Beginners and New to Heli's ... Read this FIRST

[andy455]

Hi, Just read the beginners thread and it was very informative, so thanks for that. I think I'm gonna start of with a cheaper heli around the £100 mark and see how well I do with that.

Cheers

Andy

[dellowwarren]

Hi all

is there any indoor halls or places that i can fly my belt cp with others in north london area???

[Tom Sawyer]

Hi, I am just starting out with helis as a self taught fixed wing pilot and firstly want to agree totally with ModelGuard.com; every hobby I have ever done I have found so called beginner outfits a hindrance but I havent got the money for his approach so have started with a pheonix sim and T rex 450 clone, but if I had the money, I'd have done it something like ModelGuard.

I took the CopterX out for the first time a couple of days ago having spent hours on the sim and suprise suprise I could basically fly the bird. I had a couple of heavy landings and have bent a few bits but it wasnt a disaster thanks largely to the fact it was RTF out of the box (must be, I am a total beginner with no body to help me and I flew it) and...... I had the sim.

I like the challenge of teaching myself but with the sim and all the resource on the web - not to mention a good model shop if I really got stuck - its not really self learning as it was if you taught yourself back in the 80's. My hat goes off to those flyers...

[Mimbulus]

Personally I think you would be far better off getting a Dx6i tx and Phoenix. Then something like a Blade mSR or 120SR.
These are both well proven helis that are suitable for a novice, with spares readily available.

this is exactly the route I am taking. A JD Perkins Medevac got me bitten and a few weeks ago got Phoenix and an 120SR with the DX6i. A couple of nights ago, on that beautiful still evening I was able to fly circuits around the garden (which I find easier than nose in hover). Have eyes on a Trex 450 or 500 but finding the kit options bewildering. Are there advantages of 500 over 450 ? Is bigger really better? Can someone point me to advice on model options?

Mim

[Mike W]

Depends on how much you want to spend at the end of the day .. Personally if you flying in an open space then the 500 will be easier to fly in the wind .. TBH I tend to fly my 90 more than my 50 now . As I only fly at my club I tend to stick with nitros as well. Theres lots of options for 500 size .. Stick a post up and see what replies you get back

[Guest]

this is exactly the route I am taking. A JD Perkins Medevac got me bitten and a few weeks ago got Phoenix and an 120SR with the DX6i. A couple of nights ago, on that beautiful still evening I was able to fly circuits around the garden (which I find easier than nose in hover). Have eyes on a Trex 450 or 500 but finding the kit options bewildering. Are there advantages of 500 over 450 ? Is bigger really better? Can someone point me to advice on model options?

Mim

The bigger heli's are more stable, fly better in wind and are easier to see. The disadvantages are the costs for spare parts and batteries.

[matty-boy]

My Trex500 is SO SO SO much more stable than my Blade 450!!!! I'd recommend a 500 any day!!

[BenScoobert]

this is exactly the route I am taking. A JD Perkins Medevac got me bitten and a few weeks ago got Phoenix and an 120SR with the DX6i. A couple of nights ago, on that beautiful still evening I was able to fly circuits around the garden (which I find easier than nose in hover). Have eyes on a Trex 450 or 500 but finding the kit options bewildering. Are there advantages of 500 over 450 ? Is bigger really better? Can someone point me to advice on model options?

Mim

Basic answer is go as big as your budget will allow. You WILL crash, don't buy anything you can't afford to fix.
Costs grow exponentially with size, but you don't have to buy the latest and greatest.
I bought a used raptor E620, a cheapo chinese trex450 clone and an MCPX.
I'm glad I got all of them. The E620 taught me not to buy 2nd hand when you don't know what you are buying, the HK450GT was the 1st build, the mcpx teaches you basics, like nose in, inverted etc.

[spaceghost]

Hi, my first proper heli was leaving present as I am about to start my ppl in september. I was given a mini twister scale rc heli. I cant fly it in beginner mode only in advanced, hope this is ok! Very light wind here last night so flew outside asn was well impressed. even landed in the same position as I took over and held a hover for few mins. Just wanted some advice if i should keep practicing outdoors as space is limited indoors! Plus upgrades etc. Thanks, Ian

[jtwirecloth]

got a cheapish 9118 3ch, got no forward speed, so upgrading to bigger tail rotor, turned the lower set upside down as shown on youtube to stop the flybar hitting. bought spare battery, replaced top rotors already, and this is only 3 ch.
bought mcx 4ch, so far, new top & bottom blades, inner shaft, skids, and 2 batterys. so my point is £300 more or less between the 2.
agree with top article, wish I knew what i know now.
looking for 450 class next, high priority will be simulator, bx6i, hope to find second hand deal somewhere.....

[gazmk2]

I took a slightly different route! I started off with one of them £30 infra-red coax jobbies from a toy shop, then moved on to a £50 fixed pitch "ev.04" that was bags of fun and despite a huge amount of crashes nothing ever broke! Then I took the plunge and went for a blade nano followed by a 130x.

The cost of learning to fly a heli for me (made cheaper by the fact that I am already a plank flier so had a dx8 to fly the nano with) was £160 (£30 toy shop job, £50 fixed pitch & £80 for the nano)

[jtwirecloth]

really have the bug now, go every week to my club, god only knows what i have spent. here is my line up. mcx now not used as i find it so slow, blade 120 sr fantastic fun, throwing this around now, blade 400, awaiting repair, trex 550e with motor and esc, not even started the build yet. trying to fly mcpx, this is evil, so quick lots of crashes at the moment. until i can fly this I am not going to repair 400.
I have planes also, wot 4 and durafly stuka. havnt had any lessons yet as I am concentrating on the helis. got nitro plane and 2 gliders also.
DX6i.... this itself was japanese to me, but slowly getting there, can now work through the menus and even have some idea of what the functions do.
have pheonix flight sim, getting to fly the planes, but helis just fly off before i can get to grips with them.
now throw in the chargers, batteries and spares, dont suppose I am far off £1500.
what an incredible hobby, you even learn a little science.

[tony.filbert]

Sorry as a newbie myself can i just say that is looking like a very intresting debate however i think i find myself in the middle here. i have just been bought a 3 chanel co axial heli for xmas which as previously mentioned i got bored with verry quickly (about ten minutes) i can hover it at a stable altitude and move around my front room with no problems at. my pc is verry old and will not run any sort of simulators so that is not an option for me but i do want to move up on to bigger and better machines a friend has recomended a blade MSRx and not the MSR due to the latter having a fly bar.
where would you sugest i fit in as a beginer to the hobby

[Spud gun]

Good reading and good sence

[AcidDrink]

RE: Beginners and New to Heli's ... Read this FIRST

There is nothing better to learn on than simulator or buddy box with good instructor. So id either buy a pc which can run a sim, doesn't have to be state if the art and/or spend some money on lessons. You will be crashing too much otherwise. Mcpx and other micros won't teach you much besides orientation if you are total beginner, if you can fly already they are good fun and somewhat useful as learning aid.
Michal