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OK YOU ARE ALL READY TO LEARN ABOUT RADIO CONTROLLED HELICOPTERS, BUT LETS ANSWER SOME COMMON QUESTIONS FIRST.When I am out flying, I often get asked many questions about radio controlled helicopters by people who stop and watch. Yes flying a RC helicopter usually draws a crowd. Some questions are very - how should I put this unique. 
Some are very intelligent and show a deep interest in the hobby, or flight in general. I am not going to talk about these rare questions you will find out for your self once you start flying. What I am going to focus on are the three most common questions I get asked - seeing that many of you most likely have these same questions. COST? Probably the single most common question I get asked is "How Much Does A radio controlled helicopter Cost?" What most people dont understand is the helicopter is just one part of it. A better question is "How much does it cost to start flying RC Helicopters?" There are several items you need to get before you can start flying, and usually these all have to be purchased separately. I will go into more detailed explanation of costs for each type of helicopter set up under each helicopter type on this web site, but here is a quick and dirty guide to give you a rough idea. The prices listed are for a complete set up (helicopter, radio, engine, etc.) in Canadian dollars. Remember these are just very approximate numbers and you can spend many times more than this if you get top notch everything. Many Hobby shops will give discounts on full packages. Manufacturers are starting to recognize that people just want to get in and get out - so they are putting together entire starting packages that will save you time and money. There are always sales going on, and dont over look the used or pre-owned market . This might seem like a lot of money for a hobby, but when you look at what other hobbies cost RC Helicopters are actually very reasonable. I also windsurf and just started kite boarding - wish they were as inexpensive as radio controlled helicopters. DO YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO FLY RC AIRPLANES FIRST? Not at all. There are very limited similarities in flight controls between helicopters and airplanes. If you don't know much about RC airplanes, I found two very good web sites that cover just about everything to do with RC planes. Anyways, back to our question - Experience with an RC airplane won't help you fly a radio controlled helicopter, but will certainly help you with things such as getting your engine running and tuning it. It will also help with the familiarity of RC radios, speed controllers and batteries. Even RC car and truck experience will help. In fact, our RC car sisters and brothers probably have an advantage when it comes to building the helicopter, there are many similarities between the mechanical workings of RC cars and RC helis and how they are built. Of course if you have no RC experience, that is ok too, you will just have a longer learning curve. HOW HARD ARE RADIO CONTROLLED HELICOPTERS TO FLY? No sugar coatings here when you are first starting they are exceedingly difficult. It is said that radio controlled helicopters are harder to fly than real ones. I have talked to a few helicopter pilots who fly both, and most will agree with that statement. This is the main reason why I built the How To Fly RC Helicopters section of this web site and am offering these on line lessons for free - I don't want people to give up with RC helis simply because they didn't have someone to guide them through the basics of learning how to fly. You also have to understand some basic helicopter flight theory before you even attempt to fly a helicopter, although that is the same for RC airplanes. Like I side before, learning how to skate or ride a bike seemed impossible for many of us, but once you got it, it seemed so easy right. Helis are no different just more technical. There are more tools now than ever to help you along the way such as rc flight simulators, and the equipment is much better. Learning from a qualified RC heli instructor is the best way to go, but so many of us have learned on our own. Any one can figure it out, some catch on quick others take a bit longer but if you take your time, understand the basics, and learn in small steps, you will succeed I promise! If you are looking for a great book on getting started with RC helicopters, I highly recommend The Basics Of Radio Control Helicopters. From purchasing your first RC helicopter to areobatics this book covers it all - a must read. This DVD is also a good source of RC helicopter Information. If you would rather watch than read, it is a nice alternative. There are several reasons why many people give up or fail with Radio Controlled Helicopters, the most common are: I built this web site to offer sound advice and guide you along the way. I want people to succeed with radio controlled helicopters and enjoy this rewarding and fun hobby as much as I do - hopefully for a life time. Good Luck And Have Fun!
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