upgrade or get new heli

[bluesteel]

Hi i have a blade cp heli and i am a newbie i can hover a little on it but not for long it rocks like crazy i was told i could get the blade tx for it and that would help it about 108.00 for it is it worth it? or should i get a new heli that would be more stable i was told honey bee king is good i need some recommendations i am bidding on a spectrum dx6 radio for 80.00 its a 6 ch do i really need 7 ch? what is the 7th for?

i also saw on helihobby some t-rexx for like 200.00 http://www.helihobby.com/html/trex_helicopter.html are any of these good?

thanks for the help guys

Tommy

[Jermo]

Tommy I'm new but I'll give you some free advice.

Slow down - going fast is going to cost alot of $$

Save your money while you learn.

The Blade CX is alot cheaper to crash than the Blade CP and a simulator is even cheaper.

Your main focus right now should be to learn the Basics. The better you learn basics the less it will cost you. Definately follow Radds' School of Rotary Flight, it's free and works! http://www.dream-models.com/eco/flying-index.html

It's my opinion you need to spend your money smart. Don't worry about bling and cool. Worry about reliable and cheap to fix. I mentioned the Blade CX, check with your local hobby store and find out what model(s) they carry a majority of repair parts for. Use that information to help you make your purchase. Again...realiable yet inexpensive to repair. Example: Blade CX main or lower blades are $1 per set when they break, T-Rex 450 wood blades are $13. Pretty easy to see that.

You may even consider keeping the BCP. Simulator time will help you get better. Following RADD will help you not spend so much $$ repairing your BCP (almost none in fact if you follow it right and are honest about it).

I know all this is boring and not fun but consider that in 6 months to a year you'll be FLYING in a way that is fun and won't kill anyone!!! That's worth something.

Depending on your budget FMS is a free SIM that will work (it's a basic sim to help you learn orientation..just do RADD on the sim as well as with your CP). You'll want to buy an interface for FMS (about $30 or less) and a radio controller that works with it (your cp controller might work..ask on the forums). IF you have the budget there are many other sims out there that are good as well (I use realflight 3.5 because my lovely bride got a bonus and surprised me with it).


I'd not spend huge piles of cash on a DX6/7 or anything until i had the basics of flying. It's depressing to spend $1000 only to bury it in the ground first day out. Flying Heli's is not easy but it's definately worth the effort.

Anything worth doing is worth doing right. IF it doesn't take effort it's probably not worth doing.

Just my humble opinion, take it for what it's worth. Have fun!
Jermo

[bluesteel]

Ok been playing around with the clearview sim they have a blade heli in it. i have weather set to 3 miles mph i hover and fly around in a circle for while before a crash
while the blade cp acts noo way near like in the sim.
when i am not on the sim i have a piccoz indoor heli which is very cool i hover that thing 2 ins from my nose with a little modding i got it going in foward flight.
remind me of the CX in a way i had tried the house fly at a local hobby shop did find any challange in the dual rotors in hovering once toy get the hang you can almost hover and set the radio down and walk away.
other little problems i have with my bcp is i
cant land it smoothy it just falls out of the sky once i get it back down to about 2 feet while i can land smoothy in sim. dunno is clearivew considered decent sim?

The main reason i wanted the dx6 is because i have rc planes that use a radio.
and i am trying to get out of having 5 radios and just use 1 radio plus i can use the dx6 in
nyc/UK i take my planes over seas with me when i am at my inlaws they have a huge field in the back.

dont know maybe its my 4-1 that is twitchy or have it sent back to get check out.

thanks for the advice Jermo!

Tommy

[jediwannabe]

6 channels is all you need for most heli's, 7th is for retractable landing gear on scale models or extra features on nitro heli's.
You may want to watch Finless Bob's TREX build videos and see if building one and programming a CCPM computer radio interests you.(http://www.helifreak.com/viewtopic.php?t=12455&sid=77a3d91b4c958fc1e5bec3b07485b3f7)
As far as the CP being twitchy, they are! Your always working the sticks, constant input or your down. If you balance the blades, track the blades, set the proportional mix, the gyro gain, and trim it out it won't be as bad. A TREX will be more stable but it is also more advance, more expensive project.
I've never had a coax heli so I can't comment on the CX.
I started with a Blade CP Pro and moved to the TREX.
I've always found figuring out what to buy is the hardest part of being a NEWB.
I'm still new and I consult the opinions on this forum before I buy most things, but you have to make the hard descisions.

