Before drones, there were......radio controlled helicopters.
Like some of our curiosities and oddities, this doesn’t fit neatly into any one category. We found this RC helicopter in a local flea market and we were instantly captivated by its beauty, level of detail and form.
There is a fair amount of information about the early day’s of RC helicopters. In particular Kavan, a major player in the market and developer of some of the earliest and reliable RC helicopters. Developing a working helicopter model wasn’t as easy as RC planes.
The Alouette 2 was the second helicopter produced by Franz Kavan. It is modeled after a French helicopter used by the military, police and customs officers throughout Europe.
This one was first produced in 1974/75. There are a couple of unique features – 1. the Kavan logo looks like an older version. In the catalogs and information links, the logo is a more modern one and 2. the floats. This was an option available, but most of the limited available Alouette helicopters out there have the standard rails.
http://www.vrhc.co.uk/index.php/en/rc-helicopters/by-manufacturer/j-r/k/kavan
http://www.vrhc.co.uk/images/RC_Helicopters/Germany/Kavan/Kavan%20News%20Edition%201%20(150).pdf (pg 22)
We have this mounted on a wall in our home. Like many of the things in our collection, we treat this as a work of art!