Hi and advice please

[Bamboo]

Hi everyone
I am just starting out guys and have been reccommended either a TREX 450 ( no idea what model) or a TREX 550?. The case for the guys were split with the 550 ( no idea what model) easier to learn on but the 450's say much cheaper parts and half the price of the 450

The other advice is to get some Phoenix software ( what or where do i get that).

The other aspect is the kits as in advertise as in a 450 kit does this mean the whole thing like controller and plane etc. If not which controller. I find it all of a bit of a nightmare at present and have not really started!!

Advice please guys

[mole hunter]

Hi and welcome Bamboo,

You will get all sorts of advice on where and what to start with but do try and find a club with a few heli pilots in it check out BMFA clubs - British Model Flying Association
A flight sim such as Phoenix will save you a lot of dough in the long term. As to what heli? How much space do you have and what sort of budget?

A 450 class heli is a good starting point - fairly cheep to fix and will cope with a breeze. However there are some interesting developments coming from Blade helis that might be worth considering - their Blade 200 has some good features for a beginner. Remember though, these machines can bite if they go AWOL. The 450 can draw blood, the 550 could kill.

Get a sim and read lots, Marty

[chrisleematt21]

Hi and welcome Bamboo,

You will get all sorts of advice on where and what to start with but do try and find a club with a few heli pilots in it check out BMFA clubs - British Model Flying Association
A flight sim such as Phoenix will save you a lot of dough in the long term. As to what heli? How much space do you have and what sort of budget?

A 450 class heli is a good starting point - fairly cheep to fix and will cope with a breeze. However there are some interesting developments coming from Blade helis that might be worth considering - their Blade 200 has some good features for a beginner. Remember though, these machines can bite if they go AWOL. The 450 can draw blood, the 550 could kill.

Get a sim and read lots, Marty

+1

I learnt on a Trex 450 plus (I chose this as it was ready to fly), its fairly cheap (a lot cheaper than my 550). out of the box it is nicely setup for a beginner, I would highly recommend it. The 550 is very expensive to repair compared to the 450. When you start out crash cost is very important!!!

[james_2k]

Hi and welcome Bamboo,

You will get all sorts of advice on where and what to start with but do try and find a club with a few heli pilots in it check out BMFA clubs - British Model Flying Association
A flight sim such as Phoenix will save you a lot of dough in the long term. As to what heli? How much space do you have and what sort of budget?

A 450 class heli is a good starting point - fairly cheep to fix and will cope with a breeze. However there are some interesting developments coming from Blade helis that might be worth considering - their Blade 200 has some good features for a beginner. Remember though, these machines can bite if they go AWOL. The 450 can draw blood, the 550 could kill.

Get a sim and read lots, Marty

the 450 could kill, imagining my 450ls blades hitting me in the neck and im sure it would be game over. hell id say even a 250 with the speed those blades are going, hitting you in a vulnerable place..

i started with a nano cpx (and 450l) and got a good handle on basic control with that before going bigger.

[milly0812]

the 450 could kill, imagining my 450ls blades hitting me in the neck and im sure it would be game over. hell id say even a 250 with the speed those blades are going, hitting you in a vulnerable place..

i started with a nano cpx (and 450l) and got a good handle on basic control with that before going bigger.

Maybe you should give up the Helis and try eeeerm ....knitting

Nope them needles could kill you if u fell onto them and they pierce your eyeball and into your brain !!!

Seriously it just doesn't happen very often and you have more chance of hurting yourself and others when you get in your car

As long as you are aware of the dangers then a 450 is a good size Heli and +1 to Marty

[Alfie]

T450's are great to learn on, well priced parts everywhere, and most people have had one so support is as good as it gets.

They only thing i would say, is maybe avoid the DFC version to start with!, whilst it really is fantastic you will get ****ed off replacing servo gears..

col.

[james_2k]

Maybe you should give up the Helis and try eeeerm ....knitting

Nope them needles could kill you if u fell onto them and they pierce your eyeball and into your brain !!!

