What to get?

[Rich J]

Just a tip for the longer term....

Once you get your blade, start saving for a flight simulator. Phoenix is about the best around at the moment and will set you back about £80.

This hobby is very addictive and you will probably want to progress once you've got used to your blade. The simulator will allow you to try some of the more expensive heli's without the outlay and enhance your skills for when you eventually do upgrade. The good news is that the radio set that comes with the blade will be compatible with Phoenix.

Good Luck!

[pxr5]

I decided to go for the hawk in the end, and had it a tenner cheaper than normal price (so £90) from my local model shop. Only had two flights so far, first i thought oh god what have i just wasted my money on - couldnt even get it off the ground without it flying off into a wall etc, but on the second flight i learnt that if i just gave it a lot of throttle and quite quick untill it got a few feet in the air, it seemed much easier and managed to steady it to a breif however a couple of times. Also just about got the hang of landing it, and so far, no damage!!

anyway, although i can get it up, hover, and get it back down, it seems quite hard to move it around and stay steady at the same time, and cant really even move it round the room at the moment without having to bring it down because losing control etc. Is this normal or can most people have more control by this time? also anyone got any tips for more control and steadiness in trying to move it around? or is it just a case of keep practising? also think im going to have to get anther battery because waiting 1hour+ fr it to charge each time is getting a bit boring lol


cheers

use very subtle inputs. yea keep practicing thats the only way. i got 4 batteries with my first heli so i was never waiting around. try and hover at eye level, theres no turbulence. also keep your eyes on the nose of that heli, its the best place to look to be able to predict the heli's movements apparently.

[pompeyjohn]

ok, take it a step at a time. dont rush. your doing fine.

check this site out:
http://www.littlerotors.com/flyinglessons/index.aspx

Also you might find that you need to 'trim' your heli so that it is more stable. Check the documentation that came with your heli to see how to do it. Many on here will be able to help with this.

All helicopters behave a little funny when they are close to the ground. They are used to blowing air down, not blowing air against the floor! You'll find that if you get it up to a few feet of more in the air it will be more stable.

Seriously, your doing fine. Just take your time. Have you got a set of training ping pong balls? They only cost a few quid, and if your chipping blades from hitting stuff they'll help at the start.

You dont need them. Just clear a big space and make yourself an imaginary box. If you fly out of it. Land. Put the heli back in the box. Power up again and try to stay there.

You'll get it in no time

[Bubblefish777]

Definately learn to trim your heli first.
On the CX2 package there was a cd that showed you how to do this but basically as you increase throttle and it twists left and right (while on the floor) trim it out so it doesn't do that....then let the heli creep off the floor an inch....it might drift forward and to the right immediately. Shut the power down and again trim it back and to the left....keep doing these little 1inch hops and shut downs until you have trimmed the heli to the point where when it lifts off the drift is very small....then take it up to about 3-4 foot and learn to maintain height. If you have the drift down to small amounts you can concentrate on learning to use your throttle and hover and land reasonably well. Next thing is then to use your controls and maintain position while maintaining height. If you can do all this....you're hovering don't forget....do this with the tail towards you as it will appear more natural. Keep practicing until you can land your heli anywhere. I am now at the point where i can walk behind mine flying it through the house and doorways. (Harder than you think)

[Richie]

Thanks for all the tips eveyone, can take off ok now, hover around 5 ft in the air just about and starting to be able to move it around roughly, but still seems very hard. One thing about the trims, I have got it sort of set right i think, but on the yaw one, i have it set all the way left, yet when in hover it still seems to twist right?! This is quite annoying especially where im trying to move around a little bit, because so far i can only sort of manage going forward, so when it twists to the left, thats the way it goes rather than in the direction i first had it in. anyone know why this could be / what i can do to try and stop it?

anyway as i said progressing a bit, but still having trouble moving around, and to be honest cant really see me ever getting to the stage of flying it from room to room etc (mainly used it in my garden so far due to more room / less obstacles than inside), but ill keep trying

oh and about the training balls, is it worth getting them to try and move around? or is it just for practising taking off? because i can take off quite steady now, so if its just for that wouldnt really be worth it, but if they are good for moving around, anyone know where to get them from?


Thanks again

[pxr5]

Thanks for all the tips eveyone, can take off ok now, hover around 5 ft in the air just about and starting to be able to move it around roughly, but still seems very hard. One thing about the trims, I have got it sort of set right i think, but on the yaw one, i have it set all the way left, yet when in hover it still seems to twist right?! This is quite annoying especially where im trying to move around a little bit, because so far i can only sort of manage going forward, so when it twists to the left, thats the way it goes rather than in the direction i first had it in. anyone know why this could be / what i can do to try and stop it?

anyway as i said progressing a bit, but still having trouble moving around, and to be honest cant really see me ever getting to the stage of flying it from room to room etc (mainly used it in my garden so far due to more room / less obstacles than inside), but ill keep trying

oh and about the training balls, is it worth getting them to try and move around? or is it just for practising taking off? because i can take off quite steady now, so if its just for that wouldnt really be worth it, but if they are good for moving around, anyone know where to get them from?


Thanks again

something i noticed with the small micro helis is that as the battery dies the effectiveness of the tail gets impaired and when i start on a full battery with my yaw trim set in the middle, the flight is great for the first few minutes but then the tail starts to move to the right and i have to add trim in flight to hold it, but it keeps moving, by the time the battery is dead the trim is all the way over to the right, or left depending which way the tail was moving, its been a while since i flew it. i dont know if this is the case with all electric heli's but it is annoying.

i doubt you will be able to fly from room to room until you have mastered the controls.

yea ive seen people move around with the training balls on there, ive never used them myself so i don't know how effective they are..