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What Are the Dangers of RC Helicopters?

Remote-controlled (or "RC") helicopters present flying enthusiasts with the opportunity and challenge of flying their own high-powered helicopters without ever leaving the ground. Models range from basic training units to exact replicas of military helicopters like the US ARMY AH-64 Apache. With the fun and excitement of flying RC helicopters, however, also come the very real dangers of damage and injury. No one seeking to enjoy the RC helicopter hobby should begin without clearly understanding the potential dangers involved.

Damage to the Helicopter
- Gas-powered RC helicopters are complex, powerful machines. As a result, they can be difficult for novices to operate, and crashing an RC helicopter can create extensive damage to its structure. They're also more prone to damage than less-powerful RC toys that are electrically powered. The gas engines produce high temperatures and severe stress on moving parts, creating wear that can result in more frequent crashes. What's more, repairing damaged RC helicopters is more expensive and time-consuming than with electrically driven vehicles.
Property Damage
- A second danger of RC helicopters is the potential for property damage that can result from crashes or accidents. At maximum speeds, an RC helicopter accidentally flown into ground-based objects can cause real property damage. Broken windows and dented cars (or houses) are just a few possible results of a high-speed crash. Even more damage might result if an RC helicopter crashed at full speed into live power lines.
Fire
- Gas-powered RC helicopters also create a unique hazard for fire should they crash, especially if they should crash into highly-flammable environments such as a field filled with dry brush or a person's home. RC fuel is higher in octane than regular gasoline, making it especially flammable.
Self-Injury
- Careless or distracted handling of an RC helicopter or slight maintenance problems can create another danger: self-injury. Each blade spindle and nut must be able to hold 270 pounds of pressure to prevent the blades from flying off. What's more, the speed at the tip of each rotor blade is 250 miles per hour--more than enough to create deep, penetrating cuts in hands, arms or ankles; even tiny pieces that are suddenly ejected from the helicopter can become violent shrapnel at speeds like this.
Injury to Bystanders
- A final danger related to RC helicopters is the danger of injury to bystanders. Flying at high speed with, 250 mile per hour blade speeds, makes an ordinary RC helicopter into a dangerous flying projectile. If one of the blades should come loose, the helicopter will instantly fly apart, creating not one but potentially dozens of pieces of shrapnel flying in every direction.

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