RC

RC. It is a common term in civil engineering. It is a well recognized notation for Reinforced Concrete in structural engineering design. For me, RC is one of the killer subjects during my study time when I was in undergraduates. I never like structural design not until the end of the second year. Well that was all in the past now. I’m not talking bout tat RC in this entry. It was not until recently that I was so passionate over RC. Remote control that is.

This is how the story began.. I was straying all day long in KL when I came across a shop which displays a lot of RC. And I mean a lot. From RC cars, trucks, tanks, heli, planes, saucers, speed boats and even hover crafts.. and the list goes on. Wat caught my attention was the heli. Small yet practical. These things never existed and wasn’t around when I was just a kid. These babies can really fly. Seriously. As I watched them demonstrate them closely I felt I’m acting like a child.. wanted to have tis toy so badly. The difference is, now that I am working, I can afford to buy them myself. Hehehe.. So wat the heck. I bought a small one for a try. Only few centimeters long, no bigger than my palm. Brought it home and straight away test it. It flew great. My lil sis was thrilled and wanted to play as well. So I decided to give the small one to my lil sis and head back to the shop the day after.

After few hours of testing and listening to demonstrator's explanation I've decided to take home the VOGUE AH-64 II which was bigger and meaner that previous chopper that I bought the other day but still, the heli is a 2 channel model. It means that the heli can go up and down and turn left and right. The helicopter was made by simulating and downsizing the Apache AH-64 LONGBOW helicopter. 390mm in length, 150 mm in width and approximately 200 mm in height. This helicopter applies high quality materials with good stiffness that enhances its anti-break capability (hit the wall and dropped from 6 meters height once with no problem =P). The funny thing bout this heli is the box is affix with the word toy heli, but in the instruction manual, it is a different story. There is a warning sign which stated that tis is NOT a toy. Well this heli was made in China after all. U get wat I mean.
Powered by twin brushed motors, the twin propeller is very powerful. On full speed, tis heli can fly really high, higher than a 5 storey building therefore it is not advisable for indoor use. The excellent part is that tis heli can simulate basic acts of Apache such as hanging, advancing, retracting, yawing, and etc… and the flight is very stable. So no regrets there. Flying this baby can be really tricky for a 2 channel heli, as it is very powerful. It is very useful to understand about the basic theory of helicopter aerodynamics and the influence of wind on the heli.

The gud thing it is that it can be upgraded and have loads of spare parts. I’m thinking of upgrading it soon. Having a RC helicopter is really great. I’ve become an enthusiast myself. But I’m considering of buying more powerful 4 channel of even 6 channel heli that can even fly upside down. In the future maybe. For those of u who want to join the club, ur most welcome. But be warned though, heli requires a lot a space to move freely and again.. it is not a toy. Hahha..