Complete Noob Needs Guidance...

[trillian]

Regarding blades, I was trying to find the J Perkins blades or some GRP 660/680mm blade but wasn't seeing any in my
brief search. I have SAB 660s on mine at the moment but very limited flying on those blades due to
a few little niggling issues (first had engine tuning probs and then the start hex adaptor wouldn't grip
the start shaft - anyway I'll get those things sorted)

NHP 680s come to mind and they're quite a good blade but just a bit more expensive. This is the lowest I have seen
on the 680s over here in the UK; Skyline*Models :: Blades :: NHP*Carbon*Blades*&*Accessories :: NHP*Main...

[agh321]

hi welcome to the madness that is rc heli flying

my advise would be to go the FLYBAR route until you can take off and land by second nature
the flybarless need to be 2 feet high before they become stable ,the swashplate tends to move on the ground while its waiting for your signal from the radio and if your not watching what whats going on youll will be taking off without a level swashplate, ie the heli wont take off straight up it will want to go where ever the swashplate is leaning , and if your learning to take off and hover youll be putting the heli down very often until you get used to the heli and radio so i think its to early for you to learn on a flybarless heli
ime not trying to tell you what to do only to give the best advise i can from my own experience

what ever heli you get good luck and ill watch out for your posts

[Gixxer]

Regarding blades, I was trying to find the J Perkins blades or some GRP 660/680mm blade but wasn't seeing any in my
brief search. I have SAB 660s on mine at the moment but very limited flying on those blades due to
a few little niggling issues (first had engine tuning probs and then the start hex adaptor wouldn't grip
the start shaft - anyway I'll get those things sorted)

NHP 680s come to mind and they're quite a good blade but just a bit more expensive. This is the lowest I have seen
on the 680s over here in the UK; Skyline*Models :: Blades :: NHP*Carbon*Blades*&*Accessories :: NHP*Main...

Thanks for the link, appreciated...

My (main) problem is that since moving to Ireland, I've discovered that nipping into town and buying what I want/need, is really a thing of the past. It's hard to find anything you need when you need it, and as such, if I want to stay in the air, I need a source for readily available parts, but unfortunately, these sources are few and far between. I've just spoken with the lad who is selling the 60, and he said "I can get a set of blades for you, no problem"... it turns out, he owns the shop I bought the DX8 from, and they're really the only shop in Ireland worth dealing with, with 'sensible' prices. Unfortunately, the shop is about 100 miles from me, so it's not like I can nip round and have a look around the shop, because apart from anything else, I only have motorbikes, so I couldn't carry anything home if I did buy it, so any purchases I make have to be online.

At €200, I don't think I can turn down the Raptor 60, especially with a rebuilt engine, so I think I'll go for it, but after thinking long and hard, I know it will have to be one of two, because I know I will crash it (or whichever other heli I go for) and I will be waiting a while for spares, so as much as I know I can't afford it, I know I will have to have two machines... What have I got into?!?!?

hi welcome to the madness that is rc heli flying

my advise would be to go the FLYBAR route until you can take off and land by second nature
the flybarless need to be 2 feet high before they become stable ,the swashplate tends to move on the ground while its waiting for your signal from the radio and if your not watching what whats going on youll will be taking off without a level swashplate, ie the heli wont take off straight up it will want to go where ever the swashplate is leaning , and if your learning to take off and hover youll be putting the heli down very often until you get used to the heli and radio so i think its to early for you to learn on a flybarless heli
ime not trying to tell you what to do only to give the best advise i can from my own experience

what ever heli you get good luck and ill watch out for your posts

I am going to try both. I've decided I'm going to sell my last hobby (music) to finance this one, so whatever money I realise from the sale of my last venture, I'll pump into this one and see how long it lasts *insert suitable facepalm smiley*

Thanks again for the replies, and I'll see what bits I can source in the following months to bring this to fruition.

Also, it appears I am unable to post in the 'wanted' section, so if anyone has anything for sale at the right price, please let me know.

Thanks again for all your help guys, appreciated.

