Do you really need to start off with a 600+ size heli?

[sjm]

Got to agree on the nerves thing , its really holding me back and I don't know how to get over it !
I absolutely bricked it yesterday at the fly in.

Yeah that's my biggest problem (and probably everyone's), I was hoping that going to my local club to ask about joining would help me and when I saw some heli pilots I got excited
but left feeling I wouldn't get the support until I progressed to a larger heli.. If I could fly a 600 size heli nerves / confidence wouldn't be an issue.
My problem is I'm learning and for me a 400/450 size heli is big a 600+ is massive

[franky975]

My problem is I'm learning and for me a 400/450 size heli is big a 600+ is massive

It is just matter of time. Just fly whatever you have at the moment until you feel the need of a bigger bird. Your circumstances are matter too eg where do you live/fly how fast do you progress ect. If you push yourself too hard you will not enjoy the time on the stick and wont progress. To join a club also can help a lot as this forum is a very good support but does not compare to an experienced pilot's eyes and thumbs when you stuck with something when you leave the world of "BNF" and enter to the "Kits".

[one life fly it]

Yeah that's my biggest problem (and probably everyone's), I was hoping that going to my local club to ask about joining would help me and when I saw some heli pilots I got excited
but left feeling I wouldn't get the support until I progressed to a larger heli.. If I could fly a 600 size heli nerves / confidence wouldn't be an issue.
My problem is I'm learning and for me a 400/450 size heli is big a 600+ is massive

I'm a novice too , just because I have the gear and a very understanding wife I still have no idea. . Got to say with the 600 once you get over the noise , its still bloody scarey !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! . lol

[Pabs]

Having tried a vast number of different models, and still being a beginner, I find the best model for me to fly is my Rappy 50 - Big and stable in mild winds and I'm building a lot of confidence in flying it.
Looking forward to getting my 600N up in the air too!
My 30-size models are ok, and my mcpx and previous 450's were just too "twitchy" for me outside, even with expo dialled in.

I don't think you HAVE or NEED to start with a 600 size model - but I certainly find it easier.

[strangedaze]

Yeah that's my biggest problem (and probably everyone's), I was hoping that going to my local club to ask about joining would help me and when I saw some heli pilots I got excited
but left feeling I wouldn't get the support until I progressed to a larger heli.. If I could fly a 600 size heli nerves / confidence wouldn't be an issue.
My problem is I'm learning and for me a 400/450 size heli is big a 600+ is massive

Following this with thread interest...

I'll also be purchasing my first decent sized Heli soon & will also more than likely be going to the same flying site as yourself & haven't thought of the possible wind factor up until now..

Currently on my shortlist are:-

1. 450X
2. Protos or Mini Protos
3. Warp 360
4. JR 450

Looks like I should probably buy my heli first before visiting that site or I may be talked out of one of my first choices & I don't really want to get anything to bigger than a 450 for my first choice and from all my reading I've done the above heli's all crash pretty well (apart from the JR 450 which is still an unknown quantity).

Anyone think any of the above are NOT a good choice for my first proper Heli..?

I've been practicing on Phoenix a lot the last few months and can fly pretty well in all orientations and do some basic 3D and just starting to get the knack of Piro Flips too, but now I'm also a little worried that maybe I should think a little bigger too as I really have NO idea how the SIM really compares to real life flying... ( apart from it being a damn site cheaper! )

[sjm]

The thing about the flying site I went to was It is on the banks of the river Wyre and very close to the Irish sea so wind I suspect will always be an issue.
So with me having a 450 sized heli may be its not the place for me

[franky975]

Following this with thread interest...

I'll also be purchasing my first decent sized Heli soon & will also more than likely be going to the same flying site as yourself & haven't thought of the possible wind factor up until now..

Currently on my shortlist are:-

1. 450X
2. Protos or Mini Protos
3. Warp 360
4. JR 450

Looks like I should probably buy my heli first before visiting that site or I may be talked out of one of my first choices & I don't really want to get anything to bigger than a 450 for my first choice and from all my reading I've done the above heli's all crash pretty well (apart from the JR 450 which is still an unknown quantity).

Anyone think any of the above are NOT a good choice for my first proper Heli..?

I've been practicing on Phoenix a lot the last few months and can fly pretty well in all orientations and do some basic 3D and just starting to get the knack of Piro Flips too, but now I'm also a little worried that maybe I should think a little bigger too as I really have NO idea how the SIM really compares to real life flying... ( apart from it being a damn site cheaper! )

First of all i would not buy a 450 as a main bird if i was fly outdoor. Yes they are pretty much flyable in windy conditions-in experienced hands. Our field is near the coast and most of the time i brought my 450 back home unflown as it was seem ok at home -but at the field it was just too windy. Then came in the picture my raptor 50 what i flown mainly.
Secondly before i would decide which bird i would chech the price/availability of the parts ie main/feather shafts, main gears, boom, torquetube ect. At first everyone crashes a lot. Pilot error or mechanical/electrical. does make a lot of diference how much/quick is to get it back in the air.

