Helicopter
Division: Div B & C – Middle School & High School
NC Essential Standards Alignment: Science as Inquiry
Event Rules: See the National Rule Manual
National Event Page: Here
Description:
Prior to the tournament, teams will construct, collect data on test flights, analyze and optimize free flight rubber-powered helicopters to achieve maximum time aloft.
Materials:
Teams may bring up to 2 helicopters, flight log, transportation boxes, tools and equipment.
Scoring:
High score wins. A team’s final core is the larger of the team’s Flight Scores.
Common Mistakes:
Know which way to wind your helicopter! If you wind it backwards it will go straight down instead of straight up.
Don’t forget your flight log. This is an easy penalty to avoid.
Recommendations:
Balsa wood can be bought at most hobby stores, or in bulk from Tower Hobbies or other online stores
Rubber band motors and winders can be bought at some hobby stores, or from Midwest or other online stores, search for rubber motor or contest rubber. Also, make sure you know the gear ratio of your winder. 1:5, 1:8, and 1:16 are all common, and will affect how many turns you make to achieve the ideal number of winds on your motor. The first number (1) is how many times you turn the crank compared to how many times your motor is turned on the output side (the 2nd number).
Event Resources:
Freedom Flight Models
J&H Aerospace
Laser-Cut Planes
Guru Engineering Tech
Retro RC
Ward’s Science Olympiad Kits
National Free Flight Society (building, flying, motors, how-to) Rubber Motor Max Turns Calculator
Glue Management and Weight Control
Score Sheet and Team Checklist Page
National Free Flight Society Science Olympiad webpage – – Instructional videos, pictures, and narratives detailing, building, trimming, rubber winding, and much more. A great resource for new and experienced teams!
Wondering How to Get Started with Helicopters? Read This First – This two-page PDF created by Brian Turnbull from the National Free Flight Society gives students and coaches an overview to help you get started.
Helicopter Basics Video – This short 10 minute video shows and discusses different helicopter designs, with additional information about rubber motors.
Basic Helicopter Flying – This document shares a simplified step-by-step approach to rubber selection, winding rubber motors, and helicopter testing.
Rubber Motor Winding and Launching Helicopter Video – In this video learn about the important differences between winding motors for helicopters versus winding motors for airplanes.
Basic Helicopter Data Log – Collecting and analyzing data is essential for having a good, competitive flight. This template can help you with those tasks.
Basic Helicopter Construction Video – In this almost hour long video you can learn the basics of helicopter construction as you watch one being built. Please note that the helicopter being shown DOES NOT fully comply with the 2025 Science Olympiad Helicopter Rules. The differences are noted in the video description but include a shortened top bumper stick (1″) and the addition of a top disc to the bumper.
2025 NFFS Science Olympiad Coaches Workshop – A recording of a workshop done by Chuck Andraka of the National Free Flight Society to help students and teams prepare for the Science Olympiad Helicopter event.
2021 NFFS Workshop Video – A recording of a workshop done by the National Free Flight Society for the 2021 season but still contains good content for the current 2024 event especially regarding basic trim setup, rubber motor knot tying and winding.
Minimizing Weight Gain While Maximizing Strength When Gluing Balsa
Helicopters Diagram from 2018
How to Bend a Wire Thrust Bearing – YouTube Video (6 min)