hi,

If you have seen the Indian idol today, the flying on top of the crowd or judges on a live show is the worst thing anyone could have tried.

Totally stupid.

what do you say

Admin Note:  Several members have raised concerns about RC helis flying close to people.  It should be noted that flying a properly setup RC model of any size is a very safe thing, if proper safety procedures are adopted (which includes flying not too close to people and objects).  The safety concerns about an RC model are no different than a regular car or motorcycle, they all have to be driven/flown with adequate safety precautions and concerns.

I heard this... reported by Capt Tahlan on Facebook.  Was hoping the someone would post a video.  Nothing on Youtube when I checked earlier !

yess i too agree flying that sized heli is very dangerous...specially when there are people sitting all around.....and i dont think so that amir khan was fying the heli...i was some one else an advanced expert rc heli flyer...and it is also against the rules of All India Aeromodelling Association....

Where can i see the clip? Is it on youtube?

Found one



A small electric like a Trex 250 would have made a whole lot more sense.  A 450 MAY be OK.

And a Futaba 14MZ radio too

What Heli is this?

Looks like a Raptor 30 (from Thunder Tiger).

We Indians have a bad habit of taking really good foreign TV shows and ruining them! This clip reminds me of a circus with the two guys on stage jumping up and down shouting like those midget clowns!

The nitro HELI was a really dangerous thing to do.. Wouldn't it make much more sense to bring the quad-rotor from "3 Idiots" ??

Shit!! The Heli missed Annu Mallik! Should have been a T-Rex Clone (Copy-cat love)    

Ujjwaana, my friend, if I EVER make it big and am invited on  the same stage as Anu Malik, I assure you that my Black Powder / KNO3 rocket won't miss him! That's a promise!

anwar sir u are right...it was a raptor 30

there are some audiences in the video waving at the heli
a lil hovering over AM head and his precious gulfgate wig would be on the table...

  Yeah! I'd definitely pay to watch that!

Really disturbing that a man as sensible as amir khan agreed to do this .And yeah,someone else must have been flying it.

However it was very irresponsible flying but i think its good for promoting RC in India. BTW India is a Bhagwan Bharose country. Ppl dont follow any rules here (well most of them i am talking about 100 crore out 110 crore). If we follow rules we wont be flying RC planes anymore. Few months back some Airline pilots were grounded for drinking before flying which carries civilians like you and me.

It was really cool to see the video. Ya, I agree its dangerous to fly a heli in such a small place on audiance, but once in a rare time, it should be ok to entertain people, especially when flown by very experienced pilots.

I remember myself standing close to big Helis when Rajesh/Adarsh are flying as it is safe. Anything might go bad, that does not mean we need to hide under the carpet all the time. If its in your fate, anything can go wrong.

Dangers are lurking everywhere. Even visiting a formula 1 race might get dangerous. Or riding on a bike. But since this looks like it was done by a very experienced person on a well built heli, for a few seconds, it should not be such big of a threat as to criticize its every move.

I really enjoyed the SHOW, well organised! First of its kind eh?

I think this is going to further promote our hobby

The issue is choice of heli.  Wonder if a smaller electric would have worked just as well for the purpose, yet greatly reduce the risk. 

I have a doubt....is this really flown by Amir...or just a radio in hand and flown by someone else ?

Don't Mind Amir if you are reading this....if you are in this hobby then we RCIndians really want to see some of your birdies......i mean your Hanger..
But Still i Thank you by heart for promoting this hobby....As said by Anwar.....

Definitely not him. He was not even seeing the Heli half of the time. 

A great way to kill the hobby, the idiot is fooling around as he flies a heli right on top of ppl (some of bollywood's cream) and fools all around cheering along.

One mishap and it would have been a country wide ban on this hobby!!!

Fools!!! Just plain fools!!!

Not sure about that.  We had an incident where a heli fell next to senior politicians in a demo recently, allegedly because the Z catergory security detail jammed all frequencies. Nothing bad came out from that, except charges were raised against the operator/organizers.

I believe a mishap would help formalize the rules around this hobby, and bring strict rules around doing demonstrations. This is where the AMAI/ACI folks etc would be called into submitting rules for safe conduct of the hobby.

"On top of people" could be avoided (along with use of a smaller electric), but other than that, this is another good introduction for the hobby to all of India.

Another video along with below comment was posted by Lavneet on the AMAI forum, asking them to take the matter up with the concerned parties.




