What first helicopter for outdoor / indoor?

[Gushy]

I've been considering getting an RC heli, always wanted one. I've never done it before so cheap and chearful is the way forward for me at the moment. (OK I got a dragonfly 2 tghe other day, but 2 channels doesn't really count).

I've read plenty of sites that suggest the Lama 2 or the HoneyBee 4CH as good starter helis, but they are both labeled as indoor / outdoor. I don't have a big house, and I've not really got a big indoor area anywhere nearby to learn in, so I really want something that I can learn with outdoors. I'm worried that both of these will be too light to cope with small winds and will end up smashing in bits on my house wall or a fence. (being able to practice hovering in my dining room or lounge would also be handy too)

Can anyone tell me if my concerns are irrational? Can you suggest a better outdoor beginner helicopter? Remember cheap is a key point here. Wink

Also a few sites seems to suggest that learning on a fixed pitch copter is pointless and you should learn on a collective pitch one, other's advise the opposite; I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts on the matter. ( Idiot question alert! :: On this subject if the rotor on a fixed pitch heli doesn't tilt, how does it move in any other direction but up / down / rotate?)

And yes I know I should start with a sim, that's one of the reasons I'm considering the HoneyBee as it's got a cable with it.

[Disc]

Hi,
okay heres the thing indoor helis and decent ones so you can kind
of go outside in upto around 8mph...

Helis that can do this are: Twister 3D and Hummingbird 3D there are others
but having seen both of these wizz around there both good machines.

stay away from the Dragonfly 3D seen these at the Club and they come with
a nimh charger for the tranny and people are using this to charge li-pos!

By the time you kit out a decent electric and get a Transmitter you can
spend around 300-400 pounds.

You are into Nitro money almost and there a lot easier to fly. More Stable
and better to be honest.

You may want to look at finding a Club and see if they do any indoor flying
this will allow you to see the diffrent types of electric helis there are.

Club list can be found here:

http://www.bmfa.org/clubs/clist.php

Also even though you want an indoor heli make sure you get insurnace as
well. As these smaller helis can bite.


Sims: don't use them but people do say they help people along. It will help you
get used to the sticks.

[Ade_Law]

by far the best way to get into helis is to go to a flying school and spend an hour on one of their machines. its a very small amount of money and will give you some basic core skills and you will know if you want to continue.

from there there are a lot of choices depending on where you want to fly. Flying at a club is great fun assuming you have a good club local to you. theres more to flying helis than flying helis there is also the social side too.

with fixed pitch helis the flybar can rotate the blades along their length. this gives you the fore/aft/left/right control also known as cyclic.

Ade

[Gushy]

yeah I'm going to check out my local club (Reading) but I think they only have an outdoor airstrip.

I haven't looked for a flying school, hadn't even thought there would be flying schools! I'll have a look.

My aim is to get something really cheap to learn the basics, hovering, gentle movement, then work up. I've seen some nice heli's but I don't want to spend hundreds on something I'm crap at or I end up not liking (although I can't imagine not liking it!).

Ade: Thanks for explaining the fixed pitch, that makes sense.

[bandicoot]

by far the best way to get into helis is to go to a flying school and spend an hour on one of their machines. its a very small amount of money and will give you some basic core skills and you will know if you want to continue.
Ade

I have to agree. An hour with Ade using his machine took me from skipping arround on the floor with my micro electric to hovering (a little shakey but hovering all the same) and if your local club is Reading then you not that far from Ade Bournemouth. it could mean you stick with it and not bin it after a couple of weeks

[Gushy]

it certainly makes sense, especially given the investment that some of the models are!

[Ade_Law]

Paul Heckles is only down at swindon but obviously I would prefer it if you came and saw me :-)

www.flyingaid.co.uk

Ade