like you said, "it's no walk in the park."

buy a sim (g3 or xtr reflex) or download FMS simulator for free..

no amount of sim time can replace the real deal. simulators make an impression of a PERFECT mechanical setup with component head holding gyro which an rtf BCP doesnt have.

heli's have no brakes and CP's run at full power* during flight. it will not sit still ever in the air when you let go of the controls. you will be using all control surfaces (5 of them) simultaneously during the entire course of flight. the heli does not want to fly you so you must force it and learn at the same time.

it wants to spin, slide a direction, and change altitude all at once. most likely, overcoming the spinning is going to be the hardest part.


read this a couple times and follow it exactly. if you follow this guide to the word, you should be able to get away with zero crashes in learning hover.
http://www.dream-models.com/eco/flying-index.html

buy yourself or make training gear. it will save you from a lot of grief. training gear will NOT save you from hard landings or boom/blades strikes. the first thing you should do is get used to the collective stick (up & down stick). slamming the collective down will reverse thrust and the heli will push itself down and crush the undercarriage if you panick.

believe it or not, heli especially CP's arent meant to take much of a beating. most micros are fragile bcause they have to be lightweight.