ATVAlliance

I dont have either of those SIMs, but I have heard/read that Phoenix is the better SIM for helicopters. I taught myself to fly CP helis with a cheaper SIM called Clear View.

I advise you to skip the coaxial helis and really now that there are a few robust micro CP helis on the market...I also suggest you skip the FP helis too. They just dont fly like a CP and a CP is going to fly more like a real heli all the way around.

While I have never flown a real helicopter nor know their design or operation...I cant comment on if they have some sort of auto stabilization (I would think it would be called Auto Pilot like some real airplanes have). But all a gyro does is keep the tail in place (given you are flying a flybar heli) and the newer flybarless gyros do the same thing...plus take up for the missing flybar or basically virtualize the flybar and control your cyclic to keep the heli stable.

If I were you, I would invest in a SIM and a small CP heli like a Blade Nano CPX or mCPX. Walkera makes a nice micro CP heli called the Genius CP and Heli Max also has one called the 100 CP or something like that.

You dont mention what radio you have, so that may be a factor in what you buy. Being able to buy a BNF will save you money and I am partial to the Blade helis because I use a Spektrum radio which easily works with that brand. Plus my local hobby shop sells Blade helis and stock all of the parts. Having local parts support is a big factor for me, you...maybe not so much but I at least wanted to put that out there. Afterall, who wants to break their heli today and have it sitting on the shelf for 2 weeks or longer waiting on parts. This is critical in the early stages of learning to fly. You want to "get back on that horse" as quickly as you can, ya'know?

Spend a lot of time on the SIM before you try the real thing. And even though these micro helis can be flown inside...I suggest you take your first few flights outside and away from obstacles. These little things can get moving quickly and even though they are very durable compared to their larger counterparts...flying one into a wall at full speed is bound to do damage. So...till you get used to lifting off and hovering...do it outside in large spaces.

Once you get the hang of things...and can fly any of these small CP helis in a circuit, there really wont be any CP out there that you wont be able to fly.

Goodluck with it...its not something you can jump into overnight and be able to fly. It takes time and IMO is one of the hardest RC models I have tried to learn. But now I am flying all of my helis around the sky and I have pretty much done it 100% on my own since my club has no other heli flyers. And that alone made me feel a really great sense of accomplishment. Im sure you will feel the same once you get the hang of it.