What heli related lessons have you learned over the years?

[SpekBo]

My main lesson is:

If you wish to enjoy a good flight, never fly while angry or mad nor when you just have a couple of minutes to do so, restrain yourself. Flying under stress or under pressure will result in a crash.

- SpekBo

[MikelG]

Originally Posted by SpekBo

My main lesson is:

If you wish to enjoy a good flight, never fly while angry or mad nor when you just have a couple of minutes to do so, restrain yourself. Flying under stress or under pressure will result in a crash.

- SpekBo

I think this depends on the person lol. Some of my best flights were when I was angry. Ironically, at the time, I was angry at a previous crash that happened 5 minutes before. Still wish I got those "angry" flights on video LOL

[Puttputt maru]

Do not stock up on spare parts:

After any crash there is always the one part you do not have that broke or the MANY parts you stock up on that never break.

[Krager]

Originally Posted by Puttputt maru

Do not stock up on spare parts:

After any crash there is always the one part you do not have that broke or the MANY parts you stock up on that never break.

That was one I had to learn early, though if you want to keep a heli flying that's out of production, you need a lot of spare parts. Some things break pretty consistently in a crash and you know you need those spares but once in a while something will break you hadn't expected. If you can't get that part the heli is done. Maybe an addendum should be, "don't fly helis that are out of production."

[crasher47]

Originally Posted by SpekBo

My main lesson is:

If you wish to enjoy a good flight, never fly while angry or mad nor when you just have a couple of minutes to do so, restrain yourself. Flying under stress or under pressure will result in a crash.

- SpekBo

For me it not having a good nights sleep. Don't fly when you're not feeling 100%.

[rdlohr]

1) Always have back up helis so that
A) You don't have to keep a warehouse of parts on hand
B) You can take your time rebuilding and do it right

2) Buy smart, buy once (for any given unit)

3) Minimize the battery types you need to keep on hand
A) It's less expensive
B) Less little bombs to manage

4) Safety, a heli can wreck your lifestyle in a heartbeat if not respected

5) It's a hobby. Any way you want to enjoy it is just fine.

Rick

[barrytindall3212]

Here is my condensed version of a road map to learn to fly RC helicopters. This is a process that I experienced myself about a year ago. This road map is based on the use of Blade brand helicopters at the beginning and then change to Align. Blade is part of the Horizon Hobby conglomerate. HH is a dominant force in the RC hobby world and is geared towards beginners. Although they are not perfect, they have a great penetration in the market, excellent customer service and the pieces are very easy to obtain.

1. Educate yourself. Go to Rc Helicopter Review and read everything there. It is one of the most useful resources I have seen.

2. Buy at least one Spektrum DX6i radio. If you can afford it, buy a DX8 or even a Dx18, but you can fly an electric helicopter of any size with a DX6i.

3. Buy the 4-channel mCX2 Blade coaxial helicopter. This is really good only on the inside, but you can learn many basic skills quickly with this model.

4. Buy or download a simulator. The simulators are useful but less fun than a real helicopter, so I suggested getting the mCX2 first. The main simulators are Phoenix and Real-flight. Clearview is less expensive and there are some free to download if you search around. I have Phoenix.

5. Skip any form of Paso Fijo helicopter (FP). I tried the Blade 120SR and the mSRx. None is very useful to progress. I found the 120SR particularly bad. Quirky would be a good way to describe either of them. They do it badly outdoors if there is wind at all.

6. Time to move to the Pitch Collective (CP) helicopters. If you follow my roadmap, two things are critically important at this time.

[rdlohr]

Originally Posted by barrytindall3212

Here is my condensed version of a road map to learn to fly RC helicopters. This is a process that I experienced myself about a year ago. This road map is based on the use of Blade brand helicopters at the beginning and then change to Align. Blade is part of the Horizon Hobby conglomerate. HH is a dominant force in the RC hobby world and is geared towards beginners. Although they are not perfect, they have a great penetration in the market, excellent customer service and the pieces are very easy to obtain.

1. Educate yourself. Go to Rc Helicopter Review and read everything there. It is one of the most useful resources I have seen.

2. Buy at least one Spektrum DX6i radio. If you can afford it, buy a DX8 or even a Dx18, but you can fly an electric helicopter of any size with a DX6i.

