against the tide...electric to nitro...yes or no?

[dogbiscuit]

with the current trend still showing a move away from nitro toward electric helis, i find myself considering a nitro for the first time. I was just wondering how people feel about their decision to switch to electric, has it been the right thing to do, or do you miss the nitro, or are the nitros just too messy and to much hastle and your really glad you sold them?

it feels quite a jump in "heli comitment level" to buy a nitro, coming from the msr, blade 400, trex 500 route. I am no 3d flyer, but have really been getting to grips with loops, flips and rolls over the last weekend and flying the 500 "big" and fast has left me wanting to try a bigger heli....and going to the southwest heliflyin and watching all the big boys with their big toys hasn't helped this craving either!

so, the options are electric trex 550/600 or trex 600nitro. the trouble is the budget is tight and big 6s packs are too expensive. also having just a couple of packs is really disapointing and charging equipment will require upgrading as well. if i had big funds for loads of packs and massive quick chargers i would stay electric, but i dont, so the 600n has appeared on my radar

so, get a better job and stay electric, or go against the flow and go nitro, what should i do?

[Varelco]

If you fancy a nitro, get a nitro. Its not going against the flow at all. The electric vs nitro debate is one that can never be answered. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, what it comes down to it what you want. From what you just said, it seems like nitro is for you!

[milly0812]

I only sold my nitro because I couldn't find anywhere to fly it ( noise sensitive) now I am in a club I may get another next summer. :-)

[trillian]

I was slowly drawn into the bigger electrics due to a lot of the club regulars going all electric but it has not been smooth sailing (maybe just bad luck) and had I not been so impulsive and just waited I think I would have held off for now.

Above 500 size the charging requirements get a lot more serious, so you have to invest in a charger and power supply that can handle it and, of course, enough LiPos for the amount of flying you usually do.

I'm not giving up on my 'electric dream' :-) But if I wanted an easy life I would have stayed nitro on anything bigger than the 500.

All you really need, beyond the regular tools you'd have already, is a starter, a fuel pump, possibly a glow lighter, a socket wrench for the glow plug, a couple 2 cell RX LiPos if you're using a reg / LiPo for RX power.

[Geek]

Try mine if you like?
but you repair it.

I know Panos will have his going soon which is another option on seeing one.

[helijohn]

with the current trend still showing a move away from nitro toward electric helis, i find myself considering a nitro for the first time. I was just wondering how people feel about their decision to switch to electric, has it been the right thing to do, or do you miss the nitro, or are the nitros just too messy and to much hastle and your really glad you sold them?

it feels quite a jump in "heli comitment level" to buy a nitro, coming from the msr, blade 400, trex 500 route. I am no 3d flyer, but have really been getting to grips with loops, flips and rolls over the last weekend and flying the 500 "big" and fast has left me wanting to try a bigger heli....and going to the southwest heliflyin and watching all the big boys with their big toys hasn't helped this craving either!

so, the options are electric trex 550/600 or trex 600nitro. the trouble is the budget is tight and big 6s packs are too expensive. also having just a couple of packs is really disapointing and charging equipment will require upgrading as well. if i had big funds for loads of packs and massive quick chargers i would stay electric, but i dont, so the 600n has appeared on my radar

so, get a better job and stay electric, or go against the flow and go nitro, what should i do?

This topic always seems to end up in nitro V electric discussions and there is a lot to discuss.

I agree about the apparent trend but I read that only 5% of peeps who start with helicopters stick with it and you can imagine who the ones are that drop out - I guess a good proportion of the 95% that give up will be shopping mall fliers with small electrics.

Not too many start off with nitro these days; I started with nitro because nitro was all there was. Clockwork helicopters never took off. Hehehehehe

So for me going to nitro is always my recommendation despite the surge in electric interest. On some forums all the chat is about electric. I know there are reasons against nitro, as you rightly point out a big one is investment; however, my reasons for sticking to nitro and/or recommending it even to newbies are the usual: larger birds (and thus greater stability), longer flight times (so you can really get into what you are doing) and the sense of it being a smaller version of the real thing (police helicopters just don't run on hybrid power).

