sim or small collective pitch?

[danhampson]

next weekend i will have the money together to either get pheonix or a blade mcpx which do you guys think is going to be best learning tool. ive got a honey bee cp 3 (in bits after crash), copterx 450 (not maidened yet. too scared) and been using rc heli sim, i can hover quite well on the sim but it doesnt seem that realistic.

[bladeboy400]

the small heli might be a good learning tool for you, but this size can be twitchy and difficult to control, the 450 with over size training gear on it might do what ou want also, I would suggest that you join a club and go and talk to like mined people at the field who are already flying properly set up helis, there maybe someone who can buddy you also so you dont get the panic on and keep doing tail gears etc, the mcpx is a great little heli for the basic manovures and is a hard as they come it bounces well and will give you stick time. i find sim helps a lot with stick position and recovery also, you can put some weather on it aswell to give a realistic feel. if just hovering on the other sim and it allows you to fly figure 8's etc then get the mcpx and use the sim you have already to brush up. anyway a few suggestions but do talk and meet other succsessful flyers thats where most of the knowledge is.
hope you get set up j boy

[450man]

Both!

The sim is no substitute for a real heli. But then again it is a great way to practice without the cost and inconvenience of crashing!

Get both and use both.

Look at this site... lots of good stuff there... free too.

RC Helicopters, The Most Fun And Rewarding Of All RC Hobbies.

[danhampson]

what i was thinking is a small heli can be used indoors so i can get more practice in (english weather). but sim crashes dont cost. repairs arent an issue just parts delivery time!

[PorscheBoy]

I was unlucky enough to be involved in a car accident that meant I was recovering for around 3 mths. I spent a few hours every day on Phoenix using my DX7s. I maidened, and maidened my 550e DFC at the end of December, I'm now starting gentle circuits and I'm sure I wouldn't be here without the SIM, BUT..... nothing frightens you more than spooling up for real for the 1st time (or 2nd or 3rd......), and you will still crash (2 weeks ago in the snow...), do both if you can, but IMO initially put more time into the SIM, it gets your eyes and thumbs together and you have a clue what the sticks will do.

[danhampson]

450man think your right ive had a look online and will get pheonix first (i have a dx6i to plug into it) then get a mcpx or 130x the week after. thanks for your help

[PaulJC]

The sim is always a good investment and an important tool to get the muscle memory that is required without the expense of real life crashes involved, you can learn it all on the real thing, but the fear factor will really slow the learning process.

If you want something for use indoors go with the mcpx or nano, the 130x is a bit on the large side really for the average house and quite noisy too, once you've got your hovering together you can hover it about inside but there is not enough room to fly it round at all really.

The nano's/mcpx also fly really well outside on the calmer days and can get a good shift on if you want them too, learning does take time but stick with it, it's quite rewarding

[brummycraig]

I personally would go for the mcpx, I have both of your options and previously used rchelisim. I don't think phoenix is a vast improvement if your just trying to master basic control. i've been learning for over 2 years and it was a slow process until I picked up an mcpx about 6 months ago, i've been indoor flying every monday night through the winter and out in the street with it at every opportunity. I cant explain how much my confidence has come on, now when I take the 500 out to the field the controls seem so natural.

[450man]

With the launch of the Nano CPX I now see the MCPX as a bit redundant. The Nano is great for indoors and if you want to fly outdoors then the 130X is by far the better option.

I bought my MCPX before the Nano or 130X were out but if I were to do it now I would get a Nano for indoors and a 130X for outdoors and a 450 size or bigger for flying at the heli club. Once you can fly the 130X then you can pretty much fly the bigger helis too as the will feel pretty much the same.

[MarkG_R1]

sim or small collective pitch?

Sim and mcpx imo, worked for me

You might want to consider the new brushless mcpx bl though

If this was around a year ago I would have had one and probably not sold the mcpx to buy a 130x when it came out

Don't get me wrong I love the 130x but as a newbie learning orientations in my kitchen it would have been too much

The older mcpx is the perfect stepping stone to a 130 I reckon

I was keen on picking up a nano to mess with indoors until I heard the poor reports and saw the weak motors failing far too soon in them

[A.N.T]

I would also say sim and micro, I went out and bought a 300x pretty much straight off (1 week after buying an msrx) flew the 300x and on its first flight crashed it, got a little intimidated by it and it sat for a few months not doing anything, bought phoenix and a nano cpx after the crash, spent loads of time on the sim and practicing indoors with the nano, decided it was time to repair the 300x and once it was setup and got over the initial intimidation by the spool up, was amazed at how much I had progressed, just by spending time on the nano and sim, the 300x no longer intimidates me and feel really comfortable flying it and its so stable, imo sim is a must for initial orientation learning and micro heli for real stick time.