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How to Fly an RC Helicopter: Tips for Beginners

Radio Controlled (RC) helicopters come in many varieties and provide a fun experience for helicopter enthusiasts. Beginners can "get their feet wet" by practicing with toy RC helicopters, which are user-friendly and inexpensive. Toy RC helicopters are different from "hobby-grade" ones, namely because hobby-grade RC helicopters have more complex controls and separate parts, which can be purchased individually. Toy RC helicopters can typically take more abuse from crashes than hobby-grade helicopters can. Beginners can learn learn how to fly hobby-grade RC helicopters by practicing simple start-up and flying techniques that will provide a solid foundation of skill.

Things You'll Need

Open area to fly (preferably 20 feet in every direction)

Instructions

- 1
  Familiarize yourself with your RC helicopter's remoter controller. There will typically be two "control" sticks on either side. One stick controls the throttle and the other controls the rudder. There will be also be two dials that are used to adjust the aileron trim and the elevator trim.
- 2
  Plug in the RC helicopter's battery pack and walk several feet away from the helicopter. Gradually increase the throttle until your RC helicopter is hovering a few inches off of the ground. The helicopter should hover in a single spot without drifting.
- 3
  Adjust the aileron trim if your helicopter drifts sideways until it is stable. Similarly, adjust the elevator trim if your helicopter drifts forward or backward until it is stable. Always land your RC helicopter by turning off the throttle before making adjustments to avoid crashes.
- 4
  Experiment making small adjustments to the aileron and elevator trim after your RC helicopter is able to hover steadily. Small adjustments during flight are used to control your RC by making it go forward, backward and sideways. Adjustments to the rudder during flight will cause your RC to change the direction it is facing.
- 5
  Gradually increase the altitude of your RC helicopter as you become comfortable controlling it. As the helicopter gets higher, it will have less "ground effect," which means it will have increased air resistance. Because of this, your RC helicopter will require slightly higher adjustments to generate the same types of movement as it did near the ground.
- 6
  Alternate flying your RC helicopter close to the ground and higher up to get a feel for how it responds to ground effect. This will enable you to practice advanced maneuvers such as landing on specific, small areas.

Aviation