Nitro is messy, noisy (love that) and a lot of hassle(we love to fiddle - right) but who sells them on to get out of nitro..........I never will! I am pretty sure nitro fliers keep their helis and get electric as well.

You don't have to have gigantic nitro ships, the Gaui NX4 (I think that's the one - OS37 engine and is it 500mm blades?) is coming soon and will be ideal for me - nitro on a stick. I nearly bought a .20 (think I got that right) so as to go smaller but still nitro!!

Once you have the support kit and a nice flier you will never look back. You mention lipo costs but nitro fuel costs too.

Finally you just know you have to do nitro cos it's there. lol

I like electric in the smaller stuff and for me that's where it belongs. If I live to be 100 maybe I'll see battery tech so advanced that electric will be the ideal way to go.

[VOLT]

You welcome to have a go with my 1000 E thats a 10 min flight and still 30% left in the packs..if you like you can stack 24cells on and have a 20 min if you like...

but you can only fly it around like this...nothing spectacular really .....cough..sorry the smoke got to me there a bit...hahaha
I would love to see a smoker power this size heli one day

the 24 cell setup gives you 12000MAH

I like electric in bigger heli,s and thats where it rules!

[Supa Koopa]

Well I did just that. I started with nitro and slowly sold off everything that was nitro leaving me with just electric helis of all sizes. They are great and all, very clean, easy to fly (no tuning and swearing, no knackered glow plugs or exhausts coming loose) but dare I say a little boring. Everyone needs a nitro in their life me included, and after getting a fantastic deal from Angelos I'm the proud owner of a Velocity 90 nitro. It flys great, has loads of presence in the air and smells lovely....!

Go on you know it makes sense.

[dogbiscuit]

Try mine if you like?
but you repair it.

I know Panos will have his going soon which is another option on seeing one.

great offer, thanks paul....how does that work with you having the sticks the wrong way round?

"bloody panos" keeps buying more and more bigger helis and then flying them in front of me!!!!! had it not been for him joining our club i would have been happy with a 130x!!!

thanks to all for all the thoughts so far

[Sheldrake]

Love my Nitro - sound, smell and presence. A good wipe over after a mornings flying and you are ready for next time! Biggest advantage is you do not have to keep taking the canopy on and off to fuel/start etc!

Whatever you decide Happy Landings!

[Geek]

great offer, thanks paul....how does that work with you having the sticks the wrong way round?

"bloody panos" keeps buying more and more bigger helis and then flying them in front of me!!!!! had it not been for him joining our club i would have been happy with a 130x!!!

thanks to all for all the thoughts so far

What we could do is use your dx8 and SD the settings over.
bind and fly

[Baldie]

Get a trex 600 nitro. You have a 500, the 600 on 20% nitro is not too costly to run, and you can fly for as much fuel as you have. The rx pack don't take long to charge( I get about 6 flights from a 2100 2s). I now have a 600 e and 600 n . Love them both but the 600n rocks in the winter.

[dogbiscuit]

What we could do is use your dx8 and SD the settings over.
bind and fly

i am up for it, just tell me when.....i have a big flying pass this weekend as my better half is away all weekend!

[Gate88]

When I go flying I go for the day, I'm not able to just do an hour or two so unless I want to spend a load of cash up front on lipos or field charging gear then it has to be I/C. The other problem with me is that I'm not disciplined or responsible enough to own expensive lipos, I'd be overcharging them, leaving them for months in various states of charge, letting them get too hot or too cold. Its the same reason I don't own a pet!

Plus I don't have the foggiest idea how electricity works! The lads at the club are always banging on about so many volts, watts, amps, etc. "Look at my new 25 cell blah blah, it only cost £900 blah blah, I can charge it at 10c in 30 seconds blah blah, new power supply that beeps blah blah, it produces a million watts blah blah" I don't want to become a dreary old lipobore I'd rather go flying!

[discoferret]

I went from electric to nitro and don't regret it one bit. But saying that I've just ordered a goblin 700. And I will defo be keeping my velo 50. I think everyone needs an electric and a nitro in their heli collection. :-)