[Fwd: Amazing 17 year old R/C Helicopter pilot video]

[el gran cantinflas]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: OT - Amazing 17 year old R/C Helicopter pilot video
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 07:37:39 GMT
From: B. Peg >
Organization: AT&T Worldnet
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles

What this 17 year old from Las Vegas, Alan Szabo Jr., does with a remote
controlled helicopter is amazing! Almost defies the laws of physics. It's
called "Heli 3D" flying.

http://www.rapp.org/wp-content/092104-rc_helicopter_demo.wmv (maybe a 15
meg download)

B~




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[joe]

Why do I get the feeling that this 15 yr old kid doesn't have to pay for it
when he puts it in?

Joe
(BTW when I used to fly RC we called that out of control ;-) )

"el gran cantinflas" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: OT - Amazing 17 year old R/C Helicopter pilot video
> Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 07:37:39 GMT
> From: B. Peg >
> Organization: AT&T Worldnet
> Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
>
> What this 17 year old from Las Vegas, Alan Szabo Jr., does with a remote
> controlled helicopter is amazing! Almost defies the laws of physics.
It's
> called "Heli 3D" flying.
>
> http://www.rapp.org/wp-content/092104-rc_helicopter_demo.wmv (maybe a 15
> meg download)
>
> B~
>
>
>
>
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[Steve R.]

I've met Alan a number of times and competed against him at the AMA Nat's in
Muncie, IN. the past couple of years. He's actually a very down to earth
young man. Certainly, he's had a lot of help from his parents but he's also
worked hard to develop the skill needed to do what he does and I'm certain
that manufacturer sponsorship is also involed.

Fly Safe,
Steve R.


"The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" <skiddz *AT* adelphia *DOT* net> wrote in
message ...
> On Wed, 13 Oct 2004 00:29:49 -0400, "joe" > wrote:
>
>>Why do I get the feeling that this 15 yr old kid doesn't have to pay for
>>it
>>when he puts it in?
>
> I'd be willing to bet money he's got some serious manufacturer (model
> and radio) sponsorship.

[Steve R.]

As a 22 year RC helicopter pilot, who can't do anything nearly as aggressive
as you see in the video :-o , I can tell you that Alan is one of the
better 3D pilots I've seen. A few other names to keep your eye out for (for
those on this forum that aren't into the RC side) are Curtis Youngblood,
Jason Kraus, Scott Grey, and I'm sure a few others that are not coming to
mind at the moment. These guys all do very aggressive 3D work and they do
it in a controlled manner.

A lot of pilots just do the ol "hold the sticks hard over and watch what
happens, then save it before it hits the ground" routine (sometimes!). I'm
impressed (to a degree) with these folks in that they can get reoriented to
the model and prevent the crash but the flight looks rough and jerky and
sometimes you're not exactly certain as to where it's going to wind up.
"Not" a good thing!

The guys mentioned above are pretty much professionals. I can't say for
certain with Alan and Scott but Curtis and Jason actually make their living
flying RC helicopters. They're that good!

Fly Safe,
Steve R.


"joe" > wrote in message
...
> Why do I get the feeling that this 15 yr old kid doesn't have to pay for
> it
> when he puts it in?
>
> Joe
> (BTW when I used to fly RC we called that out of control ;-) )
>

[Steve R.]

"The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" <skiddz *AT* adelphia *DOT* net> wrote in
message ...
> On Wed, 13 Oct 2004 15:23:34 GMT, "Steve R."
> > wrote:
>
> [snip]
>>The guys mentioned above are pretty much professionals. I can't say for
>>certain with Alan and Scott but Curtis and Jason actually make their
>>living
>>flying RC helicopters. They're that good!
>
> Curtis has been flying RC helos for YEARS. He was the guy I strived
> to be like when I could afford (lol) RC helos. Unfortunately, my
> thumbs and fingers didn't strive to be like him and I balled up many a
> model. :)
>

Yup! The first time I ever saw Curtis fly was at the 1986 Nat's in Sulphur,
LA. I think he was 18yo. He kicked some serious butt at that contest and
came in first place. Since then, he's done nothing but get better and as
far as I can tell, he almost single handedly started the 3D craze in RC
helicopters. He also won the AMA Nat's for something like 11 year in a row.
A string of wins that was finally terminated when Scott Grey beat Curtis in
Muncie, IN. in 2003.

