We just reduced our price on our most popular product! The Mini Stinger RTF (Ready To Fly) helicopter is perfect for the beginner RC pilot who wants to enter the RC helicopter world. Now with the lower price, this fun coaxial chopper is affordable to everyone and makes an awesome gift, too! The Mini Stinger is one of the easiest-to-fly helicopters around with unsurpassed stability. From the beginner to the advanced pilot, this little helicopter will bring a smile to everyone’s face.
The original Multiplex FunCopter just got a whole lot better! The new FunCopter V2 boasts a quiet, more powerful, brushless motor along with revanped flybar paddles for smoother, neutral handling and a redesigned tail rotor hub and shaft for added durability. This improved heli makes your flying experience better than ever! The overall low number of parts of the FunCopter makes repairs relatively straight-forward and simple. Based upon the popular design of the Lite Machines™ Corona, the FunCopter V2 maintains the unique features of the original with a special direct drive train system providing higher efficiency for longer flight times and extremely flexible rotor blades for durability and more crash-resistance.
Fliers going from fixed wing flight or stepping up from coaxial helis will enjoy the flexibility and reliability that the FunCopter V2 provides. This is the perfect heli for the beginner pilot.
Multiplex FunCopter RR features at a glance: -
Fully assembled, fixed-pitch, 4-channel model helicopter with yaw, pitch, roll, and throttle control
Superb repairability with low number of parts
Unique quiet direct-drive power system
Removable elapor® body
Highly-flexible main rotor blades for maximum durability
Tired of getting dad the same old tie every year? The Mini Stinger RTF RC helicopter is a fun little toy that you can fly around the living room – and the best part is that you don’t need to know anything about RC helicopters to use it. It wasn’t very long ago that the only RC helicopters available were expensive, large and fuel driven. Since the introduction of Lipo batteries, these small electric helicopters have become extremely popular. Here’s a list of reasons why you should give the Mini Stinger a try:
Great little helicopter, flies really well - The Mini Stinger flies well out of the box, and full 4 channel control lets you fly the helicopter anywhere you’d like it to go.
Coaxial Stability – The Mini Stinger is a coaxial helicopter, which means that it flies using 2 main rotor blades, each spinning in opposite directions. This eliminates the need for a tail rotor and adds lots of stability.
No previous RC Helicopter Experience Needed – The Mini Stinger is a fun RC helicopter that works right out of the box, no previous RC helicopter experience is needed.
Cool Design, Low Cost – As far as toy helicopters go, the Mini Stinger gives you a lot of fun for the cost. It also features a neat design and flashy yellow color scheme.
We all know that the Draganflyer X6 can do some pretty amazing aerial photography. Take a look at this video below to see some really amazing video footage shot from the Draganflyer X6 RC Helicopter as it flys through a groove of trees
Our sources here at RChelicopter.com tell us that this video was shot and put together by the same person who put together this tutorial on how to shoot video like this. The video below is from this tutorial.
The Mesa County’s Sheriffs office was among one of the first law enforcement agencies in the United States to obtain FAA approval to operate a UAV. The Draganflyer X6 can serve a number of purposes to aid law enforcement personnel in their jobs. Everything from aiding in traffic investigations to being used in SWAT applications.
The video below shows the Draganflyer X6 being used by the Mesa County’s Sheriffs office in a SWAT training exercise.
The association for unmanned vehicle systems international is the world’s largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to advancing the unmanned systems community. Ever year AUVSI hosts a major trade show where leaders in both unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and unmanned ground and marine vehicles display their latest innovations. This year Draganfly Innovations released the Draganflyer X8 and new hand held ground control station.
These new cutting edge technologies from Draganfly Innovations represent the ultimate in UAV RC Helicopter technology. Draganflys leading edge hand held ground control station incorporates all the features of their already awesome hand held controller with the features of their video base station. You can view live video transmitted from the Draganflyer X6 or the Draganflyer X8 in the palm of your hand while you fly the helicopter. The Draganfly hand held ground control station has an embedded computer running a linux operating system which allows the user to run Draganview software on the 6.3 inch bright day light viewable LCD screen.
Draganfly Innovations has been making big news at the 2010 AUVSI conference in Denver Colorado. For two days in a row they have been written about in AUVSI daily published newspaper Unmanned News. The first article talked about the newly released heavy payload Draganflyer X8, and the second article focused on the exciting new hand held ground control station.
The Denver post has even published an article on the Draganfly X6 being used by the Mesa County Sheriffs department. This article details how the Mesa County Sheriffs department is working with the FAA in order to use the Draganflyer X6 for police operations.
Draganfly Innovations continues to lead the way in UAV RC Helicopter Technology.