We recently witnessed an act where someone flew a 50 sized Nitro heli indoors on a TV show. I for one wasn't amused or happy to see this inspite of some good press our hobby might have got. The reason wasn't only the fact that Aamir Khan took credit for what he wasn't doing, but more the fact that it was an extremely dangerous and assenine act. After having flown 50 sized fuel-powered choppers in the last few months, I have realized how dangerous and prone to failure these machines can be however well they've been setup. A servo failure, engine quitting, a ball link popping in the head assembly or any other mechanical failure are some of the constant threats. There was a scene where the pilot flew the chopper right over one of the judges heads and if, God forbid, anything came loose, it would have been a disaster beyond imagination.
A smaller electric chopper would have been a safer choice, but still not recommended in a room packed with people.
 
I would request AMA to take this up with the people responsibe. Such an act should never have been allowed. Any disaster on such a popular TV show would have meant an end to our Hobby as we know it.
 
Regards
Lavneet

I doubt this is a lone incidence of flying Helis in close proximity of people. A recent photo of IIT Mardras 'Sashtra' sp4mm3r in TOI Bangalore (article on sp4mm3r getting ISO certification) had a Nitro Augusta flying in close to students.
Its upon we flyers to take the call on safety before the authorities come up with rather drastic 'Diktats' . Confidence on oneself is one thing, confidence on such mass produced equipments like Radio and Heli parts is a total different ballgame. What if the Radio goes hay wire (ALL of the OEM have known to give issues) or the bold holding the blades gives way!

In fact, I wouldn't surprised if the actual flier was a member of the forum

I dont agree Ujjwal, even your bike/ cars on road with power brakes are mass produced. Does not mean we should not use them near people or travel in them.

Every thing in life involves risk, but when done safely, is worth it.  Now dont you guys take it in a wrong way. 

From the video, it appears the heli is on 72Mhz. Antenna wire is visible.
In studios, I believe the AV equipment usually operates in Ghz spectrum for wireless communication.

i think the heli was of r madhvan..since he is also an aero-moddler and owns 6-7 rc helis......it can be the third idiot himself flying the heli

I have posted  my comment  on the you tube video  about such dangerous  acts those who feel strongly against this should also do so I think  this will at least register  with others that the  the RC community does not  approve of such stunts.
Its obvious that Amir was not the  one flying as he took his eyes of the heli at least once  when getting down the stairs no regular flyer would do that

If it was an electric Heli, It wouldn't have sounded like a real one and wouldn't have amused people. The smoke and all made it realistic. Also the raptor 30 is of decent visible size and very stable in such occasions. The person also was flying it carefully and decently.

I think he flies only planes 

This was crazy act and can not be defended. All common sense and safety sense were ignored. As a modelling community let us do our bit, go on to the you tube video, and register our protest there 

In my opinion flying five or six feet above people in a closed studio is the most dangerous flying skill display I have seen. As we all are aware, no matter how careful the flyer is, so many things can go wrong which may not be within his control. 

good or bad...but whatever this protest and all happening on public forums is definitely bad..!! wid these protests happening, even if authorities feel (after watching aamir fly the heli) good abt the hobby, we as a fraternity are making them believe that its bad and dangerous....i m sure all the wise ppl in our country can definitely device a more diplomatic way to handle this....

now coming to aamir or whoever flew the heli on the show, guys, pls realize that these are not live shows....if god forbid something does happens, it wont be shown on national television (cut cut cut)...besides, i believe that show ppl wud have done their range check and homework on the safety aspect of it before getting it done..if anything goes wrong, its their channel and show which will get banned first...and when we talk of things going wrong, anything and everything in this world is dangerous...it depends on how we look at it...

the way i look at it, wid something like this happening, we gain an extra edge wid the authorities if we think abt it positively (like its safe cause it has been used at such a platform)...its better creating awareness about the hobby being positive about it..rather than giving it a negative stand..

I actually agree with wasi and Vinay.But still, a considerable risk to take.Someone had to do it.Now, our hobby is in front of the whole country.But, this might lead to some fool trying some stunts without proper knowledge.I am sure that the probable fool will not be on our forum.

At least, our hobby has got some POSITIVE publicity.But, I agree with everyone actually, .In this case, it was good for us.

None R/c part ever manufactured would be as quality checked than F1 Car parts. Even then you have long stretch of ballast (sand) and Fence/barricading between spectators and the track. What I emphasize is that a proper distance should be maintained in India when there is no Insurance regime like AMA has (I know AMAI/Ramesh sir's efforts, but it is still time everyone is covered).

