Helicopter book recommendations for a young kid?

[Simon853]

My nephew's aged 10 and mad on helicopters, and now that his Uncle Simon's taking lessons he's even more inquisitive. Does anyone have any recommendations of good, informative books currently in print on helicopters that he might enjoy for a Christmas present? (He's an intelligent, inqusitive kid, but I think Wagtendonk might be a bit beyond him. ;) )

Or failing that, what about other helicopter related Christmas presents suitable for a kid? (It's getting near that time again and I'm determined not to be leaving it until Dec 24th again...)

Thanks,

Si

[SMOUFW]

When I was your nephews age I thought,ate,lived,dreamt,shat helicopters-I couldn't get enough-I sourced a fantastic book which at the time was only available in the UK called simply",'How to fly Helicopters''. I must have read it 20times and it put you in the a/c. I don't recall the author however any good bookshop or web search should find it.
Good luck.

ps. Don't lend it out though like i did-it hasn't come back!

SMO

[SilsoeSid]

Nothing against any company whos links you find amongst the photo properties, but I would recommend NOT buying one of these things.

http://store1.yimg.com/I/explorestore_1853_6372503

What a pain! http://bestsmileys.com/angry1/8.gif
Despite clear anabatic air on the Dales and smooth onshore winds on a Cornish beach, tangled string, hopes, despairs, cracked knuckles and an increase to youngs sidleys more senior vocabulary were the only orders of the day!

The instructions say to keep on trying as when the kite flies, "the joy of flying the helicopter kite will be indescribable."

Well I could jolly well describe it. http://bestsmileys.com/angry2/10.gif

I have settled to going back to flying the 3 kite rig. Much more fun, enjoyable to watch and relaxing.

As for books, perhaps not helicopter specific, but very good.
http://uk.dk.com/static/covers/all/8/3/0863184138L.gif
DK website (http://uk.dk.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,11_0863184138,00.html)

http://bestsmileys.com/reading/5.gif
SS

[MightyGem]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Above average' eh?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everytime! All types!

Oh well, maybe not then.
:E

[Three Blades]

I must agree with SilsoeSid on the gyro/kite thing.
Absolute pain in the a*** to try to fly.
You need perfect steady wind of at least 15kts and probably more.
Around Xmas, that is cold and not much fun for 10 year olds.

Don't go for the radio controlled kit with only a throttle control either. They are only just controllable in absolutely zero wind. Otherwise find a large field !

Sorry not to have a positive suggestion but my heli-mad kid is only 3 so small plastic models with a pull string to launch are just fine.

[diginagain]

Shawn Coyle's 'The Art and Science of Flying Helicopters'

Yes, I know, maybe a bit heavy, but the young 'un's keen, the book will get him hooked, and it's good for future reference.

Or there's always 'Budgie the Helicopter'. I think Sid might know a few tricks from that tome.

[Aser]

Amazon.com: Learning to Fly Helicopters (9780071577243): R. Padfield: Books (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0071577246/ref=pd_ir_imp4/002-3187013-4840020?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0071577246.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.gif


I think is good.
:ok:

[Whirlygig]

I would go along with Padfield's book as well. Funny, informative and eminently readable.

Cheers

Whirls

[cyclicpushover]

Si

Whirlygig & Aser have hit the nail on the head. It gives a basic outline to how these things fly without going into too much detail. Heaps of pics too.

Thoroughly recomended!:ok:

[cl12pv2s]

You could try Amazon.

Simply put [+Helicopters +Children] into the search bar and see what comes up.

Here's a couple that I found.

cl12pv2s



http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0822523825/qid=1129812727/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-7677774-3638451?v=glance&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0746016581/qid=1129812805/sr=1-15/ref=sr_1_15/002-7677774-3638451?v=glance&s=books

The link to the search

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ix=stripbooks&rank=%2Brelevancerank&fqp=relevance%01281000-%02keywords%01%25252Bhelicopter%252520%25252Bchildren&nsp=score%01proj-unit-sales%02bin-fields%01none%02post-process%01docid-ve&sz=10&pg=7/ref=s_b_np/002-7677774-3638451

[Leftpedal]

When I was about your nephew's age I was given a toy called a 'Verti-Bird' - basically a toy helicopter on a cable attached to a central revolving hub. You could hover it, fly it backwards & forwards (in a circle) and I loved it. It ate batteries though and sorry I can't remember who made it.

