Posted: 5/15/2004 10:24:44 AM EDT
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Awesome video! Dail-up warning! 5mb www.handymodels.co.uk/downloads/alan_vegasfunflydemo_2004.wmv I've been into rc for many years and have failed at my attemps at RC helicopter flight. this guy is goooood ! 
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I stuck to cars and boats.
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I used to fly but never got this good. It takes many hours on the sim to get familiar with the different orientation changes and it becomes instinctive. This particular heli seems to use a .90 cu in motor with tremendous power, the rotor disk is about 6 ft in diameter. I got to rolls, loops, a few acrobatic maneuvers, some inverted flying and a few flips, and autorotations. The backwards flying is accomplished with the tail kept in place with a heading lock gyro, otherwise it would tend to flip around with the weather vane effect. This is a tremendously skilled pilot, probably sponsored. Very few attain this level of proficiency. |
| I have been flying for several years now, and when I first started I was told that it was a lot like trying to balance a marble on a dinner plate during a windstorm......well that was kinda true, I crashed about 4 helo's during my first attempts and lost a lot of cash that could have went into nice airplanes, and the sad part is I just went back to airplanes anyway... |
Its a figure of speech. Sorry for the problem. And coming from a fixed wing pilot, that shit aint natural. |
Heh... WRT Helicopters... Helicopters are very strange machines... They do not actually fly, per se... They are simply so butt ugly the ground REPELS them...  (old fixed-wing pilot joke about helos)... |
| Its not defying the laws of physics, Its POWER TO WEIGHT ratio. The copter weights close to nothing and the .90 cubic engine probably has a tuned pipe and is otherwise maxed out. I was waiting for the engine failure. Not the case! A engine cut out inverted and that Raptor would have been toast. |
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Not unless he was almost touching the ground, and even then with the head speed he's running I'd bet on a recovery. I've got a couple curtis youngblood videos and he's got several gas/engine outs while inverted and he just flips over and lands. He does an inverted autorotation that has to be seen to be believed. Actually I've seen it lots and I still sort of suspect video trickery.... Fun toys, lots of money. |
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Airplanes fly. Helos Beat the Air Into Submission. All laws of physics are obeyed, so long as there isn't a motor/transmission/foil failure. I will stick with my fixed wing combat planes, the loop on a dime and roll like a drill with unlimited vertical. What more could you want??? |
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For a basic setup consisting of a small heli, engine, gyro, radio system, simulator and support equipment, budget a minimum of U$ 1000. For a professional FAI competition setup look at U$ 5000 or so. Here are a few links to good RC Heli shops: www.ronlund.com www.heliproz.com The Heli you saw in the first video is a Ace/ThunderTiger Raptor 90. Interestingly, Alan flys it just about stock from the factory with minimal modifications. The R90 is the lowest price 60/90 size helicopter available. www.acehobby.com/acehobby/products/helicopter/raptor60/index.html Engine is either a OS91SXHWC-PC or a YS91STH3 www.ronlund.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=heli&Product_Code=OSMG1981 www.ronlund.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=heli&Product_Code=YS91 Radio set is either a Futaba 9Z, JR10x or Airtronics Stylus. www.ronlund.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=heli&Product_Code=FUT9ZXMTR www.ronlund.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=heli&Product_Code=JRP10X Gyro is a Futaba 601 www.ronlund.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=heli&Product_Code=FUTG601S I own two helis. A Raptor 90:  and a Raptor 50 in a Long Ranger Fuselage.  Oh, expect about U$200 in repairs per crash plus U$100 for the carbon fibre mainrotor blades. For more info on RC Helis go to: www.runryder.com Have Fun Fritz |
I have dial up |
Here are some smaller videos ( each link is broken down into smaller segments on the second page) www.augustoheli.com/videostuff/videoarchive/default.asp Fritz |
 There are several categories of electric Helis. You have the small micro ones for indoor or garden flight: mscomposit-usa.com/ The medium sized ones: www.helihobby.com/html/logo_helicopter_products.html And the performance machines: www.miniatureaircraftusa.com/store/product_kits/helicopter_kits/IonX/IonX.asp This one has the same power as a 90 sized glow powered heli. Price is still up there though: U$1500 for the heli with brushless motor, U$700 for the batteries. This does not include radio, gyro and battery charger. With the new Lithium-Polymer batteries the electric stuff is finally coming up to speed. Instead of flying for 5 minutes with Nicads, with LiPos you can expect 15+ minutes easy. The LiPos are still new and command a premium price but should get cheaper over the next year. For now, it is still recommended that you start with a glow powered, small or medium sized heli. The Raptor 50 is very popular and cheap same with the Sceado 50. www6.mailordercentral.com/heliproz/prodinfo.asp?number=403916PROSKU&variation=&aitem=8&mitem=102 www6.mailordercentral.com/heliproz/prodinfo.asp?number=101450PRO&variation=&aitem=3&mitem=102 Fritz  |
Just a question: How and why did you end up with an RC copy of a local milwaukee TV station's helicopter???? |
There are two fuselages that fit easily on a Raptor 50. The Augusta 109 and the Long Ranger. I picked the Long Ranger. Then I googled on Long Ranger News Heli pictures. A long list came up. I picked one that had a nice set of pictures available, wasn't already modeled by another pilot and looked good. The Milwaukee Ch4 News chopper was it. Dani, the pilot reeeeeally likes Laura, the Reporter.   Fritz |