1 month in and still here! A few thoughts on starting out

[tomatwalden]

... IMHO there is really no significant difference in 'flying convenience' between a 550 and a 700, they both need big open space to fly in, they both cost a lot, they both take large lipos.

There's one big difference - and it's the reason I fly my Logo 550 more than my 12S machines ... It only needs a single pack. Basically you get double the number of flights per charge session. Also, the Logo is such a lovely machine to fly!

[Peteski]

Sounds to me that with tentative plans on the table already for a 500-550 then you are well down the slippery slope to a 700, despite your protestations to the contrary IMHO there is really no significant difference in 'flying convenience' between a 550 and a 700, they both need big open space to fly in, they both cost a lot, they both take large lipos.

I've always said I would probably get a large heli once I start flying at a club site i.e. from September. But how big I really don't know. As Tom says, the big multiple lipos put me right off anything bigger than a 550, it just looks like a load of extra hassle to me. I guess it will come down to whether or not I see any benefit in going larger. As I said I'm quite happy to have a diverse fleet of smaller helis up to 550 size max.

[Scotvar]

I said that too once!!
I think curiosity will eventually get the better of you! The heli I fly the most is my G570 which is in the 550 class but I have that on 12S just for more power! It get seriously addictive!

Paul

[waveydavey]

Don't underestimate the relaxed way a 700 can fly and what that does for your flying and enjoyment. I ran with a 600 for around 3 years and as soon as I went to a 700 the 600 never got a look in. It's obviously more expensive in the inevitable crash but plan your purchases when sales etc are on and second hand deals are there and keep out of the latest and greatest pursuit and it won't cost that much more.

As as for clubs both you mention will do you well but MK has some great pilots and you can't help but improve not withstanding the facilities.

[trillian]

Don't underestimate the relaxed way a 700 can fly and what that does for your flying and enjoyment. I ran with a 600 for around 3 years and as soon as I went to a 700 the 600 never got a look in.

+1. I found over the last year that I was always wanting to fly the 700s and because my 600s were on 12s but using smaller packs when it came to charging I found myself always charging the bigger packs to fly the 700s. So once I had a batch of charged packs for flying the next day, the choice was made and the 600s sat on the shelf. So I am now converting my 600s to 6s in the hope that they will be convenient and useful again. It just remains to be seen if there's enough power but I'm now running at lower headspeeds in general so I think it will work.

But just in flying terms, the 700s are so nice both in flying characteristics and presence / visibility, I have become spoiled. It will be interesting to see how things will pan out if the 600s work well on 6s because they will have the convenience factor going for them (and so much easier to carry around).

[tomatwalden]

I agree that 700's are lovely to fly - and some things are definitely easier with the larger helis (eg. autos! ). But Grumpy's quote was "no significant difference in 'flying convenience' between a 550 and a 700," ... which I don't think is true. Any heli with a single pack is certainly more convenient as far as I'm concerned!

[Grumpy]

. But Grumpy's quote was "no significant difference in 'flying convenience' between a 550 and a 700," ... which I don't think is true. Any heli with a single pack is certainly more convenient as far as I'm concerned!

I guess it's subjective but two small packs vs. one larger pack isn't really much different IMHO. Taking my 12s Trex 600 as an example.. that flies on two 2600-3300mAh packs. If it were 6s I'd need a 5200-6000mAh pack for the same stored energy. Total battery weight and cost is pretty much a wash between the two options and charge time is the same. ok it takes a few more seconds to install two batteries, big deal, I can live with that.

Honestly i don't quite 'get' what the perceived major inconvenience of 2 series packs is? In any case the trend is very much for 12s powered 550 helis these days.

[tomatwalden]

I guess it's subjective but two small packs vs. one larger pack isn't really much different IMHO. Taking my 12s Trex 600 as an example.. that flies on two 2600-3300mAh packs. If it were 6s I'd need a 5200-6000mAh pack for the same stored energy. ...

Yeah, but the discussion was about smaller (550) helis on 6S compared to larger (700) on 12s. That's generally 1x5000mah versus 2x5000mah.

[Grumpy]

Fair point,
On the other hand if you have a charger with enough oomph then it takes the exact same time to charge two 5000mAh batteries as it does one. So the only unavoidable inconvenience as far as i can see is actually handling twice as many batteries and the extra minute or so of installation time. If that amounts to a significant 'inconvenience' is a matter of opinion.. but it does cost more granted.

Each to their own, i just found that one I started flying 600+ size helis it was hard to go back to smaller ones, but that's just me.. Having said that I do enjoy flying my Chase 360 but i wouldnt really like that to be my only heli.

[tomatwalden]

I think it helps that the Logo 550 flies so well. It's so light (compared to say a Goblin 570) that it works truly well on 6S. Being light, it floats better in the air - more like a larger heli with a lighter disc loading. Don't get me wrong, I like larger helis too, but I have a fixed number of packs and I can get twice the number of flights with the Logo than I can with my 700's.

Most flying sessions - I fly both, but the Logo gets flown more.

[Granpappy]

I think the only place where you notice the difference is re-charging packs in the field. My charger will charge 2 packs simultaneously in the field which equates to two flights with one heli or one flight with the other heli. If you take enough charged packs from home to last the whole day on the heli that you want to fly then it doesn't make any difference.

[Peteski]

Each to their own, i just found that one I started flying 600+ size helis it was hard to go back to smaller ones, but that's just me.. Having said that I do enjoy flying my Chase 360 but i wouldnt really like that to be my only heli.

To be honest that's one of the things that puts me off 600+ size helis. I'm getting all the enjoyment I need from the little OXY 3 and I really don't want to lose that! I honestly don't think I'm a big heli guy - I even prefer the sim with smaller helis and the mid-sized Logos are among my favourite sim helis, so that could be a sign. But I definitely want something bigger than the OXY and the G380 will be a good test for my appetite in that direction. But on the convenience front, nothing beats the OXY 3. I can just pick it up and carry it to the field on my bike. That's never going to happen with anything bigger than the G380. As they say with cameras, the best one is the one that you have with you.

[Grumpy]

But on the convenience front, nothing beats the OXY 3. I can just pick it up and carry it to the field on my bike.

You can do that with a 700 too:

[Granpappy]

You can do that with a 700 too:

Is that your 7HV Ultimate? Nice bike by the way....

[Grumpy]

I do cycling and i do helis, but I don't yet combine the two. So no, it's not mine. It belongs to a guy who goes by the name 'Cyclo' on Helifreak.