What was your learning process and first "proper" heli?

[Reality Bites]

Just curious to be honest. Having literally started out in this no more than three weeks ago, I've taken the approach of a dx7s and Phoenix.

I'm watching training videos, asking advice, using the sim etc. I'm already seeing the need to have a model to try on other than just sim time but it begs the question, where do you start?

Some will say start with a small indoor heli such as the Msrx or mcpx, others say go to something like a trex500 as they are more stable and better in a breeze. I guess you have to weigh up speed of learning vs speed/cost of your crashes?

[p4ddy]

What size you learn on doesn't matter..the size of your wallet to cover the cost of crashes does matter. You should learn on what you can afford to repair (lots of times) that's why i began with my Sabre Fixed pitch heli but i had no training gear so i crashed a bit.

[Gixxer]

I started with Phoenix and a 700n, but I've since bought 2x 450s and I reckon they're a good place to start (with cheap, fibreglass blades).

I know a lot of people will say start with a small indoor one, but if you have Phoenix, then I don't see the need for a small, indoor heli, because you're getting all the stick time you need on the sim... That's just my opinion, and I'm sure there will be many more.

[p4ddy]

To add, you don't need to keep crashing if you spend a lot of valuable time on the sim. Remember it's a training aid & not a game

[zoombolt]

It's also about your nerve. Actually, it's alot about your nerve........

A co-axail heli is cheap starter (blade cx2) gets your nerves out of the way & teaches you heli orientation. And just how quickly it can go belly up.

Next, onto the 450 class. Collective pitch for the first time. Crash, crash & crash again. But cheap - ish to repair & it teaches you how to repair a CP heli.

Then the worlds your lobster. Some venture straight into the 700's, the bigger the heli the more stable, most will pick a 500 or 600, as a bigger heli may be more stable, but try relaying that to your pants.

Many start with the smaller heli & stay there for years, just as happy as mentioned above.

It's about nerve, space, cost & addiction.

Over to you................

[electricsceadu]

i started the good old way
a hirobo shuttle training legs and went for it
like many had before me


but with the modern sims get used to the controls of the tx on the sim
and then make your mind up on what size of heli you wish to start with

[Johnny Bravo]

There is no substitute for battery packs drained or nitro burnt.Just after it seems totally hopeless and you will never get the hang of it, your heli learns to behave itself.Just hang in there.......

[BavarianRob]

I'd say it's down to how quick you learn, how big your wallet is and your nerve as mentioned in an earlier post. If you can afford a 700 then great but you WILL crash and a 700 will cost a lot to repair (the blades alone are £70) not to mention the fact you will shit yourself when it lifts off!

MCPX, Sim and a 450 will see you right for a start. My flying has improved no end since I got the 450.

[Randall]

I never used a sim, my first heli was a xcell fury extreme 90 lol, with a mechanical gyro. That was 10 years ago, i never actually crashed it while learning, infact i never crashed the xcell all the time i owned it. A good training UC will help alot. Personally i would go for a 500 or 600 as it will give you the most stick time andyou can fly in higher wind. But a 450 is good because its cheap. Really its down to budget. Best value for money and low crash cost along side flying the most like a big heli ... The trex 500 has to win IMO

[Reality Bites]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I'm getting to the point with the sim where I need to understand the radio setup some more. I'm getting the handle of hovering nose out and tend to have to recover when I get twitchy and it flies away lol.

I do have novice responses when trying to recover and snatch the controls the wrong way but can only hope these improve with time and practise.

[snowy]

I started with a old JR Ergo 30 which i still have a very solid old bus but i would probably go with a t-rex 450 in hindsite as they a lot cheaper to crash !

[AcidDrink]

msr->sim->250->sim->450->sim->sim->sim->700 in last 16 or so months. No crashes so far, except on simulator.

Mcpx I fool around with in my garden, but it doesn't really teach me much. I'll say it again, it's highly overrated heli for learning (mcpx).
I'd recommend getting a cheap indoor heli like msr, just to try something tactile, then go straight to a 450 or bigger.

[Reality Bites]

msr->sim->250->sim->450->sim->sim->sim->700 in last 16 or so months. No crashes so far, except on simulator.

Mcpx I fool around with in my garden, but it doesn't really teach me much. I'll say it again, it's highly overrated heli for learning (mcpx).
I'd recommend getting a cheap indoor heli like msr, just to try something tactile, then go straight to a 450 or bigger.

I had been advised to go for something like the Msrx so may opt for that. I always thought people that said they haven't crashed we're lying lol. You're the second person ive seen today who have said it....

[James A]

I had a blade sr but would probably recomend starting on a Trex 450 which was my next large heli, and an mcpx or the new one slightly bigger that's got a tube driven tail (avoids blowout). Basically you can get your orientations going on the smaller Helis in a small garden. I have a reasonable sized garden and still wouldn't go nose in on the 450 in it. On the mcpx I practice all orientations in the garden including inverte, yes sometimes the tail blows out but it is lots of fun and can easily take crashes where the 450 needs a repair after every crash.

Unless you've got a good club near you I wouldn't think of anything over a 450 to start as you'll have nowhere to fly it.

Whatever you decide to do you'll still s**t yourself if you start on a 450 or above so enjoy.

[Gecko501]

Learning to fly is all about training your brain and thumbs to do what you want them to do! I thought I was flying tail in without problem until I went down to a club and was told I was doing it all wrong. Just because you not crashing doesn't mean you flying! This is the process that I was told to practice regardless of what heli or sim you using.

Have your heli directly in front of you tail in, take off,move out to the left without using rudder stop hover then back along the same line and out to the right and hover all this in a straight line. Theory is that when you are out to the side you are learning side on hover and you doing it both sides. If you loose control bring it back land in front of you and start again.

Once you have that down take it out to the left turn 45 or 90 degrees with the rudder and take it out to the right along the same straight line remembering to hold the hover at each end. Now you are learning side on in forward flight.

Next step is to keep turning the heli until u are practicing nose in moving out to the left and right and eventually your turns at either end will be getting bigger and you are doing figures of 8. This is what I am learning at the moment and find it easier to learn on my mcpx than on the sim.

Next steps to learn are to do exactly the same steps as above but backwards then inverted then backwards inverted and eventually all the above while doing piros and each time you are retraining your brain and thumbs so it's at this point you wonder how many times you will crash during each learning curve so I would avoid a expensive heli and consider a mcpx that you can push these boundaries with. Then when you more confident and you can save a out of control heli, get a 500 size or something along those lines remembering that you need to find a club or space you are allowed to fly it in.

I can honestly say I was close to getting a bigger heli until last weekend when I popped down to a club and watched my mate fly his trex 500 for the first time. It scared the crap out of me! Need to get my confidence up before I fly one of those!!

Best of luck and welcome to the addiction !!!