HeliHobby.com is your
 source for Remote Control
 RC Helicopters, products,  
 modifications and more.  
 Full Range of Nitro, Electric
 and Micro Helis in stock.
 

Informational > Tips and Tricks > R/C Helicopters Beginner’s guide

The Electric Helicopter Beginner's Guide


Be sure to check the terminology section at the end if you encounter terms
which you don't know, such as swashplate, collective pitch, etc.

Use this information at your own risk!

Electric Helicopter Beginner's Guide Index

1. How helicopters work
2. Things you should know before entering the r/c helicopter hobby
3. First helicopter selection guide
4. Recommended beginner configurations
5. Brushless motor upgrade paths
6. Helicopter parts selection
7. Support equipment
8. Simulators
9. Transmitters
10. Helicopter construction
11. Soldering technique
12. Basic setup
13. R/C helicopter rules/tips
14. Learning to fly - the steps
15. Tail-in hovering
16. Side-in and nose-in hovering
17. Additional orientation exercises
18. Transmitter idle-up setup for fast forward flight
19. Entering and exiting fast forward flight
20. Banked forward turns
21. Figure eights
22. Backwards flight
23. Banked backwards turns
24. Backwards exercises
25. Maintenance and crash repair
26. Troubleshooting common problems
27. Useful equations
28. Electric helicopter & parts vendors
29. Terminology

 
1. How helicopters work

A helicopter is basically a rock with a propeller. The only lift it
generates is from the main rotor, and it uses a tail rotor to avoid
yawing from the torque generated by the main rotor.

The main rotor is composed of: the main blades, the smaller blades
are called the flybar paddles (or subrotor in some cases), and the hub
which holds the blades and paddles to the main shaft.

Beneath the main rotor hub is a device called a swashplate which
is connected by linkages to the flybar and maybe the main blades.
The swashplate is a mechanical device which transmits the mechanical
position of the servos to the main rotor hub parts which are rotating.
It allows the cyclic servos which are on the helicopter body to change
the pitch of the flybar paddles and the main blades as the blades
rotate.

The antirotation pin and the antirotation arm keep the bottom part
of the swashplate from rotating while the top portion rotates along
with the main rotor.

The cyclic servos are controlled by the radio, and control the tilt
       (and for CCPM also the position) of the swashplate. There are usually
either two or three cyclic servos.

In a CCPM (Cyclic/Collective Pitch Mixing) system, the swashplate is
connected via series of mechanical linkages to the flybar and the main
rotor blade grips. The tilt of the swashplate controls the flybar
paddle attack angle as it rotates, and the height of the swashplate
as it slides up and down the main rotor shaft controls the angle of
attack of the main blades.

In a non-CCPM system (like the Piccolo CP), the swashplate is connected
only to the flybar, and a seperate series of linkages controls the
pitch of the main rotor blades. The tilt of the swashplate controls the
flybar attack angle as it rotates, and the swashplate does not slide
up and down the main rotor shaft.

In a fixed pitch system, the pitch of the main rotor blades cannot be
changed, so there are no linkages which control the pitch of the
main rotor blades.

The tail rotor prevents the helicopter body from yawing when the
helicopter motor drives the main rotor blades. The yaw varies as
the speed and pitch of the main blades change, so the amount of
tail rotor thrust is variable to compensate for this.

Some helicopters use a fixed rotation rate/variable pitch tail rotor
system where the tail is driven by the same motor as the main rotor
via a belt, wire or tube drive. A tail servo changes the pitch of the
tail rotor blades to increase or decrease the tail rotor thrust.

On other helicopters, the pitch of the tail blades is fixed but the
tail rotor blades are driven by a variable-speed electric motor
to provide the variable tail rotor thrust.

 
2. Before you enter the model helicopter hobby - things you should know.

a. Helicopters require a SIGNIFICANT TIME COMMITMENT to
   learn to fly.

   A helicopter is basically a radio-controlled UNICYCLE. It takes
   a lot of time to develop a good sense of balance and orientation.
   You will learn much faster if you can dedicate at least a half-hour
   a day to practicing on a flight simulator.

   In addition, helicopters require significant amounts of time to
   build and isolate/fix various problems like vibration, tail wag,
   and other problems that will develop.

b. Helicopters crash, and they are somewhat expensive to fix.

   Some helicopters are more durable than others, and some are
   much cheaper to fix - these are good trainers. But, you cannot
   expect to learn to fly without spending some money for repairs.
   Be sure to allocate some money for repairs.

c. It is really frustrating to learn how to hover.

   Eventually, something will "click" inside your head, and you will
   "get it". For some people, this occurs all of a sudden and
   everything makes sense. For other people it seems to be a more
   gradual process.

   Basically, helicopters suck horribly. Then you get your first hover,
   and it's an incredible headrush, and you're psyched for a whole week,
   and you're hooked. :)

 
3. First Helicopter Selection

a. The three things to consider when selecting your first helicopter
   are:

1. Durability
2. Price of replacement parts
3. Availability of replacement parts
4. Size

The reason for this is: when you are learning to hover, you will crash.
This is a given. Everyone crashes. When you crash, you do not want to
spend a fortune repairing the helicopter, because everyone has limited
funds. When you crash, you do not want to wait forever for replacement
parts, because every day you spend waiting for a part is a day you are
not flying the helicopter, and learning something.

Size is very important, because larger helis are more stable and easier
to hover. They have more inertia, so they move slower and they give more
warning of their intent. Micro helis are more difficult to hover because
they are very "skittish" and wander off in a new direction with very
little warning of their intent. Larger helis are not any easier to fly,
though.

If you live in an area like Seattle where it rains almost continuously
for nine months of each year, I would recommend a fixed-pitch Piccolo.
Otherwise the Lite Machines Corona is the best electric trainer
available today. The Corona is very stable and acts like a much
larger helicopter, so it is nearly ideal for learning hovering.

Be sure to purchase your helicopter from a shop that carries a full
line of replacement parts. When you are in are learning to hover it's
virtually guaranteed that you will crash a few times, and when you
do you will want replacement parts ASAP.

Also, GET A SIMULATOR. Even a free simulator such as FMS will save you
at least 100 dollars or so in replacement parts when learning hovering.

Recommended first heli choices:

a. Corona (very durable, easier to hover, inexpensive)
b. Logo 10 (durable, easier to hover, expensive)
c. ECO Piccolo / Piccolo Fun (very durable, hard to hover, inexpensive)
d. Skylark (also sold as Feda Dragonfly, Century Hummingbird,
   GWS Dragonfly, etc) (durable, hard to hover, inexpensive)
d. Voyager E (durable, easier to hover, expensive)

Not recommended for the first heli, but good for 2nd heli:

a. Hornet FP/CP (fragile)
b. ECO Lite/8/16 (somewhat fragile)
c. Logo 16/20 (expensive)
d. Joker / Joker CX (expensive)
f. etc

Overview of selected machines:

a. Lite Machines Corona

1. A very good trainer
2. Moderately inexpensive (retail about $180-$199)
3. Very durable
4. Manufacturer is in the US. Parts availability is very good.
5. 1250-1500 grams AUW, 610mm rotor diameter, 6-8 cells
6. large, moderate headspeed,
   easy to learn hovering - not indoors in small venues (gym ok)

b. Ikarus Fixed Pitch Piccolos (Fun or ECO)

1. Trainer, but harder to learn
   (probably 50% harder than Corona)
2. Inexpensive (Fun retail ~$90, ECO retail ~$140)
3. Fairly durable but landing gear is flimsy;
   requires reinforcement for beginners.
4. Manufacturer in Germany. Parts availability is good.
5. 280 grams AUW, 500mm main rotor diameter, 6-8 cells

The main differences between an ECO Piccolo and a Fun Piccolo
are:

1. The ECO Piccolo includes six ball beerings for the rotor
   head, the main shaft, and the tail shaft.
   The Fun Piccolo includes bushings instead.

2. The ECO Piccolo has CF main and tail rotor shafts.
   The Fun Piccolo has steel main and tail rotor shafts.
   The steel shafts run smoother than the CF shafts but they
   are somewhat heavier.

3. The ECO Piccolo includes tail motor connectors.
   The Fun Piccolo includes with no tail motor connectors, and
   the tail motor wires must be soldered directly to the
   Piccoboard or the ESC wires.

4. The ECO Piccolo has a very lightweight tail boom.
   The Fun Piccolo has a slightly heavier tail boom.

c. Ikarus Collective Pitch Piccolos (CP upgrade/Pro)

1. Medium to advanced flyers
2. Inexpensive (CP upgrade ~$99, Pro retail ~$199)
3. Fairly durable except for balsa main rotor blades (68213)
   pitch arm base (68211) and landing gear.
4. Manufacturer in Germany. Parts availability is good.
5. 330 grams AUW, 540mm rotor diameter, 8-9 AAA cells
6. small, high headspeed.
   Not recommended to fly in house - headspeed too dangerous.

d. Ikarus ECO Lite:

1. Only for experienced pilots - only does forward flight
2. Inexpensive (retail about $140)
3. Somewhat fragile, same weakness as ECO 8
4. Manufacturer in Germany. Parts availability spotty,
5. 1150 grams AUW, 760mm rotor diameter, 6-8 SubC cells
6. doesn't hover. Forward flight only.
   Difficult to learn to fly, outdoors only.

e. Ikarus ECO 8

1. Duration flying/slope soaring/moderate aerobatics capable
2. Moderately inexpensive (retail about $180)
3. Somewhat fragile - stock (non-hardened) main rotor shaft,
   feathering shaft and tail rotor shafts bend easily,
   frame and landing gear not very strong
4. Manufacturer in Germany. Parts availability spotty,
   up to 4 weeks wait time for some parts.
5. 1300-1500 grams AUW, 1060mm rotor diameter, 6-12 SubC cells
6. Large, high headspeed, easy to learn hovering, outdoors only

f. Ikarus ECO 16

1. Moderate to serious aerobatics capable
2. Moderately inexpensive (retail about $250)
3. Somewhat fragile - a little more than ECO 8 because
   using the same parts for heavier helicopter
4. Manufacturer in Germany. Parts availability spotty,
   up to 4 weeks wait time for some parts.
5. 2000 grams AUW, 1200mm rotor diameter, 12-20 SubC cells
6. Large, high headspeed, easy to learn hovering, outdoors only

g. Feda Skylark/Century Hummingbird/GWS Dragonfly

1. Trainer, but harder to learn
   (probably 50% harder than Corona)
2. Inexpensive - $80 for bare heli kit
3. Fairly durable, but rotor blades are stiffer?
   than Piccolo and are more easily destroyed.
4. Manufacturer in Taiwan?. Parts availability is good.
5. 280 grams AUW, 8 AAA cells
6. small, low headspeed, hard to learn hovering,
   - but can be flown indoors

h. JR Voyager E

1. Trainer/light aerobatics capable
2. Expensive (retail about $400 incl. motor,
             cannot buy without motor)
3. About average durability
4. Manufacturer in Japan. Parts availability very good.
5. 1500 grams AUW, 965mm rotor diameter, 7 SubC cells
6. large, high headspeed, easy to learn hovering, outdoors only

i. Kyosho Concept EP - discontinued?

