't post it.

It's got GPS for waypoint flying and can fix itself via GPS. Have a 900mhz modem so it can also be controlled via my notebook.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8nsL3OtMQ0"]‪10-06-04 Hexa Test Flight 02.mp4‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

[JC1]

Here's my Aerial rig... Flies surprisingly well. Have a few aerial videos but it's for a client so I can't post it.

It's got GPS for waypoint flying and can fix itself via GPS. Have a 900mhz modem so it can also be controlled via my notebook.

‪10-06-04 Hexa Test Flight 02.mp4‬‏ - YouTube

That's awesome, what are you using for 900Mhz modem? I have some spare Freewave gear floating around. I've always been impressed with the multi-rotor designs and all of the in-depth development going on with them.

[apeman88]

The modem is a Xbee 2.4Ghz USB data modem (thought I put in the 900mhz). XBee Pro 60mW Wire Antenna - Series 1 - SparkFun Electronics . It works very well and distance, especially land to air) has been tested upto 1/2 mile.

The Multi rotor is catching on and the best one are the Mikrokopter. en/MikroKopter - Wiki: MikroKopter.de . MikroKopter started off as a project between 2 engineers in Germany and it grew from there. There are now 2 distributors in the US selling their stuff. Check out some of the videos on youtube and the Wiki page. They are amazing. More stable than RC Heli and more payload as well.

Ken

That's awesome, what are you using for 900Mhz modem? I have some spare Freewave gear floating around. I've always been impressed with the multi-rotor designs and all of the in-depth development going on with them.