RC Helicopters: Types, Setup and Learning to Hover

RC Helicopters

An RC helicopter is the most demanding model to fly and one of the most rewarding to master. This guide explains the four main types, what the rotor head actually does, which size to start with, how to set one up safely and a practice plan that gets you from wobbling hover to confident circuits.

By Kyle HilsonUpdated: October 202613 min read

The four types of RC helicopter

Type	How it works	Difficulty	Good for
Coaxial	Two rotors stacked on one shaft, spinning in opposite directions	Very easy	Indoor fun, children, first taste
Fixed pitch (FP)	One main rotor; climbs by spinning faster	Moderate	Learning real helicopter controls cheaply
Collective pitch (CP)	One main rotor at near-constant speed; blades change angle to climb or descend	Hard	Hobby flying, aerobatics, 3D
Scale	Usually collective pitch inside a fuselage modelled on a real helicopter	Hard	Realistic flying, builders

Coaxial toys are self-stabilising and almost fly themselves, but they can’t handle any wind and you can’t really progress on them. Fixed-pitch helis teach you the controls of a “real” helicopter. Collective-pitch helicopters are what most hobby pilots fly: they react instantly, can fly upside down and handle wind much better. A single-rotor heli also needs a tail rotor to stop the body spinning, and a gyro to hold the tail steady.

How the rotor head works

A helicopter steers by tilting its rotor disc. A swashplate under the rotor head is moved by three servos. Pushing the whole swashplate up or down changes the pitch of both blades together (collective) and makes the helicopter climb or descend. Tilting the swashplate changes the blade pitch as each blade goes around (cyclic), which tilts the disc and moves the heli forward, back or sideways.

Collective: climb and descend (left stick, up/down on mode 2).
Cyclic pitch and roll: forward, back, left, right (right stick on mode 2).
Tail (rudder): turn the nose (left stick, left/right on mode 2).
Gyro: holds the tail against torque and gusts; in flybarless helis it also stabilises the main rotor.

Older helicopters use a flybar, a weighted bar across the rotor head that damps the rotor’s reactions mechanically. Modern helis are “flybarless”: an electronic three-axis gyro unit does that job and can be tuned. Our article on what a flybar is explains the difference, and helicopter gyros covers setup.

Sizes and classes

Helicopters are named by class numbers that roughly follow the main rotor diameter or an old engine size. Larger helis are more stable in the air and easier to see, but cost more to crash.

Class	Rough main rotor	Typical power	Where to fly
Micro (100–150)	25–35 cm	1S LiPo	Indoors, still air outside
250–300	45–60 cm	3S	Small fields, gyms
450–500	70–95 cm	3S–6S	Club fields
550–700	1.2–1.6 m	6S–12S or nitro	Club fields with space
800 and scale giants	1.6 m and more	12S, turbine or petrol	Large fields, experienced pilots

See RC helicopter sizes explained for details, and our article on micro RC helis for the indoor end of the range.

Choosing your first helicopter

Today’s small flybarless helicopters with a stabilisation or “rescue” mode are the best way in. A beginner mode limits how far the heli can tilt, and a rescue switch flips it level and climbs when you lose orientation. They don’t make flying automatic, but they turn many crashes into a near miss.

Start small but not tiny: a 150–250 size heli is cheap to crash and can be flown indoors in winter.
Spare parts: pick a model whose main blades, tail blades, main gear and shafts are easy to buy. You will need them.
Transmitter: a computer radio with at least six channels and helicopter mixing will serve you for years; many small helis come as BNF to bind to your own radio.
Simulator: budget for one. Helicopter skills are built through hours of practice, and a simulator crash is free.

Ideas for models: RC helicopters for adults and our reviews of popular small helis such as the XK K110S.

