By Bill Zydycryn

Learning to fly and build RC helicopters is very rewarding. Today more people are getting into the hobby either as first time helicopter pilots or fixed-wing pilots who have shown an interest in learning to fly RC helicopters. RC helicopters, electric or nitro need to be given the proper respect to keep your flying experience safe for you, the flightline, and observers at the field. Remember RC helicopters are not toys. You can get severely injured if you get careless!

So let’s discuss safety. It begins at the building stage of your helicopter kit. Most kits today contain written instructions with illustrations for each component in the building sequence. Some assemblies may require Loctite to keep them from vibrating loose. Make sure you do not overlook this important step. Cleaning the cap head screws with alcohol before assembly removes the oil residue from the screws and helps the Loctite bond more effectively.

Generally speaking, blue Loctite is recommended throughout the building process. Red Loctite should only be used for permanent bonding. If the instructions call for using nyloc nuts, you don’t need Loctite. Also substitute CA instead of Loctite when inserting cap head screws, set screws, or ball links into plastic. Loctite tends to make the plastic brittle.

Servo wiring: Keep your servo wiring as neat as possible, check your servo wire clearances around bellcranks, control rod linkages, etc. Avoid routing servo wires close to anything that is going to generate a lot of heat. Also, carbon fiber frames look cool but be careful how you run your wires through the side frame holes. The edges are sharp and can cut your wiring. Use plastic spiral wire wrap or tape for added protection. When you have multiple servo wires to bundle, use soft Velcro straps—avoid plastic tie wraps. Over time the vibration can create chafing on the servo wires directly beneath the tie wrap.

Gyros: If you are running a gyro or 3G flybar-less module, secure it (if you can) with a Velcro strap or a plastic tie wrap just in case the double-sided tape fails.

Receivers: Add a bead of clear silicone sealant across the top and bottom of all the servo wires that plug into the receiver. The silicone will help prevent any servo wire from backing out because of vibration.

Servo arms: If you are using metal gear servos, place a very small amount of Loctite on the machined screw that holds the servo arm onto the servo. You don’t want these screws backing out from vibration.

Flight controls: Once all your electronics are installed, check the movement of your swash plate, throttle, ailerons, elevator, pitch, and tail rotor. Make sure they are moving in the right direction in response to your stick commands.

Final build double check: Start at the top, front, or tail of the helicopter. Thoroughly check all Phillip head screws, set screws, ball links, cap head screws, etc. Retighten and Loctite anything you missed during the initial building phase. Check your receiver, gyro, speed controllers, governors, batteries/li-polys, and muffler to ensure everything is secure. Fit your canopy and make sure it does not interfere with any control rods, bellcranks, or servo wires, etc. When you think you have completed your model following the manufactures instructions and it’s your first build, don’t run out to the flying field or your backyard to attempt to hover or fly it. Have an experienced helicopter pilot check it out. It could save you money in repair costs, but more importantly it avoids potential injury to yourself and others.

Fail safe: Most of the popular helicopter and airplane transmitters today have a “FAIL SAFE” program built into the radio. The fail safe is designed to return your throttle to the idle position if you lose the signal to the receiver. But keep in mind you must manually activate this program and set an idle for each model you have stored in your radio!

Before you head to the field, make sure your onboard Nicad’s or Li-Polys are fully charged as well as your radio. If you are thinking about flying that old helicopter that has been sitting around for a while, check it for loose/cracked ball links, servo arms, and linkages. Replace with new ones. Clean your blades and look for any stress cracks, chips, or ripped covering, etc. Do not fly until the damaged blade or blades are replaced and rebalanced.

At the field: Prior to starting your helicopter in the pits, users of non-2.4GHz transmitters should put up a frequency pin and make sure your channel is clear before you turn on your transmitter. Do a range check. I repeat do a range check! Keep everything not needed to start your model a safe distance away. Avoid loose clothing. Take a look at your radio; make sure all switches are in the correct position for starting. Make sure you have selected the correct model you are about to start.

Starting the engine: Check to make sure your throttle stick is all the way down. Use your throttle trim to start your engine. Hold one blade grip firmly while you engage the starter and spin up the engine. Once you have a reliable idle you can head for the flightline, by either holding the throttle stick down with your thumb or engage the throttle hold switch on the transmitter (preferred method). The throttle hold switch is a flight mode that must be programmed by you (usually based on a % that corresponds to a specific engine idle setting for that model). The safety benefit of this feature is, should you accidentally bump your throttle stick to high throttle, your engine will remain at idle with no clutch engagement to the main shaft and rotor blades.

Getting ready to hover/fly: Keep a safe distance (25-30 feet) between you and the helicopter. Do not spool up your model at your feet. Avoid hovering at eye level for obvious safety reasons.

Other safety considerations: Do not fly alone. Keep a small first aid kit in your flight box. Never hold the helicopter by the skids with the blades spinning. Most of all use common

sense! Q