Modelfun2,

I'd suggest going S L O W in your learning flights. As has been said, a collective pitch 600 size heli is about as large of a jump as you can make from a coaxial. Most guys go from coaxial to a 450 size and then 500 or 600. In regards to crashing, I'd suggest making sure you're willing to spend a minimum of $100.00 for every 600 size crash. Blades will be the most expensive part. At this size, do not waste your time with wood blades. Use CF or at bare minimum, fiberglass. 450 helis are a lot less expensive to repair. If you do decide to get the 600, MAKE SURE you have someone VERY experienced with heli setup. This size is more likely to kill you than injure you. Whatever you do, take your time. High end helicopters are not for the "instant gratification" crowd. They take time to build, tweak, build, tweak, build etc. (Notice I said build more than once ;-) )

As was mentioned, RADD'S is a good resource however the basics to master are:

- Takeoff and landing nose out (as SMOOTHLY as possible)
- Hover all orientations (nose out, nose in, nose right, nose left)
- Forward flight/backwards flight (keeping nose out, then nose in)
- Rotate/Spin/Piro right 360 degrees, left 360 degrees
- Takeoff and landing nose in
- Right hand/Left hand circles
- Figure 8’s in both directions

Other than hovering, make sure you're always 2-3 mistakes high. This is where a 600 really helps because unlike a 450 (which disappears fast) you can see it pretty far.

Last words of advice... Take B A B Y S T E P S. If it takes you 3 months to learn how to hover in one spot, accept that and chalk it up as experience, which there is NO replacement for.

Good luck!