3. Buy the 4-channel mCX2 Blade coaxial helicopter. This is really good only on the inside, but you can learn many basic skills quickly with this model.

4. Buy or download a simulator. The simulators are useful but less fun than a real helicopter, so I suggested getting the mCX2 first. The main simulators are Phoenix and Real-flight. Clearview is less expensive and there are some free to download if you search around. I have Phoenix.

5. Skip any form of Paso Fijo helicopter (FP). I tried the Blade 120SR and the mSRx. None is very useful to progress. I found the 120SR particularly bad. Quirky would be a good way to describe either of them. They do it badly outdoors if there is wind at all.

6. Time to move to the Pitch Collective (CP) helicopters. If you follow my roadmap, two things are critically important at this time.

Having checked out that link, I don't even think it is real. I think it is a marketing site written by someone whose first language is not english.
I could be wrong.
Rick

[K2Freak]

Anyone calling themselves an "RC heli advisor" and yet whose content consists of only micros does indeed invite some questions....

[Krager]

They all have the same controls, but there's enough difference you need to fly them all to have a well rounded experience. I've not flown anything bigger than a 380 so I should still be hesitant to give advice, but I do at times anyway. I'm sure there's quite a difference between a 380 and a 700. Don't know if I'll ever fly a heli that big. The 380 seems plenty big enough for me at this point.

[MikelG]

Originally Posted by CraigHB

They all have the same controls, but there's enough difference you need to fly them all to have a well rounded experience. I've not flown anything bigger than a 380 so I should still be hesitant to give advice, but I do at times anyway. I'm sure there's quite a difference between a 380 and a 700. Don't know if I'll ever fly a heli that big. The 380 seems plenty big enough for me at this point.

Doesn't know if he'll ever fly a heli that big he says....



I'm sure there are plenty of guys on here who will happily let you fly their 700 if they see you have a good handle on your 380. I definitely would.

[toadiscoil]

Although bigger helis are definitely better in terms of flight performance and actually easier to fly definitely I see this hobby as a process. I think the best way to get started is with a sim then with a small heli that can be crashed again and again without much remorse and then move up to a preferred kit brand.

Yesterday we recorded the podcast with James Kaddis and although this sounds like a shameless plug of advertising for the podcast really it's not. We were very fortunate to have him and he has very good insight on this topic.

His advise which is really, really sound is to just don't get carried away and progress at your pace AND budget. If you go and buy a flashy heli just because everyone raves about how great it flies and you crash it and can't afford to fix it you will only experience frustration and probably get out of the hobby.

I believe also the VAST majority of people in this hobby try to help. They have such a hard time learning all this and receive so much help that this goes into a healthy circle of people wanting to help. And they find it's super rewarding that something you learned that may seem like something very simple and not the most highly technical and educated tip helped someone to fly their machine and avoid that frustration piece of the hobby.

And, I have actually been offered to fly a 700. And although I would highly likely have no issue flying it at my most comfortable skill set, it's still something that I would be very hesitant to do. I mean it's not like I'm a pro but I could very comfortably hover and FFF. Still if something goes wrong I would feel terrible. I have been lucky enough to have the 570 which really flies awesome, feels super big and takes away the itch to go larger to be honest, at least for me for the time being. It helps I cannot afford anything larger right now

[slogoat]

Originally Posted by toadiscoil

Although bigger helis are definitely better in terms of flight performance and actually easier to fly definitely I see this hobby as a process. I think the best way to get started is with a sim then with a small heli that can be crashed again and again without much remorse and then move up to a preferred kit brand.

Yesterday we recorded the podcast with James Kaddis and although this sounds like a shameless plug of advertising for the podcast really it's not. We were very fortunate to have him and he has very good insight on this topic.

His advise which is really, really sound is to just don't get carried away and progress at your pace AND budget. If you go and buy a flashy heli just because everyone raves about how great it flies and you crash it and can't afford to fix it you will only experience frustration and probably get out of the hobby.

I believe also the VAST majority of people in this hobby try to help. They have such a hard time learning all this and receive so much help that this goes into a healthy circle of people wanting to help. And they find it's super rewarding that something you learned that may seem like something very simple and not the most highly technical and educated tip helped someone to fly their machine and avoid that frustration piece of the hobby.

