The RC helicopter canopy is the term used to describe the cover given
to the main structure of the helicopter.

It can be the most impressive and colorful part of an RC helicopter and is important as it is the only
visual appealing part of the helicopter.

People paint different figures like birds, lion etc in the same manner
as amateur pilots do to their real airplane.

The Canopy is mostly of two types:

1. Plastic Body

2. Fiber Glass Body

The plastic body is light but not easily paintable, but it can take
a beating. Its light weight is one of the best reasons to go for a plastic
canopy. The difficulty in painting is the only reason people are not much
after the plastic canopies.

There are many companies that paint either the simple one color or different
shapes like that of a Batman car to the RC helicopter canopy. The overall
motive is to give a good appearance to the canopy and hence to the helicopter.

As compared to plastic canopy, the Fiberglass body gives much easiness
to be painted. The only drawback to the fiberglass body is that, it will
not take a beating and can be easily broken when the heli goes down for
because of an emergency or crash.

Similar to the plastic RC helicopter canopy, many companies paint the
fiberglass body with simple plain colors or with different shapes and
many colors in it.

Blades are the most important part of the Radio controlled Helicopters
as without them, flying ability of the helicopter would cease to exist.

Blades are the mechanical plates which when attached to the rotor provide
a thrust which lifts the helicopter upwards.

The main thrust provided by the main blades is transformed into axial
or radial thrust by the rotor blade, but the main thrust is only provided
by the main blades and hence it can be easily understood that without
blades it would be impossible for a radio helicopter to fly on its own.

Blades are of three types depending upon their construction material
and are:

1. Wood Blades

2. Fiber Glass Blades

3. Carbon fiber Blades

Your best as a beginner are wood blades. Wood blades are the cheapest
of all kind of blades and are easily available everywhere. They are best
suited for beginners who are likely to first experience with their machines
and are likely to crash it sometimes. Since the cost is very economical,
wood blades can easily be replaced.

One major limitation of wood blades is that although they can be used
to fly around but doing acrobatic stunts is sometimes not recommended
because some wood blades are not very strong.

Fiber Glass Blades are made up of fiber glass and inherit many properties
of fiber glass like strength and fineness. For acrobatic moves, Fiber
glass possesses exceptional capabilities. They are usually costlier than
the wood blades but are easily available in the market and in hobby shops.

The only limitation factor of fiber glass is its weight. Its weight
is much more than the wood blades that make the performance of a radio
controlled helicopter much less than those of wood blades. But since they
are much strong, the limitation can be ignored a little bit.

Carbon fiber blades are the strongest of all kind of blades. They are
made up of same material from which cutting tools are made up of and hence
provide much strength to the blades.

Due to their complex structure, a complicated and costly method is employed
to produce them which accounts for their higher cost. They are the best
blades and can be used in any acrobatic stunts without affecting any performance
issue.

If cost does not matter then they are the best kind of blades anyone
can have.
It does not matter what blades you choose, but choose blades that fit
your needs. Don’t try to buy Carbon fiber blades while you are still learning,
this will just be a waste of money, because as a beginner you are more
likely to crash frequently, lets face it.

And some woods blades are designed to handle tuff flying conditions,
but my advice when you start getting good at flying go for fiberglass
then go to carbon fiber when you are really, really good.

Getting into RC helicopters can be a scary experience for the RC helicopter
beginner, unless you know what tools to acquire to make this hobby fun
and exciting.

Fortunately for the beginner, there are many things,
such as instructional videos, RC helicopter magazines, and RC helicopter
flight simulators to help them prepare and learn.

A good place to start learning the ins and outs for an RC helicopter
beginner is with a RC helicopter flight simulator. Although these seem
quite expensive – the general price is around $200 USD – the experience
you gain with the simulator is invaluable.

With a good simulator, the flying experience closely mimics that of a
real RC helicopter, allowing the you to learn the controls at your leisure.

Experiment all you like – in a simulator, the crashes cost you no time
and money.

By learning to fly and making your mistakes in a simulator, you save
yourself hours of time and hundreds of dollars in repairs. One highly
rated simulator is Real Flight Generation 2, which comes with a USB control
pad that looks like a RC helicopter radio. Avoid RC helicopter simulators
made for game consoles, as these usually do not have controls or physics
that mimic reality.

When you’re ready to start looking into purchasing a RC helicopter, investing
in a RC helicopter hobby magazine is very useful for the RC helicopter
beginner. Within these magazines you will find reviews for helicopters
and parts to help you make the best decision on what to buy.

Once you are ready to fly, you must choose your RC helicopter.

As a RC helicopter beginner, you will find that there are many options
for you to choose from – micro, mini, and larger sizes, electric and gas
powered.

While the larger, gas-powered helicopters are easier for a beginner
to control, the can’t be used indoors due to the fumes, and they are more
expensive to repair when they break. The smaller, electric powered helicopters,
on the other hand, are more difficult to control but they can be used
indoors as well as outdoors, and cost less to repair.

Before you set up your RC helicopter, you should read and re-read the
instructions so you gain a good understanding of how the parts fit together,
and where they should go.

After you’ve assembled your first RC helicopter, you should take it
to your local hobby shop to have it checked over by an expert to make
sure everything is in order. Remember, a loose part can mean a lost blade
when you try to fly, damage to the helicopter, and possible serious injury
to yourself or to bystanders.

The main blades of RC helicopters spin at a speed great enough to cut
through flesh and cause serious injury!

Having an expert to ‘mentor’ you through your first experiences flying
your RC helicopter is very helpful. A mentor is able to give you tips
not necessarily covered in the instructions or magazines, and provide
real-time help with building and flying your helicopter.

Alternatively, you can watch instructional videos, many of which are
made for specific models of helicopters and provide step-by-step walkthroughs
on building the helicopter and getting started with flight. For the RC
helicopter beginner, watching how the helicopter is put together in real
time can clarify any confusing parts of a paper manual.

Using these tools to gain experience and knowledge will help you have
the confidence you need to start your hobby off in an exciting and fun
manner.

The heli setup tools that an RC helicopter flyer selects will be the
proudest possessions that will follow any RC helicopter flyer anywhere
they go.

The tools that a flyer will need will be used in various ways from building
a helicopter to making a helicopter fly properly. Knowing what tools to
use will make RC helicopters pleasant to learn. Some of the tools will
take some time to get use to, and others will be simple to use from the
beginning.

The basic heli setup tools tip which I follow is to get the best product
on the market. Well named items tend to last longer and often have a warranty
that eventually you will need. The first heli setup tools will be the
basic tools to get an RC helicopter up in the air.

These basic heli setup tools will include:

• Pitch gauge
• Blade Balancer
• Swash Plate Leveler

As a flyer becomes more involved a flyer’s tool box will expand with
slowly but surely results.

Also, take the time and read the instructions on how to use these tools
and try to simulate the operation of the tools.

This will get any RC helicopter flyer ready for use of the tool.

Some tools will only be used a couple of times and others will be used
all the time. When obtaining some of these tools it might be a good idea
to invest in a good light weight tool box to put all these tools in.

The best place to get a good tool box is at your local hardware store.
The hardware store will have a large selection of good quality price right
tool boxes.