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Hey All, I am looking for some real feedback here. If I had hair on my head, banging it against the wall might not hurt so much. But, candidly, I'm not sure anything will help. Here's my conundrum:

I get great joy from building software that people love and use. When that doesn't happen, I lose the fire to continue. At age 66, I've learned that you cannot please everyone and sometimes you can't please almost anyone. So, I don't stress about it; I just take my cues and move on.

Over the past 5 weeks, working 15-hour days and using experience gained over the past 30 years from founding RCUniverse through more than a dozen software companies, I created, from scratch, RCPilot.com. I believe RCPilot is the most powerful online community software platform ever produced for our hobby, bar none. I don't say this as a brag. I say it as objectively as possible given how it -- and it alone -- is the only software in our hobby that not only does what you've grown accustomed to on Facebook, but it -- more importantly -- automatically and permanently catalogs, by relevant RC topic and product, every contribution you make (e.g. posts, build stories, model setups, articles, events, etc.). It does things that no Facebook group or forum can hope to do. Yet, despite enthusiasm from Jon Ellis and others who have tried it, the bulk of my fellow hobbyists either don't see the value, or they do and simply do not embrace my vision for a central, organized community space that preserves the incredible experience and knowledge that each of us contributes to the hobby.

What I do see is an ever-flowing river of knowledge being poured directly down the Facebook drain on a daily basis. Everyone who posts on Facebook knows that in a few days their contribution will be buried by new posts and virtually impossible to find again (if readers are lucky enough to catch it the first time). Some of us post for "likes." Some of us post to inform. Some of us post to get information. If you just want 9 likes on your photos, Facebook is perfect. You get your pats and move on (believe me, I've done it too). If you want to inform, you spend a decent amount of time making pictures and writing up your knowledge with the hope that another modeler will be able to benefit from your experience and insight. What gets me is why -- given a far more permanent alternative -- would someone chose NOT to contribute their knowledge on RCPilot and then share it on Facebook (or wherever) knowing that on RCPilot, a visitor 2 weeks or 2 years from now will be able to easily find that contribution in a couple of clicks. Instead, inertia takes us to Facebook and we don't even think about whether our contribution will be lasting -- or, we just con't care.

It doesn't make people wrong for doing it. It makes ME wrong for thinking that folks would see the situation as I do. I clearly have missed something. Patrick Leong would tell me that it's because people like to go to one place for all of their hobby needs. If that hypothesis is true, why not go to a place that's built for the hobby vs one with literally dozens and dozens of overlapping groups? Or, maybe it means that people care more about convenience than the longevity of their contributions or the ability to find knowledge when they need it. I seriously don't understand it.

But, I'd love to understand -- from people who have spent at least 15 minutes on RCPilot.com (and not on their phones, but on a larger screen) -- whether the concept as a whole deserves more time or whether I've got it completely wrong in our hobby. I would note that RCMarket.com has a bit more than 100 ads since I launched it a few weeks ago. Maybe that value proposition is more obvious to people? Maybe, when we have something at stake, we are willing to go outside of our routine?

I'm going to continue paying to keep the site running, but I will stop promoting it and adding features. I have two actual revenue-generating software ventures that will benefit from me not distracting myself with RCPilot and RCMarket. I'm not upset. I'm just puzzled.

I still encourage everyone to give it an earnest try. If it suits you, hooray! If not, I'll take the teachings and hover taxi down the runway.

Thanks in advance for any insights you might have!

The aircraft fuselage is cast from composite material using custom-made molds, then reinforced with a balsa wood framework and a system of structural ribs. Each component undergoes a center-of-gravity calibration process before moving on to the finishing stage.
The product is delivered unpainted, allowing the project owner to select their own color scheme and level of detail; alternatively, clients may request that the workshop complete the finishing process according to agreed-upon specifications.

