Total Beginner

[Geoff_B]

Hello anyone who reads these posts.

I am a total beginner at heli flying. just bought a 4/6 ch honey bee 2 ccpm leccy chopper so that i can learn the basics of control etc in the garden / workshops.

Haven't dared fly it yet, just messing with sim at the moment will have a go this weekend if i get chance.

Anyway, is there a club, preferably pretty laid back in the Derby area that i can join so when i can do it a bit i can get help to progress onto nitro powered choppers and have somewhere to fly, unless of course i totally lose heart by then.

i live in Derby but work near Warwick so a club around or in between would be good. I actually work on a disused airfield ( our test track ) but haven't got permission to fly on it yet, and don't want to do it on my own.

Any help or guidance gratefully received.

Geoff

[G-DAVE]

B.M.F.A.

Go to the bottom of the page and click the BMFA logo- On there you will find clubs listed .
BFMA = British Model Flying Ass.
Go to LHS's pick up some Books and Mags on the subject and read up .

Dave 8)

[JimH]

Hi Geoff
Like you I'm just starting out and got a Twister FP in April. I decided against the local club for now and used the following website, which is brilliant:
http://www.dream-models.com/eco/flying-index.html
and followed the instructions to the letter for about 20 minutes every night. I used a six foot square area of (smooth) wooden floor in my hall and the decking outside on windless days.

I didn't use a sim but fly fixed wing r/c (badly) which may have helped.
The only real problem is taking that leap of faith and advancing the throttle a few clicks quickly to get up out of the ground effect. But once up, if you follow the guide, it's quite easy to hover.

I got in to the hover in 4 days and have progressed to side on and gentle flights around the garden. I've needed a few replacement parts along the way (fly bar this morning) but only when I veered off the instructions or tried to do my own thing. Two things that did help were spraying the blades white, so you can see the disc and sticking carbon fibre tows along the underside of the blades to stiffen them.

There is a stack of info available on the web and I've found this site is quite useful, though Twisters don't seem that popular on it and beyond what I've done there don't seem to be any upgrades...or maybe it isn't worthwhile. With hindsight I'd have got the CP version now, but will persevere with the FP and upgrade once I can fly it confidently side on and nose in. Hope it works out for you.
Regards
Jim