i wanna bigger chopper !

[stuskimac]

no seriously, bigger R/C helicopter, no probs in any other department !

my main flyer is my loveable blade 400, blinged & loaded, i enjoy flying it, but ! when i go any distance i start to loose orientation and it's a bit prone to the elements, the common thoughts seem to be the bigger choppers are more stable and less skittish than a 450 size.

points to note:_
1) i am still a beginner really, tail-in, side-in, f/flight ok, nose-in not so good, i can on pheonix, just to scared too on my blade.
2) i have a gaui ep200, back yard fun, HB King 2 blinged to death and keeps going wrong !, various co-axials, too many small helis, i want bigger !
3) i know sod all about I/C Engines, joining a club may be my best option for this i know, but pound for pound would i be better staying electric ?

Electric v Nitro ? £70 battery for 4-5mins flying ? i would want atleast 4 usable batts at any time to enjoy the chopper = £280 !!! nitro = ?

i'm mainly thinking Trex 500/600 or Raptor 30/50, wanna stay with something well known for ease of spares and/or uprgrades and keep to sensible budget.

any thoughts greatly appreciated , thankyou.

[Disc]

no seriously, bigger R/C helicopter, no probs in any other department !

my main flyer is my loveable blade 400, blinged & loaded, i enjoy flying it, but ! when i go any distance i start to loose orientation and it's a bit prone to the elements, the common thoughts seem to be the bigger choppers are more stable and less skittish than a 450 size.

points to note:_
1) i am still a beginner really, tail-in, side-in, f/flight ok, nose-in not so good, i can on pheonix, just to scared too on my blade.
2) i have a gaui ep200, back yard fun, HB King 2 blinged to death and keeps going wrong !, various co-axials, too many small helis, i want bigger !
3) i know sod all about I/C Engines, joining a club may be my best option for this i know, but pound for pound would i be better staying electric ?

Electric v Nitro ? £70 battery for 4-5mins flying ? i would want atleast 4 usable batts at any time to enjoy the chopper = £280 !!! nitro = ?

i'm mainly thinking Trex 500/600 or Raptor 30/50, wanna stay with something well known for ease of spares and/or uprgrades and keep to sensible budget.

any thoughts greatly appreciated , thankyou.

Bigger the helicopter more stable and they are and easier to fly

So a T-rex 600n or Raptor Titan are good beginner helicopters

Nitro or electric when you get to the 50 size machines be it electric or nitro better off flying at a club if you can.... You need space to fly this size machine. As for which is cheaper there's not a lot in it now...

nitro: fuel and fly it's that easy

Electric: no oilly mess and you wait an hour to charge a battery and fly for 6 mins or so... T-rex 600 batterys from maxpoly 120-140 pounds a time.

T-rex 500 batterys are 70+ pounds and you'll get 8 mins from a 3000ma battery sports flying. T-rex 500 to fix is nearly T-rex 600 money because it does so much more damage when you crash... like servo's.... But the 600 is more stable but batterys cost more...

[GravityKills]

...any thoughts greatly appreciated , thankyou.

I learned on an EP 200, which is even smaller than the 400.
Surprisingly (by then), when I got my hands on a bigger heli, it was very very easy, in comparison.

Learning on a smaller heli can be very efficient, because you're running on adrenaline all the time. As long as you're getting real flight time out of it (i.e. more than two LiPos hovered between crashes).

You could use the 400 to learn hovering at any direction. The next step is slow hovered piros (keep it in place and turn it around slowly).
This is MUCH more difficult than simple tail-in or nose-in hovering. But when you've got that under your belt, you can show up at your local flying field with a bigger heli, and nobody will call you a noob :-)

[J-S-Q]

If you do go electric then I'd suggest looking at Turnigy batteries. As an example, a Turnigy 6S 20C 2,650 for a TRex 500 is US$35.

[sacko]

If you do go electric then I'd suggest looking at Turnigy batteries. As an example, a Turnigy 6S 20C 2,650 for a TRex 500 is US$35.

What are they like? Have you compared them with any other packs?

I use the Zippy 3s packs and really rate them, just wondered if the Turingy ones were of them same qulity.

[GravityKills]

or hyperion, because they can be charged much faster => you need less LiPos if you charge in the field.

[J-S-Q]

What are they like? Have you compared them with any other packs?

