is this good for a future heli??

[tomatwalden]

PPS. With regarding to "tuning down" the mSRX - do you have any exponential (expo) set up for it in your DX6i? The higher the expo, the softer the response will be around mid-stick. The manual should have beginner values for Expo and DR (dual rates)

[Ritchieme]

Re: is this good for a future heli??

Andy where are you based?

[andylakesbox7]

Andy where are you based?

Newbury/ Thatcham mate. i will start looking for decent flying clubs soon for when i get a bigger heli (aim to be on the 450 size by july)

Tomatwalden

i haven't flown the heli outside yet as it's been raining but i am getting fairly good at keeping it still tail in (nose in is another story! boy oh boy :s) i have played about with expo and its alot easier thank you.

what i am struggling with is batteries and chargers! i only have two and the the charger doesn't have a mains lead :'( any recomendations for new batts and charger? (i would i out grow the mrsx too quick and get an mcpx?)

such a noob
Andy

[RafeyRJX]

Just another perspective, and I'm certainly not saying anybody above is wrong, but........... Once your confident with your current heli and have put lots and I do mean lots of time in on a good sim then there's no reason why you shouldn't advance with say a trexx 450. At this point it really is worth picking one up off ebay. I bought a pair for £120. just added my own receiver and battery. I know they had been crashed etc previously, but the experience you get from building and setting up (even if you attempt it and cant mange) will teach you so much about helis and your flying will advance because of your better understanding etc. The parts for 450s are relatively cheap and you'll get quite a lot of them for the money you would be spending working your way up through other helis. Just remember, whatever route you take, when you move to bigger models you will have to re set your brain. The world of bump n fly will no longer exist so you have to slow your eagerness to advance down. I've seen pilots move to their first 'big' heli and crash because after doing a couple of hovers they zoom off in to forward flight like they were used to (and very good at) with micros, only to lose the plot and end up with plastic bag full of shiny bits, broken bits and some mud.

[tomatwalden]

Sure, learning with 450's used to be the norm! If you look at John Salt's website I linked to earlier - his 10-day learning series is all on 450's and 600's!

As for batteries - you can buy loads of cheap batteries for an msrx at sites like rc-hero.co.uk or modelhelicopters.co.uk

Charging is a whole subject in itself. parallel charging is the quickest method. I personally use an icharger 106b, but there are cheaper alternatives i believe.

[andylakesbox7]

i know the bigger sizes are more stable but is the mcpx more stable than the msr x ? i am always having to adjust it and can't imagine trying anything particurly challenging because of just trying to hover it all the time. i'm not sure if the gyro is working very well if i am honest for example i have seen videos of other fliers who can keep the heli still and off sticks for a good 5 seconds, if i try it it will immediately start to drift :S

trex 500 any good if find a cheap one? bet you have heard all these questions before

[simon1]

i know the bigger sizes are more stable but is the mcpx more stable than the msr x ? i am always having to adjust it and can't imagine trying anything particurly challenging because of just trying to hover it all the time. i'm not sure if the gyro is working very well if i am honest for example i have seen videos of other fliers who can keep the heli still and off sticks for a good 5 seconds, if i try it it will immediately start to drift :S

trex 500 any good if find a cheap one? bet you have heard all these questions before

The Trex 500 is a great heli, much more stable than a trex 450, just all round a much nicer heli to fly. There was one on here a week or so ago for around £250 it looked a bargain to me.

[tomatwalden]

i know the bigger sizes are more stable but is the mcpx more stable than the msr x ? i am always having to adjust it and can't imagine trying anything particurly challenging because of just trying to hover it all the time. i'm not sure if the gyro is working very well if i am honest for example i have seen videos of other fliers who can keep the heli still and off sticks for a good 5 seconds, if i try it it will immediately start to drift :S

trex 500 any good if find a cheap one? bet you have heard all these questions before

Bigger helis are more stable than smaller, that is true. HOWEVER ... if you're struggling to control the mSRX, and on the assumption that nothing is wrong with it, then moving to a large heli such as a 500 is not the solution. If you can, find somebody local who can test fly it for you to ensure it's flying right. It is possible that it's too responsive, but that can be adjusted by lowering the dual rates and/or increasing the expo.

I suspect however that you're expecting too much of the flybarless unit (gyro as you call it). It's there to provide stability against external forces (eg. wind). It's NOT an auto-pilot of any shape or form. All helis of this type need to be flown constantly. The guys who can let go of the sticks for a good 5 seconds are VERY GOOD PILOTS! They can do that because they've used their skills to balance the heli almost perfectly before they let go!

Understand that letting go of the sticks is simply not an option, and that you need to fly the heli constantly. Keep practising and it will come!

[andylakesbox7]

Believe me, I am a long way off from big Helies ( msrx is enough) I thought that might be the case and was just checking that it&nbsp;<strong>was&nbsp;</strong>more likely pilot error rather than the heli. I am so stoked right now as I think I just got a perfect hover! Only a few seconds but the sound of the blades changed to a lower tone and it just sat there! No up, no down. No sliding to the side. I loved it. Then it suddenly climbed a few feet . Working my way through John Salts vids and am currently on nose in hovers!&nbsp;<strong>Love This Hobby!!! <br></strong>Cheers.<br>Andy.

[Ritchieme]

Re: is this good for a future heli??

I started with a coax then bought a micro fixed pitch and could hardly get it off the ground at first, I then bought an msrx and found it a nightmare to control and thought there was something wrong with it. I then got an mcpx, then an interceptor 400 and now 2 thunder tiger 450s, it's been just over a year and I am only just on figure eights and circuits with the 450s. I picked up the msrx last week for the first time in over 8 months, it felt like a coax :-) I can sit it in a still hover in all directions for as long as I wish. I did smile to myself because at the time I was adamant it was faulty! I'm in a good position to be not too distant from a brand new novice to know that unless your lucky to be gifted, NO heli is easy on the way up the learning curve, its only easy when you look back.

Glad your enjoying it :-)

[Mike Sanders]

These posts show the benefit of looking at a forum and asking questions. I didn't do so and learned rather less functionally than might have been the case.

I bought a small co-axial and flew it on calm evenings in the garden. I crashed it several times but after a while (months) I was able to fly it nose in and do figure eights. There isn't much more that a co-ax will do.

I thought I could fly a model helicopter so I confidently bought and built my 450 sport. I took it up into the air after a few test hovers to set it up. Within 20 seconds of the beginning of my first proper flight, it was in the mud! I realised I couldn't fly a model helicopter!

I went back to basics and learned to fly. I am now doing very rough figure eights and nose in hover. It has taken me several months because of my great age but I am getting there.

[Ritchieme]

Re: is this good for a future heli??

I went back to basics and learned to fly. I am now doing very rough figure eights and nose in hover. It has taken me several months because of my great age but I am getting there.

Snap, I'm 54 this year and was told last year by 2 different pilots on another forum that I have left it too late, I'm now on figure 8s, circuits, and hovering nose in with a 450. And Still a long way to go......

[Mike Sanders]

Keep it up whippersnapper. I have just turned 65. There is no such thing as too late.

[cjcj1949]

You aren't following the rules for this forum. Firstly buy something and then ask advice. When advice is given ignore it as much as possible. We even have some Women pilots who read the instructions. Strangely they get on quite well. There are some nice videos of typical beginners. You've started well. Bigger helis are easier, but more nerve racking as the costs and time spent in repairs are greater. So when you move up to a 300X or a 450 just take it easy for a bit. Most of is get overconfident. When you feel it's easy take a break. Learning your own limitations isn't easy, but it is fun.