is bigger better?

[james 1989]

right basically im flying a t rex 450 plus at the minute but im finding the wind a problem where i live, it's not bad but its enough to affect the heli so i was wondering if getting a bigger heli would ease this problem. Dont get me wrong im getting the hang of flying now and i suppose its good practice to fly in wind so you learn even more control over your machine but i am eyeing a t rex 700 up as a project for when im ready to progress or would it be worth me just jumping straight onto that as it has alot more presence in the air?

Thanks
james

[SamS]

Bigger isn't always better .. Doesn't matter what the ladies say


They boths have Pro and Cons.


Pros

450 Size Heli

Cheaper to repair
Takes up less space
Great for practicing on

700 Size Heli

A lot more stable in the air
Bigger parts = easier to repair
Bigger allows you to fly further away without loosing orientation


Cons


450 Size Heli

Smaller = harder to repair
Less stable
Doesn't handle a lot of wind
Can be squirly if not controlled correctly

700 Size Heli

Can be messy (if nitro)
Crash cost is high
Damage to someones properly or someone can be very bad
Batteries are very expensive
Takes up more space


So, they both have pro's and con's, It's just up to you what you want in a heli.

[tonystevens]

Go for it, it will be sooo much easier to fly in the wind

[Ross Northcott]

Bigger isn't always better .. Doesn't matter what the ladies say

They boths have Pro and Cons.


Pros

450 Size Heli

Cheaper to repair
Takes up less space
Great for practicing on

700 Size Heli

A lot more stable in the air
Bigger parts = easier to repair
Bigger allows you to fly further away without loosing orientation


Cons


450 Size Heli

Smaller = harder to repair
Less stable
Doesn't handle a lot of wind
Can be squirly if not controlled correctly


700 Size Heli

Can be messy (if nitro)
Crash cost is high
Damage to someones properly or someone can be very bad
Batteries are very expensive
Takes up more space


So, they both have pro's and con's, It's just up to you what you want in a heli.

Sam, the op question was, is a bigger heli better in windy conditions? and the simple answer is yes.

[debrooker]

a 700 will be much better in the wind. You will need a very large area to fly a 700 in tho.

[snotvis]

In every way!....except price!

[SamS]

Sam, the op question was, is a bigger heli better in windy conditions? and the simple answer is yes.

Ahh, my fault, I didnt read the whole post and just assumed he meant heli size in general.

Post Edited

[Ross Northcott]

Ahh, my fault, I didnt read the whole post and just assumed he meant heli size in general.

Post Edited

Should have left the info as it may be useful as well, it all made perfect sence.

[AcidDrink]

right basically im flying a t rex 450 plus at the minute but im finding the wind a problem where i live, it's not bad but its enough to affect the heli so i was wondering if getting a bigger heli would ease this problem. Dont get me wrong im getting the hang of flying now and i suppose its good practice to fly in wind so you learn even more control over your machine but i am eyeing a t rex 700 up as a project for when im ready to progress or would it be worth me just jumping straight onto that as it has alot more presence in the air?

Thanks
james

With the winds we have now, even a 700 won't help. 25-35 mph gusts are not safe and not fun to fly in and even a 700 heli will be more a chore than fun to fly, you will be fighting the heli against the wind all the time and I am not sure what would you practice for in a wind like that. Of course, there will be a lot of posts denying that from local masochists who "brave" it and usually come back home with heli in a rubbish bag.

Other than that, yes, it's a huge difference, in normal weather (which we seem to not to be blessed with at all this year), with 10-20 mph winds, 450 will bounce around a bit, but 700 won't. it's also much easier to fly if you get over initial fear of big machine.

So, if you thinking about getting a 700 to fly in 35 mph winds, don't, there is no rc heli which will fly well in winds like that, if it's more about 20 mph, then yes, highly recommended.

[Varelco]

AcidDrink I beg to differ. I’ve have seen 700s and videos of 700s flying in 25-30mph gusts without much of an issue. You say its unsafe? How do you determine this? I wouldn’t say that flying in strong gusts is dangerous unless you don’t know what your doing. I know of some people who enjoy flying in the wind, it provides good practice.
To the OP a 700 would be very different to how your 450 handles the wind. I’ve never flown a 700 sized model but I can imagine it being completely different, when I moved from a 450 to a 550 I noticed a significant difference when facing similar winds, the 550 wasn’t affected by gusts which I know my 450 would of bounced about in. Moving up in heli size doesnt necessitate that it can fly in higher winds, it’s just a general known that it is less likely to be affected.

[sacko]

That isn't the 700 size Heli making it look 'stable' in the wind; that is the pilot correcting it with collective.

If 30mph gusts hit a 1.5 metre disc, that 700 is going to move quickly.

In a hover, yes they don't get blown around. When flying it about, they are affected by the wind just as much.

[AcidDrink]

AcidDrink I beg to differ. I’ve have seen 700s and videos of 700s flying in 25-30mph gusts without much of an issue. You say its unsafe?

Imagine you are doing a back flip tail in towards yourself on a 700 in 20 mph breeze blowing towards you (or even at angle). You need to hold quite a lot of positive collective instead of zero to keep it relatively in place, then you get 0.5 seconds viloent 15 mph gust on top (which is normal in the UK, winds are very gusty and violent). Angular velocity of heli in flip plus that gust = heli on top of your head in less than a second.

You need to be very very good pilot to control heli with any authority in winds like that. Funny thing, a lot of very good pilots who can do that, opt out of flying in such conditions, because they find it tiring.

So do I, despite not being so good of a pilot. There are better sports for these winds, like windsurfing.

[tonystevens]

the heli will handle the wind better but only if you can handle the collective alot better

[Wood butcher]

I reckon it all comes down to budget and what u are willing spend on crash costs,i did have a 700 nitro but could never get over the fear of crashing as the repair bills are a bit steep to handle,and the fun was being taken away by this, its all about having fun, after all it is a hobby.If ur budget allows and a regular crash at £150 is no problem yeah the 90 machines fly lush compared to smaller ones.They handle wind better but as one post says even wind like at the moment they are still a struggle to fly and thats not fun.I have gone back to a 500 size machine as well as a 450 which i had anyway and just love it,i can get back to pushing the learning curves and progressing my flying again.Hope this helps

[james 1989]

wow thanks for all the posts guys. I am fully aware that real bad winds arnt good to fly in for any heli but thanks to samS that was alot of useful info you put there, thank you. I am looking at it from both a general flying perspective and as a learner and i was thinking like so many of you have confirmed that a bigger heli is better as far as wind goes within reason of course. thanks for the info everyone. think ill be going up to a 700 as i can learn on it and wont really need to buy anything else.

thanks again
james