Radio Control: Helicopters
Larry Jolly
TIME FLIES
As I began thinking about this month's column I realized it would be published in the December issue. I couldn't believe how fast the months fly — of course it didn't help that this was being written in September. Anyway, I wish you a happy holiday season and a happy, healthy 1986 filled with many happy flying days.
GMP Shuttle
As promised a few months back, here is my report on the new GMP Hirobo Shuttle. Two weeks ago John Gorham called and asked if I'd like to try one out. Apparently they had received a few samples and were flying them.
The next morning John, his son Robert, and I were at the GMP proving grounds. John flew first. After the OS .28 was purring away and the RPMs came up, John lifted into a hover. Staying at eye level for a few minutes showed the needle valve was set properly. After a short time John flew the Shuttle through a series of high-speed climbs and dives, followed by stall turns and loops. The Shuttle was definitely stable in the hover and fairly agile. Shortly thereafter John maneuvered into an autorotation landing. Sure enough, with the transmitter's throttle-hold on, John glided the Shuttle to a feather-soft touchdown.
Robert was up next. His machine had just been finished the day before and was not yet fully sorted out. However, Robert flew his Shuttle very smoothly and demonstrated how it loops and rolls. With a new engine, he decided an autorotation would be unwise that day.
When it was my turn, having already seen what the Shuttle was capable of, I concentrated on how it handled. I found it exhibited the same feel its larger cousins are noted for. The machine was rock-steady in the hover and showed good tendencies in forward flight. I was impressed — the Shuttle is docile enough for the first-time flier, yet responsive enough to keep the expert pilot in shape.
We returned to the GMP factory where Robert presented me with a large silver box containing a brand-new Shuttle. John asked me to use the supplied instruction book and let him know if I thought it was adequate. I hurried home, anxious to get started.
The first thing I did was put the radio on charge. Sliding the silver cover sleeve off exposed a molded polystyrene foam box. Inside was one complete Shuttle. Literally, all the modeler had to do was install the radio and gyro, bolt on the skids and blades, and go fly. For those of you who have purchased one of the ready-to-fly Hobie Hawk sailplanes, the Shuttle is along the same line of thinking. By the way, don't throw the box away — after you have completed the Shuttle you can use the box as a carrying case guaranteed to get your machine safely from one place to another.
I carefully removed the pieces from the box.
Cabin, Power Unit, and Assembly
I was impressed with several design details. The cabin slides into position and locks in place with a sprung lever at the back. There is also a floor located two inches from the main shaft to mount the gyro. The engine mount is metal and is held in place with four screws; with these removed the engine can be easily taken out through the bottom.
Since the engine is started with a belt, there is no starting shaft to fuss with while removing or installing the engine. The cooling shroud is equipped with a clip to hold the belt clear of rotating mechanisms in flight.
My Shuttle took three hours to complete. I have only a few minor faults to report:
- On page 14 in the instruction manual, the top-left drawing of the servo wheel shows that it has been drilled to give differential throw. This is not the case; the pushrods should be mounted as shown in the other drawings.
- The supplied throttle rod was too short for my larger servos. I discarded the supplied rod and replaced it. Examination of the unused rod showed that the supplied clevis was too loose on the rod threads — it could slip.
I feel these are minor complaints and should in no way reflect on an otherwise excellent product. John is aware of these deficiencies and has taken action to solve them.
Safety and First-Flier Advice
Remember that while the Shuttle is a ready-to-fly product, it is still a real helicopter and not a toy — and should not be treated as one. Even though it is factory-assembled, it is the modeler's responsibility to ensure the craft is airworthy. I advise you to assemble the machine according to the book and double-check that all screws are tight. Make sure all linkages move easily with no binding. In short, preflight the machine the same as you would if you had built it. You should be sure that when the engine fires up, nothing is going to fly off.
If you are a first-time flier, carefully read pages 21–34. These 13 pages are your ticket to becoming a successful helicopter pilot. The crew at Hirobo took great pains to provide adequate instructions for the zero-time pilot who has no help. I would advise that you get an experienced pilot to test-fly your Shuttle the first time. It's not that a zero-time pilot can't teach himself, but it's so much easier when the machine is properly trimmed out to begin with.
Summary
I found the Shuttle to be an excellent RC helicopter, both as a ready-to-fly product and in its flying abilities. I have a feeling that, come Christmas afternoon, there will be quite a few Shuttles taking to the air for the first time. The Shuttle is available from Gorham Model Products dealers and retails for $225 without an engine or $295 with one.
Next month we'll return with our three views and "Beginner's Corner." It's been a tough day, and I'm getting tired of looking at this typewriter. I'll talk to you next year; in the meantime, I think I'll go out back and fly my Shuttle some more.
BCNU.
Larry Jolly 5501 W. Como, Santa Ana, CA 92703
STARS Scale Rally
Bob Beckman
It is the STARS membership's firm belief that our Scale Rally is probably one of the largest to be held each year — if not in the U.S., then in the eastern half of the U.S. — by an individual club whose active membership consists of only 31 members (along with their spouses — choose one!). It has been my privilege/responsibility/headache/misery (choose one; no, please choose them all) to be the STARS president for almost 12 years (they refuse to release me until I get it right) and newsletter editor for over 12 years. During this time I have learned that RC fliers are obstinate, disagreeable, cantankerous, and disgusting individuals — at least in the STARS membership. The direction each STAR takes in his RC activity is to take the membership number (31) and divide it into a 360° circle; the answer is the direction each will take! And yet, when the time comes to set up for our Rally — to a man, they and their wives work like the dickens! There is a deep sense of pride knowing that this club, with so few members, can produce and implement a Scale Rally the size of the STARS Scale Rally held each year. Dammit! I sure am proud of them.
Planes and people? Of course there were a lot of them! While the flying was constrained somewhat by the weather, the real value is in the renewal of friendships, making new ones, and hearing fliers repeatedly tell us we hold one of the best rallies they've ever attended — which makes it all worthwhile. The Scale Rally was bigger and better than ever — the most successful one yet.
As an aside, STARS still has one charter member remaining from the old Olean Model Airplane Club: Kermit (our "favorite grandmother") Kopepel. Granny has to be the most miserable, cantankerous, ornery, revolting ancient free-flighter in existence. Close to becoming an octogenarian, he is still as active and busy as all the other STARS in putting on our Scale Rally. He's the termagant (look it up, fellows, if you don't know it) who runs around selling 50–50 tickets at all our Rally.
Model Airplane News has sponsored our annual Scale Rally for the past four years. Their sponsorship has assisted us greatly in keeping our Scale Rally cost-free. Their participation is greatly appreciated.
If you haven't been to a STARS Rally yet, you are most cordially invited to attend the next one. Send us your name and address, and we'll send you a flyer announcing our 1986 event some time after the first of next year.
If at all possible, you should accept George's invitation and take in their rally next year. In the meantime, I'm turning my attention from my favorite Eastern flying site to my favorite location on the West Coast. Next weekend (Labor Day), Evelyn and I will be at the Merwin Ranch near Sacramento for a three-day Giant Scale Fly-in. Next month I'll tell you about how Chapter 1 of IMAA throws a Big Bird Bash.
Bob Beckman 8248 Holly Grove Ct., Manassas, VA 22110
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
