They say you must learn to crawl before you can walk, but sometimes you must fly before you can drive.

That's because the batteries used in certain popular radio-controlled model helicopters may soon find their way under the hoods of our cars. Lithium polymer, or LiPo batteries, also used in iPhones, promise to lengthen a car's range per charge.

West Seattle resident John Chappell, 41, a former chef at Salty's and other area restaurants, is a full-time student at South Seattle Community College and studies alternative energy sources. He flies his radio-controlled model helicopter in the large empty field in front of the college, sometimes with several others belonging to what he calls the "heli-world."

"My Mikado 600 3D helicopter is agile and fast, and can go 100 miles per hour in a straight horizontal line, and 50 miles per hour in a vertical line. Its LiPo battery pack costs $400. I've heard that there is a lot of research and development crossing over from the hobby segment into alternative energy for automobiles."

Superlattice Power, Inc., in North Carolina, is making a lot of noise with its quiet battery-powered car experiments using lithium polymer batteries, and claims such a car could break the 200-mile per charge barrier, according to thedailygreen.com, a consumer's guide to environmentally friendly technology and lifestyles. Chappell sees promise in all the new battery research, and the blades on his copter seem to have stirred his imagination.

"Everyone asks how high my helicopter can go, and these can climb over a thousand feet," said Chappell, but pointed out the Federal Aviation Administration limits elevation to 400 feet in this area. "They can get lost in the clouds."

Steve Shay may be reached at steves@robinsonnews.com