Years ago I posted instructions for building a bottle rocket launcher mounted on a heli. For obvious reasons the post was gleaned from the forum
Pugh done correctly is excellent, but if you've messed with it you know there's a bunch of brain cells gonna get burned alive before it's done. The reliable 'old tech' flow chart is good. Handled as an "If/Then" progression, with each answer a class of helicopter may be lost as the question/answer progresses. The trick seems to be getting the questions in order. I guess the only way to get this going is to give it a go.
I'm thinking that putting helicopters into several classifications is a place to start. Start with 5 classes. Each class may have several helicopters in it. That way the guy with the highest aspirations and the big budget and the natural ability and the willingness to practice will have the 500 and up class available. And the fliers in my group will have mCX, Big Lama or a decent flight sim as their final destination. HAH! There we go, the first two classes are set.
My thoughts follow;
Class 5 = ARF Kit or custom 500 class or larger. Biggest, baddest helicopters, yet they are the easiest to fly. The worthy flier gets the maximum reward for the maximum budget and potentially the biggest loss. But the flier in this class feels it's worth it. Pair this with a good simulator and lots of stick time.
Class 4 = ARF 450 – 500 class. Requires mechanical ability and collective pitch helicopter theory. Build it your way and be willing to practice.
Class 3 = Custom built fixed pitch and RTF collective pitch. Include Blade 400, Guru Z custom fixed pitch with gyro and tail rotor. Price around $400 with a DX6i or equivalent.
Class 2 = RTF FP helicopters. These are excellent trainers and extremely durable. Cost is
~$100 delivered. For the flier who: is on a limited budget for new purchase and repair, is wanting something uncomplicated and upgradeable at low cost, the flier who wants to experiment and learn the concept without getting too serious, really doesn’t want to practice.
Class 1 = Coaxial from the mCX to the other very worthy contenders in the class. Include the Big Lama and the other large scale coaxials. Or for those with more curiosity than need for hardware, a good sim will let virtual fliers work with helicopters and airplanes in all sorts of flavors. Virtual or real world, if the flier is happy, we're all happy.
Comments are welcome. Solo