Really stuck after first club visit!

[cotti]

Hey Folks,

I payed my first visit to the local Heli club today and after talking to some of the guys there I really have no idea what to get to learn on.

Before I went up there I was pretty certain I wanted to avoid nitro altogether (Used to fly planks) but after looking at what others are learning on at the field (Raptor 30's) the size looks more capable for the wind.

I had no idea of how the different sizes scaled up until today my original thought was to get a blade 400 or Trex 450 but Im not sure they would cope with anything but mild wind on an open field. There was a Trex 500 which looked like a good compromise between the 450 and Nitros but would prove very expensive to get running with the chargers and batteries. Im not sure if it would be more than a nitro tho?

So Im really stuck I have seen some starter packages for the Align 600 nitro (I think spares are cheaper and you get more than 1 in the pack according to one of the guys), these have Align engines but I dont know if they are any good as Ive always been told OS OS OS!

Anyway has anyone got any bright ideas to help me decide? Im going to need the whole package tx,rx charger (if Lipo) and everything else.

Cotti.

PS Loved watching the guys there fly!

[Boggy]

align =os. os os. so you have no worries there! i like nitro its just more fun no better reason than that

[SteveH39]

i'm led to believe that the align engine is infact the same as an OS but i may be wrong. Go with the 600 nitro, i did and its better than electric for learning as its more stable with the bonus of just fill it up and keep flying.

[David Drew]

Electric will be expensive on the set-up. Batts, chargers etc.

Nitro is messier, more fiddly to set up and fuel isn't cheap.

So, new into it, what would I do.?

I still think I would go for a Raptor 30 or 50. Learning all about engine tuning is all part of the hobby. Plus, cleaning all the gunk off afterwards makes you look as though you know what you are doing

I like both. I think i prefer leccy now, but I have invested a lot into the gear.

If you decide to go leccy later you can always sell a Raptor.
Great helis to learn on.

David

[car-killer]

raptor 30 cheap to buy (look at the auction site) cheap to repair and once set up so nice n easy to fly...i started with a t rex 450 and that was a steep learning curve great heli just does every thing so fast and twitchy but its what you get used to............

[DIJ]

I think your right about smaller heli's stuggling to cope with the wind in an open field, so I feel you would be better going for something around the 50 size. My raptor 50 copes a little better than my 600e in that respect, and Im sure the 600N would prove a good choice too.
I don't think you would go far wrong with either of these two nitro's.

The OS hyper 50 has a great reputation, but don't know about the align engine, but I'm sure someone will chime in.

[Boggy]

its the same engine just align badged under licence.

[moyesboy]

The align engine is a badged OS 50 hyper and all the spares are interchangeable for definite.
spares price on the 600n is cheaper than the rappy - however bear in mind that quite a chunk of the crash cost is the blades. you can use wood blades but there seem to be quite a few people who will just not consider running wood blades as they have seen some disintegrate. So 600mm composite (glass or carbon) blades will be minimum £40 (take a look at captaincrash.co.uk for good value blades).

When you are learning its the 3rd and 4th flights that are the learning zone. It takes one or two flights to settle the nerves and get to where you were at the end of the last session. If you are going to learn at a club then go for nitro as you can pack the flights in quiickly with no extra exepense. With an electric you need extra batteries to pack the flights in.
You already used nitro engines so you will have no problem.
If you find a good used raptor30 cheap then thats a good buy, but if you are buying new get a 600n or elyQ vision 50 (or a knight). Spares for both of these seems to be quite widely available but I suspect in stoke you'll be mail order or a long drive for spares anyway.
The ElyQ is pretty new, so probably the 600n as its best to get something the other club guys are familiar with.
If you are keen to progress and you are flying a raptor30 you might find you desire a 50 size after a bit as they are so much more powerful once you are flying aerobatics.

[Tim Procter]

its the same engine just align badged under licence.

Spot-on.

50 size nitro to deal with the wind and very easy to learn with.

Bigger heli = More stable.

[Mart61]

I think you will find the situation not too dis-similar to my research when looking to get into the hobby.

But then it's true of all things in life - if you ask 10 people for their opinions on anything, you will most likely get 8 or 9 different answers.

So here's what I did:

- establish how much you wanna spend
- ask lots of questions on this site and others (Helifreak)
- sift out any common themes that may crop up
- do your homework on start up costs, repair costs, etc of the heli associated with those common themes
- if the answers to the above research prove to be within your budget then go buy it and get started

I can tell you now that getting a T-rex 500 ready to fly has thus far cost me a fair bit of dosh (I'll do the maths and update you on this soon).

EDIT: It's running at around £600 and I have not bought Lipos yet. This is cheap as several of my bits were good second hand kit.

This hobby is not cheap...

[cotti]

Yes its not going to be cheap whatever I decide to do. Im not ruling out electric just yet because I dont think it would be that much difference to do a Trex500 or a 600 nitro (cost wise) the 500 also has advantages in that I can practice hovering in an old field near to my house. So any days lost due to wind could be clawed back that way. Many thanks for all the replies by the way some great points for me to consider!

I think Im going to have to sleep on it, I have plenty of time to think while I save anyway!

Cheers guys

Cotti

[Huskyboy]

I reckon my Blade400 would be as god as anything in the wind, but so far it's cost me:

1. B400, with DX6i, charger and 1 LiPo - £150 (2nd hand - 1 day old)
2. Phoenix sim - £80
3. Spare LiPo - £45
4. Blades - £8
5. Crash-1 repairs - £30
6. Incident today - £20 (estimate)
7. Tools - £50
8. Time - don't even go there

So I'm creeping up towards the £400 mark and I've been airborne once (for a few seconds) and I'm halfway through my 2nd head rebuild after the blades went bye bye today...

I'm not sure what it would have cost me with nitro, but I'm probably gonna work up to that. The simplicity of lecky lets me concentrate on learning to fly on something consistent, and when I'm comfortable I can introduce additional elements like engines.

[maderdog_1024]

if raptors are common at your club go raptor as there will always be help at hand.

but, there is alot to be said for a 450 size heli for learning as its cheap to fix if you crash.

[maderdog_1024]

I reckon my Blade400 would be as god as anything in the wind, but so far it's cost me:

400 is a handful in the wind, i had it up in 10-15mph wind with 20-25mph gusts today.

its too light.

was fun though.

[Steve Ashton]

If you have access to outside flying then I would go trex 600. Very stable and a joy to fly. If you have a mix of indoor and outdoor I would say a 450 size is a good way o go and if set up well it can be a great trainer.

I started a year ago with a Trex 500 flying mainly indoors and found it just to big got myself A rave 3d and the flying came on in leaps. The rave is such a stable heli its a pleasure to fly. Third flight with it I was doing loose circuits and nose in. If I had to have just I heli it would be the rave without a doubt.