Model Boat Mayhem

Mess Deck: General Section => Model Boating => Topic started by: J.beazley on August 08, 2006, 05:58:48 pm

Title: floating helipad
Post by: J.beazley on August 08, 2006, 05:58:48 pm
i have just purchased a scale helicopter and am learning to fly,
i am really interested in building some sort of floating helipad that can be towed behind my Severn

if anyone has any pictures of a helipad or know where i can get some FREE plans for a nice floating barge please post them up
cheers

Jay
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: Stavros on August 08, 2006, 07:04:22 pm
Brave man buying a chopper let alone wanting to land it on a barge good luck. ;)
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: J.beazley on August 08, 2006, 09:12:46 pm
well the idea is to tow something behind my Severn while trying to land my heli on the landing pad.

do any tugs have landing pads?? or maybe a aircraft carrier?? now theres an idea.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: ambernblu on August 09, 2006, 06:50:48 am
... maybe a winch would be a better idea (and a less stressful one!) You know, like in air-sea rescue helicopters - you could arrange to winch a stretcher from the tug or something like that. Now that would be a stunt and a half!

The real guys though, need to do this flying very straight, with both ship and helicopter travelling at the same speed - so maybe you need to find a very long lake first...?   ;D
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: warspite on August 14, 2006, 11:40:15 pm
as well as the long lake, it would need to be a very big barge, i suppose it is not a 1/72nd scale seaking, (in a SAR role). Ellesmere show a couple of years ago, had an oil rig in a tug towing exhibit, and that was the size of a small trailer.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: J.beazley on August 15, 2006, 12:02:27 am
sadly its not a seaking, but you have given me a thought to hunt for a fuselage of one.....
my heli is nothing special just a ebay job so the scale is pretty small compared to many other models out there.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: UltraMagnus on August 15, 2006, 10:56:35 am
if your feeling ambitious i know the royal navy have specially built helicopter carriers.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: malcolmfrary on August 15, 2006, 11:48:02 am
The idea of combining model helicopters and ships was pretty fully explored in the "Supermodels" series.  It was noted that the smaller the model helicopter, the more twitchy.  To get an outdoor workable model helicopter, the ship model would be enormous.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: J.beazley on August 15, 2006, 12:33:48 pm
ultramagnus get some pics up for me to look at  ;D
if it looks good enough then i might try building something like it, as for now im in the process of finding a fuselage of a rescue chopper but im having no luck.

need to find a vacuum moulding thingy to make my own fuselage but thats getting extreme and costly.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: warspite on August 15, 2006, 07:52:59 pm
Is it OCEAN the latest member of the HMS logistics support vessels?

I know matchbox do a large scale Puma which could probably act as a 'skin' for a r/C chopper
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: UltraMagnus on August 16, 2006, 09:25:20 am
yup, the HMS Ocean, the wikipedia page on it can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ocean_%28L12%29 although, its not very good, the "external links" section has some pritty decent links

its pritty small for a carrier, only 208m long
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: ambernblu on August 16, 2006, 09:53:07 am

... its big for a floating helipad though - 'cos that is about all it is....

Having said that, the other two big recent additions to the fleet probably don't look that big either, but the one I saw nearing completion absolutely dwarfed the town of Barrow - especially perched high up on the slipway...! :o
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: warspite on August 16, 2006, 06:41:48 pm
Like the regular ships in the navy, the royal auxiliary have to combine what was single use vessels into multipurpose types, as a freight carrier, she is still quite small, someones buit one with a seaking that lifts of the deck by a clear rod mechanism

As mentioned in another thread / section, i have a couple of seakings that i want to put on a 1/72 scale hermes, but the size of it would be too big for this terraced house, the two with rotors extended are fitted with motors to turn the main rotor, and they have LED's on the tail and under the front for navigation lights, the third is a static (ignore magnum's mates hughes 500).

i also have a couple of harriers with nav lights as well.

sorry about the quality of the pics, they were taken with a web cam using the prints i have.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: warspite on August 16, 2006, 06:43:15 pm
oh the hughes 500 is of to the left, i thought it was in the pic i took with the web cam
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: 2772e on September 15, 2006, 09:30:33 pm
I thought i would have a go at a helicopter, looked like a bit of fun and bought an electric dragonfly off ebay for about 11 quid. Do you think i can fly it? Tried twice crashed three times put it back in its box.

Local model shop expert said the bigger ones are easier to start with, but who wants to fork out many hundreds of pounds, break it and not like it.

Good luck!
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: Tralee on September 16, 2006, 11:02:23 am
Have a look at Billings Boat model Calypso this is a converted minsweeper user as a research vessel by Jaques Costea it includes a helipad and a diving belle
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: J.beazley on September 16, 2006, 09:42:37 pm
i have the same trouble with my copter 2772e tried to fly it and well crash it everytime so it just sits on a shelf now.

measurements wise the helipad would need to be 3 foot square just so i can land the thing on it without the tail dipping into the water.

might give it a bash at flying again over the winter if the lake freezes up.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: justboatonic on September 17, 2006, 12:31:50 am
I'd give this idea a miss, seriously! Flying a decent model sized heli is difficult enough as it is without learning to fly one to land on a moving barge!

