ORIGINAL: rob.rice
@ATVAlliance
yea and as soon as his first crash and repair he'll be thinking about a FP to help hem learn to fly his CP
@jonthecourier
get a SIM and a sim controller don't ware out the gimbals in your transmitter running the sim
the sim will pound the intentions to stick movements translations
and orientations it to your head don't expect to learn amy more from a sim than this just starting out
get a good 450 one with a carbon fiber frame and metal main and tail rotors
put it on display to remind you that you want to learn to fly it
get the cheapest FP that you can get parts for
expect to get board with it when the FP gets boring tack the 450 out side and learn to fly it
in terms of coast and frustration you will be way ahead
stick time on the FP will help you learn to minimize the damage caused by a crash of the 450
and maybe even help you prevent some crashes
You know, I used to share your same viewpoint of using an FP heli as a stepping stone (so to speak) to get into CP helis. This was when the only small/durable heli I owned was a Blade mSR. Boy was I wrong!(sorry to those I recommended a FPheli to as their starting point in threads past).
A FP heli just doesnt fly the same as a CPone, and Im not even talking about inverted flight or stunts. They just dont turn exactly the same and they are less sensitive. But, I was giving this advice when I was basically just hovering my larger CPhelis...so, I was talking a lot about things I didnt fully understand. My bad.
Really, the only thing a FP heli is good for is getting your thumbs moving in the right direction. At least that is better than a co-axial heli, but being able to fly the rotor off a FP heli only will give you a false sense of security that you are ready to handle a CP one.
I wish I had gotten into helis a year later, as by then the mCPX would have been on the market and I would have started out with it. However, dont get me wrong here. Ive had a lot of fun with my toy coax helis as well as my mSR. But I just feel that I really didnt start learning till I got the mCPX. And Ialready owned a 450, 500 and Raptor 50 at the time. Its just I couldnt progress with those helicopters because they were so big and intimidating. The mCPX is small and you dont have the worry that you will lose it and kill someone with it.
At the end of the day, the only thing that should keep you from starting out with a CP heli (if you are intending on flying the best helicopter type out there) should be budget. Some simply just cant afford to put as much money into this hobby as others. And that is understandable, I have my own budgeting limits too. But, with the mCPX and now the nano CPX on the market...Blade has brought a good durable micro CP heli to the masses that just about anyone can afford.
Even though Ihave a bunch of helicopters now...I still find that I fly the mCPX the most just because I can fly it best. And that is all because I am more confident in flying it because I dont have to worry about tearing it up or hurting myself or bystanders with it at this stage of the game for me. Sure, I can fly now and do some light aerobatic manuevers...but Im still very much a n00b and I can still get disoriented and lose the heli on occasion. The mCPX takes all of the nervousness away and I can actually enjoy flying it more than anything else I own at this point.
I'll get off my soapbox about the mCPX now. Just know that if you want to progess your skills...start out with a CP. And if you are on a budget, or not...the mCPX is a GREAT starting point.