1. Trainer/light aerobatics
2. Expensive (retail about $380 incl motor,
     cannot buy without motor)
3. About average durability
4. Manufacturer in Japan. Parts availability ?
5. 1500 grams AUW , 912mm rotor diameter, 7 SubC cells
6. large, high headspeed.
   Has weak power due to high disc loading.
   Flapping head version is very prone to boom strikes.

i. Mikado Logo 10

1. Trainer/moderate aerobatics capable
2. Expensive (retail about $340)
3. About average durability
4. Manufacturer in Germany. Parts availability okay.
5. ~2500 grams AUW, 1150mm rotor diameter, 10-14 SubC cells
6. large, high headspeed, easy to learn hovering, outdoors only

j. Mikado Logo 20

1. Serious aerobatics capable
2. Expensive (retail about $470)
3. About average durability
4. Manufacturer in Germany. Parts availability okay.
5. >3000 grams AUW, 1340mm rotor diameter, 20-24 SubC cells
6. large, high headspeed, easy to learn hovering, outdoors only

k. MS Composit Hornet FP

1. Moderate aerobatics capable
2. Inexpensive (retail about $150)
3. Fragile
4. Manufacturer in Germany. Parts availability okay.
5. 280 grams AUW, 490mm rotor diameter, AAA 7-8 cells
6. small, low headspeed, hard to learn hovering,
   - but can be flown indoors

l. MS Composit Hornet CP

1. Moderate to serious aerobatics capable
2. Inexpensive (retail about $200)
3. Fragile
4. Manufacturer in Germany. Parts availability okay.
5. 280 grams AUW, 490mm rotor diameter, 7-8 AAA cells
6. small, high headspeed, hard to learn hovering,
   - but can be flown indoors

m. MS Composit Hornet II

1. Moderate to serious aerobatics capable
2. Inexpensive (retail about $250)
3. Fragile, but more durable than Hornet FP/CP
4. Manufacturer in Germany. Parts availability okay.
5. 330 grams AUW, 560mm rotor diameter, 7-8 AAA cells
6. small, high headspeed, hard to learn hovering,
   - but can be flown indoors

n. Robbe Eolo-R22

1. Moderate aerobatics capable
2. Expensive (retail about $300)
3. About average durability
4. Manufacturer in German?, parts availability okay
5. 1280g AUW, 810mm rotor diameter, 8 SubC cells
6. large, high headspeed, easy to learn hovering, outdoors only

o. Quick Quick EP 10

1. Moderate aerobatics capable
2. Inexpensive (retail about $250)
3. About average durability
4. Manufacturer in USA. Parts availability good?
5. ??? grams AUW, 880-950mm rotor diameter, 10-14 SubC cells
6. large, high headspeed, easy to learn hovering, outdoors only

p. Quick Sweet 16 EP

1. Moderate to advanced aerobatics capable
2. Expensive (retail about $400)
3. About average durability
4. Manufacturer in USA. Parts availability good?
5. ??? grams AUW, 1060-1080mm rotor diameter, 16-24 SubC cells
6. large, high headspeed, easy to learn hovering, outdoors only

 
4. Recommended beginner configurations

These are configurations for beginners, and therefore we tend to
recommend inexpensive and mild setups rather than excessively
"hot" 3-D setups.

Note: Do not run R/C car-type "Speed 540" brushed motors (Atomic Force,
Fusion 7, etc) on more than 8 cells. Most R/C/ car motors are not
designed for more than 8 cells, and running them with more cells
will kill the motor after only a few flights.

a. Corona - brushed configuration

1. Kyosho Atomic Force brushed motor w/stock pinion
2. Castle Creations Pegasus 35H or 35P main ESC
                   (older Pegasus 35 has too high LVC)
3. 2 Hitec HS-85MGs for cyclic
4. 1 Hitec HS-81 for tail
5. Futaba GY240 HH gyro
6. 4 channel receiver
7. 7 or 8 cell SubC battery pack

b. Corona - brushless configuration

1. Mega Motors 16/15/3 brushless motor w/stock pinion
2. Castle Creations Phoenix 35 main ESC
3. 2 Hitec HS-85MGs for cyclic
4. 1 Hitec HS-81 for tail
5. Futaba GY240 HH gyro
6. 4 channel receiver
7. 7 or 8 cell SubC battery pack

c. FP Piccolo - brushed + Piccoboard

1. Stock Speed 295/310 motor
2. Piccoboard or Piccoboard Plus
3. 2 HS-50s (or HS-55s) for cyclic
4. GWS or Berg 4-channel receiver
5. 7 cell NiCad or NiMH battery pack

d. FP Piccolo - brushed - separates

1. Stock Speed 295/310 motor
2. 2 Castle Creations Pixie-7P main/tail ESC
   (or GWS ICS-100E main and ICS-50E tail ESC)
3. 2 HS-50s (or HS-55s) for cyclic
4. Futaba GY240 or CSM HLG200 HH gyro
5. GWS or Berg 4-channel receiver
6. 7 cell NiCad or NiMH battery pack

e. FP Piccolo - brushless - separates

1. Hacker B20-36S brushless motor w/8 tooth pinion
2. Castle Creations Phoenix 10 main ESC
3. 2 HS-50s (or HS-55s) for cyclic
4. Pixie-7P or ICS-50E tail ESC
5. Futaba GY240 or CSM HLG200 HH gyro
6. GWS or Berg 4-channel receiver
7. 7 cell NiCad or NiMH battery pack

f. CP Piccolo or Pro - brushless - separates

1. Hacker B20-31S brushless motor w/8 tooth pinion
   (for power) or
   Hacker B20-36S brushless motor w/10 tooth pinion
   (for duration)
2. Castle Creations Phoenix 10 main ESC
3. Pixie-7P or ICS-50E tail ESC
4. 2 HS-50s (or HS-55s) for cyclic
5. Futaba GY401 or CSM HLG200 HH gyro
6. GWS 6-channel receiver
7. 8 cell NiCad or NiMH battery pack

g. Logo 10 - brushless

1. Kontronik FUN 600-18 w/15 tooth pinion
2. Schulze Future 12.46e
3. 3 HS-85s for cyclic
4. HS-81 for tail
5. Futaba GY240 or GY401 HH gyro
6. 6 channel receiver
7. 12 cell NiCad battery pack

h. ECO 8 - brushed

1. Kyosho Magnetic Mayhem Reverse brushed motor
2. Castle Creations Pegasus 35
3. 3 HS-85MGs for cyclic
4. HS-81 for tail
5. Futaba GY240 or GY401 HH gyro
6. 6 channel receiver
7. 8 cell NiCad battery pack
   (The MMR can run with 10 cells also)

i. ECO 8 - brushless

1. Hacker B50-18S or Mega Motor 22/20/3H motor
2. Schulze Future 12.46e
3. 3 HS-85MGs for cyclic
4. HS-81 for tail
5. Futaba GY240 or GY401 HH gyro
6. 6 channel receiver
7. 10 cell NiCad battery pack (will fly on 8 cells brushless,
   but much better with 10 cells)

 
5. Brushless motor upgrade paths

You may want to choose a brushless motor which is usable in both
your first fixed pitch helicopter and your second collective pitch
helicopter. This is a little tricky but definitely possible if you
plan wisely.

In the following section, 10-12T means "10 tooth to 12 tooth pinion".
The lower tooth pinions are for duration, and the higher ones are
for power.

Corona upgrade paths:

There are three possible upgrade paths from the Corona: the ECO 8,
the Eolo, and the Voyager E. All of these helicopters can use 3.17mm
shaft motors in approximately the same Kv range as the Corona.

a. Corona motors usable in an ECO 8

This requires choosing a 3.17mm shaft motor with a Kv of about
2400-2600. This results in a mild motor for the Corona, which
becomes a power motor when moved to the ECO 8 on 10 cells.
If you desire to use a Corona motor which will become a duration
ECO 8 motor, then you will need a motor with a lower Kv (about
2200-2400) and use a larger tooth pinion on the Corona.

A motor with 3000 Kv is usable on an ECO 8 with 8 cells, but
not really recommended for 10 cells.

Hacker C40-10L, Kv = 3000 rpm/V (Corona: 11-12T,
 ECO 8 - 8 cells: 10T)
Hacker C40-12L, Kv = 2500 rpm/V (Corona: 12-13T,
 ECO 8 - 8 cells: 12-14T
 ECO 8 - 10 cells: 10-12T)

b. Corona motors usable in a Eolo

This requires choosing a 3.17mm shaft motor with a Kv of about 3300.
This results in a power motor for both the Corona and the Eolo.
The mEga 16/15/3 is fairly mild for both Corona and the Eolo.

Mega 16/15/3,  Kv = 3000 rpm/V (Corona: 10T, Eolo: ?)
Hacker C40-12S, Kv = 3500 rpm/V (Corona: 10T, Eolo: stock pinion)
Hacker C40-9L, Kv = 3333 rpm/V (Corona: 10T, Eolo: stock pinion)
                                  
c. Corona motor usable in a Voyager E

This requires choosing a 3.17mm shaft motor with a Kv of about 3700.
This results in a power motor for both the Corona and the Voyager.
You must be careful to limit the throttle on the Corona because
the maximum headspeed of 2000 will be exceeded if the throttle is
not limited.

Hacker C40-8L, Kv = 3750 (Corona: 10T, Voyager: stock pinion)

Piccolo upgrade paths:

The FP Piccolo requires a motor with a Kv of about 2500.
There are two upgrade paths available: the Piccolo CP kit or the
Piccolo Pro, wich both require a motor with a Kv of about 3000.
The B20-31S and B20-18L have a Kv that's a little too high for
an FP Piccolo so the flight time will be short, but they will
be powerful later in a CP Piccolo.

B20-36S, Kv = 2500 (FP Piccolo: 8T, CP Piccolo: 10T)
B20-31S, Kv = 3000 (FP Piccolo: 8T, CP Piccolo: 8T)
B20-18L, Kv = 3000 (FP Piccolo: 8T, CP Piccolo: 8T)

 
6. Helicopter Parts Selection

a. Gyros

A heading hold gyro is highly recommended for beginners.
There are two reasons for this:

1. A heading hold gyro is much easier to configure than a yaw rate gyro.
           The yaw rate gyro requires the revo mix curve to be set up correctly
   before learning hovering, and this is tricky to set up for beginners.

2. The heading hold gyro will "lock" the tail at one heading rather
   than just dampening random tail movement. This is very good because
   you only need to learn two joystick axes initally instead of three.
   This means you can learn the right joystick first, then learn
   the left joystick later (for mode 2) instead of trying to learn
   both joysticks simultaneously. This makes learning hovering much,
   much, easier.

The GY240 is a very popular beginner gyro and is very easy to setup.
Also, the GY240 does not require a sensitivity channel and therefore
can be used with four-channel radios. However, it does have a very
slow pirouette rate and you will eventually outgrow it.

The GY401 is a more advanced gyro with many adjustment options.
It requires a dedicated channel for sensitivity adjustment so it
requires a radio with at least five channels. Also, the sensitivity
is a little tricky to set up properly.

The CSM HLG200 seems to be more difficult to set up than the GY240
so is probably less suitable for beginners. In particular, it has
a tendency to drift left or right if not configured properly, which
will mean your helicopter will slowly change orientation which makes
hovering difficult.

