RC Helis.

[RPR]

Flying RC helis, paid for my kid's diapers. LOL I stopped flying in 2003 and got back into showing flying and a rep for a local manufacturer centuryhelis in 2009, but the game was shifting, and my son got older, so I moved on.. But here my earlier days that I put together for laughs n' giggles.

 

[Phaedrus]

I spent a lot of money with Century Helis!! Did you know Shawn Berkheimer at all?

 

[RPR]

I spent a lot of money with Century Helis!! Did you know Shawn Berkheimer at all?

I figured that you do. I probably have spoken to you back in the days.. lol. It’s been a long time, and I might know Shawn or he knows me. Do you know Paul? He is with DJI now as part owner, I could have been with DJI as well, but I stayed behind.

 

[RPR]

Do you know Karvus? He used to work for NASA and flies those big Yamaha gas helis. And I think you know Gavin from Coyote Hills glider club. But, I mostly race pylons and 3D helis at Grant Cuesta Hills, but got to hangout with those glider GODS back in the days at Bayside flying field in Fremont.

 

[Phaedrus]

I'm a SOCAL slope rat, but I do remember Gavin from back in the day. SOCAL we had Joe Wurts, Daryl Perkins, and many others. Soaring for me is still the purest form of flying.

Don't recall Karvus, but no doubt crossed paths. first heli was a GMP Cobra. Then a few Schluters and then a few Century helis. Towards the end I was flying mostly Align stuff.

Small world for sure.

 

[RPR]

I bet we crossed paths, man...

03’-05’ I was getting kicked out in AMA flying fields that forces some 3D heli-pilots to go renegade. But, I had a reputation for building and some of the guys would only let me fly in sanctioned fields. Specially at coyote hills at Gavin’s field, because I was rebuilding their crashed airplanes. Biz was booming during the pre-artf years, and I probably bought all of Ron Sheldon’s balsa wood and monokote. [emoji23]




After century, I went to Thunder Tiger and stayed with Jason Krause and Todd Bennet for a while in SoCal. But, I came back in late in the game after my service. Everyone evolved and the tricks got wilder.

I participated on the first Phantom project, and then dropped everything and went back school. I got lucky to get in the FD, despite everything what I went through during military service.

 

[Phaedrus]

I know Jason. He lives in Phoenix, AZ now. He was in business for a time with my oldest friend doing some aftermarket parts for the Van's Aircraft RV line of homebuilts. I see Todd every year at the AMA show. We catch up every year!!

Another friend of mine was at Align, then Thunder Tiger before ending up at Yuneec in the past 5 or 6 years. The other came from Horizon. Yuneec builds a lot of the Horizon MR stuff so he went from Horizon to Yuneec based on that relationship.

Heli flying these days is totally off the hook. Guys like Nick Maxwell, Alan Szabo, etc. just do amazing things.

 

[RPR]

Jeff Szabo? Alan’s younger brother? He was a young blood when I met him at IRCHA [emoji23] as well as Nick Maxwell, flying their E-Align in the parking lot. IRCHA was kind of an annual fraternity gathering, and the motels had cockroaches, and there was only one old motel in town. Nick, I believe is better than the younger Szabo, but I could be wrong.

Jason was always grinding from one project to another, he and Alan flew for Align, but when Align gave Alan a car it left a bad taste in Jason’s mouth. I meet these guys in China, when thunder tiger was the almighty king.

The AMA show in SoCal still going on? I used to attend the SoCal, Ohio, White planes, NY and Las Vegas. Great memories, and awesome crowd.

I resurfaced 5 years ago as a drone operator, and has been trying to reconnect this year in the RC world and circle. I don’t have Facebook anymore so it’s harder. Alan was away when I visited Vegas early this year, and I believe he now has family.

In the Bay Area, it was me, the Uko brothers, Jeff aka “chipped rotor” and Daniel Young from Vacaville who travelled under Thunder Tiger and Century.

 

[Phaedrus]

Jeff Szabo? Alan’s younger brother?

Meant Alan. Pre-coffee typing, bad all around.

He was a young blood when I met him at IRCHA [emoji23] as well as Nick Maxwell, flying their E-Align in the parking lot. IRCHA was kind of an annual fraternity gathering, and the motels had cockroaches, and there was only one old motel in town. Nick, I believe is better than the younger Szabo, but I could be wrong.

Nick is awesome. He is on the US F3N Team this year. F3N is basically World level 3D heli flying. Sanctioned by FAI. Nick also is the head guy at Futaba USA now. He got everything back on track after the demise of Hobbico this time last year.

The AMA show in SoCal still going on? I used to attend the SoCal, Ohio, White planes, NY and Las Vegas. Great memories, and awesome crowd.

Yep. They do a show in Pomona now and then one in NJ which is the old WRAM show from White Plains. Toledo is still going as well, but all the shows are shadows of their former selves. The internet is killing them all.

Was Jeff Fassbinder at TT or Align during your time? He was marketing manager at Yuneec for a time during the release of the H and H+.

 

[gwhuntoon]

Nice to hear all this Heli talk for a change. Our LHS no longer carries any helis, mostly just drones.

I'm hoping heli flying picks back up again. It's really more of a niche now except for the hard core flyers.

 

[Phaedrus]

Our local heli shop, RC Depot in Westminster, CA, used to do HUGE heli business. They are now all drones all the time. They still sell helis, but only by special order.

 

[Dougcjohn]

Had a 60 & 30 way back... mid 80’s??... never good, learned skinning & balancing blades good! Last year on a chance stopped in LHS looking for lg battery leads and instead departed with a little Horizon Nano CP S and Spektrum DX6 for early Spring in-door practice. Had such a blast, returned with a 230 and 360.

Got busy once again, and they sit on shelf.
This thread got the thought going again to charge up the cells.

 

[RPR]

There is nothing like tuning a Heli. Nitro or a gasser engine. Checking the swashplate, links, and rotor blades a night before flight. Talk shop on the field during the weekend and talk smack in RC Groups during the week.. lolz GOODTIMES.

 

[RPR]

After all these years, I still have my Century Raven.

 

[Dougcjohn]

I liked the Nitro, Heli and dirt jumpers!
But I’m very impressed with advancements in the e-Helis, the collective & swash plates are so nice! The power these have is impressive.

Plus one little personal joy, the e-heli spins up with the sound of the rotors, nitro motor isn’t drowning them out. So quite, can fly in driveway and yards and no sound!