Plane or Heli?
 

I am looking at getting into the RC hobby. I am undecided to go with a Micro Heli (Century Hummingbird V3) or a plane (Nexstar RTF Trainer). Being winter there is not much flying at the feild so I don't have any1 local to talk to, also our lhs closed down. Anyone flown both and have any guideance to offer?

RE: Plane or Heli?
 

I have not flown a copter, however several of the members at my club fly both. From what they have said, it is substantially harder to fly a copter than a fixed wing plane.

FWIW - I would pass on the NexStar RTF. (Do a search here on Nexstar and I think you will understand why.) For that matter, I would suggest passing on any RTF I have seen.

I would suggest getting an ARF trainer you like the looks of (The majority of trainers fly very much the same).

Add to this a USER FRIENDLY 46 engine (OS 46 FX/AX, Thunder Tiger Pro, and Evolution engines are VERY user friendly). By user friendly I mean that 99%+ of the engines will run great right out of the box. All you need to do is break the engine in per manufacturer's instructions - The engines mentioned are normally ready to fly after a couple of tanks of fuel on the ground. Please do not misunderstand me on this. There are a lot of very good engines out there, however, many of them require you to "fiddle" with them a lot for them to run properly. I would also suggest staying away from 4 stroke engines until you learn how to fly - they are nice, however initial setting up of one of them is not really for a beginner.

Cap this off with a 6 channel (or more) COMPUTER radio.

With some careful shopping you should be able to purchase all this for the same (or frequently less than) price as a NexStar.

The reasons for the suggestions are:

MOST RTF packages have a 40 size engine (Nexstar is an example of one that does have a 46). A 40 size engine is anywhere from marginal - to OK FOR A TRAINER, but rarely useable for a second plane. The difference in cost between a 40 and a 46 engine is normally less that $20.

All the RTF packages I have seen provide a BASE LEVEL 4 CHANNEL RADIO. Many people have used nothing but a 4 channel radio and been very happy. That said, many flyers want additional functions, usually by their 3rd or 4th plane (flaps, retracts). With a 6 channel radio you have the capability of this, plus the computer radio lets you store multiple models in memory, provides mixing functions, trim saving, etc. The difference in cost between a 4 channel and 6 channel computer radio is typically not that great.

Before purchasing a radio I would talk to a club member and find out what brand is used by MOST of the members. Manuals are good, but a live person with knowledge of the radio is much better if you have a question or problem.

You also want to find out which are the LEAST USED channels at your field and get the radio on one of those channels. It will minimize your waiting time for the channel to clear and also minimize your chances of accidently being "shot down".

You will also need peripheral equipment - fuel, fuel pump, starter battery, glo plug connector, "chicken stick" or electric starter, spare props, and glow plugs, some assorted wrenches and screwdrivers. These are the basics, from there - well you can use your imagination.

DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT try teaching yourself to fly. The typical/normal first flight of someone trying to teach themselves to fly is less than 30 seconds and usually results in damage to the plane/equipment. The local club will provide an instructor.

I would also suggest D/L FMS (a free flight simulator), pick up (or make) the adapter cord and practice with it. It will not teach you how to fly, but it will provide a lot of the basic stuff - stick movement and the amount of movement needed for various manuvers, stick/plane orientation etc.

RE: Plane or Heli?
 

The micro helis are pretty much a waste of time. They are disposable and don't last long. If you want to get into the hobby and stick with it, get good equipt. Doesn't matter if you fly a plane or heli, but if you get cheap stuff, you may as well just throw the money away. Get good stuff and a good instructor and you will probably like the hobby.

Raptor helis or something close is good, and a good 40 size trainer arf or build up kit is good. There are tons of them.

Have a blast.

RE: Plane or Heli?
 

Flyboy is right I have a mini and you almost have to upgrade to brushless motors ($$$) to make it worth your time. If not you will be replacing motors all the time... with that being said if you want to go heli... go nitro.

John

RE: Plane or Heli?
 

The micro helis are very difficult to fly, but as far as the learning curve goes for helis vs. fixed wing, I would say one isn't any easier than the other. Why I say this is I teach people to fly both and in a way, helis are easier to teach/learn than fixed wing. For proof see: http://www.amadistrictii.org/column/...9%20Column.pdf

I have no problem of letting anyone fly either my heli or any of my fixed wing aircraft, even if it's just to let them get a good taste of RC hovering/flying.

CCR
AMA# 120734

RE: Plane or Heli?
 

Hi,

Welcome to the Addiction....... Well i fly Both............... like has been said dont waist your money on a small electric heli their more like toys if u ask me...... buy a glow one............. as i fly both i would say i prefer my planes............ i just love warbirds and have a nice collection now :), althou i still take my Heli's (ive got 2) out every other week or so :)......... they are fun althou a bit harder to fly but once you get the hang of it you will be fine.............

Initail costs are quite pricy with Heli's....... but i got my 2 From Ebay from a guy who didnt have the guts to fly them...... so i got them for a steal :D................ you will find most Heli pilots will have or fly planes aswell, althou not alot of Plane pilots fly helis, well not in my club they kinda hate them....... (ohWell)............i guess i just like learning new things.......... i allways like something new to learn and build.... when will it stop. :eek:

RE: Plane or Heli?
 

Here's a few more thoughts to help you pass the winter. See if you can contact some of the local club members. Even though they might not be flying, I've found many modelers love to help new people. Since you've got all winter, consider building a kit rather than an ARF. The trainer kits from the major brands usually have great instructions. Supplement the instructions with help from the local modelers you contacted. Kit building can be a lot of fun, you might find you like it. Consider buying an R/C simulator. This would let you build skills and can greatly shorten the time it takes to solo once you're actually flying. For the radio, you've got to decide what direction you are going. If you are really serious about getting a heli eventually, go ahead and spend the money up front for a heli capable radio. If you're not sure, a basic 4 channel is all you need to get started. The flight pack (receiver, battery, and servos) from it would still work if you later bought a heli radio from the same, or a compatable brand. This would let you bring two planes (or a plane and heli) to the field.

RE: Plane or Heli?
 

I've got literally hundreds of flights on my piccolo... I taught myself to fly heli on it, and now when I take the sticks of something larger like a raptor it is almost boring, the thing flys itself! I would easily pit the crashing ability of a FP micro to any glow heli any day and see which one is disposable after a crash. micros just bounce off stuff, and occassionally break a blade. needless to say nitro helis aren't quite that forgiving... [&:]

anyway, micro and 'normal' scale helis are two entirely different creatures... what do you want the heli for? indoor flying during the dead of winter? fp micro. outdoor flying in the summer? .30 glow. something that can do a little of both, cp micro, especially a larger one like a shogun. keep in mind that a micro isn't any cheaper then a glow, at least if you want comparible performance you should expect to spend comparible amounts. minimum requirements are lipo's and brushless. they will fly with nimhs and regular motors though...


I went through exactly one motor on my FP piccolo heli in two years. (well, didn't really go through, it was still flying when I did finally upgrade to brushless... I went through a couple tail motors (3 or 4) until I upgraded to a DD tail, haven't touched it since.

as I said above, what are your needs/wants. THAT is what dictates which type of heli to buy...

RE: Plane or Heli?
 

Personally I wouldn't start with an FP electric heli... IMO, a large, more stable CP nitro heli is hard enough to learn on. There are guys here in the forum that have gone that route though (like smokingcrater), and recommend it.

I started with a nitro heli, and went on to planes after that. If you have the time, determination, and the especially the money, you can get