The inexpensive Hobbico gyro is NOT recommended for beginners.
It is a yaw rate gyro, which makes hovering difficult for beginners.
Also, it is very fragile and there are many reports of it breaking
on the first heli crash from only 1.5 feet of altitude.

The Piccoboard used on the Piccolo is a single board with the following
items:

1. Yaw rate gyro (upgradeable to heading hold on the Piccoboard Plus)
2. Revo mixer
3. Main motor ESC
4. Tail motor ESC
5. BEC

The older versions of the Piccoboard had extremely fragile gyro
sensors and are not recommended for beginners. Supposedly the
recent ones are more durable. For more detailed information on the
various versions of the Piccoboard, consult Paul Goelz's Piccolo site.

The Piccoboard is not necessary for the Piccolo, and can be replaced
by either:

1. a standard gyro + two ESCs (w/BEC)
   (requires revo mixing on transmitter)

2. a heading hold gyro + two ESCs (w/BEC) + transmitter
           (no revo mix required on transmitter for this configuration)

If you use two ESCs with BECs, don't forget to disable one of the
BECs on one of the ESCs otherwise they may "fight" each other and
overheat causing BEC failure.

b. FMA Copilot

Some people have been using the FMA copilot on their Corona heli.
This is a device which will "level" the helicopter for you
if you release (center) the cyclic control. It will not work
indoors because it needs to see the horizon to work properly.
It does not replace a gyro, so you will still need a gyro.

The FMA copilot is nice, but really isn't really necessary unless
you are having problems learning hovering. If you have a limited
budget, then it is more important to buy a good heading hold gyro
than the FMA copilot.

Also, you will likely outgrow the FMA copilot after a few months
and remove it whereas you will not outgrow a good heading hold gyro.
Therefore I recommend buying a good heading hold gyro first, and
purchasing an FMA copilot later if you become frustrated with
learning hovering.

c. Tail (rudder) servo

The tail servo for a helicopter needs to be very fast to respond
quickly to small random tail movements. The tail servo should have a
specification of 0.12 sec / 60 degrees of travel or better.

For the Corona, Logo 10, and ECO 8/16, some usable tail servos are:

1. Hitec HS-81
2. JR DS368(do not use in DS mode, will burn out)
3. Volz Speed-Maxx XP(DS mode compat,
will be released about Oct 2003)
4. Multiplex Micro BB Speed(DS mode compat)
5. Hitec HS-5245MG(DS mode compat)

The Multiplex Micro BB Speed is slightly larger than the HS-81/DS368
so some modification may be required to use it.

For the Logo 10 or larger, the Futaba S9253 is very popular used with
the GY401, although the S9253 is rather heavy for the Logo 10.

Some servo mounts will allow you to use high-speed micro servos for
the tail pitch servo, such as the HeliHobby tail servo mount for the ECO 8/16.

The metal gear servos are not recommended for the tail because the
metal gear servos wear faster and have more backlash than plastic gear
servos, which will result in less precise tail control (with the
exception of the Volz Speed-Maxx XP which is specifically designed for
tail pitch control)

The slower digital servos (such as the JR DS368, 0.21 sec/60 degrees)
do not work well as a tail servo unless the stock servo arms are
replaced by extra-long servo arms (Du-bro, Servo City, etc). This
sacrifices some precision for extra speed.

JR does not recommend the DS3421 for tail gyros because the servo motor
is too small to handle the frequent movement required.

Gyros are sensitive to temperature changes. If you car is warm, the
weather is cold and you take your heli out of the car and immediately
try to fly, the gyro will not work well. You should allow a few minutes
for the gyro temperature to settle before flying.

d. Swashplate (Cyclic) servos

Torque, speed, and precision should be considered for swashplate servos.

The Corona works fine on the stock HS-81 servos, although some people
choose to use the HS-85BBs for more torque.

The ECO 8/16 require a servo no taller than 1.1 inches, so this limits
servo choices considerably.

Corona/ECO 8/16 choices:

1. JR 341              (0.22 secs/60 degrees, 32 oz-in)
2. JR 351              (0.22 secs/60 degrees, 32 oz-in)
3. HS-81               (0.11 secs/60 degrees, 36 oz-in)
4. HS-85MG/BB+         (0.16 secs/60 degrees, 42 oz-in)
5. Volz Micro-Maxx     (0.16 secs/60 degrees, 55 oz-in)
6. Volz Micro-Maxx XP  (0.16 secs/60 degrees, 66 oz-in)
7. JR DS368

The Logo 10 uses servos from 1.1 inches to 1.3 inches tall, so
it can use all the servos used in the ECO 8/16 except the
servos with less torque are not suitable. Probably 42 oz-in of
torque is a reasonable minimum requirement for a Logo 10.

Logo 10 choices:

1. HS-85MG/BB+         (0.16 secs/60 degrees, 42 oz-in)
2. JR 341              (0.23 secs/60 degrees, 42 oz-in)
3. Futaba S3102        (0.25 secs/60 degrees, 51 oz-in)
4. JR DS368
5. Multiplex Micro BB?

I've been told the Volz servos are too deep to fit into the Logo 10
frame, so they are supposedly not usable for the Logo 10.

For the Piccolos, the most popular choices seem to be the Hitec HS-50
and the HS-55.

If you use ANY digital servos, see the BEC section for more info.

The HS-81s and HS-85BBs can be upgraded HS-81MGs and HS-85MGs by
replacing the plastic gears with the metal gears from the MG
version, which are available at many places (Servocity, etc).

e. Receiver

If you are using a gyro without remote sensitivity (like the GY240)
then you only need a five channel receiver with channels 1-4 and 6.
If your gyro has a remote sensitivity adjustment (like the GY401) then
you will need a six channel receiver with channels 1-6.

For a Piccolo you can use a Piccoboard instead.  The Piccoboard is a
tiny board with a yaw-rate gyro and two brushed ESCs, one for the
main motor and one for the tail motor.

The Piccoboard Plus is the same except it can be upgraded to
heading hold with a heading hold module. I haven't tried this, but
people have mentioned the GY240 works better than the HH module.

f. Motor

There are many, many motors available, but only a few are suitable
for each helicopter. This is because the rpm/V or the Kv of the motor
is very important due to the fixed gearing ratio of the drive system.

A quick guide to suitable inrunner motors is to allocate 10-15% of
the helicopter's AUW to the motor So, the inrunner motors suitable
for an ECO 8 (AUW ~1600 grams) will be between 160-240 grams in
weight.

Outrunner motors can be lighter because they are more efficient
at dissipating heat. For outrunner motors, it is only necessary
to allocate about 7-10% of the helicopter's AUW for the motor.

Motors are listed from mild to powerful. Please note that I have no
experience with most of these motors therefore the ordering should
only be considered a rough guide, and not absolute oracle. In general
the lower Kv motors with a larger pinion are milder and better for
duration flying, and the higher Kv motors with smaller pinions are
better for sport/aerobatic flying.

Be sure to use a heatsink on your motor. The neodymium magnets used
in most brushless motors will demagnetize if heated above 200 degrees
Fahrenheit. So, a heatsink is a very good idea to prevent your motor
from overheating.

The Hacker C40/C50 series is the same as the B40/B50 series except the
C40/C50 series has a built-in heatsink so no additional heatsink is
necesary. The Hacker B40/B50 series require an additional heatsink
available for $15.

The Mega 16/15/x series can use the Hacker B40 heatsink, and the
Mega 22/20/3H has a shaft extension for mounting a 5mm prop adapter
for cooling.

Most speed-540 size motors (36mm diameter) can use either the
Hacker B50 heatsink or a R/C car motor heatsink depending on
available clearance.

For more info on motors and pinion sizes, I recommend searching the
rcgroups electric helicopter and micro helicopter forums for people's
opinions on various motor and pinion combinations.

For the Corona:

Ideal Kv: 2700-3000 rpm/V

o Kyosho Atomic Force (brushed) mild
o Mega Motor ACn16/15/4 (brushless) mild
o Mega Motor ACn16/15/3 (brushless) mild
o Hacker C40-12S (brushless) powerful
o Astroflight 020 helicopter motor (4 turn) (brushless) ???

Note: All the brushless motors are good for duration in the Corona.
10+ minute flights are possible with careful power management.

For the FP Piccolo:

Ideal Kv: 1800-2000 rpm/V

o Astro Flight Astro 010 (brushless) mild
o Team Orion Modified Elite (brushed) powerful
o Hacker B20-36S (brushless) (8T pinion) powerful
o Model Motors ACn1215/20 (brushless) powerful

Note: The Astro 010 is very good for long flights.
 
For the CP Piccolo:

Ideal Kv: 2700-3000 rpm/V

o Hacker B20-36S (brushless) (10T pinion) mild
o Astro Flight Astro 010/14T (brushless) mild
o Team Orion Modified Elite (brushed) powerful
o Hacker B20-31S (brushless) (8T pinion) powerful
o Hacker B20-18L (brushless) (8T pinion) powerful
o Model Motors ACn1215/20 (brushless) powerful
o Astro Flight Astro 010/10T (brushless) powerful?

Note: The B20-36S is good for duration flights.
         The B20-18L is good for aerobatics.

For the ECO 8:

Ideal Kv:

3.17 mm shaft motors: 2200-2600 rpm/V
5.00 mm shaft motors: 1600-2000 rpm/V

o Magnetic Mayhem (brushed) mild
o Hacker C40-13L (brushless) mild, good for duration
o Aveox 27/30/1.5 (brushless) ???
o Aveox 36/15/1.5 (brushless) ???
o Ikarus X-250-4H (brushless) mild, discontinued
o Hacker C40-14S (brushless, 8 cells/9-10T) mild
o Hacker C40-12L (brushless, 8 cells/12-13T, 10 cells/10-11T)
o Ikarus H8 (brushless) ???
o Hacker B50-18S (brushless, 8 cells/14-19T, 10 cells/13-15T) powerful
o Hacker B50-22S (brushless, 10 cells/16T, 12 cells/13T)
o Hacker B50-15L (brushless) powerful
o Hacker C40-10L (brushless) powerful
o Mega Motor ACn22/20/3H (brushless) powerful
o Kontronik 500-19 (brushless) powerful
o Hacker B50-13L (brushless) very powerful
o Plettenberg Orbit 15-14 (brushless, 1220 rpm/V) powerful
o Lehner Basic 2400 XL (brushless) ???
o Lehner Basic 2800 XL (brushless) ???
o Hacker B50-11L (brushless) insanely powerful
  (requires very good matched batteries)

Best inexpensive motor for ECO 8:

Mega Motor ACn22/20/3H

Best overall motors for ECO 8:

Hacker B50-15L
Plettenberg Orbit 15-14 (10 cells/23-24T)

Note: The C50 motors will NOT fit in an ECO frame.
         The smaller motors (C40, etc) may overheat in
         warm weather (70+F) so be careful.

