Beginner... where to start?

Hey all,

I am intrigued by all this AP stuff and realize there is alot of work that goes into this.

I have 2 newb questions:

1st What heli is best for AP? what is the most widely used heli? What heli has parts readily available?

Well that was 3 in 1

2nd whats a good starter mount for video and stills, 1 man or 2?

Thanks, I am sure to have a few hundred more questions soon.

/Ed

[uluaz]

Best advice I can give is do a lot research. Don't just go and buy something right away. Do a lot research on this forum and other forums. Believe me you can find endless info checking this forum and the other forums.

[DebianDog]

1. Best? Like Ford or Chevy. Some say LARGE electric some say Gasser. A gasser is more lift for your buck.
2. Widely used? Raptor but not for AP (DJ is trying to change that)
3. For AP work? That is another question. I have seen them all used. Lots of Bergen's and Jokers. I use a Condor myself. Like the above poster says there are pros and cons to any system.
4. If you are going to do video you kind of need two people. If you are doing stills you can skate by with one.

Do a LOT of research.

Welcome to HF :hug:

[MarkWebber]

Do a LOT of research

Well said!

what is the most widely used heli

You'll want to narrow down what you'd like the heli to do for you. Small camera, big dslr, video? What enviroment-fuel or electric?

Keep reading and fill in some of those blanks and that'll help you chose a heli :D

Great thing about where I live is I am close to QuickHeli only about 20 minutes from me I was down there today and man their store is Heli Mecca, anyway I talked to a few of the guys there and they were very very nice even though one of them is starting to get into AP himself.

These guys have an outstanding lineup of copters and all their parts are only 20 minutes from me, so that coupled with a knowlagable staff is 60% of the battle for me.

I just picked up a crap spycam off ebay and Im gonna hook it to a tuner card in my laptop to capture video, I got an old canopy so Im going to cut the noise out it and mount it, should keep the CG pretty close. If I see what I like out of it I will move onto a still camera mount for the rex and then grow from there.

as of right now however I am only in the hobby for about 4 months, and I need to still learn nose in flight on the real deal not the sim :D

I have also been reading a ton of info on all forums and its beginning to absorb, I do appreciate everyones replies.

I am currently thinking of the outdoo 600 however, there is a new 90 size copter they are building to be a simple conversion copter for either gas or electric, the frame is designed with 4 to 6 bolts to be removed from the engine mount and you can swap out engines, the crazy thing is the battery will cost you as much as the copter its a 5s6p

30 packs x 15 a pack = $450

Thanks all, I look forward to chatting more, hopefully with some positive results

/Ed

[DebianDog]

Quick Worldwide? Irwin. Let me know how that works out for you.

[MarkWebber]

DD

Wondered about that too :? Somebody must be buying them.

not sure if I understand your replies guys

hope its not a bad thing

[jahunter]

I have not tried this yet, but I am building a T-rex CDE to carry a Canon 450 SD. The 450 does video very well, and stills OK. Stay tuned for results

[Garland]

Irwin will do ya more harm then good for sure.

Not sure I would put a Irwin special heli up with high dollar cameras over poeples property/streets etc.

90% of who ya talk to in this community (not just this forum) will tell ya that a QWW heli isnt well made.

for a AP heli QWW doesnt even rank as a option.

Welcome to HF! Just keep looking and researching. I know they are close to ya but the quality of QWW just isnt there.

[mike5334]

Actually, I would dispute the claim that QWW helis are not well made. They are well designed, use cnc machined parts, and go together well. Not to mention they actually fly good too and can be very stable when set up properly.

From what I am hearing, there was a time a few years back when the QWW helis were having quality issues. That is not the case today. People who say that the quality is bad may be remembering the problems the helis had years ago.

Personally, I don't think the large QWW helis are ready for AP duty. The big gasser has plenty of power, but the boom is not long enough to use blades longer than 710mm. It would be nice if QWW came out with an extended boom for thier big helis. Thier electrics may be in the same boat, although I haven't actually seen one of the electrics to comment knowledgably.

If it was me looking at getting into AP (and I have been looking), I would go with a Bergen machine (for large jobs), a Joker electric (for smaller jobs), and one of the high end camera mounts for both. I would have my wife or even hire a professional photographer to handle the camera duties while I fly.

[Cryofix]

thanks for all the info all