Being a Veteran of the Vietnam era I have a great fondness for anything helicopter during that time. If you have not read "Low Level Hell" by Captain Hugh Mills you should read it. That is the man and the book that made "Miss Clawd" a well known helicopter in the scale helicopter community. This is my second Miss Clawd with the first being built in the early ninties and nitro powered. This one is a product of Vario Helicopters and equipped with Vario Benzine mechanics, powered with a Scorpion 5035 and retaining the Benzine clutch with a Heliworkshop clutch adapter, a Castle 160 ESC on 12S, Spektrum electronics and a Sound system making a very realistic model. The mechanics were highly modified to allow for a full cockpit and easy battery change. The cockpit is completely "scratch-built" from wood, plastic and aluminum. Pilots are a product of TailoredPilots, WarBirdPilots and patches added for the Vietnam era. Personal weapons and other cockpit accessories came from BlackOpsToys and Ebay. Stetsons were 3D printed by my friend of many years Mark Burks owner of Micro Designs. The "stogie" in the gunners mouth was the idea of my fellow full size pilot Csptian Randy Rivers that I shared a lot of civilian airspace with who also flew the OH 58D in the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars. I try to fly this model just as Miss Clawd was flown by Captain Mills.

I have built a total of 13 Roban scale helicopters and all have flown perfectly. I loved the looks of the Mercy Air but wanted to change it to the "Utility" version replacing the retractable gear with skid gear. Being new to 3D printing, I printed some suitable looking seats, patient streacher, SPH5 flight helmet, cyclic grips. I pieced together the pilot using accessories from Ebay and BlackOpsToys, added a harness set from Micro Designs to finish out the cockpit and interior. I enjoy building the Roban models, they build easy and fly great. I can't keep them all, lol and this one has a home with a lifelong friend David Stinnett and he is enjoying it immensely.

This my friends is one of the most noticeable things you will do to add a realistic and authentic touch to your beautiful model. Nothing else will make the "impact" more than a little exhaust soot. Keep in mind you only want to add this to your scale models with a "top mounted" turbine where you will see the accumulation of soot on top of the tail boom and stabilizers. Don't forget to add little soot to the leading edge of the tail rotor blades. The models such as the Hughes 500 series with a bottom mounted turbine will not leave but a slight amount of soot. The reason being: the exhaust from a top mounted turbine will accumulate more on top and in the middle of the tail boom due to air flow and rotor wash. The soot from a 500 series with a bottom mounted turbine will be mostly dissipated before reaching the verticle stabilizer and only a slight amount will accumulate near the bottom from the tail boom down. I like the results from using the Rust-oleum "High Heat 2000 Degree Ceramic Coating" for the best results that suit my goal. I spray the Rust-oleum into a cup and transfer it to my airbrush because the airbrush "atomizes" the paint into a very fine spray. I have used "flat black" paint and it works well but to me is a little "too black" when shot heavy, your choice. Apply the soot compared to your full size pictures. Most Military models accumulate a lot of soot because in a combat environment they are washed only "when water is avalible", lol. When I was flying full size on a long day of flying as you see in the picture of the ENG 206 it would get quite dirty. Just a little soot will enhance the realistic look of your model. If you have a model with a "black" tail boom you need only to add a little dusting of Testors DullCoat right from the can to simulate the soot and deglossing the tail boom. You can see my use of DullCoat in the video. The use of DullCoat is because after many washings the gloss coat will loose it's high shine. The decision to make is "do you want a big beautiful model" or do you want a "big beautiful model that looks REAL".

Most prepainted models from Roban, Funkey, Marvelcraft and others come with very nice paint but not a lot of detail. It is VERY easy to increase the realistic appearance of a prepainted fuselage by adding highlights to the rivets, adding panel lines, hinges and latches with nothing more than a little paint, brushs, 1/64th Graphic Tape and different colors of fine point permanent markers. I highlights the rivets with silver or aluminum permanent markers and "dry brushing", add or highlight panel lines with 1/64 Graphic Tape, simulate latches with small pieces of Monokote trim. I add exhaust soot with a cheap airbrush, if you have a black tail boom as on my yellow and black 407 I simply sprayed a light coat of Testors DullCoat on top of the tail boom and the leading edges of the horizontal and vertical stabilizers along with the leading edge of the tail rotor blades. You can judge by the "before and after" photos to see what a difference this little bit of detailing can accomplish to add a more realistic appearance to your prepainted model.

