Hi! First post here...love this site! My hubby is graduating from heli flight school to be an instructor...I'd love to figure out how to make a heli cake. Any ideas out there? I'd like it to be carved....and realistic too... 
I don't ask much, huh? Anyway...ANY ideas would be helpful...never "carved" a cake...but am willing to try after reading all sorts of good ideas on here! Thanks...Shari 
Well, if you haven't already I would sugest using the search feature in the gallery. Also, I've heard that freezing a cake will make it much easier to carve. For the top roters (?) I would think using gumpaste or fondant would be your best bet. Using fondant or MMF for the whole thing would probably help it look realistic, but I'm sure it would be fine with BC as well. Also bumping for more replies.
Good luck!
~Kelsie
Hello and Welcome to CC! You are gonna love it here!
I have only done a sheet cake of a helicopter. My client gave me a photo of the helicopter and I freehanded a drawing of it on the cake, plus a little Lego looking pilot. If you decide the 3D is more than you really want to do, you might try it this way, using a photo of your husband's copter as your pattern, with as much or as little detail as you like.
Have a look: http://www.sugarfrosted.com/albums/adult/normal_0993-9x13-hospitalcopterpilotbday.jpg
Found this through a google search! Good luck and be sure to post your pics when you are done!
http://webpages.charter.net/springer/Helicopter%20Cake.htm
ok..not sure which style you want, so a couple of pics to get started --
bubble nose: http://www.yogibob.com/birdphoto/helicopter.jpg
long nose: http://hp.state.sd.us/pics/chopper.gif
----------
sketch....
first thing is to build a base...
heavy gauge wire bent to make the curved supports, put into large dowels w/ holes drilled to accept OR if you have a friend who welds...all metal welded. area where board will go must be flat.
base sits on wires -- easiest to hot glue on. suggest would for base so can attach dowel w/ small mail up through bottom of base and into the dowel.
long tapered base for tale rest on top of base for main body and held in place by glue on that end. at other end, either a little toy man glued to hold it up or a dowel disguised w/ fondant to look like a man (your hubby?)
from there
for bubble style -- sports ball
for long nose -- slabs of cake cut from sheet cake, stacked and carved
tail for either -- slab of cake cut for sheet cake.
main rotor strips of fondant/gumpaste mix for strength made off of cake. allow to dry on a curve surface to get shape (i fear they'll break to easily, I would make from cardboard to be safe...don't trust such long unsupported pieces of fondant/gumpaste)
back stearing rotor easily out of fondant.
Another link you can look at.
http://members.nuvox.net/~zt.proicer/cakepict/helicopter.htm
Not to sound totally dumb...but how do you bump and what does that mean exactly? I see it a lot but don't know what it means!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all your ideas...and if it turns out even remotely normal....I WILL post pics! 
bump means someone is posting that word to get you message back up nearer the top of the list for more to see.
a way to help message get more exposure and responses.
___________________
oh, pishaw...just post a pic!!! we're all anxious to see what you do!
good luck!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%