cumminspower5.9

My Feedback: (4)

I'm starting to get interested in flying helis after flying a cheap one (off brand mall one) the other day. But I would definitely like something better than that. I would be lookign in the $250 ready to fly range. I want something durable. Somethign that you can easily control the forward and back pitch with, unlike the one I flew. I have been in the hobby with land vehicles for quite some time, the only difference really is the motors and controls, and I can fly a helicopter for sure. Any help in some models would be great.

karlik

Now me, my attitude was "I've flown fixed wing for years, so a heli should be pretty easy". Trust me, it's not easy, and odds are you can't fly one - yet.

Those mall helis are either 3 channel (no left right movement, only throttle, forward/back and rotate with rudder) or 2 channel (throttle and rotate, which is what you described). They are coaxial (two sets of main rotors stacked on top of each other on the main shaft) and are so stable they will hover hands free for extended periods of time. A more conventional heli with with one set of main rotors and a tail rotor is not at all stable, and it takes constant input to fly. One description I read recently is that a helicopter is terrified of heights and will never stop tryng to get back on the ground. A lot of beginners (and I was one of 'em) can't even talk and hover at the same time - it takes that much concentration.
Not trying to scare you away, just give you more realistic expectations. Being able to drive a car or boat or even fly a fixed wing plane does not mean you can fly a heli.

I'm probably not the most qualified person to suggest a trainer, but here's my thoughts -

A lot of people suggest a 4 channel coaxial to start - I don't like 'em. After you learn to hover they get boring and sit on a shelf. I think it's a waste of money to buy something you'll only use for a month or two, even if they do teach you the basics and help develop "muscle memory".

I started with a cheap 4 channel fixed pitch. I think the closest thing available today is the wltoys v911. Cheap and durable. Too big to fly indoors and don't like much wind outside. Not my first choice.

After watching two other newbies learn to fly on them, I really like the small Blade flybarless collective pitch helis like the mcpx or the nano cp. I watched the mcpx do things like crash into an apple tree then fall to the ground, and just shake it off and fly again. They can handle a little more wind than a 4 channel fixed pitch like that v911 outside, and they are small enough to fly in the living room or garage. I'd upgrade the transmitter to either a dx6 or dx8 that you would be able to use with more helis later.

cumminspower5.9

My Feedback: (4)

I think it was just a 3 channel...it had throttle, tail rotor pitch, and it either rotated left or right. But the tail rotor wasn't powerful enough to make it fly forward or backward. But to be honest, one of those would be enough for me for now. I thought it was pretty fun. I don't have a lot of time to run RCs  so that could just be something to take out to the yard.

ATVAlliance

I taught myself to fly with a simulator and Blade mCPX.  

robg68

Yeah I've been into land vehicles for years, got into helis and the learning curve is steep. It took me almost two weeks to get a msrx into a stable hover. Those toy mall copters and coax are a waste of money, gets boring really fast. I have since moved to cp and have my msrx rtf for sale if interested.

cumminspower5.9

My Feedback: (4)

Was looking around at some copters last nght. How is this one for  beginner heli?  http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXBHJZ&P=7

BubbasanJohn

You will destroy it in 5 minutes if you don't have heli experience.  That heli is fully aerobatic collective pitch.  Get a sim, get help from a club that has people flying helis, start on a fixed pitch heli.

judithangels

Yes you are right ..............Fixed pitch is best for flying for beginner ....Fixed pitchmeans the blades are at a locked angle so they are simpler in construction than the collective pitch ones and therefore cheaper and easier to repair if you crash.
Regard
judith
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ATVAlliance

Not to be argumentative, but I dont agree that you HAVE to start out with a fixed pitch heli.  I used to think that, but after the mCPX was introduced and I bought one...not any longer do I say that.

sierracharlie

My Feedback: (21)

Before you buy or do anything check out www.rchelicopterfun.com its worth the visit.

judithangels

Flying RC Helicopter is really a difficult task . But you have a great experience to fly a rc helicopter.Ivisited here and got a lot of useful information about helicopters.Thank you for sharing this.And i want to ask you about your helicopters.How much money you spend on your helis in one year?.