Another newbie which heli question!?!

[Chris Currie]

Hi all,

First post on here, hopefully I can get some sound advice from experienced heli pilots.

I fly mainly fixed wing, aerobatic stuff with some 3D. I've dabbled a bit in helis over the years but more recently have been getting back into it.

I currently have a few blade helis, nano cpx, Mcpx and 130X. I'm reasonably comfortable with inverted hovering, basic flips, rolls, loops etc. now I'm trying to progress onto backwards flight and inverted circuits, though generally I try on a sim first!

Anyway, to get onto the question, I'm thinking of buying myself something bigger. The two I'm thinking of are either a blade 450X or a T-Rex 550 FBL. I know with helis they can be pretty much set up for any level of pilot, with a 550 it should see me progress from where I am now to where I want to be in a couple of years, ie. a decent 3D pilot.

The 450X appeals as it is pretty much plug and play, I don't have much experience in heli setup so this is the easy option. I've watched various videos and it looks an impressive heli.

I like the look of the t-Rex though and feel that it is what I would eventually like, should I just take the plunge and go bigger? I've heard people say they are heavy but for me they look to be the best for quality/value/spares availability, am I right to assume this?

I'm in no desperate rush to be honest, just trying to get some advice at the minute. I work away for 3-4 weeks at a time and have 4 month old twin boys so time is not something I have huge amounts of. But flying the blades has definitely reignited my enthusiasm for helicopters.

Also if anyone has any tips for learning heli 3D please share. Don't know if books or DVDs help but if anyone can recommend something I'd be happy to check them out.

Any help gratefully received, especially from people who have either flown both or been in a similar position to me in the past.

Cheers
Chris

[Hummingbird]

Hi, Tricky to give a decisive answer. It depends on how brave or how good your flying skills are. The small Blades are far more resilient in a crash but you wont get away with it on a 450X or a T Rex 550. You are far more advanced than me and I fly both the 450X and the T Rex 550. You are right about the T Rex being very good bang for buck and the spares are everywhere, as they are also for the 450X. The 550 is easier to see and more stable than the 450, but is also more intimidating and expensive if you have a mishap. With your level of skill already in the bag, I'd go for the 550 as it will serve you more and you can progress to a higher level. I have the flybarred version which is awsome but the FBL version is a stunner in flying ability. FBL helis are more tricky to set up, although my 450X virtually flew out of the box.

You will learn more if you build a 550 Trex, and you will also learn much more with the setup. But it's a big step up from the 130X. Buy both! Sooner or later you will need to know how to build and set them up and the T Rex will help you on this road. It's also a lovely model to own, great quality with spares readily available from places like Fast Lad.

As for learning 3D, have you seen the videos on YouTube by Freddie Cordova (Freddy Can Fly)? Have a look here:
freddy can fly 3d - YouTube

Freddie has many videos including setting up the 550 and flying lessons from basics to 3D.
I'd be interested to hear what others would advise. If you're already doing inverted, flips and rolls I think you can handle a Trex 550. I note you ae going the flybarless route. Nothing wrong with that but flybarred is easier to set up for beginners. Good luck.

[450man]

I pretty much agree with Hummingbird

I too have a 450X and a 550 FBL and it is not an easy question to give advice on. It depends on a lot of things that are personal to you.

The 450X is an impressive heli but it is built pretty much along the same lines as the 130X... lots of plastic. That in itself is not all bad because plastic can sometimes be more forgiving in a crash but at the end of the day it isn't going to be something that you look at and marvel at the engineering. But it is pretty much ready to fly and so if you don't want to spend the time, or don't have the time, to build and set up then it is a good choice.

The 550E is a completely different beast altogether. It is a nice piece of engineering and is built out of carbon fibre and metal. It is a LOT bigger and so more intimidating but that really only lasts a few flights until you get used to it. It is much easier to fly than the 450X especially in wind (something to consider in the UK!) and it would be a great learning platform. However, you have to build it unless you buy the excellent secondhand one that is for sale at the moment (http://www.rcheliaddict.co.uk/sale/9...-spektrum.html). Repairs will be much more expensive when you crash - a £30 repair on the 450X might be £100 on the 550.

As I & Hummingbird say... it is a difficult call. The 550 is the better option overall IMO but I never regretting getting the 450X first. OK, I didn't learn as much and it is not in the same league in any way as the 550 but nevertheless it was a good stepping stone and it probably meant I could transition from small to bigger helis much more cheaply than if I jumped to the 550 directly. So the 450X is the easier and cheaper option but if you want the better heli, particularly to develop your skills on, and have the cash then it must be the 550 all the way IMO.

[Familyman67]

Welcome to the Forum Chris,

I don't operate a 450X, but a 300X which is pretty much it's "smaller brother". Similar flight characteristics and performance - slightly less power and size.
On top I run a KDS550 V2 since christmas which has a lot of simmilarities with the T-Rex 550.
Judging from what you wrote, I would assume that a Blade 450X (or any other 450 size heli) is not what you are looking for. If you can handle the 130X in intermediate 3D and have a sim to practice, then I'd go for the bigger one.

One main reason for my decision to choose the 550 size over a 500 or a 600/700 was, that the 550 is the biggest class you can seriously operate with a 6S setup. Of course you could also fly a 600 size with a 6S setup, but the performance would not be brilliant, and since you are aiming to move into serious 3D, 6S ist not what you want on a 600 size heli or bigger.

