Start up advice (for a friend)

[crash-test-tomo]

Morning all, it seems I have managed to infect a friend with the rc heli bug so im looking for some advice on his behalf on which would be a good route to take to get into the hobby. Obviously I dont want to advise he spends thousands on kit that in a couple of months time he may decide he doesnt really want so im wondering what you guys think would be a good starting point?
Myself I started with an mcpx and a dx6i then spent a long time crashing before I considered a sim a good idea lol
I have a copy of phoenix iv told him he can have and that a decent transmitter would be a good starting point, I did mention the new blade 230 but apparently it comes in quite pricey for someone thats unsure how they will take to the hobby? Personally remembering how much I spent on spares and repairs it doesnt sound too bad to me!

What are you guys thoughts?
If I could maybe couple this with a sort of wanted post if anyone has something cheap and beginner friendly they have been thinking about letting go that would be cool

I have also told him signing up to the site would be a good idea so... Que new member lol

[tomatwalden]

The Blade 230 is collective pitch. Personally I think fixed-pitch micros are easier/less intimidating for complete newbies. I started with the Blade 120SR, although the modern incarnation is now the 200SRX.

They've been around for a little while now, so second hand ones are starting to appear in the classifieds too.

[trillian]

I have RealFlight G3 which has it's own controller. That's what I started with. It may be outdated by todays standards but you can still learn the basics on it and it has some interesting options like cockpit view and various challenge courses etc.

I would sell it cheap!

[Bob H]

My opinion on starting out has changed a bit. I used to recommend The Blade mrS/mrSX fixed pitch micro as a good starting point but that more or less ties you into Spektrum/Blade products from the very begining and I don't think that's a particularly good way of going about it anymore.

What I think now is to get something like the Hubsan X4 - an RTF micro-quad where you get everything including a basic controller and start going through the exercises in the From tail-in to all 8s and funnels in 6 months thread from Helifreak. The skills practiced in there are just as relevant to multi-rotors as they are to heli's in my opinion so it will be laying down a good basic skill set regardless and a micro-quad is just as good a way of doing that as a FP micro. Obviously he won't be able to practice any of the inverted exercises but it would be a good start and he'll have to learn at least some of those skills regardless .

If your friend is still interested in flying fans after a couple of weeks of that then it's time to start talking transmitters. He'll need at least a six channel Tx, preferably seven or eight channels to give options. I'm not going to recommend a brand to buy (which is why I no longer try and recommend going with a Blade micro heli of some kind) but I am going to tell you to take him down to your nearest big RC shop and get him to try out as many different transmitters as possible and find one that best suits his hands in terms of size, gimbal and switch locations, etc., etc. It shouldn't really matter what the brand is as long as it's not going to lock him into a specific manufacturer initially, it's within his price range and it feels like it fits his hands well.

Once the Tx is found and bought you can start talking actual models and simulators. If he happens to prefer one of the Spektrums then you can start talking Blade micro's and bigger. otherwise get him plugged into and using a sim of some kind while the pair of you sort out a 360mm to 500mm blade size heli as his first one. Personally I'd not recommend anything smaller than an Align TREX 500 as a first 'big' helicopter. The 360mm/450's are nice but people tend to out grow them very quickly once they're past hovering where something like a TREX 500, X4 or Protos will take a lot longer to progress past.

That's how I'd do it now anyway.

[Geesta]

I noticed your in the Midlands, were snouts are you. There's a few clubs that can help you on the right track

[myxiplx]

Tons of choices these days, any or all of the below are good options :-)

- WLToys v911. For around £35 you're up and flying, it's fixed pitch but works indoors or out and is a cheap way to find out if this hobby is for you.
- Small quad. The Hubsan X4 is a cheap option, but I think the Blade nQX is a better one, it's compatible with Spektrum radios and has beginner and agility modes, so not only can you learn the basics easily, but it's also a decent training platform for CP helicopters.
- Spektrum TX & Sim. If you're wanting to move to CP helicopters these are a sound investment, they seem pricey for a beginner, but pay for themselves over and over again.

And after that you're on to full CP helicopters:
- Blade nCP S. If you'll mainly practice indoors this is great.
- Blade 230 S. If you've more outdoor space or want a larger model, start with this.
- Blade mCPX. Doesn't have the SAFE modes, but it's just darn tough. If you're prepared to put in some sim practice before attempting to fly it this one or it's bigger brother the mCPX BL are good choices.

The difficulty as a beginner is knowing if you'll like the hobby:
- If you're not sure there are a lot of cheap brands and models that'll do fine to have a go at flying. Hubsan X4 quad, WLToys v911, WLToys v977, etc... The problem is these are dead money later on as the radio won't work with your other models.
- Going the Spektrum / Blade route is more expensive, but it has the advantage that you'll be using your investment for longer. And if you buy the TX second hand, you can probably sell it for similar money if you find this isn't for you.

Most of us in the hobby will recommend spending that bit more up front as we know from experience how much you'll save. But I know it's not always an easy decision spending that much money when you start.

[Peteski]

I agree with myxiplx. I started out last December with a Blade mCX2, a Blade nQX quad, neXt simulator and a Spektrum DX8. So that was an initial investment of about £350 in all. So not a very cheap way to start, but I already knew I was in it for the long haul. But nearly half of that initial cost was the DX8 which I still happily use with all my models and have no plan to replace any time soon. In fact the only thing I don't still fly regularly is the mCX2.

