The radio control helicopter- designs, power sources and functions

The radio control helicopter basically works on a very simple principle of remote control of the flight surfaces in the helicopter exercised through the use of a transmitter in the control console and a receiver in the helicopter body. As such, the receiver then sends out these commands to servos which are placed near the rotors and the tail rotor in order to regulate the aerodynamic forces being exerted on the helicopter and also to regulate the amount of aerodynamic force that each rotor set produces. As such, coordinated control and regulation of the rotors (which are basically gyros) through the use of the control console will enable the radio control helicopter to perform various normal flight and acrobatic tasks.

Any radio control helicopter has to be equipped with a power source which is the main factor responsible for the turning of the rotors and therefore generation of the primary lift. The engine also powers the tail rotor which is responsible for the stability of the helicopter and its maneuverability. Another factor that affects maneuverability is the number of control channels that the control console is equipped with. As such, a ready to use toy radio control helicopter bought off the shelf can come in channels from 4-6 however, the total range of control channels available is from 2-6, 6 being the most high maneuverability profile. As such, the ease of use and control of the flying machine decrease with increase in the number of channels. The more number of functions that a radio control helicopter can perform, the harder it is to control and to get it to perform those functions.

The types of engines used in these toy helicopters are brushless, electric motors that are powered by batteries which will have to be constantly replaced. The hobby radio control helicopter however, comes with a host of other options and offers the highest range of customization and flexibility to users. Hobbyists generally buy these kits and the go about customizing the various parts of the helicopter. They can put in a different set of rotors, different engine such as nitro engines (they use a nitro methane and methanol mix as fuel), turbine and jet engines which can use more traditional fuels like kerosene, gasoline and so on. Also, the control surfaces and the servos are chosen and carefully fixed so that they get the best performance out of their radio control helicopter.