I fly trex 700e 3g on the sim and it is pretty close compares to my 600efl pro in the real life.

[Mike Sanders]

I am pretty much a beginner too. After my co-axial, I built a 450 and crashed it a few times. I then joined the club and received the same advice. The advice was well meant and it is thoroughly sound advice. After a good deal of research I decided on the 600 and it has turned out to be a very good choice. It is more stable and resistant to strong winds than the 450. I really enjoy flying it but it does intimidate me a bit. I have crashed it twice, at a cost of approx £100 a time (cheap blades), once pilot error, once mechanic error. I hover it around a bit and can do some very rough lazy eights. I am a bit reluctant to do much more for fear of further damage. As an OAP I don't want to go throwing too much money around if I can help it.

I was getting more confident with the 450, some nose in and circuits,(and a few more crashes) when I decided to get the 130. I feel that it has moved me up a gear. It is great fun. It does break when crashed but it is quite cheap to repair. I feel very much less inhibited flying the 130. My ability still isn't much greater but I do much more with it. I tried my first loop last weekend. The 130 did it ok. I wouldn't even think about trying to loop the 600.

What I am trying to say is, that it's all psychological.

My advice as a veteran of 18 months experience is, do what you feel is right. It's your hobby, do what you want to do.

[Raptormad2]

Hi i started with a interceptor 400 good heli easy and cheap to repair when i joined my local club most had raptor 50 nitros and trex 700 and was amased
how stable they were in the wind so got a raptor 50 and in the meantime carried on flying my 400 and got used to flying it in the wind with no problems
and have since got an titan x50 nitro and a trex 500 clone which is a great stable heli ,but every time i go to the field for a session i always start off
flying my 400 because i enjoy flying it so much , i say that if you can fly one of these you can fly anything.

[tomatwalden]

..
Currently on my shortlist are:-

1. 450X
2. Protos or Mini Protos
3. Warp 360
4. JR 450

..

Anyone think any of the above are NOT a good choice for my first proper Heli..?

...

The Warp 360 is a bonkers top-performance 450. Fantastic heli, but I would really question it as a first proper heli. It has an insane amount of power for its size, so I would honestly say it's not right for where you are.

The 450X is a machine I'd definitely recommend on the other hand. Can't comment on the Protos or JR.

[RafeyRJX]

I learned with a massive 60 sized bell 222 scale model twenty years ago. Mechanical gyro no fancy heading hold. No crashes just a very slow learning curve. Fly what you can realistically afford to crash if you want to make progress. My 9yr old daughter learnt with a 450 T. rex last summer. Hover and forward flight and lots and lots of bits! If you learn to fly in wind then that's how you learn to fly. Don't be put off by other people's fears just get on with it and enjoy it. And on final note, whilst the vario 222 never hit the deck a lot more of my Heli's have. Mostly due to the much cheaper repair costs and more adventurous flying.

[sjm]

There are a lot of good comments on this.
Although getting a 130x is a good idea, I don't think it's going to help me much.
If I can't fly my 400 because of the wind, I can't see me flying a 130x instead.
I think I need to find a club or person or both who can not so much teach me as
Explain where I went wrong and help me fix it when it does.
I also now know of 2 other people in a similar position to me around my area.

[BavarianRob]

Do you really need to start off with a 600+ size heli?

Have you tried turning up the wind on Phoenix? Get some good strong gusts set up and use the 500 and you'll be surprised how quickly you'll get used to it.

[moyesboy]

I started with a 450.
I learned to hover in all orientations and even got as far as nose in inverted and flips.
However I found it very difficult to flky a circuit without it getting away from me. Thios was entirely due to the scale of it. It got too small too quickly and my eyes played tricks and I lost orientation.
No amount of sim flying helped with it.

After I got a 50 size nitro (600mm blades) I found circuits became relaxed very quickly. Then I could go back to the 405 and fly it until it was a dot with confidence.
however flyign a .50 nitro meant I also had to devote some time to going to a proper flying field and having a few flights. So that might also have been the difference. It wasn't until I had 4 5 or 6 flights in a session that I relaxed into flying the heli in a larger pattern of fast forward flight. This is why people recommend nitro for learning becuase havign 4 or 5 flights in an afternoon requires a lot of battery investment with an electric.
Somehow once yout are trying to practice 3D it doesn't seem necessary to have so many flights in such quick succession, and peopel sort of forget how much fuel they got through just getting to a basic standard. I remember one pilot on here who won a 3D competition after just a year or so of flying saying he had spent £2000 on fuel to get to that standard!

The whole issue with flying circuits suprised me becuase I used to fly fixed wing years ago so I was expecting that part to be easy. However fixed wing models don't stop and go backwards half way round the circuit!

[jjjjdup]

Hi.
I learned on a 450
I recently got a trex 500EFL.
Very nice.
After flying it for a while and then going back to the 450, I realised just how much mor stable it is.
Now I cannot wait to try a 600 !