I've been lucky in that we both live in Texas (about 2 hours apart) so I've
seen him fly at many fun-flies and contests through the years in our general
area. I also went through a "brief" period of think he was someone I might
want to emulate but every time I saw him fly, he seemed to be a light year
ahead of the last time I saw him fly. When I first saw him perform a
pirouetting loop (!), I thought, "forget that!" It was impressive indeed,
but not something I could see myself doing. Maybe some day!

Fly Safe,
Steve R.

[Beav]

"joe" > wrote in message
...
> Why do I get the feeling that this 15 yr old kid doesn't have to pay for
> it
> when he puts it in?

He's sponsored, BUT he had to reach a standard before sponsorship was
forthcoming. I was at the 3D Masters competition in Northampton this July
and saw Alan do his thing, and he's not bad at all:-) not the best, but
still an amazing flyer.
>
> Joe
> (BTW when I used to fly RC we called that out of control ;-) )

When something goes wrong, it soon gets there!! :)

Beav

[Beav]

"Steve R." > wrote in message
...
> As a 22 year RC helicopter pilot, who can't do anything nearly as
> aggressive as you see in the video :-o , I can tell you that Alan is one
> of the better 3D pilots I've seen. A few other names to keep your eye out
> for (for those on this forum that aren't into the RC side) are Curtis
> Youngblood, Jason Kraus, Scott Grey, and I'm sure a few others that are
> not coming to mind at the moment.

Hey bugger-lugs, don't forget Duncan Osbourne:-). At 14 years old he won the
Sportsmans 3D champs, and at 15 he won the Experts, then this year he just
got pipped into 3rd place in Masters behind Alan Jr.

These guys all do very aggressive 3D work and they do
> it in a controlled manner.

Like I said somewhere else, "'Til something goes wrong" ;-)) Then they do
make a fast lawn dart:-)
>
> A lot of pilots just do the ol "hold the sticks hard over and watch what
> happens, then save it before it hits the ground" routine (sometimes!).
> I'm impressed (to a degree) with these folks in that they can get
> reoriented to the model and prevent the crash but the flight looks rough
> and jerky and sometimes you're not exactly certain as to where it's going
> to wind up. "Not" a good thing!
>
> The guys mentioned above are pretty much professionals. I can't say for
> certain with Alan and Scott but Curtis and Jason actually make their
> living flying RC helicopters. They're that good!

Alan's dad was sponsored and now young Alan is. I think when Jason Krauss
left Min-Air, they took young Alan on.

Whatever it is he does for the money this hobby sucks up, good luck to him,
he's earned his kudos.

Beav

[Beav]

"The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" <skiddz *AT* adelphia *DOT* net> wrote in
message ...
> On Wed, 13 Oct 2004 15:23:34 GMT, "Steve R."
> > wrote:
>
> [snip]
>>The guys mentioned above are pretty much professionals. I can't say for
>>certain with Alan and Scott but Curtis and Jason actually make their
>>living
>>flying RC helicopters. They're that good!
>
> Curtis has been flying RC helos for YEARS. He was the guy I strived
> to be like when I could afford (lol) RC helos. Unfortunately, my
> thumbs and fingers didn't strive to be like him and I balled up many a
> model. :)

Didn't we (don't we) still do that? :-)))

Beav

[Beav]