[KevinLonghurst]

I know of a computer version of the above mentioned game 'vertibird'....let me know if you've not already got it and I'll issue the free download link.

[aeromys]

I had a Vertibird ! Made by Mattell, it could pick up things with a little hook and drop them on the top of cardboard buildings etc. Great fun. I had a search, it's now called "Chopper Patrol" - here's a link Argos (http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&referredURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.argos.co.uk%2Fwebapp%2Fwcs%2Fst ores%2Fservlet%2FSearch%3FstoreId%3D10001&referrer=FG13P&searchTerms=3691643&params=P8232)

Or how about Meccano - do they still make functioning (mechanical, non-flying) Helicopter kits?

[B Sousa]

All kinds of things out there, but at age 10 lots like the pictures. Just get some of the used magazines hanging around dingy Helicopter offices......Heli-Ops has the best, others follow . If he is a reader then he will pick up the articles from the related pictures.. After a while if he enjoys those, then maybe something technical.
Its a bit cheaper and you can tell if hes serious..
I also saw a game where the Helicopter was operated on a battery and went in small circles. It sat on a smalltable. One could hover etc and pick up a load with the thing. It was cheap, just cant remember the brand.
It always made me look bad.
Good Luck.

[Simon853]

Thanks a lot for all the great ideas! Much appreciated.

My parents bought me one of those heli-kites a couple of years back. I never even tried to fly it. (Doesn't my dad remember the hizzy-fits I used to throw trying to fly regular kites?!..)

That Verti-bird thing is a great idea. I remember those from when I was a kid. I think they also did a Star Trek one where the rotor was inside the dish section (with slots in it for air flow). I always wanted the heli one though, I mean: Who the heck'd go slingloading with a Galaxy Class Starship??

I'd seen that book on Amazon (first place I looked) but of course it's difficult to figure how appropriate it would be without taking a look myself.

I think they do a Meccano helicopter, but I don't know if he's got the patience for that. I remember being his age and desperately longing for the huge Lego helicopter kit with working collective. Unfortunately they discontinued it just in time for Christmas... So I got a Lego forklift! I remember being 10 years old and I just couldn't understand how it was possile to change the pitch on the blades while they were turning. So I went and invented the swashplate! (At least I thought I had.)

God, my sister's going to kill me. I can imagine it now: "So you're bankrupting yourself, and contemplating giving up a good career to start an uncertain future flying helicopters? And now you're encouraging my son to do the same!?" Still, I've been trying to tell her to discourage his natural ability with computers for years. Don't want him becoming an engineer, he'll end up being a disgruntled, unfulfilled bugger like me.

Cheers,

Si

[Impress to inflate]

Try Playboy, a far better read for a young lad

[Simon853]

I bought the Chopper Patrol (vertibird) from Argos yesterday, and wanting to be sure that it's suitable for my nephew, not broken etc., I had to get it out for an intensive afternoon of evaluation and testing. I can report it is indeed fit for purpose, and will be signed off for line work Dec 25th. (Though I may have to buy another one, as the way this is going I'll have broken it and/or spilt beer all over it by then.)

Damned good value for £20 actually!

Si

[aeromys]

Vertibirds are now banned due to the Bird Flu scare.

[Graviman]

Ray Prouty "Helicopter Aerodynamics":

http://www.mojavebooks.com/Detail.bok?no=5

Despite the scary title there is no maths, and it will provide a good incentive for an enquiring mind when it comes to middle school...

Mart

[HELOFAN]

You could buy him an R22 !
That is a fantastic toy.

Ah all jokes aside.

Get him a helicopter handbook as suggested, I think with lots of pictures and usefull info he will be kept entertained , besides kids are smart & the things that have him lost he can look up on the internet or ask that relative that fly's.

My Dad gave me a Handbook ( he was a CFII ) for my 9th or 10th birthday & I was totally engrossed with it & the more I read it & the older I got the more I understood , it was a little more helpful having a dad that flew but he was really good at showing me the things I didnt understand.

HF