cornfed500

Hey i have flown planes for many years, i would call myself an good to medium flier,i was wanting to get into a rc helicopter some of the guys at work
purchased them and they are car guys they can't figure the heli out, i was watching some videos and looking i told them that i felt that i could fly one of the
helicopters they purchased the 450 size helicopter <<<<How hard is the transiton from plane to helicopter>>>>

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

It really depends entirely on you. Of course there are two things that will go a LONG way to success.
1. Get or use a decent simulator.
2. Find someone that knows what they are doing to go over your setup and test fly it for you, a properly setup helicopter is a lot easier to fly.

TakeshiSkunk

Extremely. You're starting from scratch aside from the basics of orientation. If your turns are all coordinated on fixed wing that will help you a bit with forward flight, but I know that many (most?) fixed wing pilots never learn how to coordinate. I'm not trying to discourage you at all, but if you just spool the thing up thinking "yeah I can fly this" with no prior exposure your first flight will end in a crash. Helicopters behave in very strange ways until you understand how they work and can predict them.

Simulator is by far the best way to learn to fly collective pitch. A lot of people will tell you to start with a coaxial and then move to a fixed pitch but I don't really support that methodology. The transition from FP to CP is huge and often involves unlearning bad habits, it ends up being just as difficult as if you had started with CP. I can understand going that route if you had NO rc experience but since you already fly fixed wing you understand orientation and how to handle a transmitter.

Get a sim, practice a LOT until you can tail in hover for as long as you feel like without thinking about it, and then work on applying what you learned to the heli. As long as you never do anything in real life that you aren't already very comfortable and consistent with on the sim you should be able to avoid a lot of crashing and rebuilding.

ATVAlliance

If you can fly a cub in a scale fashion...helis might be easier for you.  As the cub airframe (among others I am sure) requires "coordinated turns" to correct for adverse yaw...flying a heli is somewhat similar as you have to fly the tail around the turn as well.  Its just if you dont fly the tail on the cub, you probably will only end up with a very awkward looking turn...but the plane will still fly around the turn given enough airspeed.

However, if you dont fly the tail around the turn on a collective pitch heli...you will most definitely crash!  Also, helis are much more nimble and can get "away from you" much much quicker than most airplanes.

I started learning to fly both helis and planes at almost the exact same time.  I found planes to be much MUCH easier to fly than helis.  At least that has been my experience.

I will say this.  I am finding at this point in the hobby for me that helis are a bit more fun to fly because they still can make my thumbs shake.  Most of my planes I feel totally confident in flying, my helis...well thats another story alltogether.  But again...I find it much more exhilerating to fly the heli, than planes.  I just like flying planes more at this time because Im not as worried about crashing them like I am with my helicopters.

Another very important topic about RC helicopters is this.  Flying skill is only HALF of the equation.  The other half is aquiring the skills to actually set up your heli mechanically, as well as knowing how to setup your radio for throttle and pitch curves...as well as gyro functions.

The reason I am so much a ball of nerves when flying the heli isnt so much about the cost of a crash (that does bother me too though), but rather the amount of time it takes me to get a CP heli setup and flying correctly.  Where I am self taught (reading online posts and "how-to" articles) I still find myself spending as much time setting up the heli correctly as it does to assemble the kit.

If you get into helis...you will definitely have fun with them...or at least I have thus far.

goodluck!

TakeshiSkunk

Sounds like you need a big 3D balsa plane and need to fly harder

I agree though, I enjoy planks as a generally relaxing break from helis. Every heli pilot I've ever spoken to about it has concurred.

Johnnysplits

Or jets!!

drobin

I fly planes and helicopters and I flew helicopters in the Army for 20 years. Helicopters are harder to fly. And as was said, your best bet is to get a sim.

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Just don't flare when you touch down or you'll be digging up dirt with your tail rotor

ATVAlliance

Oh, Im sure I could make my thumbs shake on some of my planes if I push my limits a tad. I do have several balsa (actually most of my planes are balsa/covering except for a composit Extra 330L and a 90mm EDFPredator jet). My biggest being a 65cc gas Yak54.

Its just Im not into 3D yet (heli or planes) and for the most part I can fly most all of my planes without being too nervous about it. I think the only heli I have that doesnt give me some anxiety when flying it is my mCPX. lol

Oh yeah...I totally agree that I need to "up my game" on my plane flying skills. I basically just fly the pattern/circuit and do loops and rolls upright and inverted. Hammerheads or stall turns I guess is kind of fun too. But I just recently bought a nice little Eflight Cap232 profile (its the little 450 brushless motor sized one) and am starting to learn to hover the thing. Im hoping to use this to get me some more confidence to fly my bigger 3D type planes the way they were designed. Right now I just fly around...still having fun but I know there is more to learn/do in the hobby with planes and I will get there some day if I live long enough.


I do have a jet, 90mm EDF predator. Its not finished yet (almost). And I am holding off probably till next season for its maiden. I could easily finish it in an evening as all I have to do is put the servos in and build a battery tray for my 2 5s packs. I already have theEDF/thrust tube installed and ESC and steering servo.

I just know Im probably not ready for it yet and would like to get a good used Habu to test the EDFwaters with first. I have as much in my ESC/motor/EDF unit as a complete Habu cost new. So with what I have read about flying jets...Im thinking I will wait till next season to garner up the nerve to finish it and have an excuse to fly it. This thing is about 10 pounds and will deliver roughly 3500 watts give or take according to my calculations. So it should be pretty fast...probably the fastest plane I own at the moment. AlthoughI do have a brand new F27C fuse that I am getting ready to build up to be faster than what I think this Predator will be. But thats another story. I love the Stryker, and my stock one just isnt fast enough for me any more.