Helicopter which one ?

[daywalker]

Looking to buy a 6 ch heli but which one best for a beginner ?

[Adrian]

Personally a raptor 30, thats only because it gave me confidance and peace of mind.
Im sure you will have other sugestions in a mo.

[callum]

Raptor 30v2 had one not too long ago... and there great machines! Smooth and Stable just what you need when starting out, but it sure can be made a little more agaile once you got the basics coverd! (as you can see in my avatar :P)



Sold my Raptor to another member on the forum here, and he is progressing very well with it!

[Mike W]

buy a raptor 50 and it will progress with you .. if you buy a 30 you will only end up with a 50 anyway ...

[Mart61]

Looking to buy a 6 ch heli but which one best for a beginner ?

Any idea on your budget?

[Airwolfie]

buy a raptor 50 and it will progress with you .. if you buy a 30 you will only end up with a 50 anyway ...

I agree on the size, but go for the T-rex's if you can afford them, top heli's and spare parts come in two's!!!

The raptor is a good learner, most guys at our club have them.

All depends on your budget really....

[Dedcalm]

Any idea on your budget?

Exactly what I was thinking... your options will narrowed down initially by your budget. Then whether you want electric or nitro and then what size machine you want (remember the small machines like 250's and 450's are twitchy due to their size, the larger 30, 50 and 90 machines are progressively more stable but more expensive to boot)

I started out with a 30 and now have a Raptor 50 - certainly can do everything I can do and plenty more

[daywalker]

Between £100-£200 as i need to keep some money back as im bound to crash a few times. Did have a Walkera 60b but was told it was difficult to fly so got rid but i kept the training gear

[Airwolfie]

In all honesty, I would say your budget is not enough. Fair enough the smaller heli's damage less in a crash, but knowing myself trying to learn with a little heli is near impossible. You would be a lot better off with a 30 size or bigger for learning. You could try your luck with e-bay, we have a member who scored a 90 size heli off e-bay under £300!!! Look out for raptors, they usually go cheap and are good learner heli's.

Or save some more money....

[Mart61]

Or save some more money....

I'm with this option.

However, if you want to "toe dip" to see if you like the hobby before jumping right in, you could do a lot worse than an E-flite Blade CX2 or CX3, or even an mCX.

CX2 - Fast Lad Performance

CX3 - Fast Lad Performance

mCX - Fast Lad Performance

These are all very stable helicopters, curiously enough the most stable of which is the smallest - the mCX.

Many of us on here started with these kind of helis and many of us, me included, still enjoy flying them.

They are within your budget, are a lot of fun and a good way to start learning.

Be warned tho, on all but the absolute stillest of days, these helis are all indoor models. I found the CX2/3 a little too large for my house and bought the tiny mCX. They are a lot of fun...

[trillian]

One option would be to spend 70 of that (or whatever it is these days) and get Phoenix, then save up a bit for a better heli. Work out the basic stuff on the sim and then crash less with the real thing.

[dougtucker]

However, if you want to "toe dip" to see if you like the hobby before jumping right in, you could do a lot worse than an E-flite Blade CX2 or CX3, or even an mCX.

CX2 - Fast Lad Performance

CX3 - Fast Lad Performance

mCX - Fast Lad Performance

These are all very stable helicopters, curiously enough the most stable of which is the smallest - the mCX.

Go for the mCX. Very stable, cheap spares. Can fly it indoors, a big plus, because its so light it wont damage anything when it hits it, or you. There's now the mSR which is supposed to be more versatile though haven't flown that.

[dam74]

I wouldn't buy the MSR to learn on as you'll get put off quick as you'll be buying spares within the week. If that is your budget you're probably better off as others have suggested, save up more money.

Word of warning about eBay, if you can't go visit the person (with somebody experienced) then don't buy it. I purchased a lemon Century Hawk Pro (no the lemon bit not being it's Century) for £200 and it has about £200-250 of repairs to do to get it airborne. It was sold as RTF aswell on eBay and I'm absolutely livid about it. Have an eBay/Paypal case pending on it now. So I wouldn't go second hand unless you have somebody experienced check it over before purchase or you could see if any of your local clubs have any helis for sale explain to them that you're a beginner.

[matt27]

id mix two ideas that have come up so far but change them a little
id get the mcx to get started and then if you see yourself staying in the hobby get phoenix
will set u on your way nicely i think nd as far as im aware its just in your budget

[Holst]

Everybody starts out in a slightly different way. There isnt one best way to get into the hobby

Helicopters are quite difficult to learn and also difficult to setup. The more help you can get the better.
You have made a good move asking here before you spend any money as this place is very helpfull.

If you want to fly outside then you will need somewhere to fly.
By far the best place to start out will be your local heli club. Watching people who already know how to fly is the best way to learn.
You can also look at a selection of other peoples helis and find out how much the cost and the advantages and disadvantages of different helis (electric/nitro, large/small)
Most clubs should have a buddy box avalable and you might be able to get a go on a buddy lead and have a little try in a safe enviroment.

The only thing that you MUST buy if you are starting out is a PC simulator.
This is the best way to learn how to fly without the worry of crash repairs.
If you dont want to spend much in the beginning buy a cheap sim and transmitter (one of the £25 ones) and have a play on the PC.
If your sure you want to get into helis then buy a propper transmitter and a copy of phoenix simulator. This is much more realistic and you can use the transmitter to fly for real once you have decided which heli to buy.

Its a pretty expensive hobby so your budget of £200 wont get you a good quality reliable heli for flying outside.
If you want to fly inside then a Blade MCX and a copy of phoenix simulator will be a great way to learn the basics.