New pilots, Which Heli's to buy?

[iceuk]

My aim with this post is to save ppl money as there is nothing worse than buying crap that lasts you a few weeks or even a few days so I am going to presume that by you being on this forum you are fairly serious and have probably flew those little £20 toy helicopters and thought I wouldn't mind taking the hobby up, To even be able to fly a fast forward circuit is going to take you a long time but it will be worth it!


DX6I Transmitter and a Phoneix Flight sim can both be brought for £159 Phoenix RC Flight Pro Simulator V4 with DX6i On Order

Your first CP helicopter should be a 130X, it's great for indoors and can handle light wind £139Advanced Search - Kings Lynn Model Shop Stocking all things Radio Controlled

The next jump should be a Trex 500, spares are similar price to a 450 but it can handle the wind a lot better and is a lot easier to fly and see. £484
T-REX 500EFL PRO Super Combo KX017016

Batteries for the Trex 500, You don't need the premium batteries for pottering about.
http://www.giantshark.co.uk/gens-260...-p-406492.html

You are still going to need a charger plus a few other little things which is probably going to set you back £150 ish.

Going this way about learning to fly the goal is to put a lot of time in the sim before you even try and fly the 130X, you must be able to hover tail in and move heli about in the sim, I see so many ppl waste the money on coaxial helicopters or cheap plastic CP helis.

[Andy from Sandy]

Your first CP helicopter should be a 130X, it's great for indoors and can handle light wind

I have nowhere to fly indoors and with the weather just lately when would I get to fly it?

Sorry buddy but because you walked this path doesn't make it the correct one. Take a look at what models are used by professional flight schools will give you a better insight as to what makes a good first model.

[ajkavanagh]

As a beginner, the only thing that I think could be missing is a small FP helicopter so you can at least have some fun whilst learning CP skills on the simulator before going and flying the 130X? (or have I misinterpreted you?)

Myself, because I can't yet justify the 130 X and £150 on the Phoenix + DX6i, I've bought a little V911 FP heli, and it's great fun to fly indoors (although it's a bit unstable). I have nice hovers and I can do boxes (tail in). Still gets away from me, though! Very durable too.

[iceuk]

No I didn't walk this path I brought crap, Coaxial rubbish that got me bored in 5 mins, I brought a Twister CP gold another plastic fantastic helicopter could never set it up right as it had so much play in linkages even a prositute was tighter. Friend of mine had a blade 120 SR same thing awful.

[iceuk]

FP helis have there place, they will teach you orientations but I think the 130X is something that can grow with you,

[Andy from Sandy]

I notice, according to your signature, you don't have a 130X in your fleet.

[r4nd0m]

No I didn't walk this path I brought crap, Coaxial rubbish that got me bored in 5 mins, I brought a Twister CP gold another plastic fantastic helicopter could never set it up right as it had so much play in link even a prositute was tighter. Friend of mine had a blade 120 SR same thing awful.

well mate, I even heard that a coax actually isnt too bad to start with, as its less complicated and you can get your orientation right quite quickly, if that is locked in you can progress with a CP but surely you can start with CP if you wish but the more stable the heli the better ... so the smallest I would recommend is a 500 size really, depending on the weather conditions at your local field even bigger ...

and on the other hand, I think you cant really say this or that is the best for a beginner - I have no doubts most people at my club agree a 600 would be the best to learn at our field, due to conditions, however personally the 600 was quite intimidating at first, so I went back to a 500 size - its surely not the best heli if you are scared of it as this pushes you even further ... today - thats 10 months later I dont care if a 700 does aileron tic tocs 3m in front of me towards myself - when I started though I had a few moments as a by-stander ...

its very much down to the linking of the individual, I would recommend the following: read up a bit, go to see a few clubs, check what models they fly, talk to people, stand beside them if they allow you to at the flight line, gather as much information as possible and then make your decision based on your "own" experience ... so thats models, experience by other people, what you have actually seen and experienced in real life and then take it from there - but also make sure you get the additional support, possibly during build or setup or for your first flights ... thats the only recommendation we should give - just going on the web and shopping around doesnt help the beginner much if you ask me ...

[450man]

Interesting...

I wouldn't have any issue with the OP if he had said this is what I did and it worked for me. Instead, he seems to have stated that this is the best way for a beginner to get into the hobby. Even if he said I did something else and it didn't work so well and this would now be my preferred way.

As it is I have a lot of issues with the OP.

Firstly there is a huge place for coaxials for those just starting out as a first heli. OK, it doesn't fly like a non-coax but it does allow the beginner to get orientation and to fly indoors safely and cheaply. My wife started with an MCX and she needed a lot of time on that before she felt happy moving on to a FP heli.