And don't tell me Vinay that  you can consider HK/E-bay parts very reliable. People have had incidents of blade flying off already!!

I dont think any fool can even start a Heli without expert advise let alone fly it. What has happened wasnt the greatest show to do in a packed studio. Theres no point in crying over it.

ujjwaana ,again very true.In India, we need more safety.Like when I had gone to the special stage of the K1000 rally near bangalore,people came really close to the cars even after being advised not to.People just don't listen

Well yeah,that is true mail4ajo.Just hope that this stays so.

Have you read? There are many cases of parts flying off Align Trex Helis and also in many cases tail servo failing off on Align Helis? It all depends on HOW well you build and keep the heli with its RPM range. I can prove that at almost slightly more than half the price an HK Heli can fly better than the Align Heli.

the best thing about india LOL ....  you can get away with anything... bad part is any joker can put a full stop for our hobby forever as we see it.

This would be  partially true. The difference is in the people possibly at risk - in this case the audience - KNOWING that there is a - potential hazard. Bungee jumping, hang gliding etc. involve risk to the point of potential death. But the exposure is VOLUNTARY.

if we get in the nitigrities of anything being dangerous, we can go on and on and on...what i m only trying to say is please dont make a show out of it on public forums...these forums are accessable by masses and authorities wont take time noticing it...we in mumbai are already having hard time putting up wid the hobby...never seen such a downfall in the hobby in last 7 years of my flying in mumbai...as i see, the interest in the hobby has dropped to 50% in last 3 months...i m a regular flyer here...also, we have had hard time dealing with mumbai customs which is still in ruts...whoever did whatever, we certainly dont want the hobby to stop...infact we want to promote it...the way members are reacting to it, it will simply take us into more issues...and now if something has happened, please use it positively...

when we type "aamir flying rc heli" in google, rcindia if the first link that appears...and then all the comments follows...now what do we do abt this...??

no one is crying on anything...we all including u sir, are simply trying to safeguard a common interest "aeromodelling" that is so dear to all of us...with negative remarks, we will get in to more and more problems...

besides, if anything wud have happened, who thinks channel ppl wud have still shown it....?? and then it wud have been some distant news of some chopper falling on some political house etc etc which wud have been talked about and forgotten...good thing or a very good thing or a very very lucky thing is that this thing worked out....please use it positively guys...or atleast put ur views in a more diplomatic way which wont hurt the hobby directly..

Dear Anwar Sir If you are reading this kindly change the topic name to something appropriate like Heli flying on Indian TV Show.

What you have said is very true wasi sir and crazy pilot sir .Anything can be dangerous as you get into the nitty gritties of it. ;DIf proper care is taken(which would have been in this case)nothing will happen.

One sad thing though,all the news channels are speaking about amir khan.No mention of the heli or its real pilot .With that, our hobby would have had a bigger boost .

That is when people exceed rpms, or forget to loctite the feather shaft.  The HK helis have many problems even at rated rpms, starting with the poor quality of screws, milling etc.  I can say this categorically that you can NEVER get the current generation of HK helis to perform better than the Align originals.  I know, I tried.  There is a case of "you get what you pay for" at every step of the way.

What ever you are doing to "fix" the HK heli, put that same thing on an Align original, and FEEL the difference !

While I see Wasi bhai's point, I am not sure if we should shy away from the truth on this.  These things can be dangerous (just like a car or motorcycle is, nothing more and nothing less), and regardless of who does it, it is setting a bad example.  You may be the greatest pilot in the world with the most carefully built and trimmed heli of highest quality, but you still made a bad example for others. 

Why did this person not set aside an area of the studio set to do this demo, if he had to use a good size heli ?  That is where clear judgement comes in.

My perspective on this is that whoever reads this thread will get the *positive* impression that the vast majority of people who are in this hobby take safety very seriously.  I don't see this thread as something negative on what this hobby is about, or about how it is conducted in India.  We are mature folks, and this thread is further proof of the same. 

And for the record, this hobby is generally extremely safe, unless people try to follow the example in that show.

The following feedback was sent to SET by Mr Vijendra Nagar, president of the AMAI, to Sony Entertainment Television.


In a recent episode of Indian Idol,on your television show,you have
shown the operation of an engine pwered model helicopter in a closed
space full of spectators.

This is considered highly dangerous,one because of the noxious fumes
from the engine exhaust and secondly the risk of malafunction which
can cause serious injury or even death to the hapless spectators.

