A Few Newbie Questions ?

[djt100]

Hi all,

I've been having a read through a few of the threads on the forums and got a bit of information and I'm sure all of these questions would have been answered before but just to many posts to read, so sorry for asking again.

I have never flown a RC helicopter, but always wanted to. So where to start ?

What would you advise I get as a first heli? I want one that's suitable for outdoor use, I don't have anywhere in doors big enough to learn to fly, I do however have a large enclosed garden to practice in? I have looked on loads of sites and seen various different heli's for sale, but being completely new I have no idea what is a good brand to go with , I have a budget of up to about £200 give or take a little.

Also can you recommend a good shop on line to order from ?

Thanks

[spunkmyer]

Hi..........

Well where do I start. Best way to start is buy a sim such as phoenix then get a heli like the CX2 or CX3 now these are both indoor helis and can be fly in a small ish space they say you can fly them outside on a DEAD calm day.

Some outdoor helis tend to be blow about a bit unless they have some weight behind them and as a newbie not the best place to start.

But if you must then some of these are good:

Honey Bee FP or CP2 both are great but the CP2 is a lot to learn for a newbie as you adjust the angle of the blades to lift hover and land the heli but I found this easier to fly than the FP.

The HBFP is speed controlled so the faster the blades spin the higher she will fly so you control the speed to control the height this the same as the CX2 & CX3.

Practice on the sim and get used to flying helis on there as each time you crash you reset and go unlike with the real heli where you crash and repair which cost money and time.

I would advise to stay away from the likes of the Blade 400, Honey bee king & Trex style helis at this stage.

Mike

[Andy from Sandy]

From my own experiences the advice to start on the sim is sound. After that how serious are you? I can see no merit in the midget coaxials or fp electrics or for that matter anything smaller than a 450.

Everyone who has joined MK Heliclub after me and me included started with either a 30 or 50 size nitro and have got on very well. No-one has actually crashed whilst under instruction The crashes only started after the person was let loose to go solo and only then after they started flying around and tried some aerobatics.

[futaba8u]

you will prob be better off with a 30 or 50 size heli. have a look on ebay ive had a little look and found this one Raptor 30 heli, ready to fly, just add TX, on eBay (end time 01-Jul-09 15:39:00 BST) if you decide to go down the nitro route thes are not to bad to start with and the spares are readily availible from most places.also get a sim and join a local club you will get lots of help and advice and its prob the safest place to learn. Good luck with whatever you decide to buy and happy flying!!

[unwind-protect]

Everyone who has joined MK Heliclub

And there's the crux. If you've got tuition, and someone to save the model when things go pear-shaped, then a nitro is fine solution. You can fly them nice and high without them getting too small, giving space to recover.

If, however, you are learning by yourself, with trial and error, then I'd argue a small electric is in general a safer, cheaper route to take. In particular fixed pitch machines, being basically indestructible (compared to a collective pitch machine) can make great places to start.

[scallybert]

Honey Bee FP or CP2 both are great

Excuse me while I violently disagree.

HBCP2 was probably my worst mistake so far.

[unwind-protect]

It was lots of people's worst mistakes see this thread :

What is the stupidest top 3 things that you did learning about the world of RC helis? - HeliFreak

(The Blade CP/ CP PRO are essentially the same helicopter as the CP2).

[Andy from Sandy]

And there's the crux. If you've got tuition, and someone to save the model when things go pear-shaped, then a nitro is fine solution. You can fly them nice and high without them getting too small, giving space to recover.

If, however, you are learning by yourself, with trial and error, then I'd argue a small electric is in general a safer, cheaper route to take. In particular fixed pitch machines, being basically indestructible (compared to a collective pitch machine) can make great places to start.

Hence my question, "how serious are you?" The person serious at wanting to get into the hobby will seek to join a club in order to progress at hopefully a faster pace.