For the Logo 10:

5.00 mm shaft motors: 1800-2000 rpm/V

o Aveox 36/24/2 (brushless) ???
o Hacker B/C50-15L (brushless) mild
o Kontronik Fun 600-15 (brushless) powerful
o Hacker B/C50-13L (brushless) powerful
o Plettenberg Orbit 15-16 (brushless, 1070 rpm/V) ???
o Plettenberg Orbit 15-14 (brushless, 12 cells, 17T) ???
o Hacker B/C50-11L (brushless) super powerful
  (requires very good matched batteries)
o Kontronik Fun 600-18 (brushless) very powerful

Recommended:

Plettenberg Orbit 15-14 (12 cells/17-21T)
Plettenberg Orbit 15-16 (14 cells/17-21T)
Hacker C50-13L (12 cells/13-17T)

For the Eolo:

o Hacker C40-9L (brushless, 8 cells/18T)
o Hacker C40-8L (brushless, 8 cells/??T)


If you choose a brushless motor, then an autorotation gear is highly
recommended. Most brushless motors have extremely high torque so when
the motor spools down, the "braking" effect will be very strong. This
will very likely break the main gear teeth if you do not have an
autorotation gear. The only exception to this is the Corona; the
main gear on it is very tough and can handle a brushless motor
without an autorotation gear.

The older sensored Aveox motors (12xx and 14xx series) are only rated
to 20,000 rpm, and the JETI motors are only rated to 15,000 rpm.
You must be careful not to exceed these rotational speeds otherwise
the rotor may eject a magnet (e.g. "throw a magnet").
Therefore, I do not recommend these motors for helicopter use.

The better motors such as the newer Aveox, MEGAs, Hackers are typically
rated for 50k-70k rpm, which makes them a better choice for helicopter
applications.

The Model Motors AXI series (outrunner) is not recommended. The motor
seems to have problems with the rotor wobbling and touching the stator
windings which burns out both the motor and the ESC. There are also
some reports that the magnets are not epoxied very well to the rotor
and may shift position.

The choice of a motor with a proper Kv for your helicopter is very
important, because most motor ESCs are not efficient when running
at much less than 90% throttle. If you run an ESC continuously
at low throttle, the ESC will probably overheat. Therefore, you
should select a motor + pinion combination that will allow the
motor ESC to run at 90-95% throttle for best efficiency.

Pole counts for motors are unfortunately difficult to find, and
are necessary to program some ESCs correctly. Here are the pole
counts that I have managed to find:

Hacker: 2 pole
Kontronik: 2 pole
Lehner: 2 pole
Mega 22/x/x: 6 pole
Plettenberg: 2, 4, and 6 pole

Check the length of your motor mounting screws before mounting!
If they go too deep into the motor they will short out a winding
which will damage the motor. Even worse, if you try to run a motor
with a shorted winding, it will burn out the ESC. So test the screw
length by screwing it into the motor with your fingers before
mounting in the frame.

Most brushless motors  use neodymium magnets. These magnets will lose
their magnetization when operated at temperatures over 70C/158F
to 120C/248F depending on magnet type. Therefore, it is important
to keep the motor temperature below about 150F to avoid demagnetizing
the motor magnets.

Some brushless motors use samarium cobalt magnets (Astroflight, etc).
These magnets will lose their magnetization above 250C/482F,
so overheating is less of a concern with these magnets.

g. Wire

(The Corona kit does not need extra wire if using the Fusion 35,
 Pegasus 35, or Phoenix 35 controller)

The motor and battery wires are especially important on an electric
helicopter. If the wires are too then, then your helicopter will
have less power because power is lost overcoming the resistance of the
wire and the wire will become very hot.

For an Corona, ECOs, and Logos, you will need good quality 12-14 gauge
wire for the motor and battery leads. These wires will work well:

Castle Creations W13RB (13 gauge)
Astroflight wire       (13 gauge)
W.S. Dean's Ultra Wire (12 gauge)
Team Orion 12 gauge

The 12 gauge is very heavy and only recommended for extreme flying
and/or larger helicopters with high current draw (>30 amps). The
13 gauge wire should suffice for most types of flying.

For the Piccolos and Hornets, you will need good quality 20-22 gauge
wire for the motor and battery leads. This wire works well:

Castle Creations W20RB (20 gauge)

Sometimes wire is sold as "square mm cross-section" instead of AWG.
Here is a quick table for conversion:

1.5 sq. mm15 AWG
2.5 sq. mm13 AWG
4.0 sq. mm11 AWG

h. Battery Connectors

Heavy-duty battery connectors are recommended to minimize power loss.
The following connectors work well for the Corona/ECO/Logo:

4mm gold-plated Corally "bullet" connectors
Astroflight "Zero-Loss" 50 amp connectors
W.S. Deans Ultra connectors
W.S. Deans micro connectors (micro helis)
JST BEC connectors (micro helis)

If you use the 4mm bullet connectors, you may want to use one male and
one female plug on the battery otherwise you may plug in the ESC
backwards, which will definitely damage it.

The Astroflight connectors are expensive but they are polarized and
of extremely high quality and highly recommended.

These connectors may have some problems:

Anderson's PowerPoles
Sermos Connectors
Tamiya connectors

The Tamiya connectors do not handle high current well. They will become
very, very hot when conducting large amounts of current.
Unfortunately, these connectors are supplied with Corona kits.
It is highly recommended to replace these connectors.

Some people do use Powerpoles or Sermos with helis, but evidently some
ESC manufacturers are claiming these connectors have problems.
There has been a report of Schulze refusing to honor a controller
warranty due to the usage of Powerpole connectors.
Also, Rumrunner Hobbies' webpage states:

"Lehner/BK warrantee does NOT Warranty (and is not limited to):
 ...
 If Sermos, Powerpole, or Tamyia style connectors are used in the
 application."

Also mentioned:

"When connecting your new LMT controller to your batteries be sure
 to use Deans style connectors or 4mm Gold connectors (gold connectors
 are for racers only). Other connectors such as Sermos, Powerpole,
 and Tamiya connectors can NOT be used and WILL VOID your warrantee.
 These style connectors have a tendency to arch (sic) and or spark as
 your vehicle is in motion. They also have a much higher resistance
 factor. If the connector does arch (sic) during operation of your
 vehicle it will short out the motherboard and render your controller
 useless!"

i. ESC

If you plan to use a brushed motor, you will need a brushed motor ESC.

If you plan to use a sensored brushless motor (like the Ikarus X-250-4H)
then you can use either a sensorless or sensored brushless motor
controller.  For the sensorless brushless motor controller, the sensor
wires (connector) from the motor will not be connected to anything
because the sensors are not required by the controller.

The sensored brushless motors may need to be sent back to the motor
factory to reverse the motor direction if your rotor head is spinning
in the wrong direction. Therefore, I recommend avoiding sensored
brushless motors unless you already know the timing is for the desired
direction of rotation.

If you plan to use a sensorless brushless motor, you will need a
sensorless brushless motor controller. This motor type is not usable
with a sensored brushless motor controller (such as the older Schulze
Booster-40b).

In order to use an ESC for a helicopter, it needs to have the following
characteristics (or else have these functions programmable):

1. No brake
2. No reverse
3. Slow start-up
4. No low voltage cutoff or programmable very low voltage cutoff
   (As low as possible, must be 0.7 volts/cell or less)

Most airplane ESCs are not suitable for helicopters because they
include a brake and have a fairly high low-voltage cutoff.

The JETI Micoprocessor (red label series) is not suitable for helis
because the throttle control is not smooth and is rather "steppy".
The Advance (blue label series) is supposedly better, but nobody
I know has tried this.

Some ESCs have an optocoupler (usually called OPTO) instead of a BEC.
The optocoupler electrically isolates the ESC from the control signal
which reduces the possibility of interference from the external BEC.

For the Piccolo, the following work:

Pixie-7P (brushed)
Schulze Future 11.20e (brushless, rather heavy)
Castle Creations Phoenix 10 (brushless, very light)
Piccoboard/Piccoboard Plus/Piccoboard Pro
 
For the Corona, the following work:

Castle Creations Pegasus 35 (brushed)
Castle Creations Phoenix 35 (brushless)
Hacker Master 40-3P (brushless, do not use the BEC on this ESC
                             because the ESC will overheat on 3 servos?)

For the ECO 8/16, the following work:

Schulze Future 12.46k
Schulze Future 18.46k
Hacker Master 40-3P Heli

For the Logo 10, the following work:

Kontronik Beat 55-6-18
Schulze Future 18.46K
Do not use the SMILE in the Logo 10 - it tends to burn out!!!
The Hacker Masters seem to burn out in the Logo 10 as well due
to ESD problems.

The Castle Creations Phoenix works fine in the Piccolos and the Corona
but does not work well in the ECO 8/Logo 10 and larger helis. The
current version of the firmware has a problem in two areas:

1) The soft start doesn't work properly. It may kick your heli
   around 180 degrees and/or tip your heli over.

2) The governor mode doesn't work properly with a heading hold gyro.
   The RPMs will go up and down even when hovering, which makes the
   tail wag back and forth.

Therefore, the Phoenix is not suitable for larger helicopters until
these firmware bugs are fixed.

j. BEC (battery eliminator circuit)

If your heli uses up to 10 cells and uses only analog servos,
then you can use the BEC which is included on many ESCs such as
the Schulze Future 12.46k and the Castle Creations Phoenix 35.

If you are using more than 10 cells on a helicopter such as the
Logo 16/20 or ECO 16, then you must use a BEC which is designed for
more than 10 cells.

Currently there are two popular BECs. The first is the Kool Flight
Systems Ultimate BEC, also called the UBEC. This is a large 20 gram BEC
which can deliver 3 amps continuous. There are two models for 5 volt
use, one for up to 29 cells and other for up to 36 cells.

The second is the Firmtronics SBEC. This is a very small 11 gram BEC
which can deliver up to 2.5 amps continuous and can work with up to
40 cells.

If you are using any digital servos, then you will need to check the
ESC's onboard BEC amperage rating. Most ESC BECs are rated for only
1 or 1.5 amps which is insufficient to run a digital servo + 3 analog
servos. One digital servo with three regular servos can easily
draw well over one amp, so if your ESC's built-in BEC is rated for only
one amp, you will definitely need to use an external BEC.

If you use a one amp BEC with digital servos, it will probably overheat
during flight and shut down. This will cause you to lose control of
the helicopter and it will crash.

To use an external BEC with an ESC which already has a BEC, then you
will need to disable the built-in BEC of the ESC. To do this, check if
the ESC has one or two plugs which plug into the receiver.

If the ESC has two plugs (like the Schulze Future 12.46e), then one of
the plugs will have three wires and the other will have only two wires.
The plug with only two wires is the BEC plug. If you do not connect
this plug to the receiver, then the ESC's onboard BEC will be disabled.

If the ESC has only one plug (like the Castle Creations Phoenix series)
then the plug will have three wires and the middle wire should be red.
Either pull this red wire out of the connector and tape it with
electrical tape to prevent it from touching other wires or use a servo
extension with the red wire pulled out and taped. This will disable
the onboard BEC of this type of ESC.

k. Batteries

Helicopters need batteries that can deliver high current. If you use
cheap batteries, your helicopter will likely not fly well. The Sanyo
CP2400 and RC2400s are the best choices for beginners on 1-2kg helis
because they are reasonably priced and can discharge at high rates.

NiMH batteries are usually higher capacity but deliver less current
than Nicad batteries, so they are better suited for duration flying.
The one exception is the Sanyo HR-SC which is a NiMH battery specially
built for high current drain which performs slightly better than the
CP2400/RC2400 (HR-SCs must be used immediately after charging for best
results).

