first heli

[subarubren]

hi all,
im looking at getting my first heli ive been offered a align t-rex 450s carbon version,, is anyone familiar with the model? would it be too big to learn on.. i have been learning to fly planes this summer and fancy a heli over the winter to play with, already have aroura 9 transmitter so just need a decent heli to get going

this is the one
RC Helicopter - Align T-Rex 450S Carbon Version | Northfield | Gumtree

[gazmk2]

From one newbie to another I can honestly say that heli is probably not the most suitable thing to learn on!

[David Drew]

450s are quite lively and are a good starter heli but only after you have mastered a few things.

Try an MCPX or similar first, plus a sim. You will save £££s in repair bills and that awful feeling when the heli 'goes in'.

[tomatwalden]

Always a thorny subject this, but my advice would be to avoid the 450 at least initially and learn on something small/cheap/crashable like a Blade mSRX, mCPX or 130X.

[David Drew]

Always a thorny subject this, but my advice would be to avoid the 450 at least initially and learn on something small/cheap/crashable like a Blade mSRX, mCPX or 130X.

I got there first!

[tomatwalden]

I got there first!

I was merely seconding your absolutely correct opinion!

[Bob H]

If I had my time over again I would bypass the 450 class and go straight to a 500 size model - T-REX 500E, X4 or similar. They're a lot easier to fly but still not so big as to be intimidating. 450's are great to learn or practice hovering orientations with but once you progress to circuits and the like the 500's larger size is a massive boon.

Other than that, I agree with those above. A small indoor contra-rotator or fixed pitch heli to get used to hovering, and orientations then upgrade to a mCPX/130x and/or a 500 class heli for the next step.

[buzzbird]

A small indoor contra-rotator or fixed pitch heli to get used to hovering, and orientations then upgrade to a mCPX/130x and/or a 500 class heli for the next step.

+1, I did the first part (small indoor contra-rotator) but then went up to a 400/450 and stayed there. In the learning stages I crashed my 450 so regularly that it probably would have been cheaper to learn on a stable 500. And less time spent repairing.
I think for the learning stage, you either need something that's very cheap to repair, or at least bounces (mCPX).

[subarubren]

its too late now guys i bought this one off here http://www.rcheliaddict.co.uk/sale/1...hk450-pro.html

[David Drew]

I was merely seconding your absolutely correct opinion!

I third your second opinion that my first opinion was absolutely correct

[buzzbird]

its too late now guys i bought this one off here http://www.rcheliaddict.co.uk/sale/1...hk450-pro.html

Sorry, Subarubren, I did read that in your first post.
While it is possible to learn on a 450 ("Is it too big to learn on?") I think what everyone's trying to say is they are very lively/agile and maybe you should put it to one side for a couple of months down the line.
In the meantime, a sim to teach your thumbs what to do is a good idea, and maybe get something smaller/more resilient/cheaper on parts (like a 130X/mCPX etc) to learn on.

450s are cheap for parts, but it's a false economy when it crashes every flight and you spend most of the time repairing and saving up for spares to get flying again. That was my experience, and like Bob H said, given my time again I would not have learnt on a 450.

[David Drew]

I learnt on a Raptor 30, at a club. Mcpx and 130s were not available then, nor were decent sims.

In hindsight a Raptor was a great heli to learn on as it was big enough to be stable and easy to keep in sight. However, a crash was expensive compared with current helis that are available, like the Mcpx/130 which can crash without damage if you know what to do - just pick them up and fly again.

Advice above is generally good. Mcpx/130, sim, something like a 30 size heli or 500 size and then a 450 as 450s are quite hard to fly.

If you've bought one, park it for a while and learn on something else.

[martin uly]

i learnt more with mcpx than any 450 i had , great heli and cheap to fix + dont do to much damage when smash it into garden fence lol

[r4nd0m]

I learned on a Trex600, was too intimidating at first, so I got a 500 for 3-4 weeks and then went back to the 600 ... but it was at a club - tend to like the larger models - waiting for a 900/1000 to be released that will probably be my next one ...

all the small stuff was just to play around with, unstable, too quick, too much pimping required or else ... nothing really worth playing with ... the 450 is nice, once you know how to fly from my perspective, at least now I do enjoy them ...

[martin uly]

blimey you were brave , i nearly had heart attack when first saw a raptor 30 spooling up lol