Then he does not mention FP (fixed-pitch) at all. I started on a Blade 120SR and it is a great first or 2nd heli particularly if you want to get flying without the huge learning curve of a CP (constant-pitch). My wife has now moved on the 120SR. She is no where ready for a 130X yet and won't be for some time and I feel that to suggest that a beginner gets a 130X as their heli is not necessarily good advice for a lot of people.

Then a Trex 500!!! Crickey! That is a jump! Not to mention a cost. He says a Trex 500 is a similar price to a 450. That is just not true. My Blade 450X cost me £280!! Even a Trex 450 Sport would only be £280 and many people might consider that a much preferable option to going to a 500 straight away from a micro.

Finally he says the beginner should get a DX6i. Whilst the DX6i is a good transmitter for the money (about £90) if someone is sure they will be staying with the hobby a better option might be a DX8. Costs a bit more but would be much more suitable for when they stop being a beginner. I got a DX6i and upgraded to the DX8 after my wife took up flying... she now have the DX6i. The DX8 is a much better transmitter.

Now, his suggestions is one way of doing it but I don't think people should consider it the best way... or even a good way depending on your own preferences, budget and circumstances.

Note: My suggested above worked for me but might not be suitable for you.

[Made2Fade]

New pilots, Which Heli's to buy?

Choosing an actual model is personal choice for any person, learning or not. Everybody flys different and we all learn at various rates. The first suggestion which has been made is correct no matter what anyone says IMO! Everything after that is personal preference. I know many people that have hammered the sim for a while and then jumped straight to a model that they picked just because they liked the look of it. Whether its a 450,500,600 or whatever... they are all stable models and can be made to be tame for any beginner. I also dont get why people need to even bother looking at a fixed pitch toilet bowl model. Personally i wouldnt waste my money on one or a co-axial for that matter. Youll only have to learn different skills when you take on a collective pitch model. So IMO the OP is recommending quite a good route to take regardless of the fact it may not be the essential one.

[jimmyhorns]

Wow, what an opinionated OP.

Your first heli should be a 130X?... So your first real life heli should be a quick, 3d capable handful, with a torque tube tail that is not the strongest in the world, and tail gears that shred just by looking at them???

I dont think thats going to keep someone interested, or enthused.

Im all for not buying 'crap' but 'crap' is relative.

I now think my hawk pro is 'crap' but only because I have outgrown it, and it doesnt do (easily) what I would like it to do. Its heavy, slow, stable and pretty strong.... which made it perfect for me to learn FF and some basic aerobatics with.

The honeybee CP I started with is also 'crap' but it meant I learnt to control the tail, and got pretty good at reacting to its instability.

The mcx2 coaxial 'toy' is still fun to fly, and helped me learn basic orientations in real life without any repair bills from flying (just one from shutting the flybar in my flightbox lid).

There are plenty of ways to skin a cat so the saying goes, and what is crap for one person is a valuable tool for another. Perhaps the only thing I agree with in your post is that a sim is very important, though if you are just getting into this, a good quality coaxial is going to give you many more smiles than the sim, and keep you interested.

[tomatwalden]

No I didn't walk this path I brought crap, Coaxial rubbish that got me bored in 5 mins, I brought a Twister CP gold another plastic fantastic helicopter could never set it up right as it had so much play in linkages even a prositute was tighter. Friend of mine had a blade 120 SR same thing awful.

I had a blade 120SR - loved it. It was my first heli after the £20 toy co-axials and taught me mode-2 flying really well before I moved on to a 450 bird.

Personally, therefore, I think that FP helis are a good step for beginners. As Andy says, everyone's different!

[SaneAdam]

My path was.... £20 cheap toy that got me totally hooked. Loved it. Then a bit of research and got an Msr and a dx6i. Then BOUGHT a 120SR to build up confidence with something a bit bigger. Then bought a Blade 400 and took to outdoors. Then got a 450 pro, then a 500esp, 550, 600, 700. Maybe an expensive route but its the natural progression i took

[raptorheli2]

the correct first model is the best one you can afford at the time. that rule will never change.

cheers

[jwatts007]

I liked buying them off ebay millie pro £600 raptor 60 £550 a shuttle forget how much...all came with radios...and taking them down the river too crash...I thought they were the nuts...then I joined a club and found out they were junk.....

[Boggy]

so!

hi I'm boggy my dad bought me a little co'ax heli for christmas and i love it. I can already hover it and fly around our tree.

i have read your excellent post about getting into the hobby and am very disappointed. Just to get myself to a forward circuit is going to cost me £942.00 if i follow your guide.And thats before i look at a nitro heli that i had my heart set on.

but hey ho your correct this has saved me money

as i now realize this hobby is far too expensive for me.as soon as i crash this little heli(oh which by the way i can get spares for and repair) its back to lego and knitting