RC helicopters for beginners

Coaxial helicopters

Coaxial rc helicopters are recommended for beginners. They are easy to fly because of their rotor setup.

A coaxial rc helicopter has counter-rotating propellers on the main rotor. As the name suggests, they rotate in opposite directions which counteracts the torque generated by spinning. This makes the tail rotor, which you would find in other types of rc helicopters, redundant. The speed and altitude of the rc model is controlled by increasing or decreasing the power sent to the rotors.

This type of rc helicopter is easy to fly because of this setup. A disadvantage however is that they are not suitable for flying outside.

Fixed Pitch helicopters

Fixed Pitch helicopters have a main rotor and tail rotor. They resemble real helicopters in this confuguration, but not as closely as collective pitch rc helicopters. The controls are more complicated than the coaxial rc helicopter: you need to think about the tail rotor to turn and control the aircraft. The blades of this helicopters still are fixed, like the coaxial type. The power sent to the main rotor controls the altitude and speed of the aircraft. The tail rotor rotates the aircraft in the direction you want to fly.

The tail rotor adds extra complexity. It counters the torque produced by the main rotor and helps the aircraft maintain stable flight. This also means you need to think about both the main rotor's and the tail rotor's power. It is a bit more difficult to fly than a coaxial rc helicopter.

Because of the structure and added complexity it is a good start for learning how to fly with more advanced helicopters. It adds the complexity of two rotors, but it still lacks controls for the angle of attack of the main rotor's blades.

Collective pitch helicopters

This radio-controlled helicopter has one main rotor and one tail rotor. The angle of attack of the blades on the main rotor can be adjusted to control pitch and altitude. Because of this added layer of complexity it is quite a difficult aircraft to control, especially for inexperienced pilots.

Because of this high degree of control, this type of rc helicopters is suited for flying outside, like the fixed pitch heli, but also suited for stunt flying. Most of the rc helicopter stunts are performed with this type of helicopter.