python661

Hi.
I'm an RC enthusiast and am mainly involved in nitro rc buggies.
However, as much as i enjoy RC cars (which is alot), I really want to get up in the air.
My garden is quite large but there is no really large open space, so i thought an RC chopper would be a good choice.

My question is what chopper should I start with. I have some experience with mini choppers and I would like a 4ch to start.
I have a budget of around £70-£100, around $104- $150

Alsoplease be sure the chopper is available in the UK.
Thanks guys.

phillipmorris

I've been thru the ringer with these mini heli's and do now have an idea of what works and those that don't or have issues, the HB Honey Bees are available there in the UK and even well below your price range but they take loads of tuning to even get them to fly, some enjoy these, of the HB Honey Bee line that made it for me was the King 3, not too bad flew out of the box with blade alignment, even had a friend go over it and he put trainer pods on it strongly suggested on this model...unfortunately these CP'S are not beginner friendly and require loads of slow progress to make it, and advise a heli pilot to help you...the Rad method works well its a slow progression I've succesfully made it todate with this favored self instruction, requires tremendous discipline to put thing down immediately when things go astray, gads sorry so windy here...

Unfortunately the best heli out there is not likely available in the UK, its the increadible SRB Quark, its a beauty and one of the few models made correctly but US dollars is a hefty $350, but I love mine, Fixed Pitch, wouldn't be off the ground today without this one, its that amazing...

Get a Simulator right now, even the lowly free FMS will get you started, better to hit a reset button than replace parts and with helis you need loads of simulator practice...

Honey Bee King 3 will take a breeze and flys pretty stable if set up correctly, flew this one moments ago, mostly hovering but a treat to fly...the FP Quark this AM was flying like a bird circling etc, its that terrific...hang in there take your time, hopefully someone in the UK will give more info...its fun...

Coaxials, MCX, Lamas great
Hirobo SRB Quark Fixed Pitch, best mini on the planet, read the threads, all true
Eflite Pro 2, love mine
HB King 3, takes some wind, like it so far...

UK Dealer
http://www.buzzflyer.co.uk/

Note if you don't find threads on a model, careful, ones that work usually have lengthy promising threads...<>.

python661

ok well the honey bee looks like a nice chopper.
I dont know about spending alot on a piece of software i'll use a little.

Is there a good range of spare parts available on the honeybee.


Anymore suggestions still welcome.

ea01bg

The sim will be woth the money in the long run. It doesnt cost anything to hit thr reset button. Also its not something that you will use to learn basic flight and never touch again. As your skills and intrests progress the first place to try new things will be the sim. When something goes wrong the sim is a good tool to reproduce the flight and try and improve.

phillipmorris

Simulation for helis is needed, and not used a little, but a whole lot big time, I'm serious, takes tons of flying on the sim to have things down, your going to use it alot to be successful...at least get the freebie, and invest in a dual joy stick or go hog wild and invest $20 USA on a control box, cheapo investment, I'm currently again using my FMS Sim....

There is a difference in simulators, I'm using the questionable free FMS program, yep I said FREE as no money, hi hi, has abit of a static hover till you input then all heck breaks lose giving an idea of the real world, but at least have this one, recently doing nose in hovering and orientation on the FMS simulator and helping tremendously as my weak link at the moment, did mostly tail looking from behind at the heli as all orientation is normal, left is left, right is right etc while nose in facing you things reverse and with all these heli inputs takes even more patinece to control things, just takes some practice...if you go with the FMS at least get a dual joystick so you have some control as the real thing, keyboard inputs just doesn't do it, then for $25 bucks you can have the control box, still cheap...but please get a simulator, its not suggested but needed for helis...
Free FMS, control box here was $20 to $25, worth every cent,
Here's one in UK, love mine, use it all the time lately on helis..<>..

http://www.heliguy.com/nexus/fms.html

Get a heli pilot if you can, and best of luck to you, go slow and be patient...

Here's the Rad school, read it then read again, best self instruction you'll find...


Battery 1
http://www.dream-models.com/eco/battery01.html

keep clicking the progression from battery one and so on, its the cardinal rule to pull it off, discipline is to land immediately when things go wrong, and you don't fly right away, you hold things all steady then go Sloooow...

python661

I did try FMS but it wouldn't work on my comp.
Something didn't load.
Any Ideas.

If i were to get a helicopter would the honeybee fp be a good place to start

phillipmorris

I've had that happen with some other downloads, simply check to see if the proper windows is listed on the computer you have and just reload things, usually this takes care of the problem..hopefully you can get that one to work, its rather good for what it is and simulators really are necessary as helis are tough enough to learn to fly especially the CP...try again...BEST ..<>..Computer here has XP windows and was listed on the download, works fine...<>..

Answer on the HBFP Honey Bee Fixed Pitch, we finally go one of those going, usually they don't fly out of the box, are an increadilble low price, had my modler friend work on this one and last its going, abit harder to tame to fly than my others, if your good at figuring out how to get it going and have outside help this one could work, I disliked it because of all the tinkering it takes, but it can be done, caution on selection of this one, be aware its highly unlikely to fly again out of the box...Eflite Pro 2 does, pricy at $250, but a world of difference even with its frowned on rear tail motor holds a stable hover, Pro 2's power is bigtime, tho worked for me...also the King 3, but it also needed slight tuning, but flys better than the HBFP....

Here's the page I downloaded from, likely one of the first two selectons should work..erase your first downloand and retry..
http://n.ethz.ch/~mmoeller/fms/index_e.html

fadi

I started with Helis a month ago, coming from a three years experience with airplanes.

1. I've put lots and lots of hours into the simulator Realflight G4.5
2. I borrowed a nearly dead FP Coaxial Esky Lama V3 heli from a friend and flew that for a couple of times per week
3. Discovered that the real thing is still scary compared to the simulator, you have to practice on the simulator but you also have to practice with real models: the sound, the air that it blows, the rotating blades they all make you nervous in the beginning, and you definitely don't have that feeling on the PC
4. I bought a used Align T-Rex 450SE V2 from a heli pro, he helped me set it up on my radio and test flew it for me. Now I am putting a training gear on it and going through my first flight
5. I am practicing on the simulator with a similar model the Align T-Rex 500, and I've found that after a couple of trials I am now managing to control it real good

Each has his way of starting, we just have to do it somehow
In the old days people didn't have simulators, and they still managed to start with Helis...

python661

Thanks I'll try it.

What about this chopper, http://www.buzzflyer.co.uk/RC-Helico...2.4G/p-70-124/

phillipmorris

I still caution many of the Honey Bees in my experiene take abit more than just fine tuning to fly, your best bet is to have an experienced heli pilot set things up for you regardless of which way you go...Good Luck..<>..

If your going the Esky, believe this one might be better, but have others confirm, and read threads on this one may give a clue, believe the Belt version is more stable, and worth considering, but do the homework before making the choice...look for positive threads etc...I don't have this one but believe it just could be the better option..<>..

http://www.buzzflyer.co.uk/RC-Helico...2.4G/p-70-624/

Again remind you the CP versions are a handful for the beginner, you will need outside help to pull it off...

python661

Ok. That is a fair way out of budget. lol.

The honeybees are all in budjet. [:@]

What simulator would I go for? and it has to be cheap

python661

BTW it has to be compatible with vista and FMS is not. [:@]