Completely lost

[scoobystig]

if in any doubt, come up and see us at the flying school, click the link in my signature
we are only based in Swindon so not far from you
we can get you up and flying on the buddy box and introduce you to the controls one by one so you get the hang of what each one does

[mark_w]

Where abouts in Bristol are you?

I am a member of Beaufort model flying club. Its mostly Planes but there are a few of us that fly helis.
The club has 4 flying sites around Bristol so you can normally find a site where there are no planes flying so you get the air space to yourself

[matty-boy]

I'll probably get shot down for suggesting this but...

How about a cheap (relatively speaking) fixed pitch heli?

I bought my first my first heli in November 2010 and was looping, flipping, rolling and inverted hovering for the first time, last Thursday.

My first heli was an E-Sky Honeybee Fixed Pitch V2 (HBFP). No this isn't the best heli in the world, but in my opinion, it's great for learning on. It more or less flies like a larger collective pitch heli, but the head speed is lower, the controls are less responsive (great for a beginner), but best of all, when you crash, you usually don't break anything but if you do, it costs peanuts to fix and takes no time at all. Compare that to my CP bird which has cost me over £50 to fix after my last crash and will take several hours to replace the parts and setup - level the swash, etc, etc. You can't fly inverted with a fixed pitch heli (OK, you might manage a loop or roll if you're lucky but certainly not hover or forward flight) but you won't be wanting to try inverted for a while anyway until you can hover in all orientations and have mastered flying circuits.

Yes, you will grow out of the HBFP eventually, but in my opinion, if you don't have loads of cash and time at your disposal, the HBFP is a great tool for learning on. Yes, by all means, purchase a good sim (I went for Phoenix) but you do get a bit bored of it after a while. Your first heli needs to be cheap and quick to fix, because no matter how quickly you take to the hobby, you WILL crash quite a lot.

I also have an E-Flite mCPx but I got this after i could fly the HBFP so I don't know whether to recommend this as a first heli or not - it's a bit twitchy for a beginner. E-Flite MSR maybe, but I've never flown one.

Hope this helps,
Matt.

[ushills]

Give the HBFP a miss, yes I could fly mine - even circuits an a small back garden (but they are sh**te). Then I moved onto the 450, totally different collective control, with the HBFP when you start to get into trouble the natural reaction is to drop the collective, try that on a CP and count the damage cost. IMHO you are better off getting a decent transmitter and phoenix or another sim (I use heli-x) as this will teach you orientations, yes you will get bored but stick with it, it's better than rebuilding heli's.

Then get a 450/500 decent clone, something like a Tarot or similar and practice what you've learnt and how to set them up. When you've had enough of crashing that and can fly get a quality heli to enjoy.

[ushills]

Re the HBFP, they are too suceptible to wind, you end up chasing them around and they still break and parts aren't that cheap. I used mine for a demolition derby a few weeks ago as it was uncontrolable in the slightest wind. I wouldn't even give it to my daughter to practice on.

I can put you in touch with someone who can build you up a 450 for a reasonable sum, a fraction more than the HBPF. PM if interested - nowt in it for me (declaration).

[tiddler]

My early flying experience with a cheap fixed pitch heli was poor in the extreme to say the least, and the dam thing very nearly convinced me I would never be able to fly a single rotor heli ever

Then I discovered the Thunder Tiger Innovator MD530. What a revelation that was This heli IMHO is just about the best beginners/total novice's 450 sized CP heli around. I couldn't believe how utterly stable it was straight out of the box, and I had it up into a solid hover on my very first attempt no trouble at all.
Within a couple of more flights I was moving it around and then flying circles easily
No this wasn't down to me being good at heli flying. This was down to the Innovators superb handling characteristics.

I have long since moved on to faster more agile helis. and I can fly them. well lets just say reasonably well. But they have all cost me £££'s in spares and repairs. The innovator on the other hand has never been crashed and apart from its initial purchase price, hasn't cost me a penny in nearly two years of flying it.
For a beginner/total novice it seems like a no brainer to me