[unwind-protect]

Hence my question, "how serious are you?" The person serious at wanting to get into the hobby will seek to join a club in order to progress at hopefully a faster pace.

True; but even if serious, heli friendly clubs can (apparently) sometimes be difficult to find.

[spunkmyer]

Well I agree with all of the above. I would love to join a club near me but there are none around me but it is the best way to go.

I blade 400 which has done me proud today.

Mike

[Twisted]

Sim is a must..... there are a lot of helis out there under £200 HBK2 Twister gold to name a few.... BUT with these helis you will end spending more than that on updates that they will require.

If you have a local heli club visit and ask any questions there... and visit your Local model store and ask for advice there.

I started on a twister gold but used a Sim first... the great thing about using the Coaxial heli like the guys above surjest is they are very stable in a hover and a good way to learn side on and nose in flights, but you soon out live what it can do.

And flying helis is not cheap i spent 180 pounds on my heli... 2 flights later £100 in repairs needed. and good know how much i spent on it to date!

[cambs flyer]

Some great advice here, I'll keep it simple, buy a Contra like the Blade CX2/3's & Phoenix.

A Contra will give you a taster of Heli flight without the dangers of a "easy to tip over CCPM" machine while you have no experience under your belt.

Plus the CX's controller will interface with the Phoenix dongle lead with ease.

The Contras will poss' burn a little hole in your wallet while you learn depending on the size of your flying area, and in the mean time you can learn on the Sim with the bigger brothers without bankrupting yourself, plus your be in a better situ' as it'll give you an idea what machine you may like to upgrade too.

But beware flying for real is in many ways more difficult then on the Sim's simply due to the cost factor and improper setting up, mistakes we all have made.

Apart from sensible advise to get you started you'll be entering the most exciting form of flying there is, and the best hobby and then some

Welcome on board bud and best of luck, plus keep asking those questions when ever you feel the urge.

[Gate88]

I would agree that a sim is the best starting point, that was kinda the route I took, but being a total novice I had some real problems setting it up, it took me ages just to work out how to switch my Tx to PPM and properly asign the channels. Maybe it's just that the Reflex XTR sim is a particularly user unfriendly product, I've not tried Phoenix so can't comment.
I signed up to a Heli forum in the States that had a list of very helpful volanteer mentor's and that was invaluable, especialy if you don't know anyone that can come round and set up your PC.
I'm not saying you wont find all the answers here, but it takes time waiting on replies, having someone on Skype or similar talking you through the whole proccess as you're doing it is a real help.

(Note to Mods)
Maybe we could have a Mentors list here? I'm no expert but I'd be happy to help people out on a 1 2 1 basis.

[jboweruk]

Nobody so far has mentioned the Blade MCX, which given he's already said no space indoors would be a great little starter heli, it's small enough to land/take off from a coffee table, it's 4 channel, and it's cheap, leaving money for a decent TX and sim to add into the mix if he goes bind'n'fly.

My recommended solution for you would be:

Blade mcx (65 quid)
DX6i TX (around a hundred)
Phoenix Sim (comes with lead for tx around 90 quid)

A little over budget then, but the TX will serve you well onto larger helis when you progress. Either way the Sim is a must, it will save it's cost 10 times over in spares while you're learning.

If you go the club route of course, and can get somebody to teach you to fly then go for something larger, either a large leccy or nitro to learn on. mainstream leccies:

T-Rex series: 450, 500, 600E
Thunder Tiger have similar sizes available too
Blade 400 is popular now, I still have mine a year on and still love her to bits.

Nitro:

T-Rex 600n
Thunder Tiger Raptor series 30 or 50.

These seem to be the popular ones that will be easy to get help with when it does go wrong, and although I hate to say it, it will go wrong sometimes. The main thing is not to get disheartened, yes your confidence will take a dent, but get it back up asap and fly the pants off it. You'll soon forget the crashes when she's hovering there in front of you looking a million quid.