Sussex Newbee after advice

[doobeycat]

Good evening all,

I have just begun to seriously look at purchasing my first helicopter and thought I would come to a forum where people seem to know what they are talking about for a little bit of advice.

As this is a completely new ball game to me, I am very keen to get some advice on what the best helicopter would be for me along with the most suitable radio gear (I am keen to avoid an electric helicopter).

So far, I have looked at the Raptor 30 v2 and it appears to have a good right up, especially for beginners. Would you all agree?

If so, what radio gear is best suited to this helicopter with a novice in control?

Once I have established what to go for, where should I look for a good value deal?

Finally, I have been on the BMFA website to locate local clubs in the West Sussex area (Brighton) but would like to know if there are any members out there that could recommend a club in this area.

Any advice and direction on where I could find further literature would be much appreciated as I want to make sure I get my research right before I invest.

Many thanks in advance,

Ben

[Thomas]

I'll leave the kit advice for others to argure about.

I'm a member of SRFC and fly at Poling, more than welcome to nip over and see what it's all about. The club always tends to be full but I'm sure someone could give you an into.

[doobeycat]

Thomas,

Thanks for getting back so quickly. I was thinking about getting in contact with SRFC about popping down and speaking to a few people about the hobby. When do you normally meet down at Polling as it is only a stones throw from me.

Cheers

[Bigbellypopper]

I'll leave the kit advice for others to argure about.

Why? - at some point in your flying career you have owned most of it

[robgt]

Any literature you may find would likely only be a sales brochure anyway.
The best thing you can do is go down to your local club and speak to people there.
You will get to see who's flying which models and should get some sounds advice and ideas about your next step.

It's been said before; go for the same type of kit that other heli fliers at your (future) club are flying/using as they will be more capable of helping you with it, should you need help. (There's no doubt that you will - we all do/did).

Seems to me like you're going about things the right way too, which is always great to see.

Get advice, learn a little - then make your purchase and off you go.
Have fun!
Cheers,
Rob

[woody]

Have you given any thought to getting a Sim?

http://www.phoenix-sim.com/

[Ade_Law]

the raptor 30 is by far the best 30 size heli to get you going. However make sure you get the version without an engine and has the extra ball bearings to replace the rubbish bushes.

get the OS37 engine

for a radio take a look at the spektrum DX7 it uses the latest transmittion technology and comes with budget digitals which are very good value for money.

finally we have a gyro. you can get very cheap gyros and use a cheap analogue servo but these really dont control the tail very well makng your workload higher and your learning curve steeper. the futaba gy401 and 9254 servo are a reasonable chunk of money but are worth it.

another model worth looking at is the knight 50 (waits the the groan)

the knight 50 sport airframe is 190ukp. The engine you buy for it (OS50 hyper) is a litte more expensive than the OS37.

the knight being bigger is more stable and has more power than the 37 so as your skills grow you will grow into the model rather than grow out of it.

It will also do the book out of the box where the raptor will require some metal upgrades.

i have flown with the guys at SRFC (used to fly there many years ago) good bunch of guys at poling.

hope this helps,

Ade

[Thomas]

I try and get over to Poling when I can, but with the weather like it is there is not much point, as soon as it improves I'll be down regularly, I'll send a PM with the details. The SIM is the best place to start and Phoenix is the best one to get - give skylinemodels.co.uk a call and they'll sort you out.

Why? - at some point in your flying career you have owned most of it

cos I have a long way to go in order to catch up with grand master

....plus the Knight seems to be the heli to recommend these days and I don't really agree. It is the best flying 50 out there but the Raptor 50 has to be the easiest to own, with so much support out there with parts sold locally - which is more important to a beginner than how well is can do 3D.

[Leebert]

I try and get over to Poling when I can, but with the weather like it is there is not much point, as soon as it improves I'll be down regularly...

Let me know when you go down there Thomas, it'll be good to meet up and check out the 600

[Raptormadsteve]

Hi Ben
Raptors are about the most popular 30 sized heli parts are cheap easy to find a good s/h model os engines are about the best and most reliable. Radio gear is subject to your needs and your pocket. Best advise is allways buy a good giro and tail servo makes life a lot easier also a good flight sim pheonix is about the best and good value for money. Unless you know what your doing stear clear of ebay bargains and be carefull elsewhere shops for the most part not including skyline only want your cash and dont care what they sell you all they want is your cash in their till. All the guys on here are great and a wealth of knowledge! Good luck and happy flying
Steve