I've been wanting to get an RC heli since I discovered their existence as a kid. Until now, my mainstay with RC has been land-based, mostly RC cars. The heli I would like to purchase is the Kyosho Caliber 30, which appeals to me because of its scaleability. I have a few questions about this heli, and I also have some questions about flying.

General:
What are the "extras" that I'd need in addition to the standard fare of radio/servos/gyro, batt, fuel, etc. Any specialty tools that are a "must buy"? I'm thinking I should get a pitch gauge at the least, and perhaps a rotor balancer. Anything else?

Most kits I've had come out of the box with "average" quality parts. Would it be worthwhile of me to invest in some nice aftermarket parts like composite rotor and tail blades? I figure the will probably break sooner or later due to a crash or bad landing.

What are the ideal items to have in my field box?

Which shape of battery pack does the Caliber 30 use. My guess is a 4.8V flat pack. Even though a battery comes with the receiver, I want to get one with a higher mAh rating because I plan to use all digital Futaba 9252 servos.

Radio:
Everyone says to splurge on the radio. I found a good deal on a Futaba 9CAP/HP w/four 9252 servos for $700. I say good deal because it is much cheaper than Tower. If there is any place selling that package for less, link me up!

Motor:
I do not want to use a "can" muffler on the motor, I would much rather use a tuned pipe. Is there a good header/pipe combo for the caliber 30 using the OS 32 SX-H engine?

After reading some posts here, I was surprised to learn that ya'll run your motors without an intake filter on the carb. That just sounds a little off to me. Is there some particular reason that filters are not used? No room?

Flying:
What are the typical controls for a heli? i.e. what do the two sticks do.

What is the normal process for taking off, hovering, flying around a little, landing? The process I am referring to is how your heli responds to controller inputs...someting like, left stick up makes the heli take off vertically. So is hovering a matter of applying just enough throttle to keep the heli from coming down?

How sensitive would the Caliber 30 be to control inputs? Say I move the right control stick up slighlty, will the heli move slightly or a lot?

That about does it for my first round of questions. I am hoping for responses with the caliber 30 in mind. Thanks!