NiMH batteries require about 5 charge/discharge cycles to reach full
capacity. They work best immediately after charging - if you allow
them to sit and cool off they will not work as well.

Both Nicad and NiMH battery packs should be slow-charged on the first
charge to ensure all cells in the pack will reach a full charge.
If this is not done, the cells in the pack may be at different states
of a charge and the pack may never fully charge properly.

If you notice a big drop in capacity in your battery packs after a
few months of use, this is probably due to the cells in the pack
having different states of charge. If this happens, you should try
to "rebalance" the cells in the pack by slow charging them at C/20 for
24 hours. This will usually restore the pack to full capacity.
This should only be done for Nicad and NiMH packs, and not for other
battery types such as Li-ion or LiPoly.

Your batteries will last much longer if you do not allow them to
become too hot, because the primary cause of battery failure is the
deterioration of the separator which is accelerated by higher
temperatures. Therefore, you should allow your battery packs to cool
a little after use before charging them again.

The batteries known to work well are:

(milliohms is a measure of internal resistance; LOWER IS BETTER)

Corona / Logo 10/16/20 / ECO 8/16:

Sanyo CP1700SCR(NiCad 1700 maH, 5.5 milliohms)
Sanyo CP2400(NiCad 2400 maH, 4.5 milliohms)
Sanyo RC2400(NiCad 2400 maH, 3.2 milliohms)
Panasonic HHR300SCU(NiMH 3000 maH)
Panasonic RC-3300HV(NiMH 3300 maH, 5.0 milliohms)
Sanyo HR-SC(NiMH 2600 maH, 4.0 milliohms)

Piccolo:

Sanyo HR-AAAU(NiMH 720 maH, 30 milliohms)
PowerEx AAA NiMH
HECELL AAA NiMH

If you are buying batteries not on this list, then you should ask
the manufacturer for the internal resistance of the cells. If the
batteries do not have an internal resistance as low as the cells
on this list, then it is probably not suitable for helicopter use.

If you intend to fly aerobatics, do NOT use commercial battery packs.
Most of them use a flat springy metal to connect the battery terminals
and the springy metal will melt at high (50-60+) amps. Be sure to use
your own inline-soldered battery packs if you intend to do hard
aerobatics with your helicopter.

Lithium-polymer batteries are NOT recommended for helicopter beginners.
They are fragile and incur damage easily, and when they are damaged
they can catch on FIRE up to ten minutes later.

`There is a story on rcgroups where a guy crashed his plane with li-pos,
and put it in his SUV. Several minutes later someone told him his SUV
was on fire. He posted pictures of the totaled SUV, and the interior
was burnt to a crisp - it looked like a barbeque pit.

l. Mods

You should avoid adding any aftermarket modifications to the helicopter
when are are learning to hover. The reason for this is:

1. If you crash the helicopter, you may destroy your
   expensive aftermarket modifications

2. You will be distracted by trying to avoid destroying your
   expensive mods and therefore learn slower

The modifications to avoid when learning to hover are:

1. Carbon Fiber frames/crutches (cracks)
2. Aluminum frame upgrades (bends)
3. Aluminum head upgrades (bends)

Some mods are justifiable because they improve control and are less
likely to be damaged in a crash, such as:

1. Aluminum swashplate
2. Tail servo mount
3. Carbon fiber pushrod (only costs ~$3 to replace anyway)
4. Autorotation gear (REQUIRED for most brushless motors)

but in general, a stock helicopter is recommended.

 
7. Support Equipment

a. Pitch gauge

   A pitch gauge is an absolute must for collective pitch helicopters.
   It is unlikely you will be able to properly setup your non-micro
   CP heli to hover without using a pitch gauge.

   There isn't a good pitch gauge available for microhelis which makes
   microheli trimming more difficult.

b. Blade balancer (optional)

   If you don't buy a blade balancer, it is still possible to balance
   the blades using a dowel or other method, but a good blade balancer
   makes the job much easier.

   The KSJ-528 blade balancer works well.  The Koll Rotor Pro is better
   than the KSJ-528 but is overkill unless you're doing advanced flying.

   I highly recommend CAing the tip of a sewing pin to the pointer of
   the KSJ-528 to make the scale easier to read.
 
c. Paddle pitch gauge (optional)

   This is very handy for ensuring your paddles are completely flat
   relative to each other. For non-micro helicopters, the KSJ-624
   paddle gauge works well.

d. Prop balancer (optional)

   In order to balance the rotor head, you need a prop balancer.
   The Du-bro "Tru-spin prop balancer" works well because you can
   hang the rotor head over the edge of a table when balancing
   the rotor head.

e. Tachometer

   There are about three tachometers in wide use for helicopters.

   The first is the Anderson Hobby tachometer. This is fairly cheap
   (about $35) and works well on the ECO/Logo, but it does NOT work
   on micro helis such as the Piccolo CP! It also drains batteries
   quickly even when not turned on, so I recommend removing the
   battery when not in use.

   The second is the X-cell optical tachometer. This is expensive
   (about $150) but works with almost any helicopter. It only reads to
   1990 rpm, so it may not be suitable for micro helicopters which
   typically need 2000+ rpm of headspeed.

   The third is the Tera tachometer distributed by Thunder Tiger. This
   is a very nice digital tachometer specifically for helicopters which
   will clip onto the tail boom for hands-free measuring of the
   headspeed.

   There are other tachometers, including:

   o Magnum mini-tach. Price is about $35.
   o Hangar 9 micro digital tach
   o Thunder Tiger 2642 mini tachometer

  

f. Ball link pliers

   Ball link pliers are highly recommended for non-micro helicopters
   because ball links are very difficult to remove properly without
   ball link pliers. You do not need a ball link plier for micro
   helicopters.

   Both JR and Century make nice ball link pliers.

   Be very careful when removing ball links on plastic balls
   (such as the ECO 8/16 stock swashplate) with ball link pliers.
   You can scratch deep grooves in the plastic balls if you fail to
   center the ball in the jaws before squeezing.

g. Battery Chargers

   There are many nice chargers on the market.

   Here are the features I recommend you look for:

   o For micros: able to charge at 500 ma - 1.5 amps
   o For nonmicros: Able to charge at 3.5 to 5 amps
   o Delta-peak charge termination
   o Some type of false peak rejection capability
     (Sometimes called soft-start, peak delay, etc)

   The soft-start/false peak rejection capability is especially
   important.  Helicopters tend to discharge cells rather deeply,
   and when these cells are charged, the charger may often
   "false peak detect". This occurs because the cell chemistry is
   unstable when deeply discharged and the cell voltage will fluctuate
   randomly until the cell chemistry stabilizes.

   A charger with soft-start or false peak rejection will not require
   restarting the charging cycle multiple times in the first 5-10
   minutes of charging a deeply discharged battery pack.

   The chargers which are known to fit these criteria are:

   o Maha MH-C777 Plus II(surface charge, Nicad, NiMH, Li-ion)
   o Great Planes Triton(peak delay, NiCad, NiMH, Li-ion, Pb)
   o Hitec CG-330(false peak reject, NiCad)
   o Hitec CG-335(false peak reject, NiCad)
   o Hitec CG-335 Pro(false peak reject, NiCad, NiMH)
   o Hitec CG-340(false peak reject, NiCad, NiMH)
   o Robbe Infinity II(false peak reject, NiCad, NiMH)
   o Schulze ISL 6-330d(false peak reject, NiCad, NiMH, Li-ion, Pb)
   o Orbit Microlader(soft-start, NiCad, NiMH, Li-ion, Pb)
   o Orbit Microlader Pro(soft-start, NiCad, NiMH, Li-ion, Pb)

   Before buying a charger, make sure it can charge the number
   of cells in your pack! Some chargers can only handle up to 10
   or 12 cells, which is insufficient for a Logo 16/20 or ECO 16.
   This may be important if you're planning on buying a larger
   helicopter eventually.

h. Transmitter tray

   A transmitter tray can help your helicopter flying skills. It holds
   the transmitter at a natural angle which allows better control
   of the joysticks. Petal Manufacturing makes nice transmitter tray
   which works with most transmitter models.

 
8. Simulators

A simulator is highly recommended for helicopter beginners.

A typical well-trimmed helicopter will only hover in place for two
or three seconds "hands-off" before it starts to drift in a random
direction. Therefore, a helicopter requires constant correction to
hover in one spot. In addition, a drifting helicopter will gain
speed much like a ball rolling down a hill. If you are slow to
move the stick to correct the drift, then you need more input to
arrest the drift, so it is best to arrest the unwanted motion quickly
before it gains speed.

The hardest part of flying a helicopter is developing the "reflexes"
to move the stick in the corect direction regardless of helicopter
orientation and the "delicate touch" required to adjust the helicopter
movement without overcompensating. A simulator will help you develop
these skills quickly without spending a lot of money on replacement
parts.

Here is a quick subjective review of some simulators:

a. FMS - free! (score: 3/10)

   FMS is okay for learning hovering in all orientations. The models
   move extremely slowly so hovering is a little too easy. However, it
   does not seem to model forward flight correctly, so once you are
   ready to practice forward flight, I would recommend finding a better
   simulator.

b. Piccofly with Game Commander - ~$80 (score: 7/10)

   Piccofly is excellent for learning to fly the FP Piccolo. It doesn't
   model forward flight well, but it simulates the "squirreliness" of
   hovering the Piccolo very well.

   It has a very nice "slow time" function which allows you to slow down
   the movement of the Piccolo so you can build your reflexes withoout
   getting too frustrated.

   I would recommend starting off at about 70% time and gradually
   increasing the time until you can hover at 100% time (real time).

c. Easyfly (included with Piccofly) (score: 4/10)

   The quality of Easyflight's helicopter flight model is a little
   better than FMS, but not by much. The helis move faster, which is
   good, but forward flight doesn't feel right because there isn't
   any translational lift. Okay for learning hovering, but not
   forward flight.

d. Aerofly Professional - $130 to $200 (score: 5/10)

   The helicopter flight model is a little bit better than Easyfly but
   it still doesn't feel quite right. There's still not enough
   translational lift, but at least it won't let you loop the
   heli with 5 ft of altitude without negative collective like
   Easyfly does. Good for learning hovering, but not forward flight.

e. Realflight G2 w/USB Interlink - ~$200 (score: 8/10)

   Realflight G2 has a pretty good helicopter flight model, and is
   a good simulator for learning non-micro helicopter skills.
   The helicopter flight model is probably best of all the flight sims
   mentioned here, and it will probably be good enough to practice
   3D aerobatics.

   I would recommend practicing hovering on the Impala model initially,
   then later when you acquire proficiency I would recommend buying
   the Add-ons 3 and practicing with the Raptor 30 model.

   For some reason, many of the models in Realflight do NOT have the
   heading hold function enabled nor the revo mixing set up correctly.
   This means the helicopter will continually rotate and be difficult
   to hover. If you have this problem, you should select "Copy Model"
   and enable the heading hold gyro and also edit the radio to turn off
   the revo mixing.

f. Hobbico Reflex simulator w/USB interface (~$190)

   People have mentioned the physics model in Reflex seems better
   than RFG2; however I have not tested this. However, Reflex
   does not include a USB controller (only USB interface for
   a regular transmitter) and does not support network play.

