The hobby of flying RC helicopters is growing in popularity. Many fliers start out as children with a small electric model that can be flown indoors and move up as their skill level increases. Once a person has mastered the most basic of controls, he/she is ready to move up to the true 3D ready models that must be flown outdoors. Many of these are powered by gasoline or nitro powered engines. When a person is ready to fly with the big boys (or girls!), he/she is ready to buy their first RC turbine helicopter.
These are the grandfathers of all RC helicopters. They are built to a scale as large as one sixth the size of the actual helicopter they are modeled after. When one powers up the engine, it sounds and smells just like the real thing, adding to the excitement of owning and operating one. Some manufacturers make a turbine conversion kit that allows one to change the engine out on an existing gas or nitro powered model and add the turbines and necessary extras that go with them. However, for most people, making the change from gas or nitro to turbine will require buying a whole new model.
The flight controls on most RC turbine helicopters are identical to those found on the gas powered ones. However, there are several internal differences and new components that are required to keep the turbine engine running that are not needed with the gas models. Before buying the first RC turbine helicopter, it is a good idea to be very well versed in the flying of 6 and 7 channel helicopters. These models are quite a bit more expensive than the ordinary gas powered ones and can be flown higher at faster speeds. This leads to the potential to do a great deal more damage if the helicopter is allowed to crash.
A fundamental understanding of how the turbines work to power the helicopter and some mechanical aptitude are necessary traits for someone buying his first turbine helicopter and attempting to fly it. After all, a great deal of money is being invested in this hobby by the time one is ready graduate to the turbine models. One of the largest draws in these models that make people want them is the fact that they are quite possibly the closest most will come to owning and flying their own plane or helicopter. While the experience is not the same, with the operator staying on the ground, It sounds, smells, and feels much like one is going into the air with his model when one has reached this level. Having an onboard camera can add to this feeling as the flier watches the images on a computer and makes changes in his flight path based on this bird's eye view. Buying the first RC turbine helicopter is a big step in the world of hobby flying. When one graduates to this level, he is at the top of the pyramid and can rightfully consider himself a master of RC helicopter flying.
