How to Build a Remote Controlled Helicopter
Model building has been around since before the 1950s and was primarily used in association with railroads. Soon the craft became a lot more than your run of the mill mustangs and spitfire planes but grew to the point of being able to build moving vehicles. These include monster trucks, speed boats, jets, prop planes and helicopters. This article will show you how to build a remote controlled helicopter.
Things You'll Need
- Helicopter kit
- Radio gear kit
- Gyro
- Precision knife
- Hobby paints
- Hobby brushes
- Airplane glue
- Tight bond glue
- Dremel tool
- Dremel tips and attachments
- Razor saw
- Straight tweezers
- Pliers
- Nut drivers
Instructions
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Assembling a Radio Controlled Helicopter
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1
Open the package and remove the parts and the instruction sheet. Look over the instructions and compare the parts list with the actual parts in front of you to make sure they are all there.
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2
Go over the parts and look for any damage or warping.
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3
Read over the instructions several times before beginning to assemble the helicopter.
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4
Remove the parts from the plastic trees and use the dremel tool to sand down any pieces of plastic that is left on them. Set them together by the phases in the instructions.
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5
Assemble the landing gear first to give the helicopter stability.
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6
Attach the radio kit to the servos of the helicopter and test the linkage by following the instructions.
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7
Install the gyro as indicated by the instructions making sure to tie down the wires to the frame.
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8
Mount the radio gear switches to the helicopter as far from the fuselage as possible.
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9
Affix the rotor blades 180 degrees apart on the rotor head then balance them by gradually tightening the nut. You want the blades to be somewhat loose and to have a seesaw look to them. You may need to apply tape to the blades to balance them out to perfection.
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10
Finish the helicopter by tightening screws, nuts and bolts. You can add paint and decals.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Go over all of the parts before flight to make sure all the screws, nuts and bolts are tight and secure.
Put colored tape around the different blades so you can tell them apart when in flight in case one does not look right.
Join a radio controlled flying club. You can get valuable tips, tricks and flight instruction.
When in doubt about the balance of the blades buy a blade balancer.
Never be over confident in your flying because you can easily lose your expensive kit.
Never fly your helicopter when your blades have visible balance.
Never fly in populated areas.
Always wait until the helicopter has completely stopped and the blades have stopped moving before attempting to pick it up.
