R/C Helicopter Hobby in Singapore

How to start?

Now, you are getting interested. So the next question is "How can I start?" Well, in my opinion, it is best that you have a stable income or allowance. The starting cost is quite high(at the range of about S$1500). I recommend you to go down to any r/c helicopter flying field in Singapore to take a look at how does r/c helicopter flies in real life. Talk to the r/c helicopter pilots there and ask them questions. You can also email me and I can meet you for a flying demostration. You can also search the internet for more information about r/c helicopter flying.

Once you have decided to get started and have set aside the funds, you have to look at these items.

From top to bottom, left to right:

Sceadu 50, JR X3810, tool box and 15%nitromethane Power Master fuel

In the toolbox:

(1)Locktight and ball link pliers (2)Allen keys (3)Glow plug (4)Hex wrench and fuel line(5)Starter wand and screw driver (6)12V Lead acid battery (7)Torque starter and fuel pump

First, the r/c helicopter! There are two types of r/c helicopter available in Singapore now. The glow engine helicopter and electric motor helicopter. I started with a glow engine helicopter and I shall talk more about glow engine helicopter. As the name suggests, glow engine helicopter has a combustion engine that uses nitromethane as the fuel. Glow engine helicopters are classifies into 30, 50, 60 and 90 size, according to the engine capacity. The bigger the size, the more powerful it is. I recommend either a 30 or 50 size helicopter for a beginner. In Singapore, the more popular 30 size helicopters are Thunder Tiger Raptor 30V2, Hirobo Shuttle Plus, JR Venture CP and Kyosho Caliber 30. The more popular 50 size helicopters are Hirobo Sceadu 50 and Thunder Tiger Raptor 50V2. I am using the Hirobo Sceadu 50.

Second, the electronic equipment. You need a good computer program transmitter with matching reciever, servos and gyro. In Singapore, almost everyone uses PCM radio transmitter and the legal frequency approved by IDA is 29 MHz. I recommend either the JR X3810 or Futaba FF9CHP. These two transmitters have very good programming features for helicopters and they will last you for a long time. The JR X3810 is a 8 channel transmitter while the Futaba FF9CHP is a 9 channel transmitter. The different channels allow the transmitter to control the movements of the servos separately. Servo is an electro-mechanical device that has a motor which moves a load. The servos are used to control the ailerion, elevator, tail rudder, collective pitch and throttle. You need at least 5 servos. There are analogue and digital servos. Analogue servo is cheaper and sufficient for simple aerobatics. Digital servo is more expensive but the better holding power and speed makes it attractive for hard flying. Because of the torque generated from the rotating main rotors, you need a tail gyro to compensate for the resulting yaw. All modern gyro should include the head hold function. This heading hold technology makes r/c helicopter flying easier as the gyro can hold the tail in one direction very well in almost any type of flying. In Singapore, the best gyros are from Futaba, JR and CSM. You should get at least a 1100mah 4.8 V NiCd reciever battery to power the electronics on the helicopter.

Third, the glow engine and fuel. The glow engine is the power plant of a glow engine r/c helicopter. The glow engine comes in 30, 50, 60 and 90 sizes. Get one that matches your helicopter. The OS, Thunder Tiger, YS and Webra engines can be found in Singapore hooby shops. Glow engine needs a glow plug, nitromethane fuel and an exhaust system to work. A glow plug is like a spark plug in the car. It provides the heat for the combustion of fuel inside the engine. In Singapore, OS and Enya glow plugs are popular. The CoolPower and PowerMaster nitromethane fuel are the more popular fuel in Singapore. Nitromethane fuel comes in different nitro percent. If you get an OS or Thunder Tiger engine, 15% nitro fuel will be suitable. If you get a Webra engine, 5% nitro fuel should be used. And if you get a YS engine, 30% nitro fuel is recommended. The exhaust system can be either a muffler or a tuned pipe. Hatori makes good mufflers and if you like to boost the engine power, you can consider getting a Curtis Muscle Pipe.

Lastly, supporting field equipments. R/C helicopter is a complex machines and many tools are needed in order to maintain it. It's just like a real helicopter. You need to get a decent tool box with many compartments. You also need to get a torque starter, 12V lead acid battery, glow booster, assortment of screw drivers and allen keys, start shaft, fuel pump, fuel lines, wrench, pliers and pitch guage.

