In February 2004 I decided to start a new hobby, flying an RC (radio controlled) model aircraft. I also declared that as soon as I could fly the aircraft safely enough, I would order a small wireless camera and take aerial videos with it.
Here's how I failed with a sailplane:
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| before the Ranger's last flight |
From the beginning it was clear to me I wanted to use only electric models, not "stinkers": I simply don't like the concept of combustion engines and I don't want to pollute the air.
Because it seemed relatively inexpensive, I first tried a "robbe Ranger", an electrically motorized Styropor sailplane (1600 grams with battery, 2 meters wingspan). I spent several spring evenings with the man from the shop who is an experienced model pilot, learning to fly the plane. After about 15-20 flights and three more-or-less successful landings under his supervision, I tried it on my own one morning... and the plane hit the ground faster than you could say "boink". This is the type of plane that doesn't run on a landing gear until it's fast enough to lift off - instead you are required to "throw it away". After fixing the damage (mainly replacing the propeller and gluing the broken tailplane), I tried it again... and after some pumping around uncontrollably, the plane stalled and crashed into the wet grass, breaking the fuselage apart right through the cockpit, and killing the motor. After taking a break from this sort of thing (concentrating on computer problems) for three weeks and finally fixing the fuselage, I decided not to buy another motor, but to consider the problems I had so far:
I can't run and at the same time throw-start the plane with one hand and successfully operate the transmitter stick(s) with the other hand. I can't judge the airspeed of the plane at all, thus risking stalls and crashes. I'm not good at properly controlling the plane when it's flying toward me (when left/right appear swapped). I also can't stand having to land the Styropor fuselage in meadows, getting it wet, dirty or damaged all the time. I have to ride the bus or my bicycle for nearly two hours to get 15 minutes of flight time, given I judged the wind situation correctly before leaving. And finally, I can only fly the Ranger in the fields, far away from the objects that would be interesting for videoing from the bird's perspective (neighborhood, houses, forests etc.).
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| the "Piccolo" completely assembled |
Then I saw an advertisement for the Ikarus "Fun Piccolo", a small electric RC helicopter... and recognized at once that this sort of thing could solve all the above problems: the helicopter takes off and lands vertically, without me having to throw it or anything. It doesn't require a high horizontal speed to stay airborne, and it is so small (50 cm rotor diameter) that I can practise flying in the living room or in the driveway of our house! Also I guessed I'd feel much more comfortable with such a small sophisticated, delicate device than with the bulky sailplane I could only just transport in a big Army-style backpack.
I told the man from the RC shop about my thoughts, but at first he said I wouldn't get anywhere in helicopters below 800 Euros or so. After some more "investigation" on the internet (mainly the RC Line
and Ikarus message boards), I ordered a Fun Piccolo package (complete with battery, PiccoBoard etc.) and returned the Ranger sailplane (fuselage fixed, so fully functional except motor) to the shop. The seller allowed me the full price of the Ranger electronics and accesories except the price of the model, so I paid only an additional 130 Euros. I think I was quite well off with that, and he said he'd keep the Ranger as a "student plane" for people who want to try before they start the hobby.
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