Hangar Talk

As the founder and principal software author behind RCUniverse (back in the day), I am excited to have you here to see what RCPilot is all about. I can share a few things:

- If you want to see what your RC World can be, change worlds using the menu by the logo up top and visit Scale Helicopters. We have lots of content there from the predecessor site, HeliStorm. It illustrates how phenomenal the platform can be when the folks commit to adding valuable content.

- This is NOT like Facebook in the sense that every contribution here gets analyzed by AI (subject to your final say) and cataloged by topic and, if applicable, product. This makes it possible for other members to easily find and benefit from the knowledge you shared. That said, we have a SHOTGUN SHARE feature that lets you share your posts with all of your favorite Facebook groups and forums.

- Unlike Facebook, we are not divided into little groups that spring up monthly. Trying to keep up with dozens of groups just ruins the community experience. Here, we are divided into "RC Worlds" but those divisions have proven to be useful over time. You can hope from one world to the next, but most of us are aligned with one primary discipline so that's likely where we will be.

- Our "build stories" are very cool. The link each chapter in your build journey into one story so that people can easily drill into a chapter to learn what they need while others maybe just follow along with every chapter.

- Our integrated "RCMarket" is the most advanced classified market software on the planet. Lots of security.

- There is a ton more here. Look around and please contribute. In this community, rank is achieved by the QUALITY of your contributions. There are no "Like" buttons. Instead, we have sentiment sliders that let you grade a post on 4 different criteria. That's meaningful feedback. Those whose posts earn high marks from the community, get status.

After much internal debate and input from the RC community, at large, I decided to rewrite the entire HeliStorm platform and integrate it with RCMarket.com and the functional elements of RCChecklist. The result is a community for all those who fly and all those who place a high value on being able to efficiently share and find things relative to our hobby.

On RCPilot, scale helis has a head start, so if you know someone who flies other RC stuff (or if you do), please feel free to contribute!

Hey Guys, most of you who know me understand that I despise the countless selling areas on Facebook and forums simply because they fragment an already small market. A week or so ago, I launched RCMarket.com, a central market for ALL RC stuff. The market is amazingly simple to use and it has powerful filters and mobile capabilities. Since I wrote the software, I can adapt it as needed to user feedback.

The Buy & Sell link here on HeliStorm now link to RCMarket. It's free so please use it! The only way a market works is if people use it!

I have 5 helicopters on my Jeti transmitter. Over the years, I have learned that I simply cannot remember the different functions I have assigned to different switches. I have Axons in three models and Futaba CGY’s in the others. I have three Pahl turbines, a Jako and a JetCat. One model has a Bambi bucket, one has a winch and water cannon, and another has retracts. 🤪

So, to keep my mind in a good place, I bought a Brother P-touch D410 (which lets you make micro-sized labels) and I labeled my transmitter as shown. I also take the extra time to use as consistent a setup as possible so the controls match the labels.

This is not revolutionary; it’s just practical!

After reviewing the candidate statements for those running for AMA President, I have concluded that Greg Stone offers the hobby the best alternative for growing beyond the current demographic of predominantly old men! I am one of them and I also read Model Aviation Magazine. As many who know me already understand, my focus in the hobby is expanded beyond our own little circle of cohorts. HeliStorm™ is a principal example of this. Of the three candidates, I believe Greg has the most focus on the innovative growth the AMA needs in its near-term strategic plan.

You can read Greg's statement here:

And yes Michael Kranitz, I am a certified LamaHead!

This is for anyone looking at the purchase of a Vario Lama. The smallest one is the Baby Lama (1:8) 600 size, next up is the Lama 1.8 (1:6.3) 800 size and finally the Starwood Lama (1:5). There is another that's labeled a 1:6 but it's actually a bit smaller than the Lama 1.8

Starwood RTF
Lama 1.8 Under Construction
Baby Lama RTF, just have the cabin removed to make some adjustments.

We lost a great member of the hobby this weekend. Rene Gotiear lost his battle with cancer.

Rene and I had a very frank conversation two weeks ago and even given the challenges, he had a great attitude. Rene recently got to fly his dream heli, the Mi-24 from HeliClassics after he and his wife, Rachel drove to my house to get it last year. He told me two weeks ago that he was thrilled that he finally got her off the ground (after wrestling with the programming). Thanks to Rusty Cahall who helped him through that (and I'm sure there were others). I am arranging with Rachel a special tribute to Rene that will take place at ScaleHeliStorm 2025 inside the National Museum of the United States Air Force. I'll have more details in the coming weeks.

Rene was a super kind, creative and bright man who brought a ton to the hobby. We will definitely miss him!

First post on this forum. Haven’t flown Heli’s for over 10yrs. Decided to get into the scale game. Picked up a Roban 800 MD500D Magnum PI edition.
I am really enjoying my build and getting acquainted with heli setups again. I have been flying on the sim 2-3 times a week and it’s like riding a bike. It all comes back in a few sessions.
So far I am almost complete with the scale build side of things. Just need to mount the load line hook and a few other minor details.
At the moment…. I have built a test airframe and I am setting up the Demon 3x.
I have been taking my time with this one as I am kind of ocd. Lol Did full carpet and headliner in the interior. Had a co worker work some magic on GI Jane. Who we now call GI Dane lol. I can’t say enough about Tyler Gray Models scale detailed parts for the MD. Really sets it off and functionality at getting to electronics.

Here are some build pics.

Hi heli people.

Ok, I'm looking for a new project and would like to get my hands on a Hirobo EC120B. It looks like they are very hard to find as Hirobo is a dying breed in the scale. world I found one for sale in Singapore, but they have doubled in price from $3300 Singapore dollars to now $7742. Are they a collectors item now? $7742 is a little crazy for a 60-90 size heli. If Hirobo are not making scale fuselage then they may not need the EC120B mold/plug anymore.

Any info would be great thanks.

Cheers

Well, after many years of toying around with having a MD500e with a 5 bladed head, the up's and downs of freight damage of my MD500 from Hong Kong( thanks to James Kong from jet tech for sorting that out great service) Shit blades from spinblades etc, the fleet is now complete with the new addition. NO more toys for me, I just want to fly now.
300KV from EgoDrift
680mm Witte blades
Funkey 700 size with Roban struts modified to get the correct MD500e stance.

The first in the S-series at Vario Helicopter was the Baby Robinson. New now is the Baby Kamov with 530 mm blade length. Vario has thus taken after Fenestron, Notar, Tandem and tail rotor the 5th dimension of torque compensation in the program.

There are 2 complete kits (everything except the electronics) to choose from. They are both identical in terms of coaxial mechanics, rotor head components, rotor blades, scale landing gear and 3D scale parts.

Ord.No. 3200 is the version with unpainted fuselage without cutouts, which allows individual painting.
Ord.No. 3210 is already red colored and cut out. A decal sheet is included. This takes all the dusty and tedious work off the (workshop) table.

Optional accessories add to the beauty of the model - notably the free-swinging wheel-insertion protection, the pitot tube and the Kamov lights.

The drive recommendation comes again from Kontronik and is Pyro 600-11 and Kolibri 90 LVi. This combination is tuned for 6S LiPo.

The Kamov KA-32 is due to its coaxial mechanics especially suitable for technically experienced Vario fans who are looking for a new challenge.