Resources for Science Olympiad Helicopter Students
NFFS has partnered with Science Olympiad to sponsor and support the Indoor Flying Events for the B and C divisions.
These resources will continue to grow as we develop materials.
2024–2025 Helicopter ‘B’ Rules available here, Helicopter ‘C’ Rules available here.
Here are some things to consider when selecting a kit, or if planning to build from scratch, construction tips, and rules related discussions to help you in the process of building a helicopter. Great information from a variety of experienced sources.
- Wondering How to Get Started with Helicopters? Read This First! – An overview to get you going.
- Helicopter Basics (Video) Look at this next! – Another introduction that discusses different helicopter designs, with some additional information about rubber management.
- Indoor Free Flight Helicopter Glossary – Terms utilized in construction, initial flying, trimming, and optimizing flight characteristics. Definitions with an explanation of the impact each has on the flight of a helicopter
- Glue and Glue Management for Indoor Models (Video) – Make your helicopters strong, and avoid unnecessary weight.
- Rubber Tying for Indoor Duration Model Helicopters (Video) – Tie motors to store maximum energy and fly longer.
- Wing and Box Trimming (Video) – What to do if your helicopter doesn’t fit into the box, or if your box is slightly too large. This video pertains directly to airplanes, but is generally still applicable to helicopters if you have a box problem.
- Covering (Video) – Demonstration of covering with Ultrafilm. Shows covering techniques for airplanes. A resource that includes additional tips for helicopter rotors coming soon.
Note: Many more videos are available in the NFFS Video Library on YouTube, or the Video Catalog tab, above, on this page.
You’ve finished building, and you are eager to start flying. It is pretty easy to be successful, but equally easy to end up frustrated, if you don’t know what to do. Take a look at these resources, which will guide you through the process of getting your bird up into the air!
- Basic Helicopter Flying – A slightly simplified approach to rubber selection and winding, the most important contributors to long helicopter flights. No torque meter required! Start with this unless you have experience flying helicopters
Next Level Helicopter Flying – A more sophisticated approach, with advanced rubber management techniques, which will enable you to push your helicopter flights to new heights!
- Winding and Launching A Science Olympiad Helicopter (Video) – Winding for Helicopters is mostly like winding for airplanes, with some important differences. Learn how to do it from this video, which also includes some launching tips.
- Make a Simple, Cheap, Torque Meter (video) – Built from free paint stir sticks and a guitar string. Costs as little as one dollar and takes only 30 minutes to construct. Winding with a torque meter is critical to success in the flying events. See this related PDF document.
- Max Turns Calculator – Live calculator for estimate of max rubber turns before breaking based on rubber dimensions.
- Rubber Tying for Indoor Duration Model Airplanes (Video) – Tie rubber motors to exact mass without slipping
- Basic Helicopter Data Log Example – A sample log with each of the parameters explained – why do you want to record that parameter, how do you measure it, and what units does it have? Download a PDF version here, and an Excel spreadsheet version here.
Let’s say you have your helicopters flying consistently well. Or, you want to incorporate advanced building techniques into your helicopter. Here are some things you can try in order to add a few more seconds to your flight times, or to scratch build your own helicopter or modify your kit.
- Example Flight Log – A very complete flight log with many parameters that will help to document and improve your flying. Revised log and explanation for helicopters coming soon.
- Making a Wire Pigtail Thrust Bearing (video) – An alternative to using pre-made aluminum or plastic prop hangers, you can form one out of wire.
A collection of videos that support this year’s SO Flight event and other helpful NFFS Free Flight videos can be found on this page.
A collection of good stuff from a wide variety of sources. There is something here that will help your flying, regardless of your current level of expertise.
Science Olympiad Student Center Forum – Ask questions, discuss problems, connect with students and experienced coaches. Navigate to Build Events, then Flight.
Kits
Laser Cut Planes – Simple build, interlocking assembly
Freedom Flight Models – Advanced kits, excellent build manuals, many materials incl. custom cut rubber
J&H Aerospace – Excellent kits, manuals, and online videos. Many parts and tools as well
Retro RC – choose “Scholastic Kits and Accessories” from menu
Guru Engineering Tech – Planes from a winning coach
Ward Scientific – A basic kit including a plan, wood, covering, tools
Helicopter Plans
2025 NFFS Plan – A simple, full-size (11×17), plan by Dave Aronstein, uses a minimum of different balsa stock.
River City Rocket – A simple X-rotor design from 2011, modify diameter to fit box.
Jim Richmond’s AMA Design – A complex 0.373g heli for ideas. From Winning Indoor Designs 2002–2005.
Bill Silin’s AMA Design – A complex 0.835g heli, for ideas
Tools, Rubber, etc.
Indoor Free Flight Supply – Basic and advanced tools for building and flying, rubber
FAI Model Supply – Stock rubber sizes in bulk, Ikara props, other parts
Indoor Specialties – Tools, prop hangers, covering. Currently closed for Covid, but has some resource articles available
Volare Products – Tools, wood, rubber, props, and other supplies
Miscellaneous
Coaches’ Clinic – A presentation that reviews the Helicopter event, changes from last year, and tips and tricks.
Building
- A Guide to SO Planes by Chuck Markos – Excellent starting material
- Jeff Englert’s Building Tips – a little dated in places, but still has some good information. Currently being update
- Indoor Free Flight Glossary
Flying
- Basic Step by Step Trimming – Wondering how to get started? Look here first! – An Overview to Get You going – How do I fly my airplane? What do I do to get better flight times? By Coach Brian.
- Basic Rubber Management for SO Flight – Successful flyers take into account many variables when selecting, tying, winding, and managing their motors. This document outlines basic techniques to help improve your approach to rubber motor management, which will also aid in improving your flight consistency.
- Basic Step by Step Trimming – Another great resource that discusses trimming a newly completed plane, including video from a student workshop.
- Trimming Reference – This document discusses the hows and whys of vertical trim, stability, and circular flight path. For a step by step guide to trimming an airplane, see the trimming resources below.
- Winding without a Torque Meter – This document references the above video, with details that you should change if you are winding without a torque meter. Includes a step by step set of instructions that you can print and take with you to the gym.
- Winding with a Torque Meter (Video) – Winding a rubber motor to max torque and then backing off to launch torque for effective utilization of rubber.
- Advanced Flight Log Example – A very complete flight log with many parameters that will help to document and improve your flying.
Advanced Topics
- Prop Pitch / Rubber Motor Balance (Video) – Optimize the propeller pitch to the rubber cross section for maximum efficiency.
- Prop Building for Rubber Powered Indoor Airplane Models (Video) – Build your own props, demo with small Scraps prop.
Additional Resources
Aircraft Forces, Moments, and Stability – Aerodynamic principles and discussion of airplane stability
Bucket Prop – Forming prop blades on a cone or cylinder, Search for “bucket” in the HPA library
Wright Stuff Paper – A comprehensive guide to Flight planes, written by former SO competitor Patrick Schwartz.