Tip for Beginners: Bigger Helicopter actually harder to fly!

[HeliSmith]

I have seen it assumed that larger helicopters are easier to fly and therefore you should start on a larger helicopter. I am convinced this has high potential to actually work against a newer pilot learning to fly. Making a radio mistake in your early months of learning are extremely likely as much so as hot starting something... Respect needs to be earned but you don't have to suffer trauma to learn it. If one of my beautiful larger helis hits terra firma I get this instant lump in my throat.. I feel traumatized it's just a much nastier crash 700 vs 450 for example. I have been nervous to fly when money is short and how can you go to the wife with two 400+ dollar crashes in one month? Money effects everything

Now I am confident and larger helicopters are easier to fly and I have never hot started one for the money shot. (although i forgot idle up twice on 700 so far and i forgot to plug in my fuel line once) I can recover almost any mistake and if not I will usually hit throttle hold before I touch down.. (i hope) and this keeps costs around 300-500 bucks.. (i hope)

For some very select folks I think a larger heli to begin with does makes sense for example someone just wanting to build/hover scale helicopters.. But you must realize even in their cases it still doesn't make sense on an overall safety basis. Just because you are meticulous enough to learn on a 700 doesn't mean you should have done so. I learned to drive in a Toyota where I had to always have my foot on the gas to keep it idling and boy do I have 0 problems driving stick now.. Get what I mean? There's always exceptions to every rule but they should just radiate with common sense...

[Cailid]

A 700 size can be intimidating to learn on but a 500 is a lot easier to learn on than a 250 or smaller heli.

A 500 is more stable than a small heli and easier to see for orientation, especially if your eye sight isn't perfect. It's also a good compromise between crash costs & stability.

So your statement is not completely accurate. It just depends on what size helis you're talking about.

[destinbeachman]

Sounds like you're talking more about crash costs than flyability.

[Mixer5]

Bigger are easier to fly, but more mony, and can kill you..:wow2:

[Varc]

Im more comfortable with my MCPX and 450 than I am with my 30 or 700

[sansone]

without a doubt I would suggest a noob start with a 450 or clone.
repair costs are small, size not intimidating

[HeliSmith]

Yeah the inherent pilot response "pucker factor" as they say is a huge deal. :) And yeah a 500 size can be ok depending how traumatic it is to crash and of course the inherent danger does go up... A 500 size can also be a great starter if if you aren't trying to aspire into precision flying anyway and you can take months on the sim learning just to hover being completely satisfied when it is finally over a 5 gallon bucket. I am talking more specifically about those aspiring to fly for the remainder of their natural lives, those of us truly driven.

We can be proven wrong also by the exception that is people themselves like the amazing pilots we are rewarded with around the world.. For me it took 6 months to nose in hover on the sim everyday and I hated it and it was just over a year for 3D for me.. Probably 2 years to be honest before I was using collective correctly.. I am no child prodigy.

[BaconRaygun]

IMHO, a 450 or a 500 is a good balance between stability and crash-ability... though today with the mCPX its almost a no-brainer to start there. IMHO, Ideally, in today’s world, an mCPX, a 450 (or 500) and a sim is the best way to go to learn... practice on the sim, then the mCP, then take it to the 450.

My 450 in its current state is less stable then my mCPX... and with the mCPX, either then my BL mod, the 'stable' setup is 100% radio settings.

[Lunchbox]

mCPX is the way to go, but like the sim, it doesn't really inspire confidence with bigger helis. Bigger helis are much more stable, but again, you have to look at crash costs and where you'll fly. If you have to drive 45 minutes to fly your 700, you're going to learn slower than if you had a 450 that you can fly in the soccer field across the street.

[WNCmotard]

IMHO, a 450 or a 500 is a good balance between stability and crash-ability... though today with the mCPX its almost a no-brainer to start there. IMHO, Ideally, in today’s world, an mCPX, a 450 (or 500) and a sim is the best way to go to learn... practice on the sim, then the mCP, then take it to the 450.

My 450 in its current state is less stable then my mCPX... and with the mCPX, either then my BL mod, the 'stable' setup is 100% radio settings.

I totally agree. I learned more in two months with the mCP X than I did in the previous two years of flying (okay, hovering :D) since there was no fear of crashing it at all. I would like to add though, that the MCP gets tiny outdoors in a hurry, which can add to orientation issues for a new pilot. Then again, a 450 gets small pretty fast too IMO.

To the OP, I can completely see your point of view. But, even a 450 has the potential to severely injure, or ever kill you if hit in the right place. The big thing though, is the much cheaper cost per crash, and most of us crash when learning. The lower cost makes one much more likely to not only stick with the hobby, but to learn about proper mechanical and radio setup and precautions as well.

[Maypole]

I just came down this road and I agree with the OP and Vicovaludemero (http://www.helifreak.com/member.php?u=109798).

My 500 is much easier to fly than my mcpx, but without having started on an msr, then an mcpx, I don't think I would have learned radio settings and how they effect what happens with the heli, good collective management, etc., and most importantly, SAFETY!

Having been bitten by the mcpx a time or two I learned to respect these wonderful toys we have. If I had started with a 500 machine first without having learned what kind of damage these things can impart and how quickly, we may be having a different conversation altogether.

If you're starting out, get the basics of flying, the terminology so you can ask good questions, and the overall knowledge of how these things actually work on something smaller.

Then go bigger. It's the route I followed and 10 months after my wife got me a two-channel coax from Frys I am flying aggressive sport with my 500 and feel like I am ready to start some mild 3d.

