Find the Best Gas RC Helicopter

If you’re interested in large, high-performance RC helicopters, you’ve come to the right place. Here we’ll walk you through the details of gas-powered RC helicopters.

These helicopters are often confused with the better-known nitro models. They’re very different machines, though, especially when it comes to the engine they use and the fuel mix it runs on.

What sets gas RC helicopters apart

These RC helicopters are often called “gassers.”

In terms of size, the engines in gas RC helicopters are similar to those in helicopters of the same class that run nitro engines or turbines.

The two-stroke gasoline engines used in these helicopters are very similar to any other single-cylinder two-stroke gas engine, like the ones you’d find in a household chainsaw or leaf blower.

As for fuel, they run on regular or premium gasoline mixed with a quality two-stroke racing oil.

Big gas RC helicopters

Because these two-stroke engines are fairly heavy, the helicopters built around them are heavy too, and a little larger than models with other types of power.

The big advantage of a gas RC helicopter is that flight times can be quite long, up to 30 minutes in some cases. Fuel costs are easily half those of a nitro helicopter. And unlike an electric, you don’t need to haul around a stack of big, expensive LiPo packs for every flight you want to make.

With a gas RC helicopter, you simply land, refuel and take off again. It’s that easy.

Choosing a gas RC helicopter

A huge gas RC helicopter is obviously not the best choice for your first RC helicopter, because of the cost of the kit, how complex it is to build and the hazards of flying a large model.

Gas-powered helicopters are also very prone to vibration, so you’ll need to understand how to deal with that on an RC helicopter, too.

Once you’ve mastered a nitro model or a larger electric helicopter, though, it’s time to step up to a gas RC helicopter.

If large-scale RC helicopters are your goal, gas power is a very viable option.

In fact, the extra weight of the gas engine makes a scale helicopter look and feel more like the full-size machine. More weight means more stability and longer, more pronounced cyclic inputs to slow down or change direction. As a bonus, the inside of the fuselage and the windows won’t end up coated in nitro oil residue.

Gear for gas RC helicopters

The equipment you need for a gas RC helicopter is practically the same as for a nitro model, except that you don’t need a glow plug igniter to start it.

The radio, the gyro or the flybarless unit will be the same as on a large nitro or electric model.

You’ll usually have the choice of starting a gas helicopter engine with an external electric starter or with a pull cord, just like a lawn mower or leaf blower.

Buying a gas RC helicopter

Buying a new gas RC helicopter is easy, and you don’t even have to leave home. Browse the models on Amazon and open the one you’re most interested in to see its details. From there you can complete your purchase quickly and easily.

We point you to Amazon because of its wide selection of products, and you’ll usually have your new helicopter in hand a few days after placing your order.

You can also take advantage of any deals Amazon has on offer, especially when choosing how your order is shipped, which can bring the price of your helicopter down even further.

We hope this post on gas RC helicopters was useful. Feel free to comment and share it.