   The current version of Reflex is not as pretty as RFG2, however,
   some screenshots and videos of the new XTR upgrade have been
   released and it looks fantastic - much nicer than RFG2.

Basically, Realflight G2 and allegedly Reflex are the only one which
seems to simulate helicopters properly. All other sims seem to model
helicopters as a special type of airplane, which does not produce the
correct flight characteristics.

The incorrect translational lift model actually affects hovering
as well, because real (light) helicopters tend to bob up and down when
there is a slight wind. This is because the wind has the same effect
as forward flight - it makes the heli generate extra lift.

So, in Aerofly Professional, if you turn on wind, your heli doesn't
bob up and down properly - it just slides around horizontally, which
is incorrect. Realflight G2 models translational lift correctly, and
the heli will gently bob up and down as the wind gusts. It also seems
to model the "rotor wash" effect where the main rotor blades become
less efficient when they enter their own rotor wash.

Therefore, if you learn to hover completely in FMS, Easyfly, or
Piccofly, you will not learn how to properly use the collective
to compensate for the effect of wind making your heli bob up and down.
This can be learned later on a real heli, but it will require some
adjustment time.

Most simulators have wind turned off by default, which makes hovering
unrealistically easy. In order to accurately simulate being outside,
you should turn on a little bit of gusty wind (maybe 3 mph or so).

When learning to hover, don't worry too much about "finding a simulator
which has the Corona". Just learn to hover on the helicopter trainer
model supplied with your flight simulator.

Imagine that you don't know how to drive a car and you plan to buy a
Honda eventually. Do you really need to practice on a Honda so you can
drive the Honda when you buy it? The basic driving skill is pretty much
the same for all cars, with the exception of small driving differences
and control placement.

Helicopters are pretty much the same way. Some helicopters are smaller
and therefore more twitchy and difficult to fly, but the basic skill in
flying a helicopter is the same across all models.

One nice feature of Realflight G2 is the network play, which allows you
to fly and chat with other people using Realflight G2 on the Internet.
This helps to alleviate the tedium of hovering practice.

Reflex seems to be more processor-intensive than RFG2. There is at
least one report that RFG2 runs faster on a P3/500 than Reflex. If
you have a machine under 1 Ghz then RFG2 may run better on your machine.

Both RFG2 and Reflex require fairly good video cards to run well.
I would recommend at least a GeForce 3, although people have run RFG2
on as low as a Riva TNT (probably with most effects disabled).

 
9. Transmitters

You can fly some helicopter with a simple four-channel radio, but you
will be limited to the following helicopters:

1. Piccolo with any Piccoboard
2. Hummingbird with onboard mixer board with any gyro
3. Corona with heading hold gyro with no remote gain (e.g. GY240)
4. ECO 8 with mechanical mixing with any gyro

Ideally, you want a better radio with at least six channels and some
or all of the following features:

a. No throttle detents ("notches")

   Most airplane versions of radios have "clickers" which will only
   allow a fixed number of throttle positions instead of a completely
   linear throttle position. This is very annoying when flying helis
   because the perfect throttle position for hovering is usually
   between two throttle click positions so you wind up fiddling with
   the throttle and bobbing up and down.

   Airplane-style radios can be converted to remove the notches by
   "flipping over" the metal arm which touches the joystick detents,
   but it's nicer if the radio is already configured for a helicopter.

b. Exponential

   This will allow you to make the helicopter cyclic less sensitive
   around the center, which will help you learn hovering more quickly.
   After you develop a delicate touch, you may want to reduce the
   amount of exponential.

c. 5 point throttle/pitch curves (or better)

   When flying a collective pitch helicopter, you will want a constant
   headspeed from a little below hovering up to full throttle. This is
   difficult to do with a three-point throttle pitch curve, and a
   five point curve is better.

d. Throttle hold switch

   This is a basic safety feature. It will prevent the helicopter from
   spooling up if a gust of wind pushes your shirt over the throttle
   stick or you accidentally bump it with your hand.

e. 90 and 120 CCPM swashplate support

   Most helicopter nowadays use 90 or 120 CCPM swashplate modes.
   If your transmitter does not support these modes, then you will not
   be able to fly them.

f. Idle-up support

   Idle-up allows you to change the throttle curve of the helicopter.
   This is highly desirable for collective pitch helicopters because
   it allows you to maintain a constant headspeed at all throttle
   positions in (idle-up mode) after spooling up (in normal mode).
   This makes a collective pitch helicopter more responsive
   to the throttle stick and nicer to fly.

Currently, the best price/performance in helicopter radios is the
Futaba 7CH (FF7 in Europe). This radio has all of the above features
and can be purchased for about $150 (without receiver/servos) at various
vendors on the Internet.

The Futaba 9CH is also good. This radio can be purchased for about
$300 (without receiver/servos) on the Internet.

Other good choices which are moderately priced include:

JSR XP6102 Heli
JR XP8103 Heli (XP3810 in Europe)
Hitec Eclipse 7 Heli (can do 90 CCPM with programmable mixes -
     see notes below)
Airtronics RD6000 Super Heli (do not buy the SPORT model because
                             the SPORT model has no swash mode)

These radios are very nice but are also very expensive:

JR 10X Heli
Futaba 9ZH
Airtronics RD8000 Heli

Hitec Eclipse 7 with 90 CCPM:

This is not supported directly by the transmitter, and must be done
using programmable mixes. This was taken from the Ikarus Forums:

Quick guide on how to set up your Hitec Eclipse 7 for the ECO 8 using
the stock 90 deg swash without the need for mechanical mixing.

First thing you need to do is set up your RX like this;-

Channel 1 - Aileron. Left servo on swashplate.
Channel 2 - Elevator. Rear servo on swashplate.
Channel 3 - Throttle. Goes to the ESC.
Channel 4 - Rudder. Tail servo.
Channel 6 - Pitch. Right servo on swashplate.

Now we move to the TX. Use the manual to set yourself up a 180 degree
swashplate helicopter.

OK, here is where we actually get the swash to work correctly.
If you turn you RX and TX on (engine disconnected please) and increase
and decrease the throttle you will see that the swashplate tilts back
and forth. This is not desired behavior. What we need to do is get
those pitch movements working on the servo on the back (Channel 2).

To do this we are going to use one of the Programmable Mixers on the
TX. To do this we have to enter "Programming Mode", it is done like
this;-

1. Make sure your ECO's battery is disconnected and your TX is on
   (and your ECO is selected)

2. Hit the first two buttons at the same time on the bottom left (Edit
   up and down, not Engine lock cut). The TX should now have something
   like EPA 100% on it.

3. Hit the Edit up button (First button on the left) 6 times until you
   see PMX1 inh (stands for Programmable Mixer 1 Inhibit).

4. Hit the Active/Inhibit button (Last button on the Right) the display
   will change and have a lot of junk on it.

5. Select the Master Channel by hitting the Cursor Right button
   (4th button).

6. Set the Master Channel to 6 by hitting the Data Increase button
   5 times (5th Button).

7. Select the Slave Channel by hitting the Cursor Right button
   (4th button).

8. Set the Slave Channel to 2 by hitting the Data Increase button once
   (5th Button).
 
9. Select the Mix Ratio by hitting the Cursor Right button (4th button).

10. Select the Mix Ratio to 70% by hitting the Data Decrease button 30
   times (6th Button, and you can just hold it down, you don't really
   need to do it 30 times).

11. Turn on the mixer by switching the top right switch toward you.
   The screen should now look like this;-

12. You're done!! Exit from Programming mode (first two buttons at the
   same time on the bottom left) hook up your ECO (engine disconnected
   still) and move the throttle, the swash should now move up and down
   smoothly. 

Some quick notes that may come in handy;-

You may need to reverse some servos.
Pitch and throttle curves must be setup now to complete the setup.

 
10. Helicopter Construction

General tips for all helicopters:

a. Do not rush building the helicopter. Take your time and be very
   careful with everything, and make sure everything moves smoothly.
   If all moving linkages do not move smoothly, then the helicopter
   may have vibration problems later which will make hovering very
   difficult. A few extra hours spent making sure linkages move
   smoothly will pay off later when you shorten your hovering learning
   time by a few months.

b. Only use threadlock on metal-to-metal areas. Do not use threadlock
   on metal-to-plastic or plastic-to-plastic areas.

c. Blue threadlock is temporary, for stuff which may require disassembly
   later (after a crash, etc). Red threadlock is permanent, for stuff
   which will never be disassembled.

   Example: Blue threadlock for a screw on a tail blade grip
     Red threadlock for assembling the swashplate balls.

d. If your gears (including bevel gears and motor pinions) are meshing
   together too tightly, you will lose a lot of power and your flights
   will be very short. Make sure that the gear teeth only mesh
   together by about 2/3rds to 3/4 of a tooth and there should be some
   play. This will allow the gears to transfer power more efficiently.
   This can be easily set by putting a plastic bag between the gears
   and squeezing the gears together, then removing the bag.

e. When assembling a plastic frame with metal screws (e.g. ECO 8/16 and
   Logo 10) be sure to use a jeweler's screwdriver or a Wiha with a
   small handle to assemble the frame. If you use a large-handled
   screwdriver you will not be able to "feel" when the screw is fully
   inserted and you will probably strip the hole in the plastic frame.

f. If you strip a plastic screw hole, then you can fix it by squirting
   a small bit of CA into the screw hole and letting it dry to give the
   screw additional friction. But, it's better not to strip it in the
   first place.

g. If you are using a brushed motor with carbon brushes, then you
   should "break-in" the motor before your first flight. This break-in
   procedure allow maximum contact of the brushes with the commutator.
   This will allow the motor to run at maximum efficiency and extend
   motor life.

   (Break-in is not required for METAL (wiper) brushed motors. This
   procedure is only for CARBON brushed motors.)

   There are at least two ways to do this:

   1. Dry method: Run the motor for two hours at 1/4 throttle.

   2. Wet method: Run the motor for 10-15 minutes in a glass of water.
     Be sure to disassemble the motor afterwards and throughly dry
     everything, otherwise parts may rust. Don't use this method
     on motors which are assembled using bent metal tabs (such as the
     Piccolo motors) because the metal tab may break off when
     disassembling or reassembling the motor.

   Be careful with the carbon dust. It can get into your lungs and
   cause severe breathing difficulty, especially if you're asthmatic.
   Be sure to blow the carbon dust out OUTSIDE with some compressed
   air and don't get the carbon dust into your lungs.

h. Beware of carbon fiber dust. It is classified as a hazardous
   material and can cause severe breathing difficulty, especially
   if you are asthmatic.

   DO NOT CUT CARBON FIBER INDOORS. ALWAYS CUT CARBON FIBER OUTSIDE.

i. If you are using a brushed motor, be sure to solder three capacitors
   to the motor: one between the positive terminal and negative
   terminal, one between the postive terminal and case, and one between
   the negative terminal and case. This will reduce the amount of
   interference generated by the brushed motor.

j. If you are using a brushed motor, it may come with a diode which
   you may need to attach to the motor. The diode looks like a black
   barrel with a grey stripe on one side, and two leads coming out
   each end.