Setup before the first flight

Check the stick mode. Mode 2 (throttle/collective on the left) is the most common worldwide, mode 1 is common in some countries. Use the one your instructor or club uses.
Throttle hold. Assign a switch that cuts the motor regardless of the stick. Use it every time you arm the heli and whenever something goes wrong.
Check directions. With the motor disarmed, move each stick and check the swashplate tilts the right way and the tail pitch moves correctly.
Blade tracking. Both main blades should fly in the same plane; a heli with blades out of track vibrates and drifts.
Gyro direction. Turn the heli by hand and check the tail servo corrects against the movement, not with it. A reversed gyro sends the tail into a pirouette on take-off.
Battery and balance. Mount the battery so the heli balances at the main shaft.

Safety: main blades of a 500-size helicopter and larger can cause serious injury. Stand well back, use throttle hold before approaching, and never fly over or towards people.

Learning to hover and beyond

Hover is the foundation of all helicopter flying, and it is learned in steps. Each step should feel boring before you move on.

Tail-in hover: stand behind the heli, tail pointing at you, so the controls match your view. Keep it low, about knee height, over a smooth surface.
Move it around: slide forward, back and sideways a few metres and return to the spot.
Side-in hover: turn the heli 90 degrees so you see it from the side. This is the step that takes longest.
Nose-in hover: the heli faces you and the cyclic feels reversed. Once you can hold a nose-in hover, you can recover from almost any orientation.
Forward flight and circuits: slow figure-eights and circuits, keeping the heli in front of you.

Practise each step on the simulator first, then on the real heli. If your helicopter won’t lift off, the cause is usually low battery, wrong pitch curve or blades on backwards; our article on why an RC helicopter won’t lift off goes through the list.

From the workbench: I own an RC helicopter alongside my boats, cars and planes. Hovering is muscle memory, so short, regular practice sessions on the simulator and in the field generally build it faster than occasional long ones.

Crashes, repairs and spare parts

Every helicopter pilot crashes. Most crashes break the same parts: main blades, tail blades, the main gear, the feathering shaft and the main shaft. A small spare-parts kit with those parts saves a long wait. After any crash, check that the main shaft and feathering shaft are perfectly straight by rolling them on a flat surface; a bent shaft causes vibration that the gyro can’t fix. Our guide to fixing an RC helicopter walks through a typical repair.

Scale helicopters such as the Chinook, Bell 222 “Airwolf” or Apache are a different hobby inside the hobby: building and detailing a fuselage around proven mechanics. Our scale articles cover the RC Chinook, the Airwolf Bell 222 and several more.

FAQ

Are RC helicopters hard to fly?

Coaxial toy helicopters are easy. Hobby collective-pitch helicopters are the hardest RC models to learn, because they are unstable and need constant correction. Stabilisation modes and a simulator make the learning curve much gentler than it used to be.

What is the difference between fixed pitch and collective pitch?

A fixed-pitch heli climbs by spinning its rotor faster. A collective-pitch heli keeps the rotor speed nearly constant and changes the angle of the blades, so it reacts faster, handles wind better and can fly inverted.

How long does an RC helicopter fly on one battery?

Micro helis typically fly 5–8 minutes, larger electric helis 4–8 minutes depending on how hard they are flown. Nitro and turbine helis fly longer per tank.

Can I fly an RC helicopter indoors?

Coaxial and micro helis up to about 150 size, yes, in a room with space and nothing fragile. Larger helicopters need a gym hall or an outdoor field.

Do I need to register an RC helicopter?

In many countries RC helicopters count as unmanned aircraft above a certain weight, so operator registration and a short online test may be required. Check your national aviation authority; our drone guide lists where to find the rules.

All 55 articles in this guide

Every article below goes deeper into one question from this guide. Open a group to see its articles.

Getting started and buying 14

How they work, setup and repair 14

Scale models and brands 27

About the author: Kyle Hilson

About 20 years in RC. Mostly boats in the NAVIGA Mini Eco Expert class, with many self-made parts; also a King Motor Baja 5B, a home-built electric plane, home-built nitro planes he has flown, and an RC helicopter. More about SwellRC