There are several basic tools that you will need to get the most out of your RC helicopter.

Basic tools that you will need are as follows:

• Standard pair of needle nose pliers
• Screwdrivers, both standard and Phillips
• Hex drivers of various sizes
• Hobby knife with assorted blades
• Rulers – both metric and imperial scale
• Drill – cordless is best
• Sandpaper – several grades
• Glue – thin and thick CA, slow and long cure epoxy
• Soldering iron and solder
• Scissors
• Wire cutters
• Rubber bands
• Grease and light oil
• Loctite to prevent parts from vibrating loose

There are several other, more specialized tools that you may need as well. They are:

• Rotary tool – Extremely useful for grinding, polishing, and sometimes drilling
• Servo tape – Comes in several different thicknesses, double sided and good for securing radio and other components
• Ball link pliers – These make it easy to remove ball links from your servos
• Ball link driver – like hex nut driver, but holds a ball link
• Small screwdrivers – Sometimes really small screws are used in model construction
• Metric tap and die set
• Open end wrenches – you only need the smallest ones
• Toolbox – to carry your tools with you and store them in an organized way

If you have all of the basic tools, and even some of the more specialized ones, you will have a complete toolbox that will help you in both building and repairing your rc heli.

Using the Draganflyer electric remote control helicopter (manufactured by Draganfly Innovations Inc) Vanderbilt University has developed the Vanderbilt Embedded Computing Platform for Autonomous Vehicles (VECPAV). This system is able to control an aerial or ground vehicle autonomously (without a pilot).

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (PRWEB) November 20, 2007 — Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN has successfully used the Draganflyer electric rc helicopter for autonomous vehicle research, involving flight by computer control without human input. The project is called VECPAV (Vanderbilt Embedded Computing Platform for Autonomous Vehicles). VECPAV is intended to create and develop autonomous control systems for unmanned aerial and ground vehicles. These control systems eliminate the need for an operator by substituting intelligent control software and electronics. This research is part of a larger project aimed at improving the design of hybrid systems which use embedded electronics and software to control mechanical devices used in performance-critical and safety-critical applications.

Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN has successfully used the Draganflyer electric rc helicopter for autonomous vehicle research, involving flight by computer control without human input. The project is called VECPAV (Vanderbilt Embedded Computing Platform for Autonomous Vehicles). VECPAV is intended to create and develop autonomous control systems for unmanned aerial and ground vehicles. These control systems eliminate the need for an operator by substituting intelligent control software and electronics. This research is part of a larger project aimed at improving the design of hybrid systems which use embedded electronics and software to control mechanical devices used in performance-critical and safety-critical applications.

Having autonomous control over a vehicle creates many benefits and removes the need for continuous human input. This could be applied to full size vehicles, allowing cars to drive themselves, or allowing automated vehicles to perform tasks in hazardous conditions. This would eliminate the risks normally faced by an on-board operator. By removing the operator and related systems from the vehicle, it also allows for increased payloads, smaller sizes, and increased mobility.

The VECPAV system uses a sensor tracker to monitor the motion and position of a Draganflyer rc helicopter by using identifier points on the helicopter. The system then analyzes this data and sends commands back to the Draganflyer rc helicopter through a radio control transmitter, telling the Draganflyer rc helicopter to maintain position or move through its flight plan. Videos of Draganflyer helicopters flying autonomously can be found on the VECPAV homepage, and This YouTube Video. In addition to being successfully used to control Draganflyer electric rc helicopters, the VECPAV system has also been implemented on ground based scale model vehicles.

As a result of his efforts on the VECPAV project, team leader Prof. T. John Koo has been recognized with an NSF (National Science Foundation) CAREER Award: Computation Platform for the Design of Hybrid Systems. This award is considered a highly prestigious honor. Prof. T. John Koo is now at Shantou University, China, where he plans to build on and extend what he has achieved at Vanderbilt.

The Draganflyer radio control rc helicopter has also been used in similar projects such as the MIT Aerospace Controls Laboratory’s UAV SWARM Health Management Project and the Stanford Testbed of Autonomous Rotorcraft for Multi-Agent Control. The Draganflyer rc helicopter is well suited for these applications because it is a stable aerial platform with fewer moving parts than a standard rc helicopter. The Quad-Rotor Draganflyer rc helicopter manoeuvres by varying the thrust generated from each of its four rotors. With one rotor at each corner, differential thrust causes the airframe to rotate and change direction. This eliminates the need for the linkages and components used on conventional rc helicopters that vary the pitch of the main rotor blades in order to manoeuvre. With fewer moving parts, there are fewer things to wear out, and less maintenance required. Because it is an electric rc helicopter, the Draganflyer is safe to use indoors. Its small size allows it to be used in smaller areas than conventional rc helicopters. The Draganflyer rc helicopter is manufactured and sold by Draganfly Innovations.

It is possible for an RC helicopter to use more that two main rotor blades. With four evenly spaced rotors (quad-rotor) the thrust from all the RC helicopter’s rotors is combined to generate lift, and the thrust produced by each individual rotor can be varied to allow the RC heli to maneuver.

Decreasing thrust on rotors at or near the front will cause the RC helicopter’s nose to drop. This results in a forward tilt and forward motion. The same method can be applied to the rotors on the back or side, allowing the RC helicopter to move backward and side to side. Draganflyer RC Helicopters use quad-rotor design.

More information can be found in Wikipedia’s quad-rotor helicopter article.

Most radio control helicopters use a common layout, with one large main rotor on top generating lift, and a small tail rotor. This is called the Sikorsky layout.

When the rc heli’s horizontal main rotor turns generating upward thrust, it also generates torque which causes the helicopter to rotate in the direction opposite to the rotation of the main rotor. This is countered by sideways thrust generated by a vertically mounted tail rotor. An explanation about the way this works can be found in the Antitorque section of the helicopter article on Wikipedia.

Also, by varying the thrust produced by the tail rotor the RC heli can remain in one position, or intentionally rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise.

An example of a conventional RC helicopter is the eXtreme 450 Brushless 3D electric helicopter made by Thunder Power RC. Smaller examples include indoor mini helis and mini bell IR helicopters.

An RC helicopter using a contra-rotating propulsion system will have two rotors spinning in opposite directions. This allows the torque generated by the rotor blades to be canceled out, and removes the need for a tail rotor to keep the RC helicopter from spinning. Without a tail rotor, the rc helicopter’s tail boom can be eliminated, saving weight.

One possible contra-rotating layout has one rotor blade mounted at each end of a long fuselage, as it is for the full scale Boeing CH-47 Chinook, and is known as a tandem rotor. This concept is explained well by the Tandem Rotor article on Wikipedia. Alternatively, both contra-rotating rotors can be placed on the same shaft, resulting in a coaxial design (sharing the same axis). Another good Wikipedia article on Coaxial Rotors explains the theory behind this.

Coaxial rc helicopters are very stable and easy to fly. The Bladerunner series of indoor rc helicopters made by Interactive Toy Concepts, and the ESky Lama V3 and Lama II V4 electric RC helicopters are examples of designs using co-axial rotor blades.