My goal for many years has been to make my models look as realistic as possible. I am in a small group and there is "absolutely" nothing wrong with having a beautiful "pristine" model but that is not my goal. I spent over thirty years in helicopter aviation and I seldom got the opportunity to fly a "pristine" helicopter. Most all my experience was in well worn and heavily used helicopters and I guess it left an impression, lol. Unless you are modeling a Medical helicopter, Executive transport or factory new or Air Force One lol, then there is going to be some wear. Even in ENG ( Electronic News Gathering ) and the Offshore industry ( where I retired ) we had to wash our helicopters daily and even then after hundreds of washings they began to show wear and loose their shine. I can certainly relate to you guys that want a "beautiful" and "brand new" looking helicopter but my goal is a "used" helicopter. I truly know the hesitation in "scuffing up" a new glossy paint job with "0000 steel wool" and "DullCoat" paint but to me it is just adding "realism" to give that authentic look. I "weather and wear" even my pre-painted models. Just adding a little "exhaust soot" can give your model a more realistic look. We love them all, weathered or not, BUT if you want to join the "next level" in modeling look at the pictures and determine if that might be your next goal. Just to show you how dedicated I am to this goal I am giving away an authentic SPH4 helicopter flight helmet as an award to the "most realistic and weathered" model at my Fun-Fly next year.

I purchased this model in 2023 in the"white" and only test flown. It has HELI-FACTORY mechanics with Hacker Q80 for power, Kontronik 200 on 12S, Bavarian 3X, ModelSoundsInc sound system ans Unilight lighting.
It was a "slick" fuselage with no exterior detailing. I added the rivets, panel lines and all exterior detailing. The cockpit was scratch-built, pilots were purchased from BlackOpsToys and pieced together with different heads and bodies ( the Frankenstein method ) along with assorted pilot accessories.
The armament is a combination of 3D printed parts from SCALE-PRINT and 9MINIMATRONIX.
Most Super Cobras are painted some form of Navy gray or camouflage. I did a lot of research and found that the USMC used the Sea Cobra in Opperation Urgent Fury and most of their helicopters were Deep Forest Green and even with this being a different version of the Cobra I chose this color, not building for competition but for personal preference. I did modify the skid gear for the proper angles and stance.
As with all my HELI-FACTORY models everything fit perfectly and flys GREAT
This model is now owned by Owen Battle and I am begging him to bring it down to Tennessee for me to once again fly.

Hello Scale RC-Helicopter Pilot Friends! I’ve mounted a Caddx Ascent+ HD FPV video system on my Flywing AS350 GPS RC-Helicopter in various positions. Flying an RC helicopter via FPV in full manual mode has a unique appeal—I personally really enjoy it. In this part 2 video of my fpv flight series, I’ll show you some footage from these FPV flights using the different camera positions. Which camera position do you like best? Have you tried setting up an FPV system yourself, and what has your experience been like?
Watch the Video here if you like to see some FPV Flight Footage:

I have been using sound systems for many years with great results. I had one of my models at a show a few years ago and as I was spooling up I heard the announcer saying what a realistic turbine I was using, he was very surprised to find out it was an electric model with a sound system. I used the older ModelSoundsInc system for years but they went out of business and BeierElectronics, a German based company that has been in the sound business for many years decided to make their system compatible with RC Helicopters. They offer the addition of an amplifier which allows you to hear the authentic rotor sound in flight of the selected full size helicopter.
I have included a video of my Starwood Lama which you can see in the "video section".
BeierElectronics offer many different helicopter sounds to choose from as well as the option to purchase the individual components needed to fit your project. I use two four inch speakers, USM-RC-3 sound module and amplifier in my big models. You can choose the size and number of speakers or use of the amplifier to fit your project. Their system allows you to personalize your model with ATC voices, guns sounds and other sounds if desired. You can power the sound module from your receiver battery or use a seperate 7.4 as I do. I power the amplifer with a small 1000mah 6S for many flights.
You can reach BEIER-ELECTRONIC.DE outside the U.S. or contact HOBBYCONCEPTS.NET in the U.S. if you have questions you can reach out to Bob Jacobsen at HOBBYCONCEPTS and he knows EVERYTHING about the product and can answer any of your questions.