And, I have actually been offered to fly a 700. And although I would highly likely have no issue flying it at my most comfortable skill set, it's still something that I would be very hesitant to do. I mean it's not like I'm a pro but I could very comfortably hover and FFF. Still if something goes wrong I would feel terrible. I have been lucky enough to have the 570 which really flies awesome, feels super big and takes away the itch to go larger to be honest, at least for me for the time being. It helps I cannot afford anything larger right now

Can’t wait to hear this episode. Fly the 700, you need to try one!

[jbobb1]

1) Learn everything you can about these helis.
2) Come to terms with the fact that there's no such thing as "A dumb question"
3) Don't rush........building or learning.
4) For the most part, stay off the "Upgrade" bandwagon.
5) Don't make the hobby a chore, it's supposed to be fun.

Read ArchmageAU's thread "From tail-in to all 8s and funnels in 6 months". It was one of the best things that happened to me in this hobby!

[HammerFest93]

My advice to those who want to start:

Buy a tiny (but quality) indoor heli RTF kit, like the new Blade 70s. Learn to hover around on it and have some fun. You will crash and eventually break it, but the ability to play with something PHYSICAL will let you know if the hobby is for you.

If you decide to go further, the next step would be to buy a simulator and learn basic skills. Then, from there go to whatever you want really. Just don't forget that many people enjoy building their kits, and maybe you will like that part of the hobby too!

*I think it is necessary to let people start with something physical. This is where they will catch the "bug". I don't think a simulator will do that.

For existing hell-hobbyists:

1. Don't take shortcuts. Follow the latest version of the build manual to every detail. Your build should be tidy. Wires should be neatly routed. Things should be clearly "in their place".

2. Respect your batteries. Use quality chargers. Store them safely. Don't discharge them too far.

3. Bigger helis really do fly better, and demand more attention, and more respect.

4. Want to fly better? Try and do some research on the physics of what is happening with your gear. Why does your heli move up and down in wind? Why does it prefer hovering nose towards the wind? What makes it change altitude depending on yaw direction? When you understand these concepts, it becomes second nature to PREDICT and EXPECT them when flying.

[Puttputt maru]

4) For the most part, stay off the "Upgrade" bandwagon.

But But Won’t it make me fly better if I put on the latest and flashiest upgrade?

[K2Freak]

But But Won’t it make me fly better if I put on the latest and flashiest upgrade?

Yes, it will. This has been proven time after time. Don't wait - Order now!

[cycled]

Originally Posted by HammerFest93

Use quality chargers.

Good point. Get yourself a quality charger or two sooner rather than later.

Also don't bother parallel charging if you can avoid it. There's no way to make it as safe as charging single batteries. It doesn't always balance each battery correctly. It cannot detect weak cells while charging.

[This implies there's not much point having a charger bigger than 20A, and even 10A may be plenty, though having a charger that shows IR while charging is very useful.]

[Krager]

Yeah always better to keep each battery on its own charger, but parallel charging gets you through when you don't want to buy a number of chargers or one of the four in one jobs.

In terms of flying, there's basically two cardinal rules I have, never let the heli get too close and never let the heli get too far.

In terms of maintenance, always check screws are not loose, can't do it too often.

[megawhacker]

Originally Posted by cycled

Good point. Get yourself a quality charger or two sooner rather than later.

Also don't bother parallel charging if you can avoid it. There's no way to make it as safe as charging single batteries. It doesn't always balance each battery correctly. It cannot detect weak cells while charging.

[This implies there's not much point having a charger bigger than 20A, and even 10A may be plenty, though having a charger that shows IR while charging is very useful.]

Originally Posted by Krager

Yeah always better to keep each battery on its own charger, but parallel charging gets you through when you don't want to buy a number of chargers or one of the four in one jobs.

In terms of flying, there's basically two cardinal rules I have, never let the heli get too close and never let the heli get too far.

In terms of maintenance, always check screws are not loose, can't do it too often.

I have figured out that the relative safety of parallel charging or not is moot.

Charging one battery is too dangerous to walk away from in your home.

Parallel charging is plenty safe in a fire proof location-like restrained on a concrete pad outdoors 30 feet from flamables.

Anywhere that parallel charging is too dangerous is also too dangerous for single battery charging.

But yes, in an unsafe location, parallel is more unsafe.