irwin@uiucdcs.cs.uiuc.edu (10/08/86)
There is not a forum for R/C. We tried to get one started a couple of years ago, thought it should be net.rec.rc. We did not succeed. We tried net.aviation and got booed out of that one. The dozen or so that wanted to get it started gave up in disgust. I fly R/C, have been flying since 1965, and have been flying helicopters since 1972. I had a three part article in RC Modeler in 1977, regarding helicopters. As one who has been it it for a long time, I offer the following: Pick up a copy of a model magazine at a hobby shop and look for ads by GMP. They sell a small machine called the Shuttle. It is built up and is almost ready to fly. There are five of us in the club I belong to that fly helicopters, here in Illinois. Two of them have the Shuttle and it is a nice machine, low cost (as possible) and flys fine. It would make a good trainer. Ask at the hobby shops and find a club. Watch activity and find someone who is flying helicopters. Help from one who is doing it can get you going a lot faster. I would predict at least 6 months and many crashes if you do it on your own. With help, that can be cut to a couple of months. Join the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) so that you are covered by insurance. Check the phone books for hobby shops that carry helicopters and parts. You will get a lot more cooperation from them than one that does not. The ones that do not are the ones that will say you are "nuts". They want to sell you something that they have, not refer you to some other shop that is interested in what you are. Helicopter interest is on the upsurge, there are many more in it than there was 5 years ago. There is now a helicopter column in almost all model magazines. If you can not locate a person in your area, get the phone number from the ad and call GMP. Ask them for the name of a person in your area that is involved in helicopters. This should cut down on your search time. If you need additional help, I will respond further via e-mail. By the way, one of the guys in our club that flys choppers, started in R/C with the machines. It is better if you start with fixed wing craft and get some experience with the radio, prior to going into R/C machines. Having a feel for the radio will help when learning the helicopter, but if you go straight into helicopters, it CAN be done. Al Irwin Univ of Ill Comp Sci Urbana, Il 61801 217-333-4801