New to Helis

[Steggo]

Hi all. Im completely new to rc helis and this year for xmas i really want an rc heli. I was looking at some beginner ones but after feeling i would get bored very quickly i started looking at some more advanced versions. I am really taken by the look and the value it seams of the blade mcp x2. Im going for the rtf version as i am on a tight budget so this suits me perfectly. My main question and concern is this, as a complete novice am i biting off more than i can chew, will i be able to fly this heli in t basic manor without it flipping,rolling etc. I am 32 so i ain't draft, but can anyone assure me that i will b able to master the art of flight before i move onto tricks n flips. I really look forward to hearing your views and opinions. Many thanks Steggo

[Baldie]

New to Helis

Welcome to the forum !
The mcpx can take a fair bit of abuse and will get you well on the road to flying bigger helis. It can be a bit of a hand full at first - but stick at it !

Also consider a sim , even one of the free ones to start with, it will help you gt your head around the controls and speed up your progress further !

Good luck !

[tomatwalden]

Starting with a 6-channel collective pitch heli like the mcpx is a big jump and a steep learning curve, but it can be done. However, you might find it easier starting with a 4-channel fixed pitch heli like the Blade mSRX or 120SR.

You can get training skids for the mcpx, but no idea how effective they are on a bird this size ... (eg. Xtreme Productions Training Gear (for MCPX, stock landing skid) MCPX014)

[Steggo]

Cheers for your reply. I think i will just go for it, i guess if i am gentle with the controls i should be ok. Was reading the manual on it last night and found out u can switch it to and from stunt mode so that has made me more confident with my choice. Thanks again

[Steggo]

Hi and thanks for your reply. I did look at the msr which does look very good but i still feel i want something that i can do it all with, but you're advice is much appreciated. Thanks again

[dieselcarb]

just be carfull as it flies like a real heli and it wil pluck an eyeball out easy. also its very nimble and hurts like hell even through jeans and trust me dont catch ya misses big toe with it. and like said b4 its not as easy as it looks but keep with it to learn and get ya self some spare blades and a pack of swash links as these snap and are hard to find when they ping off

welcome to the world of helis and i hope u enjoy it as much as us and try keep it away from ya tv

all the very best terry

[SaneAdam]

Does the dx4 have programmable rates and adjustable expo etc? If not, get a dx6i. If you have the ability to fine tune the controls you may just get away with learning cold on this. Without that i think you may be in for a bit of a shock tbh. You will probably also spend much more time ordering spares to fix it than flying it. Get a simulator like Phoenix and you will be fine with the mcpx after a few weeks and sim time to build up the essential muscle memory to control the helicopter instinctively. Without that, the mcpx will get away from you very quickly and you end up over correcting and crashing. It is in no way shape or form as easy as it looks. We have all had to put a lot of hard work in to even get the basics nailed. Im not being difficult, but we see a lot of people new to the hobby that just assume they are going to be able to buy a helicopter and flip it inverted. Or even fly it at all.....

A sim is the key imo. With a sim, a lot of the advice to make your learning safer and less expensive is moot. As you will be building all the right skills to avoid most of the pit falls a new comer will encounter. But remember a sim costs nothing if you crash. So treat it like training and be disciplined. I see far too many people refer to simulators as "games". This is totally the wrong attitude form a learning and progression standpoint. Use your imagination (which im sure you have if your into rc heli's ) and pretend its real...... 60 inch plasma helps. Stand in the middle of the room in front of the screen and your at the field

[Red Devil]

The sim is a very very good tool for learning to fly not only learning the basics learning complex new moves as well.iv only been flying 2 years in January and I'm considering entering grassroots in the Sumer with out the sim I would be nowhere near.and also iv found the sim has saved me 100s of pounds because iv already learnt the inputs

[dieselcarb]

Does the dx4 have programmable rates and adjustable expo etc? If not, get a dx6i. If you have the ability to fine tune the controls you may just get away with learning cold on this. Without that i think you may be in for a bit of a shock tbh. You will probably also spend much more time ordering spares to fix it than flying it. Get a simulator like Phoenix and you will be fine with the mcpx after a few weeks and sim time to build up the essential muscle memory to control the helicopter instinctively. Without that, the mcpx will get away from you very quickly and you end up over correcting and crashing. It is in no way shape or form as easy as it looks. We have all had to put a lot of hard work in to even get the basics nailed. Im not being difficult, but we see a lot of people new to the hobby that just assume they are going to be able to buy a helicopter and flip it inverted. Or even fly it at all.....