I think you're just asking to damage the towing vessel not to mention probably landing the heli in the drink.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: cbr900 on September 17, 2006, 09:03:31 am
I know its not nice but I love watching helis crash as they have a tendency to thrash whatever is in the vicinity to death with the rotors, always get a laugh out of that,

And Helicopters do not really fly the earth repells them..>


Roy
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: J.beazley on September 17, 2006, 10:51:20 am
think this idea is blown out of proportion a bit :o

the general idea was a good one but trying to put it into practice is something else especially when i cant fly my heli yet.....

on the up side i could always tow a platform behind one of my electric cars that way i dont loose the heli if it goes pete tong.

should learn to fly first tho  ::)
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: justboatonic on September 17, 2006, 11:10:54 am
I know its not nice but I love watching helis crash as they have a tendency to thrash whatever is in the vicinity to death with the rotors, always get a laugh out of that,

And Helicopters do not really fly the earth repells them..>


Roy
Oh I say! That's not very nice!  ;) Must say I love helis especially scale (same with all my modelling criteria!).
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: chromedome on September 17, 2006, 11:21:41 am
I have a great admiration of any modeler who can contoll a  model chopper...especially a retired one !!!

   chromedome
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: JayDee on September 17, 2006, 11:25:53 am
Hello,

Another quote I read was, " Helicopters do not fly, they beat the Air into submission !".

Not too far from the truth.

John.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: cbr900 on September 17, 2006, 11:39:53 am
Roy
Oh I say! That's not very nice!  ;) Must say I love helis especially scale (same with all my modelling criteria!).
[/quote]

Mate when flown correctly I love watching them as well, but I have seen a lot crash for varying reasons..

Roy
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: J.beazley on September 17, 2006, 07:09:49 pm
ive got to admit there has to be a nac to flying a copter ive still not found it.

dont get me wrong the crashing is spectacular at times but the repair bill is always the downer.

back on the subject im transforming my 1/10 scale Griffon hovercraft to take my heli on the deck area should be interesting but will see how it goes.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: cbr900 on September 18, 2006, 02:53:53 pm
Jay did you fly fixed wing aircraft, and now switching to helis..

Roy
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: J.beazley on September 18, 2006, 04:41:58 pm
cbr900 the only aircraft i used to fly with my dad was a Ripmax mustang but that was a few years ago now.

the only reason i got a heli was because i thought it would look good flying above my Severn lifeboat.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: cbr900 on September 19, 2006, 06:59:45 am
I have not tried them but have been told if you fly fixed wing aircraft, it is even harder to learn as you are in a mind set for the fixed wing, and helis don't work that way..


Roy
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: furs307c on June 14, 2007, 11:39:27 pm
I saw a large model heli crash once, it had a canister of some sort for orange smoke trails onboard, it stopped dead in mid air, dropped and then the smoke canister must have opened/exploded on impact and the whole feild looked like it was on fire, except with orange smoke not flames ;D
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: Bartapuss on June 15, 2007, 12:41:07 am
Don't think your allowed to fly model aircraft of any sort in public parks, bit of a safety issue.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: Dan.Lord on June 15, 2007, 10:20:00 am
Hi I certainly would'ny risk flying a helicopter behind your Servern, think of the expense if it went *$%* up. you could however get a lesro ILB & Century make a scale Seaking helicopter, which is about 4ft long, roughly the same scale, & do winching, which looks the part, also not so expencive on the boat, heli dammed expencive though !!
Pic of me being winched at a sea festival in Harwich when I was on the Lifeboat crew.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: J.beazley on June 15, 2007, 10:54:52 am
Brilliant picture, myself has given up trying to fly my heli slow enough to look realistic behind my baby severn.
Going slowly forward almost at a stationary hover seems to be the only way i can fly my copter close enough to the boat without it looking too out of place.

still on the plus side i might ask a friend who flies if he would like the challenge of landing on a barge towed by my Ryhope tug or baby severn.

Jay
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: Umi_Ryuzuki on June 15, 2007, 07:16:54 pm
Wait a couple years, and the Helicopeters will get smaller....

In the mean time, you need to build a very large scale Offshore Diving Support Vessel (OSDSV? - DSND?), or
 an Offshore Construction Vessel (OSCV)

Proposed X-bow OSDSV Ulstein SX121
(http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/4600/ulsteinsx121copyyg5.jpg)


Proposed OSCV to be launched 2009 from Aker Shipyards
(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/2728/oscv06l153mop7.jpg)

Perhaps a slight refit to any of the AHST models like the Aziz might work.
Time to build a new boat... ;)
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: Ghost in the shell on June 15, 2007, 10:23:42 pm
JB it would need to be quite large and stable, but it is theoretically feasable, just be a "xxxxx" to control.

Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: J.beazley on June 15, 2007, 11:12:05 pm
I think technology needs to be a bit more advanced and the size of outdoor helicopters to be scaled down more before anything like this will be atempted by myself.

The thought was there but my brain had gone for a walk. ::)

still the ships above are very impressive and could be modelled into a large scale given time and a lot of effort.

Jay
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: tobyker on June 15, 2007, 11:37:50 pm
Trallee - who was the diving belle on the Calypso - was there a figure in the kit? The truth must be told.
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: Umi_Ryuzuki on June 16, 2007, 07:15:49 pm
Perhaps an easier helicopter to fly might be of help.

The dual rotor helicopters are very maneuverable, and supposed to be a lot simpler to control.
Especially for us "helm hard over" types.

They are still fairly large, like the Blade, and AXE-EZ. Some of the smaller ones like the Dragonfly,  may be a little too light for stiff breeze. But these types of helicopters may give you more confidence in the air. ;)

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLH1200
http://www.towerhobbies.com/products/heli-max/hmxe05.html

http://www.hobbytron.com/ElectricRCMiniDragonflyHelicopter.html
Title: Re: floating helipad
Post by: tigertiger on June 17, 2007, 06:50:21 am
Just a thought.

In a model you cannot look down. So landging on anything further than a few feet away might be a problem

However with 2.4 ghz and micro cameras, this could be fun