Want to get back into the hobby after 3-4 years.

[felixthemaster]

IS this hobby still populated? I heard everyone moved to quadcopters. I still have my old Honey Bee V2 in pieces and I hope parts are still in stock. If not what 4ch heli do you recommend I get to learn on?

[Grumpy]

I can’t prove it with evidence but my impression is mostof the explosion in quad flying has come from people new to the RC hobby. I'd be surprised in there has been any mass transfer of heli flyers over to quads,in general quads just aren’t as involving or as exciting to fly, they are moreabout FPV / aerial video and setting up computer navigation/flight controlsystems rather than the actual flying experience.

[joe.lel]

I agree, i have a little cheapo quad, but theres nothing quite as butt clenching as flying a heli.

[gazmk2]

I thought the same until I bought a leap 450 and stuck a 4s lipo in it! Bloody thing is nuts and equally as fun as a heli for me personally!

[Grumpy]

I thought the same until I bought a leap 450 and stuck a 4s lipo in it! Bloody thing is nuts and equally as fun as a heli for me personally!

Yeah, the existance of the Leap was why i used the word 'generally' in my post... A very few quads do fly just like a FP heli, but I think it's fair to say that the vast majority of quads being sold (and those getting all the 'publicity') are the type that fly virtually autonimously, usullay with auto stabilisation, GPS and altitude hold, return to home, onboard video, FPV etc etc... a quite different experience to conventional RC flying.

[Peteski]

As a complete newbie much more interested in helis than quads, on recommendation here, I bought a Blade Nano QX quad and it rips around the house like an angry wasp. For indoor entertainment I think it's hard to beat. I bought it as a learning aid on the way to CP helis and it has far exceeded my expectations. I still ultimately prefer helis for their presence, but I would most certainly recommend the Nano QX for indoor ripping. It's nothing like those benign ariel photography quads mentioned above.

[felixthemaster]

I can’t prove it with evidence but my impression is mostof the explosion in quad flying has come from people new to the RC hobby. I'd be surprised in there has been any mass transfer of heli flyers over to quads,in general quads just aren’t as involving or as exciting to fly, they are moreabout FPV / aerial video and setting up computer navigation/flight controlsystems rather than the actual flying experience.

AMEN! IMO Helis>Planes>Dogchewtoys>Quads

[felixthemaster]

What heli do you guys recomend I learn on if my honey bee v2 doesnt stock any parts anymore/i cant find any?

[jsnow87]

i'm learning with a blade srx 200, its a 4 channel FP, and parts are easy to get hold of. it also has a beginner flight mode where the giro helps keep it level level and restricts the speed, you can turn this off tho :-)

[felixthemaster]

Someone people told me to learn on a Nano CPX so i can program docile modes to practice normal flying and once i get a hold of them i dont need to get a beginner CP heli as i have one already. and then I could move on to a larger heli.

[jsnow87]

fair point, i was toying with the idea of a CP heli but as iv never flown anything before i thought id learn on something a bit easier and then upgrade once i had some experience, also replacement parts are cheap.

[felixthemaster]

The nano cpx also has cheap parts but considering its really small and I dont trust myself to fix tiny things, i might just get the 200 SR like you. What controller do you use with it? stock or some thing liek the dx6i? I cant decide between the BNF and the RTF.

[jsnow87]

if you've flown before though, you might want to upgrade to a CP sooner than a complete noob, so starting out with one might be a better idea. i got the RTF and it came with a LP6DSM. its OK, nice and simple which suits me as learning to fly is enough without having to learn to program a transmitter as well.

[felixthemaster]

I havent really learnt how to fly, still learning hovering. And how do you set the 3 modes ( beg, inter, advan) on a TX with no screen? Does it have a 3 way switch

[jsnow87]

yes mate, it has a 3 way switch for the 3 modes, it has a toggle switch for the panic switch and a 2 way switch to adjust the stick sensitivity from 100% down to 70% so the heli doesn't react as quick to accidental inputs, which has been great while i learn the orientations as it doesn't just fly away when i get it wrong.