A sim is the key imo. With a sim, a lot of the advice to make your learning safer and less expensive is moot. As you will be building all the right skills to avoid most of the pit falls a new comer will encounter. But remember a sim costs nothing if you crash. So treat it like training and be disciplined. I see far too many people refer to simulators as "games". This is totally the wrong attitude form a learning and progression standpoint. Use your imagination (which im sure you have if your into rc heli's ) and pretend its real...... 60 inch plasma helps. Stand in the middle of the room in front of the screen and your at the field

it flies better on dx6 if you wanna do 3d with it but for learning the dx4e is fine. Its hase a rate switch and yes it has expo too u cant adjust the levels its either on or off and to doit its like the binding process i pop back in a min if i find the link on how to doit

[dieselcarb]

page 10 on here for dx4e expo

http://www.bladehelis.com/prodinfo/F...-Manual-EN.pdf

[David Drew]

I think the Mcpx is a far better learning tool than a sim. It's real. Calmed down with some dual rates and expo I love flying mine.

Just get used to cutting the throttle just before you crash and try to fly over longish grass. That way, just pick it up, check the main gear and links, put it down and go crash again & again.

I just wish they were around when I started. Raptors were dearer to repair.lol

[Varelco]

Threads like this come up quite often, 99% of the time the resulting advice is to buy a sim and an MCPX (or the nano). Tbh you really cant go wrong with this.

Im miffed as to why some members are skeptical about jumping straight to a CP heli even though it's a micro. Like you say you will get bored quickly. A few years ago they weren't even an option.

A mcpx is going to fair a lot better than a larger heli in a crash. I went from a 2 channel co axial toy to a 450 sized CP, even then the sim didn't come until I smashed it up a few times, this has done me alright! The sim is a must have though, invaluable for mastering the fine motor skills you need to control a heli.

[cjcj1949]

There are quite a lot of stages to go through in learning to fly a heli. Having a limited budget is a problem as helis involve a lot of expense. There are only two things that don't get broken and that's the tx and the sim. Whatever heli you get it will only be the first in a long line of increasing expense and capability. The cost of spares is very high and it takes a long time to fix helis as well. The mcpx is not a good starting point unless you are very good. If you buy it and find it impossible as most people will, you can always leave it for a bit and go back to it after an easier heli like the msr or mcx. There is a lot to learn about batteries and charging as well. Practising on the sim will save you a lot of time and money.

[450man]

I am no expert having only just got to grips with my MCPX myself but I suppose I can give you an idea of how I felt about what I did.

I got a Blade 120 SR first. This is fixed pitch so it is easier to fly than the MCPX but it is a great training aid to get the idea of orientation and the basics of how a heli flys. It took me about 2 months of flying a couple of times a week to be able to comfortably fly it around in circuits, figure of 8s, hovers nose in and out and to do banked turns.

From then I got an MCPX and things changed radically. Suddenly I felt a beginner again. The MCPX is a fast beasty and it gets away very quickly so I was back to nose out hovering only again for a while. The technique for a CP heli such as the MCPX is definitely different to a CP (but not completely different) and it takes a while to get used to there being no self-righting stabalisation but it didn't take me long. After a couple more months of flying twice a week (and a lot of crashes!) I am now flying circuits and almost back to where I was with the 120 SR.

Having done it this way what is the best way? Difficult. Only you will know what is right for you. Can you start with an MCPX straight off? Yes definitely. It would save you the cost of the 120 SR but you will probably crash a bit more in the early stages and it may be a bit more frustrating but if the crashes don't put you off then go for it but if you can get a bit of help for the set up and to get you going it will help a lot. Also do it in a big open space preferably on grass to soften the crashes. Don't try it indoors at first... the heli will probably survive but the furniture might not! If you want to avoid the crashes as much as possible and feel as though you are making progress a bit more then the 120 SR is certainly a bit easier when an absolute beginner.

For me I am glad I got the 120 SR first. It allowed me to learn at a more enjoyable pace and I now know the differences between the FP and CP and although the 120 SR is easier I still fly it and enjoy it so I won't be selling it just yet.

I think either way works depending on how you want to approach it and your learning style. However, many people may find the MCPX as their first heli a bit disheartening and it is quite tricky to learn on. The cheapest way is probably the MCPX from the start. You would have to crash a huge amount to spend on spares what the 120 SR would cost.

Whatever way you go just enjoy it and don't let the crashes get you down... all these micro helis are dirt cheap to repair so crash, repair, crash, repair... it shouldn't take long before the crashes get a bit further apart :-)

[Jez N]

The little helis have the advantage of being cheap to repair and relatively cheap to buy. The bigger helis have the advantage that they are stable and easy to see. Personally i learnt on a 450 and felt it was a good compromise. But then most of the micro helis werent available at that time and buying a big nitro 30 size heli was never going to work as i didnt have the space to fly it.

Now i would go for a fixed pitch (MSR or something similar) and then advance to the 130x.

Phoenix Sim and a 7 Channel Tx are a must if you genuinely think you will get involved longterm in this hobby!!