Overwhelmed and panicing!

[LittleSister]

Thanks! So is Mode 2 the one where you can switch it round? Would that include All the bits and bobs he needs to get it up and running? I've heard something about RC heli's being 'ready to fly', or not. What's the difference?

[Mike Sanders]

Mode 2 refers to the transmitter. The left stick works the rudder and throttle (and/or pitch). The right stick works the ailerons and elevator. Mode 1 is more common in USA. The controls are different.

Ready to fly, usually means just that. You only have to charge a battery and away it goes. A lot of helis come in kits which have to be built, set up and bound to a transmitter before they can be flown.

[tomatwalden]

Mode 2 = Aileron / Elevator on right stick ... throttle/rudder on left stick (this is how most people fly !)
Ready to fly (RTF) = heli + transmitter + (1) LIPO battery + sometimes some random spare parts.
Bind and fly (BNF) = heli only. This assumes you have your own transmitter already. Modern computerised transmitters can be "bound" to multiple models, so you only need one transmitter to control a large fleet of RC helis!

You would need RTF. The transmitter that comes with RTF helis is usually quite basic. The ones that come with the smaller helis are usually one-heli-only too rather than being able to bind to multiple models.

[Stuart]

Hi guys. I'd never even heard of RC helicopters until last week, when I found this:

Our Indestructible Helicopter is 100% crash-test resistant | Menkind

I know my brother (27) would LOVE one so I decided to find out more about them before ordering. I'm so completely confused with all the information!

What I *think* I'm after:

1. 4 channels
2. Virtually indestructible
3. Outdoor and indoor flight
4. As long a flying and short a charging time as possible
5. Under £50, £55 at the absolute top!

Does such a thing actually exist? I really don't want one that will break straight away, and it's got to fly outside, otherwise it'll smash into the furniture! Please, please help me - I'm ready to cry!

The video showing the bloke attempting to break it is a fix - any flyer on here will tell you ALL heli's will break/smash soon enough.

Some good advice on what to look for.

If I was to recommend a quick beginners flying machine outside of the traditional helicopter give a look at the Hubsan Quads they offer good value and fun times.... :-)

[1chris]

"bits and bobs" don't think this guy is attempting to buy for a serious helicopter flyer!!!!!

[Bhujang]

They are new to the hobby! Remember back that far?

Sure it will have all that you need to get started! A good place to grow from for sure! MsrX is a fun durable heli that will teach the basics if the flyer is prepared to put the hours (days of practice in needed to learn how to handle it...

edit: you will need some AA batteries for the hand set (tx) that is used to control the heli i.e batteries not included like most xmas electronic gifts. But the heli battery will be included. Hope that doesn't confuse you...

[tomatwalden]

Overwhelmed and panicing!

"bits and bobs" don't think this guy is attempting to buy for a serious helicopter flyer!!!!!

I think the original post went missing. The op is somebody looking to buy a nice xmas present for her 27 year old brother. She's rightly coming here for friendly advice. She's seen the toys in the local shops but is looking to hopefully spend her money wiser.

So, no. The flyer isn't serious, in fact he doesn't know he's going to be a flyer yet! Doesn't mean we shouldn't offer friendly help though does it?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[LittleSister]

Awwww, you people are nice! :-D I think I'm going to bite the bullet and go with this one:

E-Flite Blade MSR X RTF Combo BLH3200

Luckily my brother's birthday's on Boxing Day so I can make it a sort of joint present so the cost isn't too scary.

I've not finished asking stupid questions though, so please bear with me!

The batteries: It seems most of these RC helicopters only fly for around 6 minutes - that seems a ridiculously short time! I take it that this is because the battery inside the heli will have run down? So can you alternate this with another so you get 12 minutes flying, or is it true that the thing will overheat and become damaged this way? How long will the batteries in the transmitter last for?

Outdoors: Would it do horrible and unspeakable things to the heli if you attempt to fly it on the beach (firm sand)?

Lights: Does it have any? If so, are they actually any use for flying at night or is it more just for effect?

Gyro: It doesn't say anything about having one, which all the other models I've looked at do. Is it not necessary or desirable in a 4ch? And no, I wouldn't know what a gyro was if it flew in through the window! (No pun intended there)


Thanks!

[mattscupoftea]

Just to throw a spanner amongst the pigeons, I have a friend that I knew would love the flying hobby. I bought him a Hubsan X4 and he hasn't stopped thanking me since! It has all the challenges of flying a helicopter but far fewer moving parts on such a small unit, so there are far fewer things to worry about in terms of making it work and surviving the inevitable crashes.

