So you want to learn to fly R/C helicopters

[WillJames]

This is a very good read for people just getting started!!

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=167543

[Jermo]

Good post,
I'd also strongly suggest getting a simulator. This will allow you to learn orientations/hovering with no crash costs.

Phoenix is generally considered the best for Helicopters only, while Real Flight is good for helicopters and has Planes as well. There are others available. The idea is to have a tool you can use to learn/practice without additional costs/downtime due to broken parts.

Google Radds School of Rotary Flight. He has a good process/method to get started.

[asphaltraker]

I am building my first? My transmitter will hold its value when all else is broken won't it (Spektrum DX 7)? LOL

[timewerx]

I have to make and exception with the CP.

It's called the Walkera 4G6 and 4G3! It's probably the only CP heli you can safely fly in the average living room, I do and I can throw it around real good, except nose-in, not yet very comfortable with nose ins

You can also fly it 1am in your backyard and not wake your neighbors up. Crashes will usually only cost you the main blades which is cheap by the way and you can replace within seconds.

But I still won't recommend the 4G3 and 4G6 coming from nothing or coax. It's easier to crash than the bigger helis due to being more touchy and quite sensitive. And if you crash with it quite often, replacing the blades will add up quite fast that you'll also be spending a fortune with it!

[oliverdots]

Thank you Timewerx, I will ammend my post at some point.

[NocturnalMike]

I got a second hand Walkera 4g3 traded a RC car for it, and for being my first heli ever, its technically not that hard to fly, i just adjusted the servo throw so its not so touchy, added the training gear an and so far the only part ive had break on me was a servo going out. but ill never go this small for a heli again lol

[skym01]

I think the info in the posts above is excellent. I certainly did not think of the Walkera when getting my first CP model. I think the fact that it can be flown indoors is a huge benefit.

Most contributors in the forum seem to be like myself , male and well past the " sell by date", but one thing that I would factor into my choice of heli is whether you have children. This may seem a little off the wall but if you do, the chances are they will want to have a go too.

Perhaps someone else has an opinion on this. Do you get a cheaper model for the kids to start off on or just let them get involved at the same level as yourself

[sipham]

I also began to helicopter flight training device using the Esky lama v4 indoors and feel it is useful for flight training. but I have a friend who did not start this, he practices on simphoenixrc Then he bought trex 700 nitro pro and play very well. exercise the sim is very important. Dear

[malcximus]

I received a 3 channel heli during a christmas party at work and that started my interest with helis. Then I bought a Storm 450 glass fiber edition with a case after a month from hk without reading forums and upon receiving the box i realized it was too much for me. The heli just sat in our office room for a couple of months.

Then two months ago my interest was rekindled upon seeing a blade mcp x on youtube. I went to my LHS, talked to the guys and they were nice enough to convince me not to start with a collective pitch. I was shown a blade 120 sr instead and was advised to play around with a sim first. It was tough during the first ten flights. So far i spent buying a new tail motor, three rear motor blades, ball linkages, couple of flybars, set of skids, a set of main blades and an extra red canopy. But i can safely say that it was a good decision. The 120 is a very stable, durable heli and a good one to start with. Not too big but not too small and can be flown outdoors with a 5-10mph wind. Now i can do figure 8 and target land. Soon i'm thinking of upgrading the swashplate and the flybar to a rakon heli parts just so to make it more stable. It yaws very slightly specially when doing a quick throttle up.

Soon enough i may be able to fly the 450 as soon as i have it checked by my LHS.

[brokoli11]

simphoenixrc??? whats that im still a noob..

[Woodchip70]

sim/phoenix/rc
Phoenix flight simulator.

[fbarcenas]

Originally Posted by timewerx

I have to make and exception with the CP.

It's called the Walkera 4G6 and 4G3! It's probably the only CP heli you can safely fly in the average living room, I do and I can throw it around real good, except nose-in, not yet very comfortable with nose ins

I feel the same way with the Walkera Genius CP. I technically don't own one yet, I've commandeered my brothers, and I really like it. I fly it around in the house and it's super stable especially in 6-axis gyro mode. Is that the same as your 4G6?

[newbie2011]

I fisrt bought a RC plane and only flew it MAYBE a dozen time and realized that a gravel driveway is not really the best for landing on, figured a heli would be perfect for landing in my field. Off to the store I went, bought myself a Blade SR RTF. WELL, after around a dozen craches and roughly $100 in repairs, Ifound out about a couple who have been flying helis for over 20 years. I quickly paid them a visit as took my little heli along. After a couple hours of chit chat and some tweaking on my heli with little sucess, he made me the offer of a lifetime. He said that if I was serious about learning, he would set me up with everyrthing I'd need to fly, just add fuel. YA I took his offer. I ended up with a Raptor 30 V2 with radio, fuel transfer station, glow plug ignitor and a starter. He also offered up all the free training I want, as well as set it up with a hoop on it for the training. I might add that I was hovering the first time I took the controls.......that was the beginning of Sept. 2011, it is now, Nov. 2011 and the hoop is gone, and I'm starting to move around in a horse shoe pattern. Just when I thought this couldn't get any better, a buddy of his offered me a brand new Align T-Rex 600 nitro super pro, ready to fly, all it needs is a receiver for my radio, all for $500. He had won it at a funfly and already has too many helis, so I got the deal of a lifetime twice. I must add that so far there have been no crashes of any sort.
The best advice I can offer up to the newbies is to get to know the people at you local flying field, and pick one who is willing to train you. Do everything they ask you to do, even if it is nothing but hovering in place for 10 min at a time. May sound boring, but the skill and long term rewards you will get will pay off in the long run.
Enjoy.

[Grooverc]

Originally Posted by brokoli11

simphoenixrc??? whats that im still a noob..

Although I am also a nood, I know it is a simulator software.

I have flied with simulator for one month.

[LocalPhoto]

Hello

I have a simulator ( Aero Sim ), it says I need to calibrate my transmitter ( Spektrum DX8 ) in the USB windows game control panel, started that process and was stumped by the request that after channel 1 & 2, are calibrated then go too z-axis ( 5th channel )? manual has no reference for this z-axis, I was assured it is there, just not labeled that way.

I seek advice on this so I can proceed to wrecking virtual quad helicopters.

Terence

[Blackcloud556]

Good read

[ImperatorMagnus]

Originally Posted by Jermo

Good post,
I'd also strongly suggest getting a simulator. This will allow you to learn orientations/hovering with no crash costs.

Phoenix is generally considered the best for Helicopters only, while Real Flight is good for helicopters and has Planes as well. There are others available. The idea is to have a tool you can use to learn/practice without additional costs/downtime due to broken parts.

Google Radds School of Rotary Flight. He has a good process/method to get started.

If only a decent one existed for the Mac platform...

[Stormbringer]

Originally Posted by ImperatorMagnus

If only a decent one existed for the Mac platform...

doesnt phoenix work on mac ?
http://www.phoenix-simv3.com/news.asp
check the wee logo at left side it changes from windows through to mac

[stranger_in_town]

Great info!

[GravyBones]

From what I can see Phoenix does not run on the Mac OS. Only if you run windows within a virtual machine on a mac, or bootcamp a native install of windows, which is the same as just a regular pc type computer that has windows. Darn, mac os is known for handling graphics really well, I wish they caught on to this and made a version for MAC OS.