Please visit our website http://www.amai.in, for safe procedures of model
aircraft/helicopter flying.

We suggest this is not repeated in future for the safety of your
spectators and a bad name to your TV channel.


Best Regards

Vijendra Nagar
President
Aero Modelers Association


A similar letter was sent to Hyundai also for their recent depiction of an RC plane in their ad in a manner that is not safety conscious.

I was notified privately by Wasi that their flying in Mumbai was stopped yesterday possibly because of the discussion about "dangerous flying on a TV show".  They were asked to register the names of flyers in the local police station.

He noted that the cops mentioned about these "things being dangerous online and in the NEWS".  I am not sure if any NEWS channel or NEWSpaper discussed if the TV show flying was dangerous, especially with reference to this thread.  My firm belief is the visibility and events at Mahalaxmi (related to the Kasab trial) was what the cop was referring to, but Wasi bhai can confirm that.  In any case, being able to fly with proper registration is to be looked up as a good thing (inconvenient too).  I have seen people like Mr Nagar of AMAI mention that this hobby is either going to get regulated or shotdown, and in someways it is good to see more the first happening instead of the second.

Just to avoid any confusion, I am adding a note under the first post in this thread to clarify the concern raised here, and to clear the air about safety of operating RC equipment.

I see no reason to infer that this thread is noticed by authorities, prompting the said incident.  That would happen when the concern raised in this thread is discussed by other news outlets/media, which we have not seen.  Whatever is happening in Mumbai is just an indication of the times we are living in.

Excellent action by the AMAI. Surely its fulfilling its foremost duty to protect this wonderful hobby. Protect it from idiots!!!

I have removed the word dangerous from the topic name.  As people suggested, it conveys that these are inherently dangerous, while the truth is that they are dangerous when operated without safety considerations.  Inherently they are safe.

I still dont agree its dangerous in normal conditions.

Say a person can fly a heli on your face and kill you.
The same person can drive a car onto you and kill you.

The thing is that anything can be dangerous if not handled by an experienced person. Like I said, if a person who does not know to drive a car can kill some one.

The only thing we need to do is educate people that for a fresher, flying w/o a trainer is dangerous. Coz many people think that flying plane/helis is like using a cheap remote chinese car.

Like in the pulsar add they say dont try this wheelie at home 

So if sony had put a similar warning at the end/beginning of the show, it would have sufficed.  as the heli was flown by a experienced person.

We need to use TV/media to educate about this hobby, also on the other hand the education should say that one should not fly w/o experienced people around. Just like it says on the Crackers dabba "Adult supervision required." 


Just my opinion.

Who said it is dangerous in normal conditions ?   It is fairly dangerous when flown over the heads of people in a packed studio.

You got it wrong Vinay. A commercially available car is much reliable and well behaved beast than may be a Genuine Align T-Rex/Titan. You don't see a Car's engine blasts or its wheel fly off on main road (if it happens, it happens one in millions) compared to Helis go freak even at the hands of most experienced flyers (Radio/Rotor head, tails break down).

R/C is an extreme sport and should be observed with caution. Compare dangers posed to a normal Cricket/Football viewer with that to a Moto GP/Bull Fighting viewer.

I think similar incidents have happened even in Jakkur, the reason why people don't want too many 'Guest/Passengers' there.

True to an extent, but not as dangerous as this thread is taking in the direction!  

Respect your RC hobby and RC stuff. Always stay alert, follow protocols and saftey measures. And MOST IMPORTANT - use common sense... Then it should be more enjoyable than DANGEROUS. 

While the above point is true, one should also note that if standard (best?) practices are followed, they tend to be the same.  RC helis may have mechanical failure more often than regular cars (some old cars used to have broken hydraulic brake pipes etc also much more commonly 20+ years ago), but that is why they need to be operated keeping a safe distance (proportional to the size of the model).  It is all about "what is the safe procedure to operate a particular piece of equipment" so that even in the case of any mishaps, there is no damage to humans or property.  This universal rule applies the same way to cars and RC models.

Thats not the only reason, RC is expensive. If you allow few then all the people/kids etc start coming in. It becomes a havoc. If any of them get tempted to just pocket your futaba 7 Ch RX, then you will know the pain  . remember if some one comes there when the police is not there, how we always keep an eye on them noting that they are not going near our stuff ! Thats the reason why that constable frequently visit the place to make sure no outsider is allowed w/o prior permission.

anwar sir...thanks a million...i m obliged...