wiffle balls.. yeah, a safety device for learner flyers (or more particularly, learner landers!)
The idea is that you get a nice long lever that intercedes between your rotors and the floor if things get a bit crazy at low altitude. It also avoids catching the end or side of your skids on a lump (like the edge of a rug) and tripping the machine over when drifting over the ground, just barely lifting it's own weight.
They're no help at all if things get crazy when you're not close to the floor though!
Flying a camera is not an easy thing to do - lots of people start out with good intentions, but learning to fly is tricky enough! Learning to fly a heli is an awesome challenge. If you've got a good simulator program that you can plug your transmitter into, you can learn a lot for much less than you'll spend fixing up your first decent crash on the real one. (and your mates can have a go too..)
Once you do get around to sticking a camera on it, there are all sorts of hassles with vibration, and flying still enough to get a good shot.. You also don't want to fly too far away from yourself. Standing on the roof of your van with a monster lens is a cheaper and much safer option for good photos!
The best thing we ever stuck on our helis (much bigger glow engined ones) was a couple of roman candles rubber banded between the skids late one evening.. Nothing like hanging a lit incendiary device 50mm from a plastic container of Methanol and Nitro on a $3000 heli, and then flying it in the dark to get your heart rate up!
Made a cool video though - fireballs shooting out the front of the chopper against the night sky. We keep meaning to do it again with better lighting..
nope.. it wasn't us that caused BJ's fire..
Getting a new toybox in a couple of weeks, 4wd LWB diesel Toyota Hi-ace.
There is maybe, just maybe one more sail left in the deal that I can squeeze out
