crazytom911

So I just received my first electric heli for a christmas present which is very fun. I got a Syma S107G indoor 3 channel heli. Mastered it in about 20 minutes. Coax is very easy to control and am already going to move up. Still waiting for my funds to come around and ill be purchasing a T-Rex 450 Sport kit for $330. Cant wait.

ATVAlliance

You probably should invest in a SIM before you just fly that 450.  If you think that you can fly the 450 by "mastering" a 3ch co-ax heli in 20 minutes...you will be unpleasantly surprised.

My very first RC heli was a small 3ch co-axial one.  Nothing other than throttle control is the same when going to FP or CP helis.

So after my first unsuccessful flight with my 450...I bought Clear View and practiced a great deal before I tried the 450 again.  Ive only had one more crash since.  Not that I am really pushing the envelope either though.  As of right now I am only flying slow circuits back and forth and still working on my orientation before I go to fast forward flight.

Also...the SIM isnt the complete answer.  Nothing compares to real stick time.  Its just the SIM will definitely help you with orientation and help keep you from trying to learn orientation on a real heli...which will cost money from crash damage.

Also...some people swear by training gear...others dont think you should ever put them on.  I started out with the gear and I formed my own opinion of it.  And that is that if you use it when you are first trying to learn to hover...it is ok.  Once you can take off...hover a few feet off the ground and land...its time for them to come off.  The heli just doesnt fly as precise with the training gear on once you actually start trying to fly it around.

Hope some of this post helps you in your learning to fly RC helicopters.  Even though I like planes more...I really enjoy the heli side of the hobby as well.

Good Luck!

cubaneight

Yes have to agree, going from a small co-ax to a proper heli in one jump will just not work. I taught myself from scratch without buddy box help, but it requires patience and progressing in very small increments. You'll need plenty of research time on the web to learn how to set a collective heli and radio up from scratch and hours of practice on a good sim to get your thumbs moving correctly before you even try to spin the rotors up on a 450!
Try the 120SR single rotor fixed pitch model, much more challenging than the co-ax and very tough (landed mine in our pond, dried it with the wife's hairdryer and away it went again).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZFC3RSkCKY This is my HK450 in my garden a couple of years back, can now fly wide circuits, figure eights and the occasional loop at my club, it just takes time.
Best of luck and don't rush things.

C8

reelquick

Beautiful garden. Oh, nice flying in the wind.

crazytom911

yeah i plan on buying a simulator as well. and no i dont plan on flying crazily when i get it right away. i plan on learning slowly, first master a good hover and then small distances from left to right forwards to backwards. I like to take my time when i fly these machines.

ATVAlliance

Another good trainer heli is the Blade mSR.  Only drawback is you cant really fly it outside unless it is dead calm.

But when learning...flying indoors with a mSR can give you great results to move onto regular "Scale Type" of flying on larger helis.

Still, a SIM is a very good tool for learning without cost (other than the initial investment of the software...which varies depending on which one you get).

A good "cheap" SIM is Clear View.  This is what I use and it has served me well.  However, I downloaded the demo of Phoenix and it is much nicer than Clear View as far as the graphics go.  And I have heard the heli physics on Phoenix are better.  But for just regular learning to hover and fly a FP or CP heli....Clear View will do the job and its only about 40 bucks (then you will either need a MS game controller or a cable to connect a real TX to your PC).

Ultimately if you try to learn on a 250 size and larger heli without a SIM...you will cost yourself some coin.  Once airborne...unless you know how to get it back on the skids without having to put a lot of thought into it...you will crash and spend money on replacement parts.  I never have a surplus of cash on hand so I stuck with the SIM only until I could confidently take off...hover at various heights and land without incident.  Then I moved to the real one and had much better success than before the SIM.

Good luck and let us know your progress as it comes.

JunoWelson

Really？