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College Projects on a Mini Helicopter

Radio controlled miniature helicopters can be used in a number of projects that may meet requirements for certain college courses in electronics, physics and aerodynamics. You can obtain miniature radio-controlled helicopters at many toy stores and hobby supply retailers. You can also purchase kits that include the materials necessary to build your own RC helicopter.

Flight Time
- An important metric used in aerodynamic and aerospace science is flight time. The amount of time that an aircraft spends in the air can help measure overall distance traveled, aircraft speed and overall velocity. Using a stopwatch, launch the mini-helicopter into the air, then immediately start the stop watch. Stop the stopwatch once the mini-helicopter has been brought back down to the ground.
Assembling Your Own Mini-Helicopter
- Using an assembly kit available in most hobby stores and toy stores, you can build your own RC miniature helicopter. These assembly kits include all of the raw materials needed to assemble the helicopter as well as the required electronic components that enable it to be remotely controlled. As a college project, assembling your own helicopter exposes you to a greater number of academic facts including assembly and packaging, electronics and circuitry, as well as physics.
Measure Flight Distance
- Determine the distance of the helicopter's flight, timing each flight to see if it traveled faster or slow than the last time. Before you begin, determine how many attempts in total you'll make and what the expected results are. As part of the project, you can provide a report that analyzes the results and compares the actual times with the expected times. You can also report on any flight conditions that may have changed or modified the helicopter's flight time in certain instances.
Calculate Total Velocity
- Determine the total velocity of the helicopter by dividing the displacement with the amount of time it took to reach the point of displacement. Choose a point that is a specific radius away from you, for example 25 feet. Mark the ground at the 25-foot mark so you know when the helicopter has reached its point of displacement. Start the stop watch when the helicopter is airborne and stop it once it i has crossed the displacement point, or 25 feet in this case. Divide 25 by the amount of time it took for the helicopter to reach the point, and you will have determined the helicopter's velocity.

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