subject: Should I Go In For Collective Pitch Or Fixed Pitch Rc Helicopter? [print this page] Flying RC helicopters has become the favorite pastime for many, and with each passing day more and more enthusiasts show great interest to pursue this enthralling pastime activity. In their quest to know more about this RC vehicle, enthusiasts are keen to know the difference between collective pitch and fixed pitch helicopters. An enthusiast wants to know the difference to make an informed decision, and to make the most out of this pastime activity.
What is pitch?
To differentiate collective pitch RC helicopters from their fixed pitch counterparts, an enthusiastic flyer has to understand the term pitch in the first place. The pitch pertaining to a helicopter is but the angle of the blade corresponding to a horizontal plane.
Fixed pitch helicopter
In case of the fixed pitch RC helicopters, the main rotor blades are held in a permanent position. When the fixed pitch helicopter is used by an enthusiast, more lift can be generated when the rotor is made to spin at a faster rate, where the helicopter starts ascending. When the rotor rotation of the fixed pitch helicopter is slower, the lift generated is lesser, causing the helicopter to descend. In this type of helicopter, it is the rotor speed that generates the amount of lift needed, and there is no role for the pitch or even the angle pertaining to the blades.
When it comes to fixed pitch helicopter, it is relatively easy to build as well as setup this system. Moreover, this type of helicopter is less expensive when compared to the collective pitch counterpart, as it also comes with fewer moving parts. With this type of helicopter, an enthusiast can only plan to fly forward and hover outdoors and indoors. When the engine of the helicopter stops functioning at an altitude, there is no auto-rotation making the chopper a dead weight in the process. It is relatively easy to fly a fixed pitch helicopter when compared to the collective pitch counterpart.
Collective pitch helicopter
The lift generating equation pertaining to the collective pitch helicopter is entirely different, as the pitch pertaining to the blade is held as another significant factor that impacts this equation. In case of the collective pitch helicopter, though the rotor rotates at constant speed, the lift can be altered by changing the position of the pitch pertaining to the rotor blade.
While the ardent flyer plans to fly a collective pitch helicopter, it becomes harder for him to build this system in the first place, as this system unveils a great number of moving parts. Though it is smoother to fly this type of helicopter, learning to fly this helicopter is a bit tough when compared to the fixed pitch counterpart. This helicopter is also expensive, and one needs a complicated transmitter to operate this helicopter.
One can perform more tricks and stunts with the collective pitch RC helicopter, as the enthusiast can perform loops, rolls, fast forward flights, inverted flying, stall turns and in turn flips among the other tricks with this helicopter. When the choppers engine doesnt function, one can glide the chopper down in a safe fashion in case of this helicopter.
More often than not, beginners go in for the fixed pitch RC helicopter initially, as they move on to the collective pitch helicopter after mastering the fixed pitch helicopter.
