New heli search

[octotus]

Hi all,

am a starter. this is my first RC anything. But being attracted by these hoverbirds - i have decided to start off with them. I read upon the available models - CP CX etc .. and I want to know if

a) starting with a CP (am ready for a slow learning curve) is a good idea?
or b) i should start with a CX necessarily? I think after a couple of months i will grow out of the CX models capabilities.

your suggestions please. :) really need them

thanks,
k

[DebianDog]

CX is a great starter bird for orientation. I love flying them. Good fun but not a great outside heli unless there is NO wind. I would not suggest a blade CP to anyone myself (at any time). Not worth the money in my opinion.

[Rodney]

I agree with debaindog. in all honesty the sim would be better than those ready to fly micros

[kgfly]

You will get lots of conflicting opinions, so here's mine :twisted:

a) The micro coax helis (Blade CX, Esky Lama etc.) are a good entry into the hobby as they come complete, are as easy as a heli can be to fly and the better ones are fairly robust. If you don't have a good indoor space to fly (large garage or a big room without too much clutter) then they get frustrating as you tend not to be able to fly outside and keep crashing inside. Parts are cheapish but can add up. My current favourite is the Esky LamaV3. Good quality, good flight performance and very robust.

b) Some people have success with the small FP or CP helis (eg Walkera #4, DragonFly 4, BladeCP) and learn to fly them before moving on to something bigger. Many find them so unstable and troublesome that they get discouraged. They are tiny to work on. Tread this path carefully.



c) A good quality 400/450 class heli is a good entry point and the market leader is of course the TRex. It will cost you $1500 to $2000 to start from scratch, get it in the air and keep it there for the first 6 months or so. The costs are deceptive. You have to include the heli/motor/esc, Tx/Rx/servos/gyro, multiple batteries, charger, tools, soldering iron and spares. I recommend the TRexSE. I have had an HDE and now an SE and the metal head and tail are far more robust and worth getting up front.

d) A larger heli is almost always easier to learn to fly than a smaller one. They are more stable, more wind tolerant and easier to see. As you move up from a TRex the costs go up quickly as parts, blades, servos and particularly batteries get a lot more expensive. However if you have the money they will be easier to fly. From my research on sizes they go something like this:

T450 -> Blackhawk/Lepton/QJ-EP8v2 -> Swift/Logo10 -> T600/eRaptor -> IonX/Joker

One major factor should be the availability of spare parts in your area and ideally, someone else that flies the same heli to help you check it out and work through problems. That's another reason to consider a T450, they are everywhere.

e) SIM SIM SIM
If you want to save money get a sim and practise on it before and after you get your first heli. FMS is free and fine for a beginner. Then there is ClearView which is excellent and about $35 plus a cable (~$40). The leaders are G3, Reflex/XTR and Phoenix. I would recommend Phoenix as the best value for money of the big 3. G3 is the most expensive by far but has two features that some people love, it comes with its own controller and it support online play so you can fly with others.

[woodturner]

kgfly did a great write up. Can't top it, agree 100%

[sparky]

I am currently using the E-Heli S4. had problems just as kgfly stated. After getting the Reflex XTR sim, I can now fly indoors with no Problem and outdorrs with less frustratiom. I found that as soon as you start feeling comfortable, its time to recharge the battery. I tend to agree with kgfly as I am now looking int the trex 600.
Good luck and dont give up. I am a avid fixed wing piolet and never gave up!

[octotus]

hi all,

i should first thank you all for your responses. All the responses - generally favor CX models for a "no RC anything ever before" person like me. :noteworthy

Also i will take your advice for not going for a CP right now. Thanks a lot guys.
any more advice is certainly welcome :) .. may the mighty bulls teach this calf.

k

[Seeker]

I think the best combo is the Sim (I'm partial to the G3 cuz you get a game tx with it) and the BCX. You can have some fun with it for under $200 and it's a toy and you can treat is as such.

The TRex is a fun bird but it's pricy and worth it however for about the same cost you can fly a raptor 30/50 and get a lot more stable one.

[octotus]

hi,

i went to my hobby store. the owner, who himself is an exprncd heli flyer - suggested the hmmingbird v4 and i got it.
didnt want to go for a cp micro - so settled for this FP one. looking fwd for ur continued advices.

reg,
k

[HeliDan]

hi,

i went to my hobby store. the owner, who himself is an exprncd heli flyer - suggested the hmmingbird v4 and i got it.
didnt want to go for a cp micro - so settled for this FP one. looking fwd for ur continued advices.

reg,
k

I also have a hummingbird V4. Fly no wind or light wind only. Use a SIM to learn how NOT to overcompensate on the sticks. Remember the following:
"www.heli-world.com". I get my replacement parts in two days. I have become a better heli mechanic than pilot.

Got a Blade CP Pro. Will warm up on the V4 tomorrow morning, and my maiden crash, I mean flight on the blade is tomorrow.

Good luck! and have fun. remember the quote at the bottom of my message. More true than you think!

[kgfly]

Octotus that's great, I hope you have lots of fun, welcome to the club, you'll be addicted in no time :D

[DebianDog]

Remember the following:
"www.heli-world.com". I get my replacement parts in two days.

Well I would hope so they are in California and so are you!

Also for the most part Heli-World is Century Helicopters (http://www.centuryheli.com/) Click buy anywhere on Century's site and it take you to Heli-World. ;)

[scooby61]

agree with most everything typed here but of 4 peoplei know with cps 2 have great helis not bad to fly as long as the wind is light. myself i and one freind have cx and cp pros the cps have been a nightmare mine will not hover no matter howmany parts i replace no matter howmany more experienced guys trim it in.
the slightest rough landing and the main shaft bends. my freinds blows all in one control units so far 3 in two months we've tried everything and have replaced virtually every electronic part on it to no avail. so to summarize i bout a cx, then 3 weeks later a cppro, then a month later just finished building my trex (with some much appreciated assistance from Hobby Hanger in chantilly VA) i could never acheive sustainable flight with the cp and with the trex i can hover, do forward flight, bank turns and almost land where i want. my advice get the cx and a sim
learn the basics and get a bigger higher quality more stable heli than a cp.
i'm also a newbie and for the money and frustration the cp gave me i almost went back to cars. thanks goodness i love this trex. good luck and have faith you'll get better just practice.

[octotus]

Octotus that's great, I hope you have lots of fun, welcome to the club, you'll be addicted in no time :D

thanks kenneth. I have certain doubts and hope u guys can help me out.

i am having troubles in hovering her.
This is all i did:
1) I made rudder adjustments - while she was ready to hover -but still wasnt there yet.

2) While i tried skidding (indoors - no wind) she kept skidding to the left. I tried trimming but was not enough. So i changed the length of the aileron pushrod. This stopped skidding to the left and i shud say she did seem good to go then.

3) took her outside - no wind. Tried hovering - but she kept moving towards the right. she was not banking as much as she was moving. she didnt crash either - i managed to get her down without crashing (thnx to my training kit). But after one unusually hard landing (still no broken parts :D) .. she started moving her head to the right. And still the movement to the right is there - and both of these would NOT be cancelled by a trim adjustment on the Tx.

Can someone tell me what else to try?:roll:

I wanted to try adjusting the gain on the mix - but would wait until u guys say it is good to do for a newbie.

thanks a lot again.

reg,
k

[kgfly]

Ummmm, sorry but I don't know anything about Hummingbirds myself. Perhaps re-post on a Hummingbird forum here on helifreak and/or on rcgroups.com, I am sure you'll find lots of help from people that know about that heli.