A relatively cheap way to test the water would be a Blade nQX plus DX6i. That would be around £130 and easy to get at least half of that back if you decided to quit the hobby. The Hubsan X4 would be much cheaper, but not as good to fly with the cheap TX. The nQX with a programmable radio flies really nice and is very precise. Perfect for learning upright CP skills. There is also now an nQX 3D for not much more money, which could be another option.

[Peteski]

The 360mm/450's are nice but people tend to out grow them very quickly once they're past hovering where something like a TREX 500, X4 or Protos will take a lot longer to progress past.

That's not entirely true in all cases. It all depends a lot on your lifestyle and how you measure progress. For practical reasons (time poor) I've stayed with small helis and you certainly don't ever outgrow them skill wise! I know some people aim to fly the biggest heli possible, but that's never been the appeal for me. I judge my progress on how well I can fly, whatever size model that happens to be. If anything the smaller CP helis are more of a challenge skill wise.

[tomatwalden]

That's not entirely true in all cases. It all depends a lot on your lifestyle and how you measure progress. ....

Totally agree. That's the snag to a degree with threads like this. The bottom line is that there isn't one true answer since everyone learns differently and has different circumstances. FWIW, I fly 700's, but I still go back to the smaller helis occasionally for different reasons. Sometimes it's location (eg. local fields), sometimes it's because I find them low-stress fun, sometimes for practising a new move before I risk a larger/more expensive heli.

Some will outgrow a 360, some won't!

[Granpappy]

I would get him on a sim first just to see whether he likes it and whether he can get to grips with controlling a model.

Sims didn't exist when I first started flying fixed wing, but if they had, I would have tried flying Mode 2 and then Mode 1. I'm right handed but I could never get to grips with Mode 2. I took to Mode 1 like a duck to water. Some people are like that. People just fly in whatever mode everyone else flies, but sometimes it's not entirely suited to them and the learning curve becomes greater,

Just a thought based on experience.

[Bob H]

That's not entirely true in all cases. It all depends a lot on your lifestyle and how you measure progress. For practical reasons (time poor) I've stayed with small helis and you certainly don't ever outgrow them skill wise! I know some people aim to fly the biggest heli possible, but that's never been the appeal for me. I judge my progress on how well I can fly, whatever size model that happens to be. If anything the smaller CP helis are more of a challenge skill wise.

I was talking generalities, not specifics and yes there are people who take to the smaller heli's like ducks to water while others have difficulties flying anything smaller than 600s. In general, larger is better but there are exceptions to everything.

[Peteski]

I was talking generalities, not specifics and yes there are people who take to the smaller heli's like ducks to water while others have difficulties flying anything smaller than 600s. In general, larger is better but there are exceptions to everything.

But the way you worded it made it sound like small helis are outgrown very quickly skill wise, which is how I would have taken your advice if I was a complete beginner. As a generality it would be better to say that larger helis are easier to fly and are what most people aspire to flying. But regardless I would still recommend learning to fly on at least one decent CP micro before progressing onto whatever size heli you really want. I made very quick and painless progress that way and would confidently fly any size heli now. I just happen to be very happy with small high quality models like the OXY 3. But I admit I'm probably more the exception in this respect. Most people would probably move onto a 550 or larger heli by my stage.

[Granpappy]

I made very quick and painless progress that way and would confidently fly any size heli now.

The first time you have a 1.6 metre blender in front of you, you might feel a bit different, like 'Oh sh*t!. It would definitely be a confidence sapper. Progressing through bigger heli's gets rid of the intimidation factor. My personal view is start on a 500 size and get over the intimidation factor early.

[Grumpy]

As he has a friend to teach him via buddy box (i.e. Crash test Tomo) and on the assumption that he aspires to bigger helis then I'd advise to get the biggest heli his budget will stretch to, up to around the 500-550 mark.

Different story if he was learning totally on his own but having a friend to help with the build setup and initial training makes a huge difference. So first thing he needs to decide is how much he wants to spend.

[crash-test-tomo]

Most of us in the hobby will recommend spending that bit more up front as we know from experience how much you'll save. But I know it's not always an easy decision spending that much money when you start.

Cheers guys, some great and varied advice. This I think being the biggest aspect in choice ^^ lol

If I could go back and do it again I would have invested in a better tx to begin with not a dx6i lol heli wise I worked my way through the blade range - 2x mcpx, 2x 450 3d, 3x 130x, 300x, 2x 450x... All of which I wouldnt bother with now! He has only seen my 180CFX fly which I do think is awesome, just not very beginner friendly!
I like the idea of going from mcpx to trex 500 or similar, my 550dfc has helped my flying far more than any of the others. I just hope the inevitable initial crash repair costs dont put him off!
I suppose the timing of it being almost winter will add plenty of sim time which never hurt anyone lol
He did have a short session on my sim, he understood and got to grips with the CP side of things really quickly, hence suggeting the 230s, am I right in thinking the flight modes or safe technology can make it fly like a 4 channel fixed pitch aswel though? Would maybe make his first few months alot cheaper lol

Geesta.. We live in kingswinford mate, I do know a couple guys that fly in clubs, just im not really prepared to give up my Sunday mornings haha

Grumpy.. I did think about buddying but im not sure how confident I would be about correcting him in time, unless he goes for something with a rescue function.
He definitely needs to make his first move signing up and reading this post lol