[vinny155]

hello gixxer,welcome to the forum,you will be glad to be in ireland once your able to fly,space to fly here around london is scarce,at the moment im able to get out twice a week whereas if i was in ireland id be out 7 days a week weather permitting,which i suppose translates into one day a week at best lol

enjoy the learning curve,its a very steep one but very rewarding

[cjcj1949]

There is really so much to learn in this hobby. Doing it on your own is next to impossible. A sim is a good start but it often gives a false sense of ability. I would advise a very cautious approach. Each mistake on a 600 will cost a lot of money. I would get am mcx and practice indoor. When you can fly that nose in you can move on to an msr. Meanwhile you will need to learn how to set up a heli. You can practice flying and trimming a heli on Phoenix. Also although Phoenix and real life are very similar in terms of what you need to do on the tx, there is one big difference. That's the pilot's response. In real life it is much more difficult until you can do it, then it is easier than the sim. It's all about the way we respond to stress. Once you get a proper heli, the first thing to try is just a hop. A takeoff and immediate landing. That is quite an achievement. If you pretend that the sim is real life it will help. Every time you crash, make an estimate of the cost and time it will take to rebuild and set it all up and get it trimmed again. Then make out a cheque for the full amount payable to chrisjohnaid. I'll make sure it gets used in a worthwhile cause. If you post unedited videos of your flying people can advise you of the best way to practice.

[Gixxer]

hello gixxer,welcome to the forum,you will be glad to be in ireland once your able to fly,space to fly here around london is scarce,at the moment im able to get out twice a week whereas if i was in ireland id be out 7 days a week weather permitting,which i suppose translates into one day a week at best lol

enjoy the learning curve,its a very steep one but very rewarding

Fortunately, I've been given access to about 20 acres to fly on, so the space isn't a problem. My ability and finances are the only the only real stumbling blocks, and given time, I'm hoping that finances will be my only hurdle...

By the way, if anyone ever wants to fly in Ireland, I have unlimited access to this area... let me know...

There is really so much to learn in this hobby. Doing it on your own is next to impossible. A sim is a good start but it often gives a false sense of ability. I would advise a very cautious approach. Each mistake on a 600 will cost a lot of money. I would get am mcx and practice indoor. When you can fly that nose in you can move on to an msr. Meanwhile you will need to learn how to set up a heli. You can practice flying and trimming a heli on Phoenix. Also although Phoenix and real life are very similar in terms of what you need to do on the tx, there is one big difference. That's the pilot's response. In real life it is much more difficult until you can do it, then it is easier than the sim. It's all about the way we respond to stress. Once you get a proper heli, the first thing to try is just a hop. A takeoff and immediate landing. That is quite an achievement. If you pretend that the sim is real life it will help. Every time you crash, make an estimate of the cost and time it will take to rebuild and set it all up and get it trimmed again. Then make out a cheque for the full amount payable to chrisjohnaid. I'll make sure it gets used in a worthwhile cause. If you post unedited videos of your flying people can advise you of the best way to practice.

I've realised that I need a lot more practice on a sim before I can even contemplate taking the real thing into the air. Finances are dictating what I can achieve, and unfortunately, I don't have the finances to constantly rebuild crashed helis, so I have to make damn sure that I have mastered the sim before I will fly the real thing.

I can fly the sim OK (ish) but my hovering and landing still need a lot of work, and until I've mastered them, I won't be taking to the air... I simply can't afford to.

Thanks again for all your help, I really do appreciate it!

[trillian]

I am going to try both. I've decided I'm going to sell my last hobby (music) to finance this one, so whatever money I realise from the sale of my last venture, I'll pump into this one and see how long it lasts *insert suitable facepalm smiley*

Check this out; Many moons ago (the 1980s) I somehow got an RC helicopter, I don't recall what I swapped for it but
I ended up with one, it was an 'American Revolution .40', a very crude thing by todays standards and it's lucky I
never tried to fly it. Anyway, I was working in a music store and a guy came in wanting to sell a synthesiser, I
offered him the helicopter and he went for it, so I swapped a heli for a musical instrument. Then just last year
I sold two electronic drum modules (dating back to the 1980s) and used the money to buy a helicopter.

[Gixxer]

Check this out; Many moons ago (the 1980s) I somehow got an RC helicopter, I don't recall what I swapped for it but
I ended up with one, it was an 'American Revolution .40', a very crude thing by todays standards and it's lucky I
never tried to fly it. Anyway, I was working in a music store and a guy came in wanting to sell a synthesiser, I
offered him the helicopter and he went for it, so I swapped a heli for a musical instrument. Then just last year
I sold two electronic drum modules (dating back to the 1980s) and used the money to buy a helicopter.

That's exactly what I'm trying to do...

I sold a Roland Juno G, and that paid for the transmitter and a bottle of Hennessey XO ... now I need to sell the Electribes and the Kaoss pad to pay for the heli...

I don't really have much money to throw at this, and I realise that isn't a great start, but that's why I have to get a lot of hours in on the sim before taking to the air, but once all the music gear is gone, I'll be good to go