Am I the only one thinking this year is turbocharged and is just flying by!? Well, fingers crossed it slows down during the summer months when we are all out flying the day away!

From the Hangar

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for their patience with order times and the website being down for a week. I think at the end of the day, moving the site to a new platform has created a much better user experience and will help TGM continue to grow.

As noted above, TylerGrayModels.com has been successfully moved and is fully operational, complete with a smoother shopping experience. If you haven't already, take a look at the new site and let us know what you think! We continue to find little bugs from time to time, so if something doesn't work, let us know and we'll get it fixed!

The Setup: Let's Talk Ground Resonance

This month, I wanted to talk about ground resonance and why as model helicopter pilots, you want to be aware of this potentially damaging event.

Ground resonance, in the very simplest of terms, is an induced out-of-balance rotor disc. How the rotor disc becomes out of balance has to do with the lead and lag of the blades. Just think of a two-blade rotor and both blades ending up on the same side of the mast.

A big reason model helicopters are more susceptible to ground resonance is the head design. Full-size helicopter rotors/blades have been designed to mitigate ground resonance.

There are a few factors that can contribute to your model helicopter experiencing ground resonance.

How tightly do you tighten your blades in the grips? A too-loose blade can contribute to a ground resonance.

The surface you are flying off can also be a factor. A hard surface can greatly increase your chances of inducing ground resonance because there is no dampening. Grass and soft surfaces have a much less chance of getting into resonance.

When can ground resonance occur? Anytime you are on the ground running, the potential is there.

What happens if you do get into ground resonance, and how do you get out of it? There are two ways.

The first is to just take off. By breaking away from the ground, you no longer have anything to bounce off of, thus breaking the cycle.

The second is to shut down power and coast down. If it's already in resonance this won't be ideal, but sometimes you don't have the option to take off.

Below are some links to videos of ground resonance and how fast and violent it can be.

New Products

We are continuing to bring on board new products and product lines.

We are extremely proud to now be a Jakadofsky Jet Engines distributor. Jakadofsky turbines are the pinnacle of radio control helicopter turbines. We look forward to helping you power your next project with the best!

If you are going electric for your next project, we've teamed up with Castle Creations for all of your electric helicopter needs.

We are continuing to expand our inventory of uniLIGHT lighting solutions. The uniLIGHTS are the brightest LEDs I've ever used. I now use them in all of my new builds, and I'm even retrofitting some of my older models.

https://www.tylergraymodels.com/Pilot-Figures-_c_39.html

We now have in stock Warbird Pilots helicopter pilots. We carry multiple color flight suits. Most pilots come with a white flight helmet, but you can custom order a specific color helmet to make your model pop! We carry the 10" through 15" tall pilots. Head movement can also be special ordered. Not sure what size pilot will fit your model? Contact us and we'll help you find the perfect pilot for your project.