Hello Folks,

Basic things to look for  before purchasing a small 4 channel indoor/outdoor RC helicopter

Wether it is a Micro or smaller model you are interested in,  make sure it is battery operated and no more than 20" in rotor diameter and the helicopter uses a 300 or smaller size motor, larger diameter rotors  like in helicopters that use above 300  400 size motors  require a lot more power and are not trully Micro Size but Minis.  

*Simplicity vs. Complexity

Helicopters fall into two basic areas.  Fixed Pitch or Collective Pitch.  While Collective pitch helicopters are more efficient, their required level of sophistication in mechanics and set up can be an unnecessary headache for beginner pilots or even experienced pilots looking for a fun simple Fixed Pitch helicopter.

While Collective Pitch helicopters offer the ability for an "experienced pilot" to fly it and sustain hover inverted, a Fixed Pitch helicopter will not fly sustained inverted but depending on the design,  a fixed pitch helicopter is  capable of many simpler aerobatic maneuvers like loops and rolls.

Note: Helicopters that use plastic "cambered"  blades will not Loop or Roll and have a difficult time entering FFF (Fast Forward Flight) and coping with slight wind conditions. 

For this Guide I will focus on the more simpler 4 Channel Fixed Pitch selection.

 * Durability

Is it able to widthstand the hardest of crashes with minal damage? 

If you look arounf the RC hobby industry you will find most better products are made from composites and metal components,  this really pays off and it has become the norm for the demanding RC pilot . A good reason for this is that RC  helicopters are highly mechanical and go through a lot more abuse than airplanes.

There is absolutely no comparison between a plastic made product to one that is made from "composite materials and metal components".

Most ARF (Almost Ready to FLY) and RTF (Ready to Fly)products have a high level of  part replacements  because these products are mainly made from inexpensive plastic materials, that keep breaking and keep sending the customer back for spares,  this is where most plastic made RC helicopter manufacturers make the money, mainly to help offset the high costs of  tooling typically associated with plastic injection molded components.

To the user that wants instant gratificatification,  Plastic made ARF or RFT products are OK but when parts start breaking often  it can be frustrating and can get very expensive, in some cases beyond what you  would have paid for a better product made from Composites and metal.

Composites (like Fiberglass and Carbon) along with Metal components (like stainless steel)  can also get damage if a crash is considerable beyond the limits of these material's durability and tensile strength,  but in comparison with plastics they are far superior and are one of the  reasons, some better products and upgrades are made from these later materials.

 * Stability

 One of the most importat features on an RC helicopter is the Rotor head. The rotor head must be designed with  the"proper damping" not only for good hovering  (Beginner pilots) but also for Forward Flight and aerobatics (Intermediate and Advanced Pilots)

Think of this, similar to how stable you sit and ride in a car that has good springs and shock absorbers. Without either one of these items,  your ride will feel every road bump and you will be constantly compensating  your steering for road irregularities. 

In a perfect world, roads would be perfecly flat and air would be perfectly still , but we all know this is not  case in the real world.  So a good RC or real helicopter rotor head design needs to sort of automatically compensate for such so there is less effort on the pilot. 

Putting this into the RC rotor head stability perspective, ARF and RTF models made from plastics depend on the flexibility of the plastic blade or rotor head, itself, to provide some level of  "damping" where the blades themselves can act as both the "spring and shock absorber".  Depending how these are designed and what actual plastic materials are used,  they can have a positive or negative effect on the stability and control of the helicopter.

What you want to look for in an RC helicopter rotor head, is the same things you would look for in a good car.  Good springs and Shock Absorbers for a smooth ride.

A good head designs allow the rotor head to "Pivot and Return" to the horizontal rotor axis anytime the rotor head is disturbed  by dynamic/ wind forces (this would be the shock absorber),, while allowing the rotor head  to provide some level of "spring tension".  

 Most ARF and RFT cheaper RC helicopters offfer "only spring tension" and do this with plastic blades which are also cambered, not rigid flat bottom. This allows hovering and limited forward flight. An effect called "balooning" where the helicopter doesn't want to go fast forward in flight and instead wants to go up and slightly backwards, is the result of these types of  plastic head, plastic camber blade designs.

A Sample of Proper Rotor Head "Damping "

This following head design  has the proper degree of "damping"  (shock absorber and spring tension) and it is done very simply by introducing the "shock absorber" on a tough copolymer  part  (see saw) where the flybar steering padles as well as the rotor is supported from, and the "spring tension" on the composite made rotor head itself (the part that supports the blades).  The blades are woodies and have no flex on them at all. 

This Heli handles very well both indoors as outdoors for its Sub-Micro size.

A combination of the proper shock absorbtion by the see saw, the part supporting the composite rotor head, and the spring tension of the rotor head itself, is what allows in great part this particular helicopter's complete rotor to be smooth and stable, requiring minimal pilot steering.  

This  explanation in action can be better seen at MIA MIcro-FLIGHT's web site under videos  select video title MIABBV5001.wmv, as well as on E Bay's Embeded video listing for the MIA Bumble Bee Sub-Micro Helicopter.

* Flexible Design 

Most ARF and RTF products are locked and designed to be used with their own brand components This is another reason for their more attractive pricing.

On the other hand, a product that uses industry standard inexpensive RC components, allows the user better control of the RC equipment and set up fop his particular model.  In many instances the extra step you take in selecting better well known RC components to fly your model will pay off quickly.

One of the often heard statements at flying fields and RC clubs regarding ARF and RTF models is "I am upgrading my model with better RC  equipment because the ones that came with my model gave out or are not as good"

This is one reason, for instance,  why MIA Micro-FLIGHT RC Helicopter Products are designed from Composites and Metal parts and to work with ANY Industry Standard RC Equipment.

* Price 

You have to equate this to what you are actually getting for the price.

Consider that most ARF and RTF products  use  injection molded plastics for increased output and mass distribution. Where some better KITS are made from Composites and Metal components and not aimed at mass distribution for the obvious reason that KITS attract a certain customer looking for something a little more unique, perhaps high level of durability as well as collectivity.  

 Comparing the differences between these two approaches Plastic ARF/RTF Vs. Composite made Kit products, they are quite substantial an in the long run a quality kit made from composites materials like (G10/Carbon) along with Stainless Steel parts  will outlast a plastic kit by a high margin.

Look also at the rotor head "damping" feature, this to me is by far the most important detail besides durability when selecting a good RC helicopter and  heep in mind that a good design doesn't need to get fancy or sohisticated to provide the proper mechanics for it to fly well.

Have Fun!

Mario I. Arguello

MIA Micro-FLIGHT