Seriously it just doesn't happen very often and you have more chance of hurting yourself and others when you get in your car

As long as you are aware of the dangers then a 450 is a good size Heli and +1 to Marty

well in real life i fly planes into places where it regularly gusts 75mph plus with terrain to match, so im minimising risk as far as possible

just making people aware of the fact that a 450 could be just as bad, most people take driving lessons before they go on the road, i doubt most people take heli lessons. anyone can go out and buy one!

my attitude changed somewhat after seeing the pictures of the guy killed with (albeit) his 700. thats nasty

edit:

just been flying my 450 dominator, its such a cool heli, really powerful (vertical climb rate is amazing) id recommend one any day of the week

[Bamboo]

Going to get myself a Simulator first and do that for a week plus i have the club too. i know the phoenix software disc is about £90 but what other stuff do i need? Apart from the reciever maybe some connectors to the lappy perhaps...Thanks so far.

[DK 2.0]

Given the choice if i was starting over I'd go for a 500 reasoning being that its bigger than a 450 (had one as well) so will handle the wind better which is good for learning new moves and its smaller than a 550 so will not be as expensive to fix, just a thought

[kroozing]

^^+1 i loved my 500 and handles wind so much better for learning on.

[Grant85]

Hi and advice please

Firstly I would recommend a good transmitter and a simulator.

Then when you have your own transmitter you can then go for the BNF (bind and fly) models and just use your transmitter to fly them. Get a good radio now and it will last you throughout your years of learning, no point in buying a cheap one as you will outgrow it and just want to upgrade anyway. It Works out better this way.

I started out with a coaxial, because years ago there wasn't really much about in the way of fixed pitch rotor helis, but nowadays you can get a really good fixed pitch single rotor heli like mentioned above and not many tend to even bother with coaxials anymore because you can't fly them outside unless it's dead calm! Even then they are rubbish.

Look at the Blade 200sr it's a fixed pitched single rotor heli and it has a panic button so if you lose orientation of it, it self rights! Can be flown outdoors when it's calm!

Then go for a collective pitch helicopter in the 450 range. Again has been said above and 450's really arn't that expensive to fix, and you WILL crash when you are learning so you have to consider the cost aswell. I had a 500 when I was learning, spent ages building it and I flew it once and I sold it as I was too scared to crash it as it cost me around £600+ to build it and I couldn't justify stuffing that into the ground as a beginner. So I went back to my 450.

Cheers,
Grant.

[tomatwalden]

Ahhh... the perennial question about how best to start! Big heli - nice and stable, not so twitchy, but a crash will cause damage, probably extensive and require skills to rebuild. Or small micro - sometimes indoor only, considered by some to be quite twitchy ... but a crash will more often result in just picking it up and going again. Parts very cheap etc.

A good site that offers facts rather than opinions is this one : RC Helicopters - A Super Fun & Rewarding Hobby

Personally, I started with a fixed pitch micro (a Blade 120SR).

Honestly now however, I'd really recommend a Blade 200SRX - it's perfect for a beginner IMHO. It has three "flight modes" to move with your skills progression and even has a "panic button" where the heli will right itself if you get in trouble ...

[adrianMS]

The good thing about a 450 sized heli is the fact you can fly them almost anywhere. Flew mine indoors in a gym when I 1st got it. Just basic "sport" flying & outdoors in a small park. As my flying improved I moved onto a football pitch. Still fly on it these days but overflying 3 surrounding fields with my 550.
I've just got a 500 to use & abuse before translating to the 550 (which I plan on replacing in a couple of months) Trex500's are pretty cheap to repair & more stable due to disc size, but you will need a football pitch (size field) to have any real fun on.
Flight sim really is a useful tool for learning, get one-all the crashes are free! (I use Phoenix)

[milly0812]

That blade 200srx looks pretty cool, wish there was one back when I was learning.

[Ritchieme]

I saw a 200srx at our club the other week in the hands of danny lock and it was really good even in a fair amount of wind, yep wish they were around when I started