Trainers?

[niceboy]

I have been reading through the forum along with my son for some time now and his interest in RC Heli's seams to be growing. Can someone recomend a trainer RC Helicopter for him (13 yrs old) that is durable and reiable, not just one that is easy to use, one that he can learn on and gain experience so that he may evolve his skills?

Any help is graciously appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Steve Rogers]

I started with the small electrics - blade cp's & trexes but hindsight says that wasnt the best rt. My first glow heli was a Hawk pro 30 & its pretty durable & dependable. Of coarse durable only applys to normal wear, ground pounding with it is just like all of them - stuff will break! It is very stable & with a little tweeking & very low expense it can be made into a pretty good beginner 3D machine. I have since got into 50's & 90's but I keep the Pro 30 around for learning new manuvers or when the fuel supply is low I wont burn a gal in a day having a little fun. There also cheap enough to have a spare kit around to rob parts off of when you want to get back in the air quick & order parts later.

Just my experience & good luck with your son in what ever you get.

Steve

[kingair200]

you know, any 30 or 50 size machine will work well for a young grommet. be sure to pick one that is "current" meaning, you can get parts very easily. stop by your local hobby shop and see what they KEEP in stock. i started on an old concept 60, for which i CANNOT find parts for anymore. (hence i dont fly her much) ask the hobby shop of any local flying clubs as well, personal help with setup and flying is invaluble!!!!
the larger the heli, the more stable it will be, that being said, the greater the expense when it pounds the ground (and it will)!!!!!!
just my $0.02.
dave

oh, another note - BUY A SIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[spork]

I have to admit the T-Rex is not as rock-solid stable as a 60 or 90. But crashes are cheap. There's no question he can learn on the Rex if he wants to, and it'll take him a long long way - it's plenty aerobatic when he gets to that point. Also, it's small and quiet (electric), so flying fields tend to be far more abundant. Finally, there's a HUGE knowledge-base on this heli.

If you have the money to spare and a place to fly a nitro bird, there are definitely some great ones. I used to fly a nitro 60 (and loved it). Now I've got the T-Rex, and have been very impressed with how well it compares (but no, it's not a 60).

[kgfly]

If you want a low cost entry point that will allow him to learn basic orientation and flight skills and also, to try it out before diving into a major investment, it's hard to go past the range of RTF coaxials. In the US I think the BladeCX is the most popular: http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLH1250

These get you everything you need to get started for under $200. They can be flown indoors or outdoors in calm weather. They tend to fly well right out of the box and there's nothing easier to fly for a beginner. They do provide valuable training. If your son takes to the hobby he will outgrow a coax, but they are lots of fun and if he decides it's not for him, well you're not out much.

The alternative is to start with a small-to-mid size electric or nitro bird. Either way, the startup costs are significant and the learning curve very steep. One of the great attractions of the hobby is the complexity, but it can be overwhelming at first if you don't have local flyers that can help you out. By the time you get the heli, motors, electronics, radios, support equipment, tools and field gear it's likely to cost you at least 5 to 10 times as much as a coax.

So you have to decide whether you want to dip your toe in with a high probability of a fun start or dive in the deep end and possibly struggle at first.

Personally I would recommend starting with an RTF coax as it will get your son flying quickly while you take time to learn about and assess the options for a more sophisticated and larger heli.

If you do decide to go for a larger heli from the start, be sure to get a simulator too. The leaders are Phoenix, Reflex/XTR and RealFlight/G3. They are all excellent but Phoenix is considerably cheaper than the others.

[Seeker]

I like the Blade CX start. I personally think a 30-50 nitro bird is what's really needed once you figure you really want to invest the time and cash to fly.

A 30-50 size nitro (or electric for that matter) will be the most "bang for the buck". They're very stable compared to a trex/cp/hummingbird and can take a new flyer to be able to have some fun with it after they get past forward flight and hovering.

I simulator is highly recommended too! Crashes are *FREE* there!