1. Use the $4 foam blade holders. Not only do they stop your blades from spinning all over, but they also preserve the life of the mixing levers which can otherwise stretch and cause slop.
2. When you crash, make sure you pick up all the pieces. Some of them may be salvageable which will save you some extra cash.
3. When you’re finished flying for the day, run some after run oil through the engine if you’re using a nitro.
4. To remove superglue (CA) from metal parts, you can use acetone, nail polish remover, or burn it off with a pencil torch.
5. Use a charger that measures the charge placed into your batteries. Not only will it help ensure a full charge, but you’ll also be able to monitor your batteries condition based on the charge it takes.
6. When making any kind of repairs or disassembling your RC helicopter, take a detailed close up picture of everything. It will be a big help in case you gets stuck trying to put things back together.
7. Some people like to wear a vest or jacket with a lot of pockets when flying. It can be a handy place to store all kinds of things from your glow starter to your temperature monitor.
8. Some people like to get a vest that has ALOT of pockets. Wear it when flying. When you start the heli, put the glow starter in your vest pocket and you will not drive home and leave it at the field, thus donating it to charity!
9. The larger the helicopter, the easier it is to control. On the downside though, larger RC helicopters are much more expensive to repair.
10. Invest in a subscription to a good RC helicopter magazine. Not only will you learn a lot of new stuff, you’ll become a better pilot.
by Rubin Boudinot