"Steve R." > wrote in message
...
> "The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" <skiddz *AT* adelphia *DOT* net> wrote in
> message ...
>> On Wed, 13 Oct 2004 15:23:34 GMT, "Steve R."
>> > wrote:
>>
>> [snip]
>>>The guys mentioned above are pretty much professionals. I can't say for
>>>certain with Alan and Scott but Curtis and Jason actually make their
>>>living
>>>flying RC helicopters. They're that good!
>>
>> Curtis has been flying RC helos for YEARS. He was the guy I strived
>> to be like when I could afford (lol) RC helos. Unfortunately, my
>> thumbs and fingers didn't strive to be like him and I balled up many a
>> model. :)
>>
>
> Yup! The first time I ever saw Curtis fly was at the 1986 Nat's in
> Sulphur, LA. I think he was 18yo. He kicked some serious butt at that
> contest and came in first place. Since then, he's done nothing but get
> better and as far as I can tell, he almost single handedly started the 3D
> craze in RC helicopters. He also won the AMA Nat's for something like 11
> year in a row. A string of wins that was finally terminated when Scott
> Grey beat Curtis in Muncie, IN. in 2003.
>
> I've been lucky in that we both live in Texas (about 2 hours apart) so
> I've seen him fly at many fun-flies and contests through the years in our
> general area. I also went through a "brief" period of think he was
> someone I might want to emulate but every time I saw him fly, he seemed to
> be a light year ahead of the last time I saw him fly. When I first saw
> him perform a pirouetting loop (!), I thought, "forget that!" It was
> impressive indeed, but not something I could see myself doing. Maybe some
> day!

Steve, I'd been flying some serious 3D for a fair while before I attempted
my first pirouetting loop. I went for a single piro taking the full loop to
make the full 360 yaw. I got to 320 :-))

2nd one was Ok, but that was three weeks and 500 quid later.

Beav

[Steve R.]

"Beav" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Steve R." > wrote in message
> ...
> These guys all do very aggressive 3D work and they do
>> it in a controlled manner.
>
> Like I said somewhere else, "'Til something goes wrong" ;-)) Then they do
> make a fast lawn dart:-)

This is true! However, it's been my experience that if something goes
wrong, it doesn't matter if you're doing 3D or not, it doesn't take long to
become the proverbial lawn dart. ;-)

Having said that, I've watched Curtis fly long enough to have been witness
to some of his more spectacular crashes as well as some of his more
impressive saves. I've seen him shed a tail rotor, or at least the control
of it, in hard 3D maneuvering from about 6 to 10 feet up and still put it on
the ground, on the skids and in one piece! It's "amazing" what that guy can
auto out of! :-)

Fly Safe,
Steve R.

[Steve R.]

"Beav" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Steve R." > wrote in message
> ...
>> I've been lucky in that we both live in Texas (about 2 hours apart) so
>> I've seen him fly at many fun-flies and contests through the years in our
>> general area. I also went through a "brief" period of think he was
>> someone I might want to emulate but every time I saw him fly, he seemed
>> to be a light year ahead of the last time I saw him fly. When I first
>> saw him perform a pirouetting loop (!), I thought, "forget that!" It was
>> impressive indeed, but not something I could see myself doing. Maybe
>> some day!
>
> Steve, I'd been flying some serious 3D for a fair while before I attempted
> my first pirouetting loop. I went for a single piro taking the full loop
> to make the full 360 yaw. I got to 320 :-))
>
> 2nd one was Ok, but that was three weeks and 500 quid later.
>
> Beav

Well Beav, at least you've "tried" to do the pirouetting loop. It's not
something I've ever worked up the courage to do yet. All of my flying in
the past 10 to 15 years has been basic sport flying and FAI competitions.
It's a plateau that I've been on for a very long time. The problem is, I've
gotten comfortable with where I'm at and have not been particularly
motivated to advance. It's cheaper! ;-)

Having said that, I'm about to purchase a used Fury from a friend of mine.
This will be a third model in addition to the two X-Cell Pro2k's that I've
been competing with and it's going to be a 3D setup. My wallet is starting
to ache already. There are some 3D maneuvers that I know won't be much
trouble, after all, they're just modifications of stuff I'm already doing.
The pirouetting stuff is another story. I've always had a hard time
wrapping my brain around the control movements that make them work. But I'm
looking forward to learning! :-D

Fly Safe,
Steve R.

