Phoenix versus Reflex

[BarnOwl]

Well, got my Phoenix in and installed it today.

After using Reflex for a year I bought Phoenix because of stability issues on my laptop.

Somehow Reflex did not run stable on my Asus W2V 17" notebook. This is a one year old laptop with an Ati Mobility Radeon X700 graphics card.
Nothing is worse than a computer crash in the middle of some hot sim session. So after the absolute non present support of the German Reflex Team (They did not answer half a dozen e- mails I sent them) I am selling it and use Phoenix from now on.

First of all it installs without issues. The TX calibration/setup is a lot more transparent and the flying is just better.

Reflex never bothered to invest in a T-Rex model, I don't know why but this has been the most popular heli for over a year now.
Both the 450 and the 600 models in Phoenix are very realistic (version 1.03) and fly like the real thing.
Another cool feature is the sound: You really hear the rotor blades at realistic angles. And the water effects are also very cool. It is just a pleasure to dive your heli in the lake just for the fun of it!

I have only been using it for an hour or so, but in this short time I got the impression I got a better pilot.

And that is the most important thing about a sim!

[Mike Spence]

Did you make any changes to the set up of the 450?

[BarnOwl]

No, I did not. But I am aware that the 450 is a lot more sensible too personal setup than the bigger 600. So it will be harder to make a "standard" model.
It flies a lot like my 450 though and WAY better then the heli's I use in Reflex.

[Mike Spence]

Oh I'm not criticising it. I'm very new to this heli thing so my Trex is standard and I'm learning to hover. I'm on wooden blades and have the flybar weights by the paddles. When I flew the 450 on Phoenix for the first time I was all over the place. I looked in the settings and changed the hover stability to 97%, the head damping to 0.7 and the ground effect to 100%. It now feels very similar to the 'real' thing.

You've obviously got much more flying experience than I've had, so I just wondered if the sim on it's standard settings was like maybe a 450 with carbon blades and no flybar weights?

[Pinecone]

Trex 450 in version 1 and 1.02 were VERY sensitive, they were set up as hot 3D machines.

Version 1.03 has a toned down Trex 450. More like stock Trex SE.

[Mike Spence]

That's the one I have! Heaven knows what the early ones were like.

[BarnOwl]

I just wondered if the sim on it's standard settings was like maybe a 450 with carbon blades and no flybar weights?

Mike, I only flew the 450 on Phoenix very briefly yesterday. I must confess I fly a lot more with my 600 because it's the new toy in the house :D
After flying the 450 in Phoenix some more yesterday I must admit the sim is behaving more mild then my real 450. Piro rate is a lot slower and cyclic is also more dynamic in real life.
I am using a Medusa 28 32 3400 on a Jazz ESC with 401/9650 tail and HS 65MG on the swash. Helitec CF blades. No flybar weights and Align 5g paddles. Flightpower Evo 20 / 2150 packs.

I did not mess with the tuning in the sim yet, but the more "tame" version in the Phoenix sim will be the best bet for most users. Actually I am just starting into real 3D myself so just a moderate flyer.....

That's why I use the sim, to become a better real time flyer.

I really like the sceneries in Phoenix: Flying half land and over water with the heli's sure is nice!

[Pinecone]

Did you get low over the water and watch the downwash?

[BarnOwl]

Yes! I did! Cool........ :glasses2: Another nice thing I cannot get enough of is doing inverted as low as possible on the water. When the blades hit the surface the heli sort of dives in and you hear the splash ...