I have built many Hueys, from the Hirobo 30 size to the big gas powered Hirobo but this 1/4.8 scale Huey is the largest at around 98 inches. The first picture is how it came out of the box. I had read many things about the HELI-FACTORY models and the detail and quality was much more than expected. This is one of their "Super Scale" models with rivets and raised panels, panel lines and many other exterior details created during the manufacturing of the fuselage. HELI-FACTORY cuts out all opening panels and doors/windows and pre-installed all the woodword ready for the mechanics to be installed. The mechanics were assembled and ready for the installation of my Spektrum electronics, Kontronik 1000 and Kontronik 200 ESC. I installed a sound system for a very realistic start-up and shutdown. The rotor head is the most realistic Huey head I have seen in a model.
The cockpit and armament are a product of SCALE-PRINT. The pilots and gunners are from TailoredPilots. I had the model flying within a couple of weeks "in the white" to get it airworty before disassembly for paint, personal detailing and weathering. I chose to build this Huey to represent a "C" model flown by the "Razorbacks" gunship platoon in Vietnam. The dummy turbine engine and M40 nose mounted granade launcher were 3D printed by Russell Rohan. I prefer my models to look well used and this one is highly weathered. Everything fit perfectly and flys GREAT !!!

I have been an avid admirer of Heli-Factory models for several years as well as a very big fan of the Bell HUEY. I have several thousand hours in helicopter aviation and had the opportunity to fly the Huey and have been "hooked" ever since. With Heli-Factory introducing the 1/5th scale Bell 205 last year I had to have one and it is one of my most prized models. I have an acquaintance who flew for Air America in the sixties and I wanted to build this 205 to represent a 205 flown by the "CIA" covert airline. This model is about 96 inches in length. This is the first Heli-Factory Bell 205 using electric for power. The mechanics are designed and geared for turbine use so I reached out to Vincent Offenbeck at Egodrift with the necessary information and he recommended the 5040HS-385 using a Kontronik 210ESC and running on 14S. All Spektrum electronics, Bavarian 3X. I have added a BEIER-ELECTRONIC.DE sound system.
The cockpit and exterior detailing are a product of Scale-Print, the pilot is from PremierPilots and detailed with the necessary Air America clothing and patches. With the mechanics hidden I had lots of room for scale accessories. Air America was famous for "across the border" operations that were not allowed by the U.S. Military in Vietnam. They flew a lot of cargo resupply ( among other things, lol ) and that is what I wanted to represent. The model is painted in Air America colors of silver and blue and this one is highly weathered to represent a well used helicopter. The 205 has a RTF gross weight of 54 pounds and flys GREAT.

Here's my progress on the Big Schweizer 300 from Vario. I just moved to Idaho, so waiting to get moved into our new home, but I'll post up more as the project progresses. I've modified the mechanics frames and installed a back FG panel in the cabin to allow the installation of a full cockpit from Patrick Leong. He and I collaborated on the first of it's kind fully detailed cockpit for this kit and it is a work of art. More on the cockpit later. My colleague Patrick printed an incredibly detailed Lycoming engine for it as well. It's converted to electric on 12S with one on my custom clutch adapters for the motor. I'll post pics of the mechanics frame mods when I pull the heli from storage. Stay tuned...

One of the coolest parts of my job is getting to help bring helicopter products like the Blade Bell 206 to life. As someone who was involved with this project from the beginning, it's been awesome to see the community's reaction now that it's in pilots' hands.

What I love most is that it delivers a scale experience that normally comes with a much bigger price tag. The Bell 206 looks incredible in the air, is approachable for a wide range of pilots, and doesn't require the investment or complexity that many scale heli projects demand.

I'm curious...what's your favorite part of the Bell 206?

🚁 The scale appearance? 🚁 The flight performance? 🚁 The value? 🚁 Something else?

And for the scale heli crowd: what do you think is the toughest helicopter to beat in this price range?

#BladeHelicopters #Bell206 #RCHeli #ScaleHeli #Rotorhead #HorizonHobby #RCPilot