Hello,and what now

[ian6pot]

Well i thought it was about time i spoke up having joined the site a few days ago.
I am new to the heli scene but have given the search button some hammer since i joined and learned how to learn to fly if that make sense

Anyway rc is not new to me having raced Serpent nitro 235 and 1/8 at national level but its all behind me now so looking for something to fill the gap.Spent the last few days with a CX2 type clone and a sim and can now sort of hover although i realise theres more work to do

I will finish with a request for advise please from the more experienced of you.
I will be getting something bigger/better at the end of the month.i may not be ready but thats when the cash is available so will buy and fly it when the time is right.Now,i always thought i would be buying an electric but after a visit to sheffield flying club to see whats what i was told the way to go is nitro.
After thinking about this i thought i would ask.
Whats the next (proper) heli i should go for weather it be electric or nitro.
What i mean by this is what model?

Sorry for the big first post.
Ian

[heliboy]

All depends how much cash you want to spend really.

Electric id go for a trex 600e (batteries can be expensive but well worth it)....They are such more stable machine ...but i would defintely join a club first and talk to the local lads down there.

Or maybe nitro go for a raptor 30(pretty inexpensive these days and a great machine)..

just my 2 p

[trillian]

'Just to add, I agree with the above.

When I started my first thought was to get a smallish electric heli and I got a Trex 450 clone. But what I discovered, and this may be just my personal impression of things, what I discovered is that when I first flew a 30 and 50 size nitro heli is that for me it is a very different flying experience (and a 600 electric is the same size).

Because that jump in size allows flying higher and farther and the heli has much more 'presence' in the air and coming from having flown fixed-wing it was a more familiar experience in some ways.

Whereas the smaller electric helis tend to be flown closer and their lower profile in the air just offers a different type of flying, IMHO anyway, even though technically you can do all the same things with a 450, except the smaller the heli the more it will be blown about if it's windy.

[Orfink69]

I was going to add in my 2p worth, but in all honesty I think you are going to get a number of replies from those more experienced and therefore more qualified than I am.

All I will say is take your time to decide, it's a very big investment and will continue to be so for a long time (hopefully).

No matter what you do go for I'm sure you will have hours of endless enjoyment as well as hours of endless frustration, don't let the latter put you off

Oh and welcome to the wonderful world of RC heli's

[tourerjim]

Trex 500 good size for learning very stable about 6/7 mins battery time 4 min aggressive flying, cost of parts not much more than 450 size except main blades but if you went for 600 nitro very good flight time again very stable but will cost as a result of a crash.

[scallybert]

You'll get a lot of conflicting views - that may well all be as valid.

I'm learning with an electric 450 (but a 'big' one), and it seems fine to me.

IMO, being electric simplifies things. Being a 450, rather than bigger, reduces the cost of the LiPos (~£35 each - I take 6 to the field; flight time 10-15 minutes, AFAIK).

I'm a fan of the Outrage G5. It's slightly bigger than some other 450s, has some neat technical features, is well made (eg HT allen bolt, rather than cheesium cross-heads), and seems good to work on.

One of the big plusses is that it can be set up for a beginner. I'd say it's easy to set up adequately, and seems to fly nicely. Where I fly can be quite windy; and it seems to deal with this fairly well.

It's definitely not without it's issues - mostly not actually to do with the heli itself.

You could read a lot (+ve & -ve) into the fact I've currently got 3 (2 flying, 1 in progress), plus a spare kit...

If you haven't already, definitely look at the manuals, build videos, etc, for al the helis that appeal. It probably also makes sense to see what other people are flying at the club - especially those that seem to have some idea.

[Janek]

Be careful to consider all advice with a "pinch of salt", as an example, and this is my own, possible blinkered view:

Trex 600 electric, the major disadvantage with this machine is the batteries (I fly Trex 600 nitro's myself, so the machine itself is great )

A 600 pack is outrageously expensive
LiPo technology is relatively new, particularly with the high current draws we expect, this make their lifespans short, even when using "repuatable" brands. The suppliers will give a lot of bulls**t on this point, but expect no more that about 30-40 cycles out of these expensive items. With a 1 hour minimum charge time, and maximum of about 10 minutes flying on a pack, you'll need at least 3 to keep you flying during the day.
How do you charge them ?, it takes a lot of current to charge one of these packs, therefore you need a good 12v mains power supply for home charging, and a very big lead acid battery for the field, or a generator. (Don't expect your car battery to suffice, I've push started move that one vehicle with a flat battery !)
How many chargers do you need 1, 2, 3 ?

Large electric models should ONLY be considered, with the current state of Lipo technology, if you have large, deep, pockets

That's my opinion, but before you go down this route, do your homework, work out the numbers, think about the logistics, and make a judged decision. This statement is true of all machines, there's nothing worse than having a great machine, that sits on the mantle piece because it's too expensive to run and repair.

[tourerjim]

Be careful to consider all advice with a "pinch of salt", as an example, and this is my own, possible blinkered view:

Trex 600 electric, the major disadvantage with this machine is the batteries (I fly Trex 600 nitro's myself, so the machine itself is great )

A 600 pack is outrageously expensive
LiPo technology is relatively new, particularly with the high current draws we expect, this make their lifespans short, even when using "repuatable" brands. The suppliers will give a lot of bulls**t on this point, but expect no more that about 30-40 cycles out of these expensive items. With a 1 hour minimum charge time, and maximum of about 10 minutes flying on a pack, you'll need at least 3 to keep you flying during the day.
How do you charge them ?, it takes a lot of current to charge one of these packs, therefore you need a good 12v mains power supply for home charging, and a very big lead acid battery for the field, or a generator. (Don't expect your car battery to suffice, I've push started move that one vehicle with a flat battery !)
How many chargers do you need 1, 2, 3 ?

