RC blimps - simple radio control fun!
For not much money, helium filled rc blimps are a great way of enjoying some quiet, clean and simple radio control flying fun.
Perfectly suited to indoor flying, they are very easy to operate and are quite maneuverable. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and can have some surprisingly practical uses, with a bit of imagination.
The body, also called the envelope or hull, of a typical rc blimp is made of nylon, or something similar, and is very tough. This must be filled with helium gas in order for the blimp to stay airborne. Helium is readily available from party, balloon or flower stores and it's a very safe inert gas, much less dense than air, and gives the blimp the buoyancy to stay aloft.
Filling the body is usually a straightforward process, but the manufacturer instructions must be adhered to for complete safety.
RC blimps are very simple to control - they typically have 2 or 3 micro electric motors attached to the gondola, below the envelope, which rotate in various planes to control direction, height and speed. By rotating the motors to change the thrust angle and direction, the aircraft can be brought to a standstill, rotated 360 degrees and made to reverse.
The MegaBlimp, shown above, is a fairly typical example. It's a fully maneuverable model that uses the better 'tri-turbofan' system. Or for a 'special occasion' blimp, the Party Blimp will certainly surprise the birthday boy or girl!....
The Party Blimp is fully customizable with the colored special marker pens that are supplied with it. Pre-programmed music and strobe lighting effects can be controlled from the transmitter, to play from the gondola, and the tri-turbofan system gives complete control and maneuverability.
See these 2 rc blimps in more detail.
Of course, the great thing about rc blimps is that there's very little risk of damage - their slow flying speeds and soft body mean that if unintentional contact is made with a solid surface, the blimp will merely bounce straight off. The biggest risk is of course that of puncturing, but unless you're flying your blimp amongst prickly vegetation, this isn't a serious issue.
RC blimps for aerial photography
An increasing and fun use of these simple rc aircraft is that of aerial photography, especially since the recent electronic revolution has produced so many miniature, lightweight spy cameras perfect for attaching to an rc aircraft such as a blimp.
Their maneuverability, slow flying speeds and inherent stability make them perfect platforms for such cameras, or indeed the smaller digital cameras. Spying on the neighbor has never been so much fun!
And thanks to this ongoing electronic revolution, there is a large variety of suitable cameras available - many can be found at stores selling electric rc helicopters, another popular modern-day micro video camera platform.
Flying an rc blimp outdoors is possible but only on completely wind-free days - even the slightest of breezes will be enough to render your airship uncontrollable. If you do choose to fly your blimp outdoors, then it's a good idea to tether it with a fine cord. This will limit the altitude performance, should you lose control for any reason - any free-roaming helium filled balloon will just keep going up, up and away!
Generally speaking, rc blimps are cheap to buy and the cost of filling the body with helium is negligible. For the low cost involved, they can provide a great deal of fun around the home (especially with a camera attached...). They don't require any knowledge of radio control flying to operate them, and won't cause any damage to people or property.
See the Mega and Party Blimps in more detail.
Related pages
RC aerial photography - methods of on-board camera operation.
RC UFOs - a very alternative rc aircraft.
RealFlight G4 rc sim - features an rc blimp.
