In the movie Blue Thunder, one of the plot devices used to build up the mystique of Roy Scheider's character is his claim to have looped a helicopter, which everyone else says is impossible. For years, I believed looping a helicopter must be impossible (movies are all true, aren't they …
helicopter
Helicopter vs. Lamp: No Winner
I've reached the point where I can "hover out" a battery pack. That is, I can hover the helicopter without crashing until the battery runs out. This is much harder than it might sound. Hovering a micro-helicopter is much like riding a unicycle, with an extra dimension. Keeping the thing …
My R/C Helicopter
I've had my Piccolo R/C model helicopter for a couple of weeks now. I've had a total flying time of about 60 seconds. The average flight lasts two or three seconds, and many of them end in a "crash", which I define as "a landing that makes me wait …
Helicopters and Simulations
I've always been fascinated by helicopters. The way they float in the air, and the throbbing "chop-chop-chop" provide a Zen-like experience for me, where I can stop thinking and just experience the helicopter overhead.
Actually learning to fly a helicopter would be nice, but I'm not willing to devote the …