Ikarus ECO 8 Electric Helicopter

My next venture into RC helicopters after the DuBro Tristar came about a decade later when I bought an Ikarus ECO 8 electric chopper from Hobby Lobby (circa 1998). It was pretty lame in performance (but then so was I) with the stock motor and a very heavy NiCad battery pack. At least there were no clutch problems to deal with as those which plagued the Tri-Star. This time I had a heading hold gyro for the tail rotor and I was actually able to somewhat fly the thing.

The photo of me flying (kinda) my ECO 8 was taken in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in August of 1998.

After losing patience with the poor performance of the brushed motor and NiCad battery pack, I sold it on an AOL bulletin board to some guy in Florida. It had not suffered any damage beyond a slight dent in the tail boom where one of the main blades slapped it on a less-than-soft landing. No doubt it would have been an entirely different experience with one of today's brushless motors and some LiPo batteries. In fact, there are websites showing where owners have indeed converted their ECO 8 helicopters into fairly nice vintage helicopters by converting to a brushless motor and LiPo batteries.

There does seem to be a general consensus amongst ECO 8 fliers that the mechanical collective pitch system is a pretty respectable design given its simplicity.

Neither Hobby Lobby (now defunct) nor anyone else sells the ECO 8 anymore. You can, however, still occasionally find one for sale on eBay for a couple hundred dollars.

My next attempt at RC helicopters would be in 2006, when I purchased an e-Flite Blade CP.

Posted March 30, 2019