CHOOSING THE BEST RC HELICOPTER ENGINE
The RC helicopter engine/power plant... Probably the very first choice you want to make when deciding on the best RC helicopter. By deciding this right now, your list is narrowed substantially and makes your RC helicopter purchase decision much easier. To make the best RC helicopter engine choice, let’s look at the pros and cons of each of the four power options available today. There is no candidate "best" power choice. Each have strengths and weaknesses, and what you eventually decide to purchase will be based on what your needs are. The following discussion is to point out different advantages and disadvantages of each RC helicopter engine power option. If you want detailed explanations of each type of heli, simply click on the specific links for a more in depth examination.
ELECTRIC RC HELICOPTERS
Advantages:Easiest to set up. No difficult tuning of carburetors, fuel systems or exhaust systems.Less likely to cut out in mid flight due to fuel/air mixture or ignition problems that plague all fuel powered models.Lower operational costs (no fuel to purchase).Flying weight and center of gravity (CG) don't change throughout the flight as they do with fuel powered models.Much quieter. Some municipalities have strict noise regulations and an electric RC helicopter may be your only option if you wish to fly in a field close to home.No
messy oil residue
all over the helicopter and surrounding area.Easy to start and stop. No special starting equipment such as glow plug power panels and starter systems.Can be flown indoors with no poisonous exhaust being produced.Better for the environment.Disadvantages: Power to weight ratio not as good as nitro, but getting closer all the time.Currently limited in size of helicopter to under 1600mm (63 inches) rotor diameter. Size for size - higher initial purchase costs over nitro because large capacity lithium batteries although coming down in price are still very expensive.Large lithium batteries can be dangerous and catch fire or explode if not charged and handled properly.If you don’t want to wait between flights to cool and charge your battery, you will need at least one or two extra batteries, adding to the cost.Even if you have several extra batteries, you may (if you fly very aggressively) still have to wait between flights to let the motor and electronic speed controller cool down.
NITRO RC HELICOPTERS
Advantages: Most power to weight ratio of any power option.Refuel and go... no waiting around between flights to change/charge batteries or wait for electric motors and speed controllers to cool down.Proven design and long life expectancy.Generally less expensive than an equal sized electric model when you take into account the expense of high capacity Li-po or Li-ion batteries - you can purchase a lot of nitro fuel for what a few large capacity li-po batteries cost.The most crash proof of all power options... nitro engines are almost indestructible.I for one love the smell of nitro exhaust - but that is a subjective point.Noise – some of us love the high pitched sound of a nitro engine turning at 17,000 rpm.Disadvantages: Noisy – some hate that high pitched noise. Nitro engines are very noisy only to be topped by turbine engines in decibels produced.
Messy
- Nitro fuel is around 20% oil, and that fine oil mist in the exhaust gets everywhere. It is for most people the very worst aspect of nitro engines.
Fuel tank
placement and how it affects the center of gravity is important.Hard to tune and set up correctly... especially for people with no prior nitro model engine experience. Can stop running in middle of flight if mixture is not right, fuel is contaminated, fuel supply gets blocked, or glow plug fails.Glow fuel is only available at hobby shops and because it is classified as a hazardous material is expensive and difficult to ship.Higher operating costs than electric or gas RC helicopters. Nitro engines are thirsty and nitro glow fuel costs much more than gasoline. You also have to replace glow plugs from time to time.Vibration prone
starting shafts
and
fans
, or inconvenient belt start systems.
GAS RC HELICOPTERS
Advantages:Not as messy as a nitro rc helicopter engine – low oil to fuel mix ratio means most of the oil gets burnt in the combustions process.Runs at lower RPM so it is not as noisy and doesn’t produce as much high frequency vibration as a nitro engine.Runs on ordinary gasoline and 2-cycle engine oil that can be purchased anywhere.Usually easier to start. Long life expectancy. Less costly to operate than a nitro heli.Gasoline is readily available anywhere, and costs much less than nitro fuel.Gas engines don't use as much fuel as nitro engines meaning longer flying times and smaller fuel tanks than an equivalent powered nitro engine. Disadvantages: Lowest power to weight ratio of all power options.Limited selection of gas RC helicopter models.Higher price than electric or nitro because the helicopters are larger.Lager reciprocating piston mass produces strong lower frequency vibrations.High voltage
ignition
and spark plugs produce radio interference - not an issue with PCM or 2.4GHz spread spectrum radios.Heavy models means more damage usually occurs in a crash.
TURBINE RC HELICOPTERS
Advantages:Realism... it doesn’t get any more real than this.Noise and smell! Yup, they’re noisy - loudest of the bunch, but what a great noise. The sweet smell of jet exhaust is hard to beat.Powerful enough for very large RC helicopters – scale or pod & boom.The challenges and rewards are very high.Rare and elite.Disadvantages: Very expensive.Only a few companies provide turbine specific helicopter kits, parts availability and waiting time could be an issue.Most Complicated.Maintenance intensive.Higher operating costs compared to equivalent sized gas powered models, fuel costs less than nitro however.Heavy damage costs even in light crashes.
For all beginners the best RC helicopter engine power option is either going to be electric or nitro; so concentrate on those two and weigh the pros and cons carefully. For ease of use, electric really is the clear choice now a days. If you are experienced with nitro or electric helicopters already, your RC helicopter engine choice might be a gas powered heli. The main reason most people get into Gas RC helicopter engines is to reduce the operation cost of using nitro fuel and to eliminate the hassles of getting nitro fuel. Many also make the switch to gas because they want to start flying very large pod and boom or scale RC helicopters, but don’t want the very high costs and complexity that go along with turbine power. Finally – if you are a very competent heli builder and flier and want the ultimate statement in complexity, realism, and cost – a turbine RC helicopter engine powered model will be your next goal. After that, you only have one option – spend a few million on a real helicopter.
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