Next step after coax?

[Heli-cat]

Originally Posted by wscott52

120 SR will be here Tuesday and wind is supposed to be under 5 mph so we'll see.

Again, thanks to everyone for replies.

Just make sure you set the swash to the long balls before attempting to do any outdoor flying at all or you'll be sure to be frustrated. There are other things you can do to the 120 to handle the breezes once you become accustomed to flying it.

Don't make the mistake of thinking you need to put training wheels on and spending weeks on the short balls because you don't...Doing so will do nothing but hinder your progress. Don't be afraid to bust a few pieces (or more) cuz it's gonna happen. It goes with the territory and it's how we all learn. As I always say, the purchase price of the heli is nothing more than the admission fee to this sport.

You're absolutely right. Your friendship with the 120SR will last much much longer than with the mCX. It's a fun heli

[Old Blue]

Hey guys.Good conversation you have going here, hope you all don't mind me chiming in. I am kind of on the fence as well between a 120sr and mcpx. I have an msr which I absolutely love and fly outdoors as often as I can, wind permitting. I also have an sr which I never did fully master, just got tired of replacing stuff with every minor tip over. My question is, I really have no interest in flying 3d, so is a cp heli like the mcpx overkill, or would it be better in the long run because it will handle wind better? I sure like the size of the 120sr. Btw I do use a dx6i trans.

Blue

[dcarboni]

It's a nice copter i have 2 mcpx's and i love them, because of them i tried my sr and was able to finaly fly it all thanks to that fast little bird. I just finished building a TREX 500, tonight maiden flight tommorow

[crashjack]

After coax, I went to 120 SR. I then got an MCPX v2. Personally if I had to choose one, I would go with the MCPX/MCPX v2. I enjoy the 120 SR, but any wind at all and you're having to adjust to it. You are also having to adjust to the pendulum effect caused by the 45 deg flybar. Add a little wind and pendulum effect, and it can be pretty tough. That being said, it can also be fun. It does take a certain skill set to compensate for the wind and the pendulum effect. It is also challenging in that you have to fly differently going against the wind versus with the wind versus flying with crosswind. Admittedly, I'm still pretty new at this, and I'm sure there are 120 SR pilots who can make the heli stand on its head in some wind, but I'm not that good.

By contrast the MCPX is affected very little by the wind (I'm not talking 30 mph gusts). Wind seems to create mostly turbulence as far as the heli is concerned. In other words, the MCPX tends to bounce up and down more as wind increases instead of being blown the direction the wind is blowing. The MCPX is small, but the 120 SR gets small real quick also. Furthermore, you might think that you never want to go with a CP heli (that's what I said), but you might change your mind. I finally realized that a CP heli is a lot more than inverted flying. I got my MCPX about 3 months after getting my 120 SR, hoping that I would get good enough with it to later move to a larger CP.

My quick pros/cons of 120 SR-- Pros: Inexpensive, relatively easy to fly, letting go of the right stick centers the heli, can practice hovering in the house, more challenging/fun than coax. Cons: Tough to fly in the wind, small, pendulum effect is unnatural, problems with tail motors.

My quick pros/cons of MCPX v2-- Pros: Flying is more realistic, excellent trainer for moving to larger CP, handles the wind very well, rugged (when flown in the yard), inexpensive for a CP. Cons: Not easy to fly, very small, swash links tend to come off.

All just my opinion.

[Heli-cat]

excellent and informative write-up on the plusses and minuses of the 120 and mCPX....thanks, crashjack!

[Just Another Flyer]

No offense to all you guys who like it but mine fails constantly out side. It also hates the wind. I didn't bother modding it because I wanted a Xtreme motor. I never got one do to the constant money spent on its rx failure. I am sure it would be fun but for what it's worth I should have gotten my mcpx right from the start.


120 SR, DX6i, 20 in Nimbus II unicycle

[wscott52]

Happy 4th of July to all!

Well, my 120 SR came. I tried to fly it a little in my small yard near sunset. Even though it felt like no wind a tiny gust had the heli flying straight for my face. When I tried to correct I realized this barely perceptible breeze was overpowering the heli. Hastily I dodged and dropped it to the ground. I took it inside and immedieately switched it over to the longer swashplate balls (I know, I should have listened). I haven't flown it since. I live on the Indian River and about 2 miles from the ocean. Dead calm at the house is a rarity. I've been looking for flying sites a little inland and have found a couple of promising areas. Today is going to be mainly about grilling and beer but soon I'm going to try the 120 SR at one of those prospective sites. Thanks for all the advice.

