What heli related lessons have you learned over the years?

[Varelco]

Few things over the years...

1.There will always be another heli you will want
2. Don't be too hasty to 'sell up' I've sold all sorts over the years and then ended up having to buy the very same thing much later on.
3. 550 class helis are overrated.
4. The importance of good gear ratios and weight.

[toadiscoil]

I really liked this post. I would change 1 to there will always be another Goblin I want LOL.

Seriously I have sold a few helis I wish I would have kept, especially at the beginning. As I grew up from crashing and tail-in hover to actually have the slight feeling I am in control, I would have loved to fly now the helis I sold as I couldn't really even judge how much I liked them. It's not like they were a ton but definitely every heli I sold I miss today. It is a bummer I needed the money for funding something else.

Originally Posted by Varelco

Few things over the years...

1.There will always be another heli you will want
2. Don't be too hasty to 'sell up' I've sold all sorts over the years and then ended up having to buy the very same thing much later on.
3. 550 class helis are overrated.
4. The importance of good gear ratios and weight.

[ChuckAuger]

No matter how many spares you have, it's usually the part you don't have that breaks.

[MikelG]

Originally Posted by ChuckAuger

No matter how many spares you have, it's usually the part you don't have that breaks.

It's for this exact reason I stopped stocking up on spares. I have spares I bought several years ago still in the package.

[Puttputt maru]

I crash a whole lot less now that bling and up ups are not as readily available as before.

(Or may be I am a better pilot)

[dze]

when i 'think' i got something down in the sim, likely it needs about 6 more months of work from that point ...

[raptorman34]

Ive learned to never trust a gy401 in backward flight lol

[MikelG]

Originally Posted by raptorman34

Ive learned to never trust a gy401 in backward flight lol

Really?! I actually learned to fly backwards on a GY401. But it was on a Trex 450...

[Varelco]

Ah the venerable GY401. I fitted one along with a S9257 servo to my Blade 400 and it was a revelation! That Blade 400 tail was horrific before that.



Maybe you had a clone? There were so many fakes about.

[MikelG]

Originally Posted by Varelco

Ah the venerable GY401. I fitted one along with a S9257 servo to my Blade 400 and it was a revelation! That Blade 400 tail was horrific before that.



Maybe you had a clone? There were so many fakes about.

yeah, the 401 paired with a decent servo really transformed 450 sized helicopters.

[XxXSkysurferXxX]

The more you spend the better it will fly.

[Mrowka]

Originally Posted by XxXSkysurferXxX

The more you spend the better it will fly.

Can't say that's been my experience, but I fly micros and nanos.

My experience has been that the more time you spend on setup (and with micros and nanos, little adjustments can make a big difference) the better it flies.

[Puttputt maru]

Originally Posted by XxXSkysurferXxX

The more you spend the better it will fly.

To some extent, yes my TDR flies better than my T-Rex but...

I think I am going to refer you to my earlier statement.

Originally Posted by Puttputt maru

I crash a whole lot less now that bling and up ups are not as readily available as before.

(Or may be I am a better pilot)

[Gladius]

The more you fly, the better you will fly.

[RoboHeli]

Originally Posted by XxXSkysurferXxX

The more you spend the better it will fly.

Ha ha! That's a cautionary statement if I've ever heard one before! If you need to upgrade, identifying the specific parts you need to address is super important. Case in point: my old Blade 130Xs fly great and always have once I spent a little money to change out and upgrade 3 specific problem areas and nothing more.

Originally Posted by Gladius

The more you fly, the better you will fly.

Quoted for truth.

[Relisys190]

Crashing is okay

Fearing the helicopter is a healthy fear

Land if that thing makes odd noises

If you’re flying alone, Try not to fly aggressive or close to yourself

Plastic parts work just fine if that’s what the helicopter was designed with

Don’t waste money on aftermarket heavyweight aluminum UNLESS it really makes a performance or reliability difference

Enjoy the hobby at YOUR pace.

It’s okay to take breaks.

Take care of your batteries if you Do take a break from flying

Have fun!!

-M

[Gladius]

Upgrading your heli with a bunch of bling or modifying it is fun, and really makes the heli feel like “your” heli. But when you crash, you have to redo all that effort and expense. So buying helis that are high quality right out of the box can often be cheaper in the long run.

[Mrowka]

Originally Posted by RoboHeli

Ha ha! That's a cautionary statement if I've ever heard one before! If you need to upgrade, identifying the specific parts you need to address is super important. Case in point: my old Blade 130Xs fly great and always have once I spent a little money to change out and upgrade 3 specific problem areas and nothing more.

Quoted for truth. [IMG class=inlineimg]https://www.helifreak.com/images/smilies/icon_ peace.gif[/IMG]

Agreed. When I modify a heli, I try to do so to achieve a specific goal, to fix a problem area or improve a system.

Not just throwing random parts.

[blkdout]

I learned to watch less 3D videos.
I learned to watch more orientation videos.
I learned to be chill.

In my past life I liked to tic-tock and groove but now I just want to master inverted 8's.

[wannaflyguy]

I'll chime in...

• a quality TX does make a difference
• loctite every screw
• mechanical setup is everything; if it's not perfect, it's more difficult to fly
• expo is a good thing; I used to fly with none; expo makes my helis smother in every way
• i fly to enjoy
• it doesn't matter if you can 3d or not... just learn how to fly
• i can't keep up with the technology improvements and that's OK
• this hobby is expensive
• helifreak is the best resource to learn how to start flying helis