Large electric models should ONLY be considered, with the current state of Lipo technology, if you have large, deep, pockets

That's my opinion, but before you go down this route, do your homework, work out the numbers, think about the logistics, and make a judged decision. This statement is true of all machines, there's nothing worse than having a great machine, that sits on the mantle piece because it's too expensive to run and repair.

Nice reading thats why I mention the 500 & true to your battery statement although can be affordable also if the weather is good for nitro its good for the 500 but anything less i.e 450 does depend on conditions

[heliboy]

I agree with all the opinions made here.

Take your time and no matter what decision you make you will fall in love and have a great time anyways.....

just to let you know where i am at at the moment.I have a 450 size heli and the weather is blowing it around a bit resulting in a crash last week.I also have a trex 600 cf but if i crash it it will cost me a fair bit more to fix.so i am learing on a 450 size heli and then transferring it to a 600.

if you do go for a 450 size alot of people are selling them due to the 450 pro coming out.So you would be able to get one for fairly cheap.Also because its a most popular size the spares are very plentiful.

Also take note that we are coming into winter soon.so the weather will not permit as much....

so taking all this into consideration ......Good luck with your choice.

If i had my choices again.I would gone staright for a 500 size cause the parts are not much more than the 450 and it can handle the wind heaps better.Then for the summer get a 600.

But remember whatever you choose you will love that little thing...

[trillian]

Large electric models should ONLY be considered, with the current state of Lipo technology, if you have large, deep, pockets

That's my opinion, but before you go down this route, do your homework, work out the numbers, think about the logistics, and make a judged decision. This statement is true of all machines, there's nothing worse than having a great machine, that sits on the mantle piece because it's too expensive to run and repair.

This is what kept me from going into a bigger electric heli. Plus the fact that I have to carry my stuff to the field by hand, as in trains and not cars, so a big lead battery or generator to charge with is not an option. So nitros work better for me all round. But 450's are very practical in that regard, so I am not coming back to a 450 to have that as an option.

The other thing I would add is that a good simulator will pay for itself many times over.

[Dannyyy]

Welcome to the site.

i wouldnt go with a nitro just yet... maybe somthing like a trex 500, or if you do go with nitro somthing like a raptor 30 v2?

[derrick]

Hi i am only a begginer started with the cx2 got bored very quickly, Bought the beam and learned to hover after a lot of small crashes, lovely little helli and cheap to repair, the only downside is the lipo's can be expensive and you will need a few of them, Have tried some cheap one's from ebay they seem to be alright but have not used them enough to know how long they would last. so can't really say at the moment how good they really are, Having been into nitro boats a few years ago thought i would try a nitro helli, So got myself a raptor 50 se second hand from a fellow club member, Just great so much easier to try to fly, Because of the size so much easier to see when it get's a bit further away. My flying has come on much qiicker. Seeing how you have already played with nitro motors you should not find it to difficult to get to grips with. I think if i started again i would go straight into a nitro. You really need to join a club you will get so much help from other club mebers. One other thing if you do buy second hand you really want to see it fly before you buy.
Good luck with whatever way you go. you will get lot's of help on this site. (GREATEST SITE ON THE WEB)
Really great bunch of lads and a couple of lasses.
Del.
PS Welcome on board.

[scallybert]

30-40 cycles for LiPos seems kind of pessimistic. But a good charger is essential.

The £35 packs I'm using are the Outrage ones. My point is that the 'name' packs for a 450 aren't completely extortionate.

[It's worth looking at the 'cost per flight', when doing these comparisons.]

I go to the flying field by train & foot. 2 G5s in two cases, everything else in a shoulder bag. It's not too bad. A single G5 is a doddle. 6 LiPos is about as long as I want to fly for.

(Worth bearing in mind that even if you drive there, you may have to park some way away.)

[marktigere1]

Hi

All good advice.

My only comment is to think carefully about a 450.

They crash an awful lot more than larger Heli's and whilst the cost per crash is lower, a couple of good crashes can equal one larger size Heli crash. (Ask me how I know)

I think the Raptor 30 is a great intro to the sport. Not too large and cheap to run in terms of both fuel and parts.

A Raptor 50/Trex 600 etc are also good but they are more powerful and can get away from you very quickly indeed. They also drink more fuel than the 30.

A good compromise would be the Trex 500 if you wanted to go electric but I have not flown one so cannot comment on its suitability.

Just my 2p.

Cheers

Mark

[trillian]

I go to the flying field by train & foot. 2 G5s in two cases, everything else in a shoulder bag. It's not too bad. A single G5 is a doddle. 6 LiPos is about as long as I want to fly for.

(Worth bearing in mind that even if you drive there, you may have to park some way away.)

We must be the only two people on here that do not drive to the field (with the exception of a few lucky enough to have a field on their doorstep).

I usually bring one heli in a nylon heli bag and then I have a two wheel trolley and one bag that holds the starter, fuel and tools, it's not that heavy but the trolley comes in very handy for long walks.