[Jermo]

Tommy,
Can you hover nose in? keep it in once place?
Can you hover tail in? keep it in once place?
Can you hover right side in? keep it in once place?
Can you hover left side in? keep it in once place?
Can you fly figure 8's and keep the same altitude?
Can you fly piroettes and keep the same altitude/position?

I'm not trying to be mean or picky. I'm just trying to help you prepare properly. You want to have the basics down 100%. When (not IF) something bad happens to your Heli you need to react correctly. If you have the basics engrained you will stand a better chance of saving your heli than if you just fly it.

focus and re-focus until you are solid on the basics. Check out Radd... when you're bored you know you're doing it right. It takes minimum 27 days to develope a habit and could take years to correct a bad habit.
*shrug* just trying to help... don't get discouraged, flying is fun, flying Heli's well impresses the heck out of folks because many don't have the discipline to learn it.
You can do this :)
Jermo

[broke-again]

Good advice Jermo, i hope he takes it. :D

[themaj@mac.com]

jermo...I would put that in the excellent advice category...I returned to RC after a 30+year absence and inspite of being a fixed wing pilot decided to try the RC Helicopter path in Nov 2006. After buying into the TREX 450 and having a difficult time learning the basics & replacing a lot of broken blades, feathering shafts and more I bought a simulator and a Blade CX2. In a matter of 2 days working with the sim & Blade I am back on the 450...I can hover, nose in, tail in and piroette....working on figure 8's. I have actually gone through 9 battery loads without breaking anything! (may not seem like much to most of you but I see that as a momentous occassion).

Jim

[Jermo]

jermo...I would put that in the excellent advice category...<cut>
Jim

hehe..I wish I could take credit but I'm just passing on advice I've learned here on HF.
Jermo

[skunkworx]

This is for bluesteel; 7th channel allows you to adjust your gyro gain mid-flight. With the DX6, you have to adjust, fly, land and re-adjust then fly again (repeat until prob. corrected). In short, it's just less hassle W/DX7 but at the DX6 price it's hard to beat. Good news is the DX7 TX can utilize the DX6 RX, so if you only need an RX for 4-5 channels on. Also, the DX6 only has a 10 model memory (DX7 has 20!). Either way you can't lose, but if you can afford it, it's better to get the DX7 because you won't have to upgrade for a LONG time.

As far as your question about the Trex for $200...Sounds like the HDE version, while not a bad choice compared to a blade cp, you'll quickly grow out of it or wish you had gotten the SE version. I was unbiased before I bought my 'Rex, actually I didn't want to buy one, but I'm glad I did. The SE is much tougher than the HDE or XL version and will only be limited by your ability (the other ones can be upgraded, but will cost you more in the long run). Best bet is to buy a GOOD sim (ie G3.5 or FS1) and dime and nickel your savings and get the good stuff!

There's not much else I can say that Jermo has already said. Study, read, pick brains on HF, read some more, practice religiously on sim, read even more, hang out @LHS or @ a local flying field (ie fun flys) get to know someone who can help you out, oh and did I mention?, read until your eyeballs fall out!!! :arggg: I've found out 70% of everything I know about the subject by being around people and reading up on it. "If you want to fly like an eagle, don't hang with turkeys!!" The more exposure you get, the more it rubs off on you.

One last thing, "how do you eat an elephant?......one bite at a time of course!!!
Helis are a lot more to digest than I ever thought, so take it one day at a time. :mrgreen:

[Pinecone]

I would not go with any of the X model Trex. I would go with one of the S models (SE, SA, S). You will end up there anyway, and it will cost less to do it up front.

S with motor and ESC is a great deal for a ver nice heli. But if you can afford it, go for the SE, the alu parts break less and would will end up there anyway.