Yet another newbie

[Sneeks]

Hi everyone

I'm new to the world of RC Helicopters and found this excellent forum while searching Google. Lots of good tips and advice so far.

My only previous RC experience was over 10 years ago when I bought and built two RC Buggys which were lots of fun. I've always wanted a RC Heli buy have forever been talked out of it due to costs involved with crashing them

I'm buying a secondhand Raptor 30 with transmitter etc and will be joining a local model flying club in Cumbernauld. I've been using RealFlight G3.5 for the past week and am considering purchasing Phoenix as so many people here are saying it is the best sim available.

After a week of simulator use I'm fairly confident during a basic hover, to begin with it was a nightmare and I would over correct but I seem to have smoothed out now. I can't always keep the heli steady and in one place but a definite improvement in comparison to my first attempts. Tuition at my local club will no doubt help lots.

I'm sure I'll have lots of questions to ask when I collect my Raptor.

Thanks

Sneeks

[saints7]

Hi Sneeks.

You are in a very similar postion to me as I've just started out with a Raptor 30 and Phoenix.

What I can tell you from my (very limited) experience is treat the seller as an idiot as far as building is concerned.

My Raptor was brand new and never flown - looked good as first glance but I took it apart bit by bit and checked for locktight in the right places. Some were and a lot were not.

Biggest issue I had was the fan was not fitted correctly - came undone and locked the clutch solid on starting. Beyond me at this stage so had to pay to get this sorted.

I also invested in professional setup - this again showed up how much was incorrect with what I thought was a spot on model.

Otherwise what a cracking piece of kit - just hovered 2 tankfuls yesterday for the first time!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sneeks]

Hi Saints7

Thankfully the person I am buying from is also a member of the club I am joining and several of the members have offered to help me with the setup etc. Taking the Raptor apart and rebuilding may well be beneficial though in order for me to learn all about it and prepare me for the times I'll be repairing it On reading these forums that may be often.

[David Drew]

Welcome to this fascinating hobby.

Kiss goodbye to your sanity & wallet

Enjoy.

David

[Sesame]

Biggest issue I had was the fan was not fitted correctly - came undone and locked the clutch solid on starting. Beyond me at this stage so had to pay to get this sorted.

Just a little quickie for you saint, don't know if your aware but theres a slight problem with the clutch locating bolts, the holes in the fan are usually not quite deep enough so what happens is you think youve done up the clutch onto the fan nice and tight and unfortunately theres a little play left, which eventually sheers the bolts, this exact thing caused me to have to do my first ever Auto(which was successful).

The cure very easy just take a little off the end of the bolts so that they can close fully onto the clutch. Its a well known rappy fault, just thought I would mention it incase you were unaware.

[cambs flyer]

Welcome to the forum mate.

But can I be blunt, one week of sim practice and now your ready to hover a full sized Rappy!

Join a club as you said and have someone check her out from head to toe.

I'd say practice on the smaller helis with the sim, then anything bigger there after will seem a breeze to fly.

I'm sure Ron will fill you in but Right now the saying "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" sums up your situation, take care and make sure when you do take off it's under a very controlled situation

That's a mightly machine you have there and out of control a very dangerous one too.

[Sneeks]

I'll only fly at the club and initially that will be with a buddy so I'll not be a danger, well hopefully not.

I never said I was ready to hover a full size Raptor, just that my sim experience was progressing nicely. As mentioned I cannot always keep the helicopter steady in a hover so I have a long way to go yet. I'll be incredibly nervous when I eventually try this for real but I am in no rush.

Thanks for the welcome

[rombonie]

Hello and welcome

Have you turned on the wind in real flight yet and the advice about using a smaller heli is so right.

I can fly around on the sim no probs, rolls, loops, invert all nose in and out but get to the field with the real thing and it all goes to pot

Have fun, good luck.

[Sneeks]

If I try anything other than hovering in the sim it usually all ends with a high speed impact with the ground I've not yet worked out the correct technique for turning the helicopter while moving.

Many thanks

[saints7]

Sesame,

Thanks for the tip off - it's been run quite a few times now and seems OK so far (touch wood) but I'll double check everything again.

Hopefully it was just an assembly issue as there were quite a few "loose" fittings

[Mike W]

Heya and welcome .. Lots of sim time and some good tuition and ya shud be ok ...As for losing sanity .. I dont think most of us had it to start with ... learn to hover all orientations first then progress to the FF at least it ya go wrong with it ya can throttle it up and turn to hover ... unless ya upside down and dumb thumb it lol ... Go at ya own pace and enjoy it is all that matters ...

[Buccaneer]

Hi sneeks
welcome the only thing i can add is enjoy the hobby.............

[Sneeks]

I had a fly of the Blade CX on G3.5 last night and found it to be very easy to fly in comparison to the Raptor 30 model. Is the feel and handling of these accurate in the sim or slightly easier? After 20 minutes of the Blade model I was hopeless on my return to the Raptor

Thanks everyone for the welcome.

[ih8modem]

I'm useless in the sim

I have Phoenix, and so far I am useless in the sim. I'm just as useless in my conservatory with my real CX2. Managed to tear the tip off one of the rotors already, not bad considering the cx2 was delivered about 4 hours ago.

[Sneeks]

How long have you been using the sim? For the majority of my first week I was useless at doing anything.