   This diode prevents ESC damage by shunting the spikes of reverse
   current generated when the brushed motor rotates. So, you put the
   diode on the power terminals of the brushed motor. The end with
   the silver band goes on the postive terminal of the motor, and
   the end with no band goes on the negative terminal of the motor.

k. Your ball links must move freely, but not be loose. If your ball
   links are too tight, you can put the ball link on the ball and
   gently squeeze around the edge of the ball link with a pair of
   slip-joint or ball-link pliers.

   If your ball links are too loose, then they can be tightened by
   removing them from the ball then squeezing them gently across the
   face of the ball link with a pair of slip-join or ball-link pliers.

l. For non-micro helicopters: If your motor output shaft does not have
   a "flat" on the shaft, the pinion may spin around on the shaft
   because the setscrew can't grip the shaft. To put a flat on the
   shaft you need a Dremel with a diamond grinding tip, some masking
   tape, and a plastic bag.

   1. Cut off about eight pieces of masking tape about 3 inches long.
       Take four of the pieces and make a # pattern across the front
       of the motor so the # will slightly overlap the shaft. Take
       the remaining four pieces and make another # across the front
       about 45 degrees offset from the previous tape, making sure it
       slightly overlaps the shaft again.

       This should completely cover the front bearing and will prevent
       metal bits from falling it.

   2. Put the motor in the plastic bag, then punch a hole in the
       plastic with the motor shaft so the motor shaft sticks out the
       bottom. Tie the back end of the plastic bag. This will prevent
       metal shavings from falling into the motor and destroying it.

   3. Grind a flat on the shaft using a Dremel with a diamond bit.
       Hold the Dremel so the metal bits are ejected AWAY from the
       front bearing of the motor.

   4. Use some masking tape and wrap it around the shaft a few times
       to collect the loose metal bits sticking to the shaft.

   5. Remove motor from plastic bag, being careful not to get any
       metal shavings into the motor.

   6. Remove remaining masking tape from the motor.

m. For the Piccolo: The stock plastic motor pinion may slip on the motor
   shaft. We recommend using CA to glue the motor pinion onto the
   motor shaft to prevent this from occuring.

N. For Futaba transmitters:

   If you have only two servos controlling your swashplate (with
   either non-CCPM or any CCPM) then the channel assignments are:

channel 1: left/right (roll) servo
channel 2: front/back (pitch) servo
channel 3: throttle (ESC)
channel 4: tail servo
channel 5: gyro sensitivity (optional)

o. For Futaba transmitters:

   If you have three servos controlling your swashplate (either
   non-CCPM or any CCPM) then the channel assignments are:

channel 1: left (roll) servo
channel 2: front/back (pitch) servo
channel 3: throttle (ESC)
channel 4: tail servo
channel 5: gyro sensitivity (optional)
channel 6: right (roll) servo

p. For JR transmitters:

   If you have two servos controlling your swashplate (either
   non-CCPM or any CCPM) then the channel assignments are:

channel 1: throttle (ESC)
channel 2: left/right (roll) servo
channel 3: front/back (pitch) servo
channel 4: tail servo
channel 5: gyro sensitivity (optional)

q. For JR transmitters:

   If you have three servos controlling your swashplate (either
   non-CCPM or any CCPM) then the channel assignments are:

channel 1: throttle (ESC)
channel 2: right (roll) servo
channel 3: front/back (pitch) servo
channel 4: tail servo
channel 5: gyro sensitivity (optional)
channel 6: left (roll) servo

r. Do not paint the canopy a dark color. You will need to focus
   on the canopy while learning to hover, so be sure to paint
   it a bright color or leave it white.

s. Do not use rubber servo grommets when mounting the tail servo
   because this will cause tail wag when used with a heading hold
   gyro.

Component Placement:

a. If you are using a brushed motor, the motor itself will be the
   main source of RFI. Pragmatically speaking, you want to keep your
   radio and gyro as far away from the brushed motor as possible.
   This will eliminate and/or reduce the number of radio glitches.

b. If you are using a brushless motor, the ESC for the motor will be
   the main source of RFI. So, it is desirable to locate the radio
   and gyro as far away from the ESC as possible. On a Corona/ECO 8/
   Logo 10, I would recommend at least two inches of spacing between
   the ESC and the gyro/receiver.

c. Most gyros (GY240/GY401) require mounting on a horizontal surface,
   but some gyros (Ikarus Profi, CSM HLG200, GWS PG-03) require
   mounting on a vertical surface. Be sure to check your gyro's
   documentation to see how it should be mounted on your heli!

d. Make sure your gyro is mounted firmly to the frame and/or to a
   gyro mount which is firmly attached to the frame. Be sure to
   use the manufacturer-supplied double-sided foam tape or equivalent
   to attach the gyro to the frame or gyro mount. The double-sided
   foam absorbs high-frequency vibration which will cause a heading
   hold gyro to drift, so the tape is VERY important.

   If a heading hold gyro is not FIRMLY mounted, it will cause tail
   wag. This will occur because the gyro will be wobbling and will
   not sense the correct angular position, and will overshoot when
   trying to return the tail to the "correct" position.

e. Do not shorten any radio/servo wires until you have flown a flight
   or two and have checked for glitching.

Specific tips for LMH Corona only:

a. Many Corona kits seem to have missing parts. If you are missing a
   part and you bought the kit directly from Lite Machines, call them
   and explain your situation. If you bought from a retailer and not
   Lite Machines, then talk to your retailer about the missing parts.
   You may want to finish most of the model before reporting missing
   parts so you don't need to call multiple times.

b. The general consensus on the Ezone regarding the Fusion-7 motor is
   it's not very good. People have reported the motor dying after
   as few as 5-10 flights. The Kyosho Atomic Force seems to be the
   best alternative brushed motor. It is available from Tower Hobbies.

c. Make sure there is enough room between the two cyclic servos for
   the servo arms to rotate freely without hitting the other servo.
   If the servo arm rubs against the other servo, your front/back
   cyclic control will be sluggish and hovering will be very difficult.

d. The manual recommends using one 4 dot blade grip and one 6
   dot blade grip, but the heli is more stable and easier to hover
   if you use two 4 dot blade grips because the headspeed is higher.
   Later on if you want more lift you can switch one of the blade
   grips to a 6 dot blade grip.

           If you are at a high elevation, you may not get enough lift using
   two 4 dot blade grips, however. In this case, you should use the
   manual-recommended grips.

e. The labels on the main rotor blades seem to be attached using
   the world's stickiest adhesive. The residue from the adhesive
   can be easily removed using WD-40 or Goo Gone.

DO NOT USE ACETONE. ACETONE WILL MAKE THE BLADES BRITTLE.
IF YOU USE ACETONE, THE BLADES MAY SHATTER WHEN THEY HIT AN OBJECT.

f. The Fusion 35 controller on the LMH Corona is a relabeled
   Castle Creations Pegasus 35.

g. The Fusion 35/Pegasus 35 seems to have trouble arming on many
   transmitters. If you turn on the transmitter, then turn on the
   Corona and do not hear two beeps, then you are having this problem.
   To fix this problem, you need to set a lower endpoint for the
   throttle channel on your transmitter. For a Futaba 9C, go to
   Menu->End Point->THR and set it to 125/125.

h. Many people make "tail boom protectors" to protect the tail boom
   from boom strikes. This is usually foam wrapped around the tail boom
   or a strip of 1/4" thick balsa or 3/8" dowel tie wrapped to the tail
   to prevent the rotor blades from denting/bending the tail boom.
   Other people use a "rotor deflector" which is a piece of wood or
   angle aluminum mounted on the tail to deflect the rotor blade.

i. The feathering plate should be parallel to the swashplate. If these
   are not parallel, then you may need to loosen the main shaft and
   slide the main shaft down a little bit until the two are properly
   parallel.

Specific tips for all Piccolo (Fun/ECO/CP upgrade/Pro):

a. Drill a hole through the landing skid (67361) so the struts (67378)
   will go all the way through the skid. This will make the landing
   skid much stronger. If you don't do this, then the nipple on the
   landing skid will probably break off in a hard landing.

b. When building the landing skids (67361), use thick CA instead of the
   thin CA included in the kit. The thin CA runs all over the place
   and is difficult to get in the right place. Also, CA the rear
   skid struts into the frame FIRST. Then CA the front skids into the
   frame and make sure they almost align with the rear skid struts.
   If you don't do this the landing skids will probably be crooked.

c. Do not use CA to glue in the tail boom. This usually works
   too well. When you crash, it will be almost impossible to remove
   all the tail boom bits and you will have to drill out the remaining
   pieces. It is much better to put a few layers of CA on the ends
   of the tail boom and let this dry throughly, then friction-fit the
   tailboom into the body and the tail rotor assembly.

d. The landing skids may pop off the frame in even mild landings.
   You can reinforce the landing gear by CAing a length of CF rod across
   the front and rear landing gear skids about a half-inch (1.25cm)
   below the chassis (67360). This absorbs most of the landing stress
   that would normally pop the landing skid struts off the frame.

e. The Piccolo tends to lose the bearings on the hub (67566) on hard
   crashes. You may want to purchase an aftermarket aluminum hub
   or carefully thick CA the bearings to the stock hub to avoid losing
   the bearings. Beware when purchasing an aluminum hub; some of them
   appear to be made from soft aluminum and will bend easily.


Specific tips for fixed pitch Piccolo (ECO/Fun) only:

a. The stock Piccolo FP has excessive play in the control mechanism.
   Specifically, the swashplate wobbles around too much. There are
   two mods which are required to fix this: the ball-in-swash mod
   and the Chris Rigoleth antirotation strap. These will make
   your initial hover attempts somewhat easier.

b. The older FP Piccolo kits had a anti-rotation link (67366) with only
   a single hinge rather than the newer double hinges. If you receive
   a one of these single hinge anti-rotation links, they do not work
   well, and I recommend you replace it with a newer double-hinge one.

Specific tips for collective pitch Piccolo (CP upgrade/Pro) only:

a. The pitch case (68211) will usually be too tight on the main rotor
   shaft (68203). This will cause drag on the motor. To fix this, put
   a 3mm drill bit into Dremel, then put the pitch case onto the
   drill bit, then run the Dremel at low speed for about five minutes.
   Hold the pitch case very gently to prevent it from spinning around.
   After this, lubricate the inside of the pitch case with some
   graphite to further reduce friction.

b. The M2x6 screw which holds in the pitch bellcranks (68212) will
   usually rub against the flybar control levers (68209). To fix this
   problem, put the M2x6 screws into a drill and hold the head of the
   screw against a metal file to shave down the screw head. This will
   prevent the screw head from rubbing against the flybar control lever.

c. Some CP upgrade kits include an older style flybar (68208) which
   is not very good. The older style flybar is completely smooth
   and does not have the grooves stamped into the flybar to prevent
   the control arms (68209) and flybar paddle (67371) from slipping.
   If you have one of these flybars, you should replace it, because it
   will be almost impossible to prevent the control arms from slipping
   on the older flybar even if you roughen the flybar.

