Before that a quick history of 'full size' is at the following link highlighting the tortuous path in achieving a 'manned' helicopter;
Moving on, this section gives an overview on the history of RC helicopters in a year by year format. Each page will provide reports from old articles, competitions, Fun Fly's, and as much information as I can glean in order to give an idea of how RC helicopters developed and the trends over the years. Additionally, where better to get a 'feel' for RC Helicopter history than examples of what was being offered for sale throughout the years as highlighted by including 'Adverts'.
Many articles are from magazines of the era and also personal input from a number of enthusiasts though unfortunately (at this time at least) with a bias towards Europe (UK in particular) as that is where the majority of information has been sourced. Many thanks therefore go to all companies, publishers and individuals without whom this ongoing project would not be possible. Of special note is Dieter Schlüter who has allowed use 'verbatim' of his recollections which makes the earlier years easier to chronicle (See Acknowledgements).
| Model by Year - full listing of RC helicopter indexed by year of introduction. | |
|---|---|
| Year | Summary |
| Pre-70 | This period highlights the many approaches to achieving a practical radio-controlled model helicopter. |
| 1970 | First successful RC helicopter from Dieter Schluter. First commercial RC helicopter kit (redesigned Cobra). |
| 1971 | Consolidation year for Schluter with US displays. Kalt releases the Cobra 450. |
| 1972 | First UK and US demonstrations of Schluter's Cobra. First US Nationals helicopter competition. Dub-Ro releases the Whirlybird 505; Kalt releases a second helicopter. |
| 1973 | First UK helicopter design competition. First UK manufacturer appears. Three new German manufacturers and a Swiss home-built kit. Competitions grow in frequency and organization. |
| 1974 | Micro-Mold releases the Lark, an affordable pod-and-boom trainer. Kavan releases the first production gyro. First RC helicopter controlled from a full-size machine; first cross-channel RC helicopter flight. |
| 1975 | Introduction of the Heli-Baby, establishing the standard pod-and-boom layout for decades. Graupner releases the Bell 47 with plastic construction. |
| 1976 | Technical upgrades across many models. Numerous manufacturers release advanced trainers. First helicopter clone appears. |
| 1977 | Hirobo releases four new models including a trainer, signaling serious commitment to RC helicopter development. |
| 1978 | American RC Inc introduces a rigid-rotor (flybarless) machine. Schluter Bell 222/Heli-Boy dominates competitions. Aftermarket fuselages become widely available. |
| 1979 | First commercial untethered electric helicopter. Multi-blade heads become available. Japanese companies expand globally. Futaba releases an advanced FM radio with helicopter mixers. First continuous inverted flight. |
| 1987 | Scale models dominate competitions. |
| 1988 | Model Helicopter World magazine begins bi-monthly publication. Historic flights of RC helicopters piloted from full-size helicopters. |
| 1989 | Another example of controlling helicopters from a full-size machine - this time two at once. |
| 1990 | Pending. |