Draganfly Innovations has made another UAV helicopter. The new Draganflyer X8 follows the same general layout of the smaller X6, but they’ve added an extra arm and two more rotor blades. The Draganflyer X8 UAV will be flying inside a 10×10 foot octagonal cage, inside the conference hall at the AUVSI 2010 international conference. You can see the Draganflyer X8 UAV in action at booth # 2025 from August 24 to 27 2010. The Draganflyer X8 will also be flying in the aviation demonstration area from 11:00 to 12:00 AM on each day of the conference.
The Draganflyer X8 UAV is larger than the X4 and the X6, and it can carry up to 1 kilogram in camera payloads. The X8′s going to offer some more features, such as compatability with DSLR cameras and digital video transmitters. Check out this video (a computer rendering of the X8 in flight with an SLR camera).
One of the major new improvements to the Draganflyer X8 is the inclusion of support for the new IP video camera systems. IP cameras use the same technology your laptop uses to connect to the internet to communicate and transmit video. Basically, the IP cameras form their own network with your computer, allowing you to view the live video feed over the internet. IP cameras support the following features:
Simultaneous pictures and video – Each IP camera has an internal memory buffer that stores video before it is transmitted. This means that you can take high resolution digital still photos with the IP camera while it is still recording video, allowing you to get exactly the pictures that you need.
Security and encryption – The IP cameras operate over their own wireless network, which can be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access to the video stream.
Reduced interference – Digital video is much less susceptible to interference than analog video. Reduced signal strength usually results in a lower frame rate, but not decreased image quality.
IP video cameras will work with the Draganflyer X8 and X6 sometime in the near future, but can’t be used on the smaller X4 due to weight limitations.
Interested in UAV helicopters? You can learn more about the Draganflyer X8 UAV helicopter on Draganfly’s website. You can also visit the AUVSI website for scheduling, hotel, transport, and entrance fee information regarding the AUVSI 2010 conference.
Are you into RC planes? Many RC helicopter pilots are former airplane pilots, or now fly both. There are many similarities between airplane and helicopter flight, but there are also some major differences that people new to helis should be aware of.
Similarities between RC Helicopter and RC Airplane Flight
Both RC helicopters and RC airplanes behave in similar ways when flying forward. Left and right bank will still cause you to turn your heli in the expected direction, and pitching up or down will cause you to slow down or speed up.
If you can keep track of your RC planes orientation, then it won’t be difficult to do the same with a helicopter.
The basic radio layout is the same across transmitter modes.
Differences between RC Helicopter and RC Airplane Flight
Any helicopter pilot who can hover can takeoff and land. With an airplane, taking off and landing is usually considered harder than straight and level flight.
When flying forward with a helicopter, you have to keep the nose down to keep flying forward.
Hovering a helicopter is a completely different process than hovering a 3-D airplane.
Airplanes generally need a larger area to fly in than helicopters.
When more than one person is flying an airplane at a field, they generally fly planes in a pattern around the runway. Helicopter pilots tend to choose their own zones in the air, which they stay in and do not leave.
Recent radio systems generally have modes for both airplanes and helicopters, but there are a few other differences. RC helicopter radios lack the ratchet that RC airplane radios have on the throttle. The ratchet is great for keeping the throttle setting constant on an RC airplane, but it is not good for helicopters because variations in the throttle setting smaller than the graduations on the ratchet may need to be made. RC helicopter radios also have a 3 position flight mode switch on the left side (normal, idle up 1, idle up 2) and a 2 position throttle hold switch on the right side.
Motors, engines, batteries, and ESCs are usually interchangeable between helicopters and airplanes. Motors that are specifically designed for helicopters use more oil in the fuel and have a larger heatsink.
RCtoys.com has been selling the MASH rescue helicopter by E-flite for a few months now, and it’s turned out to be a great little scale helicopter for indoor flight. The MASH helicopter looks great in the air and handles better than most co-axial RC helicopters out there. It’s also got a fair bit of weight, making it great for flying outdoors in low winds. The MASH helicopter is so easy to fly that it’s perfect for anyone who’s new to RC, but sometimes we make mistakes and the helicopter can require repair.
If you’ve crashed your MASH helicopter and need new rotor blades, grips, or even a new flybar then you’re grounded until new parts arrive. Enter the crash kit – a carefully chosen assortment of the most commonly needed replacement parts, all in one convenient and discounted package. If you keep one of these on hand, you won’t have to stop flying and wait for new parts in the mail again. The MASH helicopter was designed to be user-serviceable just like larger fuel and electric helis. If you’ve got a broken part, then it’s almost certain that it can be replaced without anything more complicated then a screwdriver. This guide will walk you through replacing the most common parts:
Replacing Main Rotor Blades
The main rotor blades can become cracked in a severe crash and pieces can break off. While it’s completely possible to fix small cracks and dings with some medium CA glue and accelerator, this can negatively affect blade balance and make the helicopter vibrate. It’s easier and faster to replace the old blade so here’s how to do it:
Get a small Phillips head screwdriver and unscrew the single aluminum screw at the root of the damaged blade. The blade will now be free, and you can remove and dispose of it. Damaged blades can be sharp, so be careful not to cut yourself.