Specific tips for Ikarus ECO 8/16 only:

If the ECO 8/16 is built strictly by the manual, you will create a
helicopter which has extremely tight linkages and will have severe
vibration problems and will be difficult to hover. Please follow these
tips so your ECO 8/16 will fly well.

a. It is possible make the ECO more durable and crash-resistant by
   "doubling up" the sideframes. To do this, buy another set of
   sideframes, and epoxy each set together - don't forget to rough
   up the mating surfaces of the sideframes with 200 grit sandpaper
   first for better epoxy adhesion. You will need replace the M2x8
   with M2x10 screws, and also replace the M2x30 screws with two
   extra-long M2 bolts or two M2 threaded rods because the M2x30s
   will be too short to reach through the tail boom mounts. The
   double frames will add about 41 grams to your AUW and reduce your
   flight times by about 30 seconds, but the frame will be much
   stiffer for better control and also survive most crashes.

b. The stock ECO 8 landing gear is a bit narrow and makes landing
   difficult for beginners. You may want to replace it with the
   ECO 16 landing gear (67916 + 67917) or the ECO 8/16 extra wide
   landing gear (67822).

   The ECO 16 landing gear is about 1 inch longer and two inches wider
   than the stock ECO 8 landing gear. This landing gear will need
   slight modifications to work on the ECO 8 because it is designed
   to hold two battery packs.

   The ECO 8/16 training gear is about 1 inch longer and 3.25 inches
   wider than the stock ECO 8 landing gear. This can hold either one
   or two battery packs and requires no modification.

c. The control balls on the plastic swashplate (67701) have been known
   to break off on extremely hard crashes. You may want to upgrade to
   the aluminum swashplate (67707) immediately. Also, the aluminum
               swashplate can be configured to support 120 CCPM which offers better
   control than 90 CCPM.

d. The stock main rotor shaft (67535), the stock feathering shaft
   (67509), and the stock tail rotor shaft (67550) are very soft and
   bend easily in minor crashes.

   If this happens, I highly recommend replacing them with the hardened
   versions: 67940, 67942, and 67941 respectively.

e. I don't recommend using the mechanical mixer, because electronic
   mixing works much better than the mechanical mixer. If you do
   choose to use the mechanical mixer anyway, you will need fairly
   strong servos because the mechaniccal mixer needs a lot of forc
   to move it around. Probably HS-81s are not adequate for mechanical
   mixing - you need at least HS-85BBs.

f. The stock wooden main rotor blades are fairly durable and are
   very good for beginners because they will survive minor crashes.
   I would recommend using the stock wooden main rotor blades for as
   long as possible - definitely while learning hovering in all
   orientations.

g. Pg 6: The tail drive belt pulley (67702) may wobble because the
   hole is not drilled exactly in the center of the pulley. This
   usually does not cause problems, but in some cases the hole is
   very out of center, and the tail belt may slap against the tail boom
   as it spins up or while it's flying. In this case, it is advisable
   to replace the tail belt pulley with a new one that is hopefully
   better, or replace both pulleys with the Voyager E rear belt
   pulleys (060860), or replace both with aftermarket aluminum
   pulleys (PMP ATPS).
 
h. Pg 8: If the aluminum skids (67563) are difficult to fit into the
   undercarriage cross member (67562) try using a hairdryer to heat
   the cross member until it softens slightly, then slide in the
   aluminum skids.

i. Pg 9: When building the pitch compensator, the manual does not
   mention the arm (67591) has a TAPERED hole for the pin. If you try to
   force the pin through the narrow hole instead of the wide one,
   this may cause damage to the arm.

j. Pg 9: The two collective pitch compensator arms (67591) will
   rub against each other on a stock ECO, which is bad. You should
   put an M2 washer between each arm (67591) and the hub (67590)
   to increase the spacing between the arms.

k. Pg 10: The flybar seesaw (67610) usually does not seesaw smoothly
   on the rotor center unit (67639). This flybar seesaw needs to
   move very smoothly on its pivots otherwise this will cause
   vibrations when hovering.

   To fix this problem, take some extra-fine steel wool (#000) and
   spread it with your fingers to make a very thin mesh. This mesh
   should be about 1 inch by 1 inch and be mostly air with about
   50 or 60 strands of steel wool running through it.

   Remove the flybar seesaw, then put the steel wool mesh on top of
   the pivot, then mash the seesaw on top of it so the steel wool is
   trapped between the pivot and the seesaw. The seesaw should snap
   on with moderate pressure; if you need too much pressure then
   your steel wool mesh is too thick.

   Now wiggle the seesaw up and down about 10 times, then remove the
   steel wool and check if the seesaw pivots smoothly. If it still
   does not pivoty smoothly, then repeat this process. Do not repeat
   more than twice because this will wear out the pivot.

   For the final finish, apply some powdered graphite onto the pivot.
   After this, the seesaw should move very smoothly.
  
l. Pg 10: The flybar (67609) usually does not rotate smoothly in the
   flybar seesaw (67610). You MUST make the flybar seesaw rotate
   smoothly in the flybar seesaw otherwise the heli will be very
   difficult to hover. You will need to push the flybar through the
   flybar seesaw repeatedly (like playing a violin) for about 5 minutes
   until the rod slides smoothly through the flybar seesaw. This will
   make the heli much more stable and easier to hover.

m. Pg 11/update: (Advanced) You can give make a free tail pitch slider
   upgrade by installing a brass ball on the outer slide ring (67643).
   You must do this modification BEFORE the needle bearing (67644)
   is installed inside the outer slide ring.

   Cut off the plastic ball from the outer slide ring, then drill a
   1.5 mm hole where it was. Take an M2x8 screw and a brass ball,
   and screw it into the 1.5 mm hole. Look inside the outer slide
   ring and check how much of the screw protrudes inside. Remove the
   screw and trim it to size, then CA the screw and brass ball into
   the outer slide ring.

n. Pg 13: The tail blade grips (67542) should controlled by the
   leading edge of the blade, and not the trailing edge. If the tail
   blade pitch is controlled by the trailing edge, the tail may wag.
   Double-check and make sure the Ikarus logo on the tail blades
   is visible from the right side of the heli, and the control ball
   for the tail blade grips is on the leading edge of the blade.

o. Pg 13: There is a serious problem on this page. In some versions of
   the English manual, the instructions do not mention using threadlock
   on the screw holding the tail blade grip (67603) to the tail hub
   (67549). The German version of the manual correctly tells you to
   use threadlock on this screw. If you fail to do this your tail rotor
   grip may fall apart in flight causing the heli to pirouette out
   of control. Do not skip the threadlock on this screw! Also, if you
   disassemble and reassemble the tail rotor later, don't forget to
   reapply fresh threadlock on this screw!!

   Also, be sure the screw tail blade grip is left slightly loose so
   it can rotate freely on the ball bearing and screw. If the tail
   blade grip is screwed too tightly to the tail rotor hub, then the
   tail may "wag" because the mechanics may bind and gyro will have
   trouble controlling the tail blade pitch.

   One popular mod for this is the "double ball bearing mod" - this
   involves using two 2x6x3 ball bearings in each blade grip (instead
   of just one per blade grip) and substituting a M2x8 screw instead.
   This reduces slop significantly in the tail and is highly
   recommended.

p. Pg 13: The M2x6 screw (67561) should not be screwed too tightly
   into the short ballend (67564) on the tail. If the screws are too
   tight, then the tail pitch lever will not move smoothly around
   the middle of its range because the ballends will not be free
   to flex outwards. To adjust this screw properly, screw it in
   completely, then reverse it approximately one-eighth turn.
   This should be about right but you should check the pitch lever
   movement to verify it moves smoothly.

q. Pg 13: The pitch lever (67541) must move VERY freely on the tail
   housing (67548). On an unmodified ECO this is very sticky, which will
   make the tail "wag" with a heading hold gyro!

   To fix the stickiness problem, rub the post where the pitch lever
   mounts with some extra fine steel wool to remove the grooves left
   from the molding process. Next, apply some powdered graphite to the
   post and to the inside of the pitch lever and mount the pitch lever.
   Wiggle the pitch lever a few dozen times to spread the graphite.
   The pitch lever should now move very smoothly.

r. Pp 16-21: Don't use servo grommets to mount the servos to the frame.
   Instead, cut a 4mm length of very small fuel tubing and slide this
   onto the M2 screw. When this tubing is compressed, it will fatten
   out and fill the gap between the servo and screw.

s. Pp 16-21: If you are using the aluminum swashplate with 120 CCPM,
   mount one servo in front and two in the back at the 12 o'clock,
   4 o'clock, and 8 o'clock positions. This is easier to mount than two
   servos in front and one in back. You will need to fiddle with the
   transmitter swashplate setting to swap the front and back with
   this servo configuration (SWASH AFR on the Futaba 9C).

   Note: This servo arrangement will not work with a frame brace
         (because the front servo will hit the frame brace) nor will
         it work with a stock Hacker B50 heatsink (because the heatsink
         will hit the frame brace). The Hacker B50 heatsink will
         require about a 1.25" section of it removed so it doesn't
         interfere with the front servo.

t. Pg 22: The suggested component placement will work if your gyro
   requires mounting on a vertical surface but does not work well
   if using a gyro which requires mounting on a horizontal surface
   such as a Futaba GY240 or GY401. If using these gyros, then mount
   the gyro on top of the tail boom support behind the shaft (instead
   of the receiver) and mount the receiver upside down under the tail
   boom support (where the frame is angled). This component placement
   keeps the ESC far away from the receiver and gyro and prevents
   radio glitching problems.

Specific tips for Logo 10 only:


a.b. Some Logo 10 kits are missing parts and/or including the wrong
   sized ball links. If your kit has this problem, you should contact
   the retailer who sold you the kit and explain your problem.

c. Many Logo 10 owners have reported the tail belt builds up static
   electricity in the tail boom. This can cause glitching and/or
   ESC failure. Extreme care must be taken with component placement.

Specific tips for the Gensmantel Micro Heaven:

Note: The Micro Heaven requires submicro servos such as a GWS Naro or
     GWS Naro HP BB. The micro servos such as the HS-81 or HS-85 are
     too big and will interfere with the main shaft 3D support.

a. Pg 15: The head of the tail boom mount screws (3804) will interfere
   with the chassis (5510). You should countersink the holes in the
   tail boom mount (5510) to avoid this.

b. Pg 17: The tail transmission shaft (3301) may come from the factory
   with the gear hub mounted either too low or too high. This can be
   easily fixed by putting the through a vise and gently tapping the
   shaft through the gear hub.

c. Pg 21: The stock landing struts aren't very good and the "claw"
   part which holds the landing skids will break easily. This can be
   easily replaced with the Voyager E landing gear (JR 960631 & 960632).
   You will need to cut off the battery clamps and drill a 2mm mounting
   hole in each skid.

d. Pg 23: When the optional 3D main rotor shaft support is installed,
   the main rotor shaft may bind. Make sure the main rotor shaft still
   turns freely after you install the main rotor shaft support.

e. Pg 36: I highly recommend using CA to secure the ball link (3612)
   to the tail rotor case (3805) to ensure the ball link will not
   rotate in flight and change the tail blade pitch.

f. Pg 37: The tail pitch lever (3501) will not move the tail pitch
   slider (3513) very smoothly because the plastic is sticky.
   Apply some powdered graphite to these parts to ensure the tail pitch
   lever moves the tail pitch slider smoothly.

g. Pg 37: The tail blade grips use regular 2mm nuts to hold the tail
   blades. This is bad because the nuts can fall off and this will
   cause the tail blades to fly off and the heli