Can a responsible, cautious newbie be "safe"?

[WJackson]

BUT, it definitely did not replace the experience of flying the real thing. It is a bit like driving a race car in a video game as compared to driving the real thing.



Until a newbie gets over the pucker factor it will only transfer just so much. Just like how Denny Hamlin swept the races at Pocono Raceway his rookie year, he used Playstation to find the fastest lines. So different experience levels will gain different things.

[Tim Smith]

I have only been flying RC Heli's since the day after thanksgiving 07 I bought a Blade cx2
and a http://www.cnchelicopter.com (http://www.cnchelicopter.com/servlet/the-998/%28%28HOT%29%29-3dx450-BSE-RTF/Detail:dontknow) The 3dx450se Heli radio combo .Which by the way is a very nice very good deal for 300 bills. the later had absolutly no instruction manual( And no RC mentor or experience in my life) I bought several replacement parts for each , and away I went.
Impaitently and stupidly over the period of the next week .And many Heart wrenching crashes later:arggg: ........:Bang I finnaly said F&^$% it and bought G4 Real flight .Shoulda,woulda ,and coulda .It paid for its self the first day.:wow2:
I finnaly sat down and tore into my heli's rebuilt them and and found helifreak...:cheers:happyd:smokin: After carfully watching evrything I could absorb about set up,Electronics. Yada Yada yada ,I went and got a JR XP7202 and g7703d and micro heli digital servo pack ..Went for my first hover in a windless field and up the 3dx450se went.:happyd Wow That thin on its first Re madien flight just sat there like it was hanging from a string It felt so nice and very stable. I had Expo.and dual rates set to soften my sticks and the recomended pitch and thorottle curves for gen. flight mode.......
The first night I met this little heli. I had no Ide what the idle switch was for .Sat at the coffee table with parts spread out every where .and plugged in the battery and instantly had the crap whipped out me with Carbon Fiber Rotors .Fortunetly not in the eyes or face and Straight up into the celling freaking out every one in the house .I got the battery unplugged as fast as possible.Still destroyed every shaft and rotor and tail boom on the heli.:mad: I was both freaked out and pissed of at both MYself ,forbeing so stupid and uninformed. And the Seller for selling me some thing like that........But it did say complete combo Kit For Porffessional Players only !:...: Me being who I am had to have it my way.Wow I could have avoidid so much expense and heart break for my expensive learning curve..........:dontknow What can I say.
So Now I find my self here with three heli's two Trex ,s a 450 se.cf and a 450 se v.2.
my 3dx450se and the blade cx 2 I fly every day that I can and am enjoying it very very much Now that I can hover in all oreintaions and do fast forward flight and slow flat steady circuts. I still get very a bit shaky but I am getting there with my courage and skills .
But if it had not been for finding Helifreak and Bob's videos I would never have made it here.Thank you Helifreak you Rock:smokin: Next I am headed to the Nitro Section of the Hobby . Also I have made some very nice new friends in my life and found a flying field where I was accepted and greted in a very friendly way. Most all electics and No heli's till me....... I am very happy with this hobby . Speaking of which , Gotta go fly right now.

[tripp3d]

I think I might have to agree, a smaller heli would be a MUCH better choice to start off on. Hell, if you can afford a 600 or even a battery for one:lol:, you can buy a 450 size heli and not worry near as much about injuries. I have had over 5 ccpm helis and just ordered my first 600. If I am nervous you should be too...

IF YOU DO decide to learn on the 600 (insane) set the rates to low 50-60% and add some expo as well. Get some help too...

[Laurens]

I'm more worried when I see beginners with a small heli then a 30/50 size. The smaller birds are harder to fly and can wound somebody too.

The most important thing is to learn in SMALL steps.

[Gimbal Lock]

There have been many good points on both sides presented here.

I still say that safety has more to due with a person's self control while flying, willingness to prepare themselves (and their heli) to fly safely, than it does with the size of the heli itself.

At the end of the day, safety could be defined as whether or not the pilot kept the heli out of unduly risky situations, thereby keeping it from potentially damaging anything. YMMV