Good Beginner heli?

[darkwolf29a]

I've been toying around with a Havoc for long enough. It's time to step up. I've been looking at Honeybee and Blade CX. Any opinions on which one is better?

I'm looking for one that can go outside, when the winds aren't blowing in Green Bay. But, also something I can use inside, to practice hovering slow movements in the house.

THanks for any, and all, opinons, thoughts, etc. :)

[ronaldf]

I've been toying around with a Havoc for long enough. It's time to step up. I've been looking at Honeybee and Blade CX. Any opinions on which one is better?

I'm looking for one that can go outside, when the winds aren't blowing in Green Bay. But, also something I can use inside, to practice hovering slow movements in the house.

THanks for any, and all, opinons, thoughts, etc. :)

Having wasted a lot of money, here is my suggestion:
Get a Walkera 2.4Ghz 5G6-1 with metal head parts. It is very small and can be flown indoors with ease. Being a coaxial, it will be fairly easy to hover. Use it to learn orientation and forward flight. If it is truly calm, it can be flown outside also. Unless you have a lot of indoor area to fly in, a Lama or CX will break too many parts crashing into things. My Lama 4 gets blown around in even the lightest breeze out side. Once you’re able to control the 5G6 and fly it, then move up to a 4#3B. It will be a hand full at first. After you master the 4#3B, you will be ready for any of the 400+ size helis.

Just my 2 cents.

[darkwolf29a]

What is a 4#3B?

Thanks for the information. :) I have some more research to do, it looks like.

[ENDO1]

the CX 2, hands down. I don't know about the walkera, but they do have a bad reputation for quality. But I'd say any coax is a good bet and will teach you much and get you ready for a cp bird. Lots of folks put down the coax machines but don't listen to them. The best way to learn to fly IMHO..

EDIT..My CX 2 has been tough as nails..and I fly it outside exclusivly

[darkwolf29a]

What is the nig difference between Coaxial rotors, and non?
I found a Blade CP, that I really like, the looks of. But, it doesn't coaxial rotors. Is that a longer learn time?

Being almost 40, I tend to go old school with things, and those were the helis I saw as a kid. But, I certainly understand having to work up to it.

Thanks again for any advice.

[ENDO1]

Coax rotors do away with the need for a tail rotor. If you start with a collective pitch (cp) machine like the CP, you will be fighting it to the ground at every attempt to fly it, trust me.

With a cp bird, you have a tail rotor that is constantly pushing the bird to the left and it's very tough for a beginner (myself included) to learn to manage the orientation (heading) and throttle and cyclic at the same time. I’d bet that starting with a cp machine drives more people away from helicopters than anything else.

Yep, the CP is a cool little bird, I’ve got one and I love it. But it’s very light, and very twitchy. You would do much better to start slow and learn to fly the coax. This will teach you all of the hover orientations and some collective management, then you will be ready to add cyclic.

Just MHO…Good luck

[darkwolf29a]

That's why I ask the dumb questions...Cuz I don't know these things...yet. ;)

I'm thinking the Blade CX2 now, becuase I can get it local, which saves on shipping and such things. :)

I'll wait for the CP for awhile. :D

[ENDO1]

Keep an eye on ebay, I'll bet you can pick one up cheap! (only buy new, you don't want someone elses's problem)

[ronaldf]

What is a 4#3B?

Thanks for the information. :) I have some more research to do, it looks like.

The 4#3B is a palm size Walkera fixed pitch heli. I have owned a E-sky honeybee CP and FP, a Trex 450, a cheap coaxial, a Lama V4 and a 4#3B. The Lama V4 is the most stable and thus the easiest to learn to fly. The CP was the most frustrating. The FP is OK but breaks plastic parts all the time. The 4#3B is a handful due to its small size but is the most durable of the bunch. Its very light weight minimizes crash damage. The 4#3B will be able to fly indoors a lot easier than the larger coaxials once I learn to fly a FP heli. The 4#3B has metal head parts that are very durable. I can not comment on other Walkera products, but this one is of better quality than my other helis except for the Trex. I can hover with the Trex but am to afraid to try forward flight. I'm not good enough yet and repair costs on the Trex are very high.

Search YouTube.com for 5G6 and 4#3B for videos of the palm size helis.

Here is a video showing both a 5G6 (palm coaxial) and a 4#3 (not sure if it is a "B" model:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIQ-9UkPtNo

[RotaryBoy]

I've been toying around with a Havoc for long enough. It's time to step up. I've been looking at Honeybee and Blade CX. Any opinions on which one is better?

I'm looking for one that can go outside, when the winds aren't blowing in Green Bay. But, also something I can use inside, to practice hovering slow movements in the house.

THanks for any, and all, opinons, thoughts, etc. :)

Darkwolf,

I started on a CP heli and seriously regretted ever purchasing it. I spent more time setting it up and trying to get it off the ground :arggg:

Speaking from my personal experience: :hug:
I have 4 brand new pilots here in Iraq and I set them all up with HBFP's. They are all hovering well now and beginning FF and FFF, I would recommend that bird to anyone! I feel that a coaxial is a waste of time, you are going to master it very quickly and get bored with it. A single rotor - 4 channel heli is a good starting point if you really want to learn to fly heli's.

Once you master a 4 channel FP, then you can think about moving into the CP world. The 4 new pilots that I am coaching here have all had their share of crashes, trust me, but not a single crash has cost more than $2.00 to fix in parts. If you put on the training gear and keep it waist high when you drop it, you can pick it up, straighten the blades and go again, no worries.

My recommendation for you:
Get a HBFP
3 - 2S 1000mah Lipos + charger
About $20 worth of spare head parts
Total cost: $170-180

You will be able to fly this little bird for many months on that purchase and you will get all the practice you need in each 30 minute session (3 packs at 10 mins per pack).
Teaching my buddies to fly has been a blast!!! I have noticed that 30 mins is the perfect timeframe, their nerves are shot and the motors are nice and warm, so it's a good stopping point.

Just my 2 cents,