The reason why I chose the KDS 550 over the T-Rex of the same size or the Mikado Logo 500 (which both were on the short list) is that the KDS allows to upgrade into an 8S, 10S or 12S setup later down the road, if you want to. The KDS 550 has the battery in the "basement" of its frame just like most of the 600 size Helis have. The Align however has the battery on the dedicated "tray" in the top-front, which most likely prevents it from beeing upgraded into a higher voltage setup.
The Mikado-Logo 500 also has been a serious candidate - I did however choose for the KDS because it is significantly cheaper (especially the spares) and there are 4 other KDS550 pilots in the "wildflyer" group I've joined.

So this is another argument you might want to consider. Having one or a few other heli-maniacs in your flying-squad, operating the exact same type of heli gives you lots of advantages. Not only the advice in setting it up, but also exchanging spare parts.

[bulldog5046]

I think the other posts have pretty much covered this off, but just my 2 cents.

I had/have a 450, it's what i started with.

On the 1st March i bought a 550, since then i've crashed the 450 twice, over the course of about 10 flights. I've crashed the 550 once due to pilot error over maybe 100 flights? i fly at every oppertunity, evenings and weekends.

You certainly crash the bigger birds less, but the repair bill on the 450 would only be £30-40, on the 550 the 1 crash i've had was around £160, excluding a new canopy (£40 on it's own!).

Personally i'd agree with the above and advise you to go for the bigger bird if you can afford it and bring yourself to put up with the higher crash cost's and expensive batteries(£50-100 per pack).

Ry

[Chris Currie]

Another newbie which heli question!?!

Thanks for the replies, it's helped a lot. I have been keeping a very close eye on that 550, seems like a good buy. I'm away with work right now and won't be home for a few more weeks. If its still there then when I get home I think I may have to take the plunge! :-)

It sounds like I'm not being too stupid thinking of going for a 550. In a way I'm comparing it to fixed wing, the bigger they are the easier they fly. I'm aware that I may be a little more apprehensive flying the bigger machine but it'll stop me doing anything too silly. The 450, although a good bit bigger than what I have, still looks quite lively.

The 6S thing is something I only realised recently as initially I fancied a 600. It seems with a 550 I can then use the packs in series for a bigger machine later if I fancy. For now, 6S is fine and I have a charging set-up capable to handle such packs.

Like I said though I'm in no great rush, sometimes I tend to jump into these kind of purchases. Having recently started watching more videos I'm getting more eager to get stick into learning. Got a few years before I'm up to a decent standard but I'm looking forward to getting there.

Keep the advice coming though, got a few more weeks before I dust off the wallet so any advice is more than welcome.

Cheers
Chris

[iceuk]

Why not opt for a Trex 500, I think it's an excellent balance between size and cost.

[tomatwalden]

For learning 3D, Bert Kammerer and Bobby Watts' "smacktalk" vids are widely recognised as being a good start. They're not free, but they are very cheap for what they are :-

SmackTalk RC

As far as a bigger heli goes. There's loads you could choose from and you'll get loads of ideas on here I should imagine. The Align 450, 500, and 550's are pretty widespread and parts supply is good. They are all build-it-yourself kits. The Blade 450X and 500X are about the same price, but are pre-built if you don't want to build your own. Blade also do the kit-build 550X (which is marginally bigger than the Align550) but also runs on 6S packs. I've got one and absolutely love it! Don't be too afraid of a kit build. You'll get lots of help on here, and the major manufacturers (eg. SAB, Align, Blade, etc.) produce build vids on youtube that walk you through it for the most part.

There's also the Align clones. Cheap, but you get what you pay for!

Slight correction on myself - Align also do a pre-built 450 ... the 450DFC plus.

[Alex Hawtin]

Welcome to the forum mate! Good to see your turning to the dark side

I would go for a 550e mate, Ideal size to begin with and if you decide to upgrade to a 700 sized heli later on you already have the packs for it.

Al

[waveydavey]

Welcome to the forum, try youtube for vids and heli tuning is a good site

Flight Training

[Chris Currie]

Another newbie which heli question!?!

Hi Alex, had to be done. Still love the planks but I think flying helis will help improve my skills, especially as I have a VPP setup for my shockies! :-)

I had looked at the 500 aswell but after these posts I'm convinced the 550 is the way to go. I PM'd Connor about that 550, just waiting for a response. My feeling is that if I go for that I can learn at a steady pace. Then perhaps further down the line get a 450 to chuck around.

I'm just a little concerned about setting up a flybarless heli. I'm sure with some instructions and advice I'd be able to get it going. Are they relatively straight forward to set-up?

Thanks again for the help and info. Will definitely check out the videos when I get a chance.

[Alex Hawtin]

Alright Chris, I know the guy selling that 550. PM sent with his number mate

[Chris Currie]

Another newbie which heli question!?!

PM replied to Alex. Cheers for the info

[gamma]

Welcome to the forum
Align t-rex 550 great heli

[Chris Currie]

Another newbie which heli question!?!

Thanks Gamma, the more I think about it the more I'm convinced on a 550. Still keeping my options open for the time being. I'm home in a couple of weeks so hoping to get a few flights on my 130x and then make a decision.

Thanks for all the links to videos, currently downloading some from smacktalk, though PayPal is playing up so might have to wait till I'm home. Hopefully should help as alot of these 3D manoeuvres baffle me. I remember someone saying to me once that heli 3D was much easier than fixed wing. From the videos I've seen I'm not so sure! ;-)

Hopefully over the next few years I'll find out the truth for myself. :-)