I use the Zippy 3s packs and really rate them, just wondered if the Turingy ones were of them same qulity.

I think the idea is that Turnigy is more or less just a new name for Zippy batteries but made in a different factory. I've got 2 6S 20C's with about 10 cycles and have just got a couple of 30C's as well but I've only done 1 run in flight with them so far so it's a bit hard to say. I've never bought expensive name brand Lipos so I can't make a comparison to them but I'm definitely pretty happy with them -I just fly loops/flips/circuits etc, no 3D though. I've also got 4 3S Zippy H Lipos that have about 60 cycles on them so far. I'd say they've lost a bit of power compared to when they were brand new but there's certainly no sign of puffing and they always balance perfectly.

I would definitely like to try a top end Outrage pack just to see how it compares but I think the point is if you are a beginner or intermediate flyer then why would you buy an Outrage pack that's up to four time's the price?

Once I've run in my 6S batteries I could post some Eagle Tree charts if anyone's interested.

[Sao]

If you can join a local club and afford one then a 50 size nitro is probably your best option. More stick time per trip to the field because you can just fill up and fly. I spent years electric only and always hated nitro engines and tuning them but it's really not that hard with a little help from club members or even text support from a knowledgeable forum member.

[moonmanflyer]

If you are looking for a raptor 30, Callum has one for sale in the for sale section, take a look.
The bigger you go the more stable helis are, something like a raptor 30 will be a massive improvement over the blade in that department and you will be able to fly it in stronger winds

[sacko]

Callum lives in Leicester too

[scallybert]

Electric v Nitro ? £70 battery for 4-5mins flying ? i would want atleast 4 usable batts at any time to enjoy the chopper = £280 !!!

I'm getting at least 10 minutes per pack (I'm not measuring, but someone reckoned one pack lasted 20 minutes) on my Outrage G5.

These are 6S 1300mAh Outrage packs. ~£45 (though seem to still be £36 at Blink). While this isn't massively cheap, if you only get 50 cycles per pack, that's <£1 per flight. From what I've heard, this is going to be cheaper than IC. (?)

I find I can turn up with the heli, Tx & 6 LiPos, and really just fly. Just changing packs. Oh, and training gear. Those fluoro balls help lots with orientation, or at least help you keep the rotor-side up while you gain some height and figure out which way it's pointing...

Having said that, a G5 is a 350mm blade 450 (ie bigger than other 450s), but you have to ask whether this is big enough for what you want.

IME learning to hover in various orientations: in orientations you've got sorted, it will deal with winds pretty well. (I've been hovering while plankers () have apparently gone home because of the wind); In orientations you haven't got sorted, it's a lot easier wihout much wind, but winds are still do-able if you're careful.

I like my G5 (& my GAUI H200). I'm hoping I won't need to go bigger, as it's so convenient.

[Made2Fade]

If you are looking for a raptor 30, Callum has one for sale in the for sale section, take a look.
The bigger you go the more stable helis are, something like a raptor 30 will be a massive improvement over the blade in that department and you will be able to fly it in stronger winds

And he only wants 150 quid for it... cheapest raptor you will get thats for sure... looks nice too and alot of the parts are actually very new.

[derrick]

Hi been flying a beam for about three months, Just bought a raptor 50 the differance is incredible.You need to join a club and you should get loads of help. But the raptor will really boost your confidence,I am keeping the beam because the electrics are so nice when you just want a quick fly but the nitro is the way to go. You will just love it. Good luck with what ever you choose. I bought my rappy from a fellow club member so i saw it fly before i bought it which i think is the way to go.
Del.

[Gate88]

Another thing that I found was that larger models are so much easier to see, within no time at all you'll be flying higher, further, & faster.

I fly a Trex450 and a Raptor 50 and here's my favorite analogy.
The Raptor is like the wife, she carries a few extra pounds, she's stable, dependable, reliable, a little expensive at times, and she does require a degree of attention & maintainance but can always show you a good time if you treat her right.
My Trex on the other hand is the 19 year old blonde Essex hairdresser you met one night in Aiya Napa, good looking, lively, frisky, nice & cheap, great fun in short bursts, and can always teach you a few new tricks to take back to the wife, but lets face it you wouldnt want to spend the rest of your life with her!

[Bruinbear]

Didn't anyone tell you ...
It's not the size of your chopper, but what you can do with it that counts.
Mike.