Suitable Upgrade from Blade 120SR?

[Boggy]

Strange how advice changes with the times!I personally would follow daveys route. But lately on the forum we've seen posts from guys saying how crazy this would be and to start with small mcpx style heli's and a sim, some suggesting the trex 500 also?
I think you need to look at not only budget but also where and when your going to use your heli.If your going the "bigger is better" route the certainly think about joining a club and getting assistance starting out.Even with a 450 think about where you can fly it safely.
And don't forget insurance

[tomatwalden]

I'll take an alternative approach, go for a 50 size nitro or electric. Miss out on skittish 450 sized helis and move to something more stable, yes admittedly a little more expensive but far better to learn on IMO. You will have more respct for the 50 size and far less prone to try something you're not capable of doing yet, therefore less crashes. It will handle wind far easier and therefore give you more flying time which is what you want when you're learning.

If you're thinking what you've got now is too small and you have no cost restrictions then this is the way to move on.

I'm not sure "little more expensive" is kinda accurate A 130x is about £140, £160 if you include a 3 or 4 extra batteries. Don't honestly know the price for a small nitro, but I can't imagine you'd get everything you need for less than £500? (somebody's bound to correct me here!). If you're serious mind, the principle of bigger=easier is certainly true if you're not intimidated by the big birds ... Even if you are, a possible path you could take would be ....

.... for a reasonable amount a money, you could get a couple of 1-on-1 lessons. An hours worth of training should be around £20-£30 and you get to fly with an instructor using a "buddy box" system. If you lose control of the heli, the instructor takes over. Just two or three lessons will move you on massively!

Personally, I spent an hour at the Phoenix UAV centre near Bath, but there's schools all over the UK.

[Varelco]

IMO id say a 450x or a 500 of some sort, (align,gaui, protos) a 50 sized nitro is a huge jump from a 120SR.

[Boggy]

We've seen s/h raptor 30 for not much more Tom add a gallon of fuel/starter/glowstarter and go fly Its only an expensive hobbie once your hooked

[tomatwalden]

Strange how advice changes with the times!I personally would follow daveys route. But lately on the forum we've seen posts from guys saying how crazy this would be and to start with small mcpx style heli's and a sim, some suggesting the trex 500 also?
I think you need to look at not only budget but also where and when your going to use your heli.If your going the "bigger is better" route the certainly think about joining a club and getting assistance starting out.Even with a 450 think about where you can fly it safely.
And don't forget insurance

I did loads of research/reading when I started. Personally I found John Salt's website (rchelicopterfun.com) really useful. Pretty much based upon what I read there, I bought a 120SR followed by a Blade 450-3D.

I do think though that helis like the nano cPX and in particular, the 130X are changing things. Flybars are going out of fashion and there are some manufacturers already that only do flybarless so the days of training skids and ground-hover exercises *may* be on their way out?

If I was starting again, and knowing what I know now (admittedly, not much ), I would probably have gone 120SR->130X before progressing onwards, but that's just me. I'm only now starting to move to a 500 heli as I find the big heli's intimidating. Also I keep thinking of the time/effort/cost to repair them if they crash whilst I'm flying them. Conversely, I fly the small, almost indestructible 130X with much more confidence - and hence, better than say my 450X.

Everyone's different mind!

[waveydavey]

I reckon you could get in the air with a second hand 600 for around £800 (ish). This would then see you through til 3d SkyGod if that's the route you take. I'm afraid I have very little time for 'Toy' helis, yes they have their place and can be fun for 10 mins but I would soon get bored. Fiddly to repair, hard to see at any distance, and blown skyward by the wind, not for me I'm afraid. It's a route into the hobby definitely and some may stick with it, but theres no substitute for a big chopper

I don't think training gear is a thing of the past though, I don't think beginners should start with flybarless on larger machines either. Theres a certain amount of knowledge and flying capability needed to setup a fbl machine. If I was advising anyone on starting out, big is better and leave the flappy bits on, until you can fly

[driver2665]

Massive thanks to all you guys taking the time and effort to answer my dilema. Plenty there to think about. Ultimately I want to be going for the big helis, however, due to the Blade being like a kite in the wind i spend most of the flying time stopping it dissapearing off in the distance or in the sky. I'm thinking maybe the 130X is a good option. Smaller more wind friendly (according to the advice here). then i should be able to hone my flying skills without the expensive repair costs......but dam i want a big heli.. Ive contacted a guy locally ish about a flying club not far from me. Time for a visit to a club i think.