All the top rotor blades come with a white warning label on their upper surface. Choose from the upper and lower rotor blades as needed so that the rotors look like this when viewed from the front. As viewed from the front, the right top rotor blade should curve upwards and the bottom right rotor blade should curve downwards. This picture shows the correct blade orientation.
Install the replacement blade and tighten the screw just enough so that the blade swings freely when you tilt the helicopter, but is secure enough that it won’t fly off. This has to be done by feel – it’s not critical that the screw is perfectly adjusted, but the blade should feel secure and move freely.
Repeat this for any other rotor blades that need replaced. It’s helpful to install them one at a time to keep track of the orientation.
Replacing the Blade Grips
The blade grips / holders are black clevis like objects which clamp down on the root of each blade and hold it to the main shaft. If one of these becomes damaged, use this procedure to replace it:
Remove the both of the rotor blades that the blade grips are holding by following the instructions above.
Lay the helicopter on its side and observe the two screws that hold the blade grips together and on the main shaft. This picture shows one screw removed, viewed from the bottom of the helicopter.
Unscrew the blade grips and keep the screws in a safe place where they can’t roll away.
Replace the broken blade grip and install the screws.
Replacing Ball Linkages:
Ball linkages connect the RC helicopter’s servos to the swashplate and flybar. It’s fairly unlikely that these will get broken in a crash, but if they do, here’s how to replace them:
Snap off the damaged ball link using your fingers or a screwdriver.
Find the replacement link that matches the one you took off and press it on to the spherical plastic nubs where the broken link connected. This picture shows a partially disconnected ball linkage on the flybar:
What makes the MASH helicopter unique is its ability to be completely disassembled and user serviceable. You don’t usually find this on helicopters in the 100 to 200 dollar price range, which are usually meant to be flown and then discarded when they break. Want to learn more about the MASH helicopter, or get one to fly around your living room? RCtoys sells them at a great price. If you just want the crashkit, RCtoys.com has that as well.
The swashplate isn’t included in the crashkit, because it rarely breaks. If you need a replacement swashplate, you can get one online for a low cost.
The Draganflyer RC helicopters will be featured at the 2010 AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International) conference. Draganfly Innovations will be demonstrating all their RC helicopter UAVs indoors at their information booth. The upcoming Draganflyer X8 UAV helicopter will also be there lifting payloads for demonstrations. A prototype for the upcoming Draganflyer X8 UAV helicopter will be flown as well. Draganfly Innovations will be at booth #2025 and will be demonstrating for the duration of the conference which runs from August 24 to 27 2010.
The AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International) was created in 1972 when the use of unmanned target drones in the Vietnam War prompted the creation of the National Association of Remotely Piloted Vehicles (NARPV). NARPV eventually grew as the industry expanded, leading to the formation of the current AUVSI organization. The AUVSI is promotes the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) through education, communication, and leadership. This year’s AUVSI conference is expecting record attendance of over 5000 visitors from over 30 different countries. There will also be more than 100 international speakers giving presentations on the UAV industry and latest developments. This years tradeshow will feature live demonstrations from a wide variety of exhibits. Draganfly Innovations Inc. was the first company to demonstrate live at the AUVSI at the 2009 conference, blazing the trail for other live demonstrations in the following years.
Draganfly Innovations Inc. staff will be flying their RC helicopters indoors, and will be demonstrating their helicopters features including aerial photography, aerial videography, and the computer controlled base station with wireless telemetry and an HUD display. Because we will be flying indoors we will not be able to demonstrate the GPS hold feature. The following AUVSI promotional video shows some of the technology that will be present at this years conference.
buffer that stores video before it is transmitted. This means that you can take high resolution digital still photos with the IP camera while it is still recording video, allowing you to get exactly the pictures that you need.
Are you into RC planes? Many RC helicopter pilots are former airplane pilots, or now fly both. There are many similarities between airplane and helicopter flight, but there are also some major differences that people new to helis should be aware of.
The Draganflyer 
The AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International) was created in 1972 when the use of unmanned target drones in the Vietnam War prompted the creation of the National Association of Remotely Piloted Vehicles (NARPV). NARPV eventually grew as the industry expanded, leading to the formation of the current AUVSI organization. The AUVSI is promotes the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) through education, communication, and leadership. This year’s AUVSI conference is expecting record attendance of over 5000 visitors from over 30 different countries. There will also be more than 100 international speakers giving presentations on the UAV industry and latest developments. This years tradeshow will feature live demonstrations from a wide variety of exhibits. Draganfly Innovations Inc. was the first company to demonstrate live at the AUVSI at the 2009 conference, blazing the trail for other live demonstrations in the following years.