[celltech]

Originally Posted by stevens2489

Skip the 120sr and go with the mCPX. I have had horrible luck with the 120sr outside. Any wind at all and your off. You can tame down the mcpx a lot since you already have a dx6i. The mcpx is very crash resistant and flys extremely well in the wind. Super easy to fix, parts are cheap and when your ready for more the mods are endless. I wish i would have got an mcpx right from the begining.

Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Tapatalk 2

+1 , get the mcpx and skip the Sr120.

[crashjack]

Wscott52,

If you have a garage you can close or a fairly open space in your house, I would learn to hover there. This will also allow you to trim the heli. I would say that only a very experienced pilot would be able to properly trim a 120 SR outside, even if you think there is no wind. I got frustrated with my 120 SR early on because I tried to fly outside. First outdoor flight... stuck 20+ feet up in a tree. After a few failures, I strictly focused on hovering in my house and garage. After I got better, I started flying outside, but only in spots where the wind was shielded, and I only hovered. After that, I ventured back out in the yard and started flying. I still fight the wind. I think I have flown 1 time where I felt wind wasn't a major factor (it was still a minor factor). However, I've learned to live with it and just enjoy flying.

[Heli-cat]

There are things you can do to your 120 to help it behave in the breeze some, such as shortening the blades, upgrading the swashplate, running heavier batteries and such. It doesn't need to be a total indoor queen at all....but most definitely do not ever fly it outdoors in stock (short-balled) configuration. You're doing nothing but setting yourself up for failure and frustration.

[wscott52]

Originally Posted by crashjack

Wscott52,

If you have a garage you can close or a fairly open space in your house, .

Have a garage but it's being used as storage and is full. House is not very big and no open areas large enough that I would feel comfortable trying to hover. I do have access to a local church but am going to try in their parking lot shielded from the wind by the building.

[Docfelt]

Man, I really have experienced different outcomes with my 120 than you guys have.

I have my 120 on the short swash setting, as it can get "too twitchy" for my liking on the long balls (just my opinion). I prefer flying a bit on the relaxed side, but switching to stunt mode on the d6 really livens it up, and I can trek around in most wind unscathed. We get some pretty good gusts down here, too.

I guess it's all relative, though. I haven't flown an mcpx yet.

[renefigueroa]

I am also a newbie and also statred with the mCX2 as you did. I am now "learning" to fly the 120 SR. The phoenix sim flies nothing like the real thing. At first all it would do was bunny hop. I finally changed some settings in the sim and got it to fly. It will now be used to pratice nose in hover and flying, otherwise I am outside with the real thingThe 120 flies way better, specially with training gear, (fear factor?), . I am having more fun flying the real thing, and not tearing anything. Stay close to the ground and keep it close enought not to lose orientation and you will be fine. I have a new mCPx V2 standing by for when I feel bold enough to try full CP, and have my eyes set on a Blade 450 3D next

[wscott52]

Well, after a couple of less than satisfactory attempts at flying the 120 SR outside I was able to fly inside a church. It was still uncontrollable. This time I was able to trace the problem to a faulty servo. The elevator servo will work a couple of times and then freeze up. Apparently powering down the heli released it and it would reset next time power was applied. It works just enough times to pass a quick pre-flight function check and once the heli is airborne it locks up. I have a new servo coming and put a warranty ticket in with Horizon Hobby. So far I've only broken the left skid and I had a replacement for that.

[renefigueroa]

I am a newbie so take this with a grain of salt, and you have had some servo issues with your 120. Mine has flown ok from the get go, and I did break a swashplate after a tip over from about 1-2 feet, no big deal. Of course I can say that after I finally figured what was wrong!!! I flew it with training gear from day one, and if anything it makes the heli more stable, (more weight down low), and I cannot stress enought the fear factor if you are new like I am. Those big assed legs will mask many mistakes, trust me I am an expert at those. I actually broke the little center hub where the four legs go into. I then flew it some with the regular skids in the house without issue. I travel a lot so I got home this past Friday, and I had two new sets of training gear waiting for me. I am not proud, I will rather fly and fly. I have little desire to spend all my time fixing a broken heli. I know and have learned already that you will crash, and I am learning how to repair these things. I had to order a magnifying thing you wear on your head just to see some of the parts. I have been flying it outside with low to average winds with no problem. When I see the wind is about to kick my butt, I land!!