It looks – and sounds – like a demented dragonfly!

Here’s a radio-controlled miniature helicopter performing some amazing stunts at the recent Southwest Heli Rodeo.  Frankly, I’d never have believed that such maneuvers were possible before seeing this video clip.  Watch in full-screen mode for best results.

I wonder how many real helicopter pilots turned green as they watched that?

Peter

13 comments

  1. Incredible.

    No way it was photo-shopped… it would take a year to put that performance together, what with shadows, etc.

    That guy is very talented.

  2. Can we X-ray the pilot? I don't believe he's human. Gotta be an android built with extraterrestrial technology and FTL logic pathways.
    (I can't even get one of those little buggers off the ground without crashing it!)

  3. he seems to be decent pilot. flying like this in RC heli competition has been going on for years. its called flying 3d. I am a decent rc pilot, but never gotten to doing 3d . just too spasmic and too costly if you crash 🙂

  4. I've seen others just as good. Just goes to show what an incredible power-to-weight ratio, and a highly-practiced, skilled 'pilot' can achieve. I can't do that, I fail miserably outside of 1st-person view in flight simulators from anywhere but behind. I can only imagine how many thousands of dollars of crashed and damaged or destroyed helicopters it would cost me to get to be nowhere near as good as this guy. Amazing!

  5. Way back in the late 1980's when I ran my hobby business for R/C models, I had several friends that were heavily into flying R/C helos.

    Carbon fiber was just becoming available for stuff like rotor blades and airframe parts, and these guys were at the forefront of R/C helo aerobatics.

    Yep, they can do some insane stuff.

    Just another example of "If you have enough power, pigs and F-4 Phantoms will fly just fine"….

  6. Wow!

    However, I still prefer to watch the real thing. There are videos on the web of real aerobatics by real helicopters.

  7. You're generally a pretty experienced pilot before you pony up the $$ to buy and build a helo with that capability.

    They also use a lot of electronic flight controls, including some that have a "get me outta here" switch that takes over and establishes a hover….IF you hit it in time!

    Some of the radios are over $1000, and a well equipped ship can cost several thousand dollars….

  8. before the days of gyros and such, you could spend thousands learning to fly. these days, it is bit easier, but still crash is expensive.

  9. RIPPIT'!!!!! This is just the 'choppers!! Watch the guys with the aerobatic fixed wing machines the Extra 300's and what all doing "Tail dances" followed by flip-d-flips!! This is "Today!!" Twist the clock back a few years, 'had a Goldberg Falcon 56, O.S. .35 engine, Hobby Shack 4 channel radio and I was the "Lomschevak" Master!!! Back a few years….1982 it was… Ran about 4 gallons of fuel thru the Falcon (6 oz. tank=20+minutes flight time…go figure!!!) Finally the fuselage got so oil soaked that ya' could "Wring it out!!" what a plane!! 'Still have the plans "And" the motor…one of these dayz…The Falcon rises!!
    Fly while you still have your wings!!!
    skybill-out AMA-87838

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