Total newbie here ,

[Matt1986]

Hello there , just joined this forum to gain some more information . A friend of mine has a rc quadcopter had a go at the weekend , wasn't too great but was enough to thinking I wouldn't mind getting into the flying hobby . I'm into rc cars as well , currently have a team associated on my bench at moment .

Where red is the best place to start of from ? Done some reading and found some websites surgest start with a coaxial heli to start with then another saying to start with a collective pitch if want to learn the skills due to a coaxial are easy to fly but takes the fun out of flying and are limited with speed etc once want to progress . Anyone care to point me in right direction please ?

Oh im from Swindon in Wiltshire .

cheers , matt

[myxiplx]

Easiest option these days in my book is to start with a quadcopter, and then move up to a small CP helicopter and a simulator. You can begin with a cheap quad like the Hubsan X4, or if you think you'll be in the hobby for a while, pick up a Spektrum transmitter and a Blade nQX. Particularly in the winter, a micro quad is a good choice as it lets you practice indoors, and they're small and light enough to survive a few crashes.

A Spektrum TX will let you pick any of the Blade micro range later on, will work with any simulator, and can be used all the way up to 700 size helicopters.

Once you're ready to try CP flight, there's a Blade nCP S which can be used indoors or outside, and the Blade 230 S which is much larger and is outside only.

[Matt1986]

Thanks for that , but I'm limited to fly indoors as the house I live in is quite small rooms , so ideally outside would be best to fly really , do I still get a quad?

[tomatwalden]

Take a look at this page - it gives a very good intro into the options for learning to fly RC helicopters : Radio Controlled Helicopters

Bottom line - there's no single "right way". But for what its worth, I started with a 4-channel fixed-pitch "stable" heli before moving on to a 6-channel collective pitch setup.

There are options now though that use electronic stabilisation to help beginners. The best example of this is the Blade 200SRX. It's has 3 flight modes and a "panic" switch.

[Leigh Beaumont]

Welcome to forum

[Matt1986]

Thank you lads for the welcome , il have a look at that link , like the idea of a panic button !

[Matt1986]

Thanks for the welcome guys !

I do do not have a lot of room in the house to fly a small indoor heli or quad due to small rooms and don't think other half be happy me hitting the 50" tv ! So I'm going to have to learn outside ... I guess your right so many different ways to learn but is there any articles or books etc or guides to where start with the controls and basics with some helpful tips ?

Or or would be best to get to a local flying club for some guidance?

i like the look of the blade 200srx

[Matt1986]

Just been looking around at some of the recomdations and the blade 200 looks a great machine but obviously I don't know much !

http://youtu.be/MlUtfHMghC4

not sure if alowed to post this link but looks simple enough for what my needs are ... Wouldn't attempt to fly today 50mph winds today !

[Peteski]

If you're looking at the 200SRX, you may as well get the 230S which should be just as easy to learn on with the self-levelling mode, but will take you much farther in full collective pitch mode. Get a good heli sim to use in the house too. What you need early on is a lot of stick time, which is what the sim will give you. You will almost certainly break your 230S within the first 10 flights, although should be easy enough to fix. But you need something to fly while it's in pieces and that's where the sim is perfect. It's actually best to start out on the sim and only progress to the real thing once you can fly simple controlled circuits without risk of crashing. For the sake of a few weeks wait it makes a big difference to your confidence.

[tomatwalden]

I think the 230S and the 200SRX are aimed at different markets. The 230S is a "3D trainer" - hence collective pitch and a fair amount of power. The 200SRX is aimed at beginners. Being fixed pitch means the head speeds are significantly lower, which translates to less intimidation to the learner, and less kinetic energy and therefore damage in the event of a crash.

Also, for a beginner, fixed pitch is easier to repair. No need to worry about "zero pitch" and collective/cyclic throws.

I would maintain therefore that the 200SRX is the better beginner heli, although I accept that somebody could learn on a 230S. I think it would be a more difficult learning curve however - complicated by the repair matters I mention above.

[tomatwalden]

Thanks for the welcome guys !

I do do not have a lot of room in the house to fly a small indoor heli or quad due to small rooms and don't think other half be happy me hitting the 50" tv ! So I'm going to have to learn outside ... I guess your right so many different ways to learn but is there any articles or books etc or guides to where start with the controls and basics with some helpful tips ?

Or or would be best to get to a local flying club for some guidance?

i like the look of the blade 200srx

There is a local club in Swindon ... I'll ping a mate to see if he can post the details.

As for learning - there's a good set of lessons on that site I mentioned : How To Fly RC Helicopters

Bit more info on the 200SRX ...

[Matt1986]

Thanks Tom that would be helpfull if could ping your friend !

What simulator would you recommend to start practicing with ?

[Matt1986]

Would I be able to use a simulator software with the blade 200srx ? Seems better value for money if just get software and use transmitter you already got .

[Dean airwolf]

Welcome to the forum
I am learning as we'll.I would go with a 200srx which I fly at this time and am learning loads not a lot to repair.Start of with the 200srx and a sim you wont go wrong.
230s is not really a learning heli more for 3D learning.

[tomatwalden]

Thanks Tom that would be helpfull if could ping your friend !

What simulator would you recommend to start practicing with ?

I found RealFlight 7.5 very good. You can buy it with a built-in (USB Cable) transmitter, or with a dongle that allows you to plug-in a compatible real transmitter. Personally though, I now use neXt as it runs natively on MacOS X. RF7.5 is Windows only.

Would I be able to use a simulator software with the blade 200srx ? Seems better value for money if just get software and use transmitter you already got .

You can't use the sim software with the pre-packaged TX that comes with the 200SRX RTF combo. But if you bought a 200SRX BNF (bind n fly) with a Spektrum DX6 transmitter, that transmitter could be used with the dongle version of RF I mentioned above.