This is a brief description of the equipment you need to get.

Now, you are getting interested. So the next question is "How can I start?" Well, in my opinion, it is best that you have a stable income or allowance. The starting cost is quite high(at the range of about S$1500). I recommend you to go down to any r/c helicopter flying field in Singapore to take a look at how does r/c helicopter flies in real life. Talk to the r/c helicopter pilots there and ask them questions. You can also email me and I can meet you for a flying demostration. You can also search the internet for more information about r/c helicopter flying. Once you have decided to get started and have set aside the funds, you have to look at these items.
From top to bottom, left to right: Sceadu 50, JR X3810, tool box and 15%nitromethane Power Master fuel In the toolbox: (1)Locktight and ball link pliers (2)Allen keys (3)Glow plug (4)Hex wrench and fuel line(5)Starter wand and screw driver (6)12V Lead acid battery (7)Torque starter and fuel pump

First, the r/c helicopter! There are two types of r/c helicopter available in Singapore now. The glow engine helicopter and electric motor helicopter. I started with a glow engine helicopter and I shall talk more about glow engine helicopter. As the name suggests, glow engine helicopter has a combustion engine that uses nitromethane as the fuel. Glow engine helicopters are classifies into 30, 50, 60 and 90 size, according to the engine capacity. The bigger the size, the more powerful it is. I recommend either a 30 or 50 size helicopter for a beginner. In Singapore, the more popular 30 size helicopters are Thunder Tiger Raptor 30V2, Hirobo Shuttle Plus, JR Venture CP and Kyosho Caliber 30. The more popular 50 size helicopters are Hirobo Sceadu 50 and Thunder Tiger Raptor 50V2. I am using the Hirobo Sceadu 50. Second, the electronic equipment. You need a good computer program transmitter with matching reciever, servos and gyro. In Singapore, almost everyone uses PCM radio transmitter and the legal frequency approved by IDA is 29 MHz. I recommend either the JR X3810 or Futaba FF9CHP. These two transmitters have very good programming features for helicopters and they will last you for a long time. The JR X3810 is a 8 channel transmitter while the Futaba FF9CHP is a 9 channel transmitter. The different channels allow the transmitter to control the movements of the servos separately. Servo is an electro-mechanical device that has a motor which moves a load. The servos are used to control the ailerion, elevator, tail rudder, collective pitch and throttle. You need at least 5 servos. There are analogue and digital servos. Analogue servo is cheaper and sufficient for simple aerobatics. Digital servo is more expensive but the better holding power and speed makes it attractive for hard flying. Because of the torque generated from the rotating main rotors, you need a tail gyro to compensate for the resulting yaw. All modern gyro should include the head hold function. This heading hold technology makes r/c helicopter flying easier as the gyro can hold the tail in one direction very well in almost any type of flying. In Singapore, the best gyros are from Futaba, JR and CSM. You should get at least a 1100mah 4.8 V NiCd reciever battery to power the electronics on the helicopter. Third, the glow engine and fuel. The glow engine is the power plant of a glow engine r/c helicopter. The glow engine comes in 30, 50, 60 and 90 sizes. Get one that matches your helicopter. The OS, Thunder Tiger, YS and Webra engines can be found in Singapore hooby shops. Glow engine needs a glow plug, nitromethane fuel and an exhaust system to work. A glow plug is like a spark plug in the car. It provides the heat for the combustion of fuel inside the engine. In Singapore, OS and Enya glow plugs are popular. The CoolPower and PowerMaster nitromethane fuel are the more popular fuel in Singapore. Nitromethane fuel comes in different nitro percent. If you get an OS or Thunder Tiger engine, 15% nitro fuel will be suitable. If you get a Webra engine, 5% nitro fuel should be used. And if you get a YS engine, 30% nitro fuel is recommended. The exhaust system can be either a muffler or a tuned pipe. Hatori makes good mufflers and if you like to boost the engine power, you can consider getting a Curtis Muscle Pipe. Lastly, supporting field equipments. R/C helicopter is a complex machines and many tools are needed in order to maintain it. It's just like a real helicopter. You need to get a decent tool box with many compartments. You also need to get a torque starter, 12V lead acid battery, glow booster, assortment of screw drivers and allen keys, start shaft, fuel pump, fuel lines, wrench, pliers and pitch guage. This is a brief description of the equipment you need to get.