What do channels on rc helicopters mean

It is important to know how many channels the RC helicopter you are purchasing has as the more channels a RC helicopter has the more flight capabilities are available to the pilot. I was a bit confused by this when I was fist in the market for an radio controlled helicopter.

The 2 Channel RC helicopter has very limited motions. It will allow you to move up and down and to spin in different directions. Spinning in the air is much like spinning a bottle on the ground.

Spinning only allows you to change the direction you are facing or going. A good 4-channel helicopter for beginners is the Hughes , which also comes with a free flight simulator cable.

A 6 channel helicopter is often collective pitch. Common functions include:. A fixed-pitch 6 channel helicopter is a 4 channel helicopter plus two channels of possible adjustments.

A collective-pitch 6 channel helicopter is capable of full-3D flight including inverted flying and other advanced aerobatics such as diving, climbing, rolls, and loops.

These maneuvers are the most challenging to learn, but also the most exciting to perform and watch! ALso, the digital servos will draw more current than your analog servos which will drain your battereis faster.

The steering servo in your RC car is the electric motor that moves the steering side to side. This is held on by a single screw and needs to be removed when changing servos as well. In general, the bigger and heavier the model, the higher torque your servo should provide. Airplane control surface area and servo arm length are also factors. Fast is good, but using a servo that is too fast can cause a twitchy feel. The bigger and heavier your RC car is, the higher torque your servo should provide.

It is important to choose a servo which is strong enough to handle the size and weight of your car. Most hobby servos will be classified by their size. Different manufacturers might have small variances in how they list their servo sizes but they can usually be boiled down to three types: micro, standard and giant.

Divide the motor speed by the required speed and round down to get a starting gear ratio. Channel control of these functions gives the pilot full maneuverability of strafing strategic sideways movement as well as the abilities of a 3-channel helicopter, including hovering. A basic 4-channel fixed pitch RC helicopter will feature two channels controlling the cyclic pitch to fly left and right, backward and forwards.

It would seem that the next logical model of RC helicopters would be a 5-channel version. However, very few of these models are produced. Therefore, nearly everyone advances to 6-channel control models in order to increase the number, complexity, and types of movements their helicopter can make.

A 6-channel RC helicopter is capable of executing the same moves as its 4-channel counterpart with the added features of left and right control at the tail as well as pitching the helicopter up and down on its horizontal axis. This allows the advantage of smoother flight due to the especially precise control potential for banking and turning with the added tail control.

RC helicopters with 6 channels are great for intermediate to advanced pilots with solid training and experience in piloting lower channel helicopters or simulators and are ready to expand their skills.

Most 6-channel helicopters are collective pitch, with channel control of the following common functions:. There are fixed pitch 6-channel RC helicopters, which are essentially 4-channel helicopters with two channels of possible adjustments.

A collective pitch 6-channel helicopter, however, is capable of full dimensional flight. This includes inverted flying and advanced aerobatics such as diving, climbing, rolls, and loops—all of which are very challenging to learn. Mastering 6-channel models can prevent many potential crashes that other versions would normally experience due to situations such as sudden breezes. However, the greater number of channels also indicates more delicate working parts and more complicated control, which means that more things can potentially go wrong with these models as well.

When it comes to the popularity of products within the hobby, 6-channel models are about as complicated as radio control helicopters get. However, some expert models feature as many as 9 channels. RC helicopters with 7 or more channels feature the same movement functions as 6-channel helicopters.

Additional channels allow for even more adjustments in flying. With so many additional channels and such complex control systems, the expense and complicated manual operation of 7-plus channel helicopters often require in-built computers. In general, this makes them cost-prohibitive for most RC helicopter hobbyists who prefer the reward of mastering the advanced 6-channel models as opposed to tackling the unnecessary complications of versions with 7 channels or more.

The recent development of electric coaxial helicopters, also known as dual rotor or contra rotating helicopters, has provided another introduction to radio control helicopter flying and brought many newcomers to the hobby. These coaxial helicopters are considered very easy to fly with their inherent stability, making them good and interesting choices for both new pilots as well as experienced RC helicopter pilots that are used to operating multiple complex channels.

Coaxial RC helicopters feature two sets of main rotors, placed one above the other, and feature no tail rotor. These main rotors spin in opposite directions to each other, which cancels out the individual rotor torque force.

These coaxial helicopters are easier for pilots to master than conventional single rotor and tail rotor helicopters due to their capability of steady hover. In addition, the range of coaxial models is proving to be popular as hobby grade helicopters that provide a full range of spare parts and upgrade options for many such aircraft.

This makes these RC vehicles a great choice when it comes to those pilots looking for an easy and interesting introduction to RC helicopter flying. Conventional RC helicopters have single main rotors consisting of two or more separate blades. A tail rotor is used to generate sideways thrust as a means of counteracting this torque.

The tail rotor is a vertically mounted rotor which pushes air against the direction of the fuselage rotation in order to prevent the helicopter from spinning out of control from the torque. RC helicopter tail rotors are either variable pitch with servo control or fixed pitch with motor control.

The amount of thrust generated by the tail rotor can be changed by altering the pitch angle of the tail rotor blades or changing the speed of the tail rotor motor.

The change in thrust controls the yaw of the helicopter and in which direction the nose is pointing. Coaxial RC helicopters, on the other hand, do not feature tail rotors or a single main rotor. Instead, they feature two sets of main rotors mounted directly above each other, with blades that spin in opposite directions. Since the blades spin against each other, they cancel out any torque generated by the other.

As a result, there is little tendency for the fuselage of the helicopter to spin around one way or the other. As soon as one set of blades changes speed relative to the other set, then torque is generated instantly.