Rotor Blade Preservation 101

Especially if you're a hover-newbie like me, it's a good idea to have a roll of electrician's tape on hand. This is not so much for patching things up after a crash...You'll want to use the tape as a preventative measure. Those wildly spinning blades on your helicopter are its most vulnerable part. They come all the way from China, so unless you already have a pipeline of replacement blades on the way to you, use your electrician's tape to protect those blades and you won't keep the UPS guy so busy. IMPORTANT: Your heli's blades have to be balanced, so match whatever you tape to one blade, on the other. If you don't do this, your helicopter will run more like that machine at the hardware store that mixes the paint cans than a finely designed flying contraption. So, carefully measure and cut two pieces of tape, and apply them lengthwise to the blades, folding them over the leading edges of both main rotor blades. You can tell the leading edge on a blade because its higher than the trailing edge, (or, just power-up your heli and blip the throttle to see which way they spin). Your tape should span about 80% of the length of each blade...Centered so it doesn't cover to the tip or the hub-end of the blade. Try to keep it neat, without folds or creases on the underside of the blade, or you'll cause unwanted vortices's while flying. (More about vortices's in lesson #237). Once you have everything smooth and even, try a short flight and check for vibrations or unwanted flying characteristics. If there's a problem, gently remove the tape and re-apply a new piece. Now, when your brand-new helicopter bumps against Grandma's antique china knickknack, your blades may not suffer any nicks. Remember to inspect the blades, along with the rest of your heli after each flight. If the tape is damaged, just remove it and re-apply a new piece. Once you're an expert pilot and never have crashes, you can take off all that tape. Needless to say, my helicopter blades still sport their tape-jobs. Okay guys, that's it. Gotta go fly...