Radio-Control Helicopters and the IRCHA Jamboree

Chris Chianelli, host of DIY's Radio Control Hobbies, visits the Academy of Model Aeronautics in Muncie, Indiana. This is the site for the International Radio Control Helicopter Association (IRCHA) annual Jamboree. Helicopters represent one of the fastest growning segments of the RC hobby and, at the IRCHA Jamboree, more than 500 RC helicopter pilots from show off their birds and their flying skills. Chris demonstrates the basics of flying a helicopter and showcases some of the more popular RC helicopters on the market today. He also talks with IRCHA president Ron Kummer about some of the more popular helicopter RC models and introduces the concept of 3D flying -- the highest level of helicopter piloting around. He meets 12-year-old helicopter prodigy Zak Johns and other practitioners of 3D aerobatic flying. Finally, he talks with pilots who fly meticulously accurate scale replicas.