Mainly thanks to the mcpx.

Whatever you do, learn to respect these things and never forget that respect!!

[Varc]

Here's another tip. Kit's that you have to put together are easier to fix when things go wrong. Ready to fly ones are usually more difficult because you have to take it apart and there usually aren't any assembly instructions to help you fix it.

[HeliSmith]

maypole I was bit by the mCPx in the first week :oops: thing draws blood and I have thick skin too.. I should probably know better by now... sigh

[fastone93]

a lot of this has to do with the background of the new pilot. If you have trouble changing a light bulb, go with the smallest and least expensive thing out there...

if you already have RC experience, planes, cars, boats, etc. then you may be ok starting with something larger.

Really depends on the noob's level of mechanical experience and common sense!

No matter what you start with, buy a good simulator and fly on it as much as possible! You can learn sooooooooooooooo much from a sim, no substitute for it in my book.

[desertblade400]

I was impressed by a guy on this forum, within the past year, who went from the sim straight to a Trex 550. I swore he'd kill himself but it seems he did ok.

[Varc]

a lot of this has to do with the background of the new pilot. If you have trouble changing a light bulb, go with the smallest and least expensive thing out there...

if you already have RC experience, planes, cars, boats, etc. then you may be ok starting with something larger.

Really depends on the noob's level of mechanical experience and common sense!

No matter what you start with, buy a good simulator and fly on it as much as possible! You can learn sooooooooooooooo much from a sim, no substitute for it in my book.

Uhhhh, sometimes I want to go back to RC cars. I understood them, I knew how to work on them, I knew how to fix them, and they don't fall from the sky either.
Only draw back is there not fun without a proper place to race them.

[BaconRaygun]

a lot of this has to do with the background of the new pilot. If you have trouble changing a light bulb, go with the smallest and least expensive thing out there...

if you already have RC experience, planes, cars, boats, etc. then you may be ok starting with something larger.

Really depends on the noob's level of mechanical experience and common sense!

No matter what you start with, buy a good simulator and fly on it as much as possible! You can learn sooooooooooooooo much from a sim, no substitute for it in my book.


This is very true... taking myself as an example, I went from (at the time) 11 years of RC cars to helis. For me, the setup and build was straight forward, I just followed directions... it was the flying part that was the challenge.

[Azathoth]

The bigger ones were easier as they are more stable then the smaller ones.

However a good flybarless setup can make a 250 fly like a 700.

[Corvette & Copter Guy]

When I first read this post I was kinda upset. After a bit of reading it got better. When people say that learning to fly a bigger heli is easier (and it is) its about a 500 vs 250 and not about a 700 size bird. NO noob should be starting on a 700 no matter how much "sim" time they have. True the "crash cost" is higher with a bigger bird. At the same time, if a noob is crashing every time with a smaller bird (because of instability) the cost of constant repairs on the small heli will be higher than a bigger more stable bird.

[dannylightning]

bigger is much easier to fly hands down a 550 over a 450 is about 10X easier to fly, sure its big and scarry and it will cost allot to crash so i feel big helicopters are not for newbies untilll they can at least learn to hover on a small helicopter,

hell i will always have a 450 around for the reason i can try new stuff and not be afraid that its going to cost me 400 bucks if i crash it...

[velezdmiguel]

I was going to write on my original thread " I got a story to tell" but it seems for some reason that this thread was created because of my story. As I explained in my thread and il repeat again.... Is my story and my point of view as someone that is starting in the hobby. I don't recall telling anyone that they should follow my lead or the my actions are correct. I do recall saying that it's my story and that I wanted to share it.

My opinion is still as I explained in my thread. I think flying a 700 is much easier than a 250 because of the inertia rule. A gust of wind will affect the 250 by around 190% more compared to the 700.

[flyinghigh450]

Many other's and I pretty much started with bigger heli's and wouldn't change a thing.Way easyer to fly,easyer to learn with,easyer to control ect...If I had to do it all over again,I would get a 50/600 or 90/700 size hand's down if I had the $$ ..Flown them for year's and never had a close call.Got a 450 about a week ago and now have 7 stitches in my hand...

[hANDYman]

Many other's and I pretty much started with bigger heli's and wouldn't change a thing.Way easyer to fly,easyer to learn with,easyer to control ect...If I had to do it all over again,I would get a 50/600 or 90/700 size hand's down if I had the $$ ..Flown them for year's and never had a close call.Got a 450 about a week ago and now have 7 stitches in my hand...

Good thing you didn't get and mCPX then! Rectum... damn near killed him! :rotf

[Carapau]

With out doubt the bigger the CP heli the easier it is to fly full stop. However by far the biggest factor in learning to fly is not the size of the heli but the pucker factor. If you can fly a 700 as a newb without any fear then you will learn very quickly but can anyone tell me of such a person? So to me the best advice is that any newb should get the biggest heli they can fly without worry of crashing. For most this is the mcpx because it is very robust in cashes and cheap to repair. The first question a newb should be asking before buying a new heli is 'I am going to crash this a lot, how much will it cost to repair and do I mind spending that much cash'. If the answer is 'yes I mind' look at a different heli if the answer is no, buy it!

[flyinghigh450]

Good thing you didn't get and mCPX then! Rectum... damn near killed him! :rotf
It's post like your's that will get a noob hurt bad because you have no clue about what can happen.Just because it's a 450 doesn't mean nothing can happen :roll: .

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l127/lon01_2006/1105112026b.jpg

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l127/lon01_2006/1105112040a.jpg