I am now a helicopter obsessive, and spend a lot of my time and money on the hobby, but I still think that the Hubsan is the way to go. It is the perfect entry into the flying hobby, can be flown indoors or out, will not damage anything when things go pear-shaped and if he is going to get into the heli hobby, it will inspire him in that direction.

The only thing is that the Hubsan is a little cheaper than the heli, so may not be in the right ballpark for your gift price. If that is the case, get him a little set of spare blades, spare motors, extra batteries for it and he is good to go!

"The batteries: It seems most of these RC helicopters only fly for around 6 minutes - that seems a ridiculously short time! I take it that this is because the battery inside the heli will have run down? So can you alternate this with another so you get 12 minutes flying, or is it true that the thing will overheat and become damaged this way? How long will the batteries in the transmitter last for?"
The Hubsan runs for about 11 minutes at a time.
To be honest, with a heli anything around 6 minutes is perfect - it is quite an intense six minutes of concentration to keep the thing in the air. Even the £2000 helis spoken of in this thread will only fly for approximately 4-7 minutes max! You can indeed buy spare batteries and alternate them, although there is usually a little bit of 'cooling off' time necessary for the electronics/motor onboard between flights.

"Outdoors: Would it do horrible and unspeakable things to the heli if you attempt to fly it on the beach (firm sand)?"
Sand can be a destroyer of anything with moving parts. I would hazard a guess that attempting first flights on a beach would lead to trouble. Grass is a perfect surface to learn over with little helis - it serves as a perfect 'crash mat'.
Also, it does tend to be a little windier on beaches, and a small heli would be real hard work in such conditions.
The hubsan would do really well on sand due to it not having very many moving parts.

"Lights: Does it have any? If so, are they actually any use for flying at night or is it more just for effect?"
The MSRx doesn't have any lights to fly by. Perhaps an LED for dhowing the status of the onboard electronics.
The latest Hubsan does have lights that shine up into the blades an allow you to fly in darkness. (I really have become enamoured by my little hubsan!)

Whatever you end up buying for him, I am sure he will love it.

Get the Hubsan, a bag of spare blades, a pack of 5 spare batteries and he will be happy with his present every time you see him for months to come. He just might not get anything else done, and may perhaps be blaming you for getting him into this (beautiful) money-trap of a hobby a year down the line!

Hope that helped,
and no - I'm not sponsored in any way by Hubsan!

[tomatwalden]

As per matts reply ...

Batteries : 6 mins is normal, but you can change batteries to extend flight times. Leave a few mins between flights to let the motor cool though

Beach : bad idea. Open field much better

Light : just use up battery power. And achieve nothing.

Gyro : all proper helis have gyros. They just don't make a song and dance about it. Only those toy helis mention them so prominently to fool you into thinking they're any good. Yes, the msrx has a gyro

Re. The hubsan. I agree with Matt that it would be good, but so is the msrx. If a traditional single rotor heli is what you're after, it's a really good choice!

Well done for taking the time to look into this properly! Most wouldn't have!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[debrooker]

E-Flite Blade MSR X RTF Combo BLH3200

Some good advice on here, and if you do decide to go with the BLH3200, then this may save you a few pounds:-

http://rcferret.co.uk/UK/Index?search=BLH3200

[LittleSister]

Oh gosh, I didn't take shipping into account! That's another £10! And it would be great to get him some spares but I just can't afford it. I have my heart set on a helicopter too now, sorry Matt, I can't be swayed! It would be really great if I could win the lottery right about now.

Are there any others helis that are in the same league, just that notch less expensive?

[highlightshadow]

Not really ... anything less than that is really into 'toy' class / 3 channel.

Its a lot of hell for the money already... but yeah... shipping + couple extra batteries means its probably about £75 all in....

Even the price quoted is cheapest i've seen for it .

[tomatwalden]

Oh gosh, I didn't take shipping into account! That's another £10! And it would be great to get him some spares but I just can't afford it. I have my heart set on a helicopter too now, sorry Matt, I can't be swayed! It would be really great if I could win the lottery right about now.

Are there any others helis that are in the same league, just that notch less expensive?

Sorry, but honestly no. That is already a bargain that beggars belief for a proper heli. Anything lower and you're firmly into rubbish toy territory.

If that's really too steep for you - perhaps get a family friend, or brother's girlfriend to chip in or something?

Honestly and seriously - excepting the hubsan x4, if you go any lower than the msrx - it really will be a waste of money, which would be worse. Let's face it, £10 is a round at the pub! - Peanuts really! ;-)

[1chris]

Good God!! I thought this forum was for serious helicopter flyers