[Beav]

"Steve R." > wrote in message
...
>
> "Beav" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Steve R." > wrote in message
>> ...
>> These guys all do very aggressive 3D work and they do
>>> it in a controlled manner.
>>
>> Like I said somewhere else, "'Til something goes wrong" ;-)) Then they do
>> make a fast lawn dart:-)
>
> This is true! However, it's been my experience that if something goes
> wrong, it doesn't matter if you're doing 3D or not, it doesn't take long
> to become the proverbial lawn dart. ;-)
>
> Having said that, I've watched Curtis fly long enough to have been witness
> to some of his more spectacular crashes as well as some of his more
> impressive saves. I've seen him shed a tail rotor, or at least the
> control of it, in hard 3D maneuvering from about 6 to 10 feet up and still
> put it on the ground, on the skids and in one piece! It's "amazing" what
> that guy can auto out of! :-)

At the 2003 3D Masters (he won of course) he went out to fly his "thank you"
flight. He took off with the intention of a quick sideways flip to inverted,
putting the heli into a depression in the ground, which would've "hidden" it
from the spectators. He did that aright, but he didn't get it OUT of the
depression, he made the depression deeper instead.

It was a REAL shame he did that, coz he really is a thing to watch. He also
took half his tail blades off doing tick-tocks at zero feet (-2 inches
actually) a flight or two earlier. he killed that heli too.

He didn't make any of those mstakes this year though

Beav

[Steve R.]

"Beav" > wrote in message
...
>
> At the 2003 3D Masters (he won of course) he went out to fly his "thank
> you" flight. He took off with the intention of a quick sideways flip to
> inverted, putting the heli into a depression in the ground, which would've
> "hidden" it from the spectators. He did that aright, but he didn't get it
> OUT of the depression, he made the depression deeper instead.
>
> It was a REAL shame he did that, coz he really is a thing to watch. He
> also took half his tail blades off doing tick-tocks at zero feet (-2
> inches actually) a flight or two earlier. he killed that heli too.
>
> He didn't make any of those mstakes this year though
>
> Beav

Yeah, the last good one I watched wasn't really that spectacular, but it was
funny. He was doing a "stoppy" auto. You know, where they deliberately
hold positive collective until the rotor blades completely stop. I've seen
him do this successfully before but "not" this time. Naturally, he started
"way" up there. The blades did stop rotating but when he lowered the
collective, one of them lagged back and got caught under the horizontal fin
against the tail boom. All he / we could do at that point was watch the
free fall. He started the maneuver so high that I think it took 5 or 6
seconds for the model to hit the ground. I wish my eyes were "half" that
good! ;-) Right before it hit the ground, you could hear him say, "Bye
bye!" There was plenty of damage but it was rebuildable.

Fly Safe,
Steve R.

[Simon Robbins]

"Steve R." > wrote in message
...
> The guys mentioned above are pretty much professionals. I can't say for
> certain with Alan and Scott but Curtis and Jason actually make their
living
> flying RC helicopters. They're that good!

Scott used to work in a model shop in Orleans, Ontario. I bought a Raptor 30
from him there. Don't know if he's still there, I moved back to the UK four
years ago. I think he was about 17 back then and had full sponsorship, but I
don't remember who with. I suspect Curtis probably makes a lot more from
video and book sales than he does from competition flying.

Si

[Simon Robbins]

"Beav" > wrote in message
...
> Like I said somewhere else, "'Til something goes wrong" ;-)) Then they do
> make a fast lawn dart:-)

I stopped flying a year or so ago in frustration. I'd made it to circuits,
loops and stall turns with only a minor pilot error crash. Then I had about
three successive mechanical or electrical failures in a row that cost me a
limb each time and I thought enough. I've still got them though, a Raptor
60 (in bits), an Eco 8 (in one piece but needs a gear wheel) and a
half-completed Airwolf with Vario mechanics. I shall pick it up again at
some point..

Si

[Steve R.]

"Simon Robbins" > wrote in message
...
>
I suspect Curtis probably makes a lot more from
> video and book sales than he does from competition flying.
>
> Si
>

Curtis' conpetition flying, as far as I know, is just an extention of his
business as a whole. I don't know whether or not he's specifically paid to
attend the AMA Nat's competition, the World competitions, or the various
worldwide 3D competitions he's attended through the years but I imagine he
probably is. Manufacturers love to use the winners of these events in their
advertising and I'm sure they get compensated for it. At the very least,
it's a tax write off. This would be in addition to the video and book sales
you mention, as well as the RC helicopter flight training school that Curtis
runs. He also done a fair amount of R&D work for JR, as he also did for
Robbe/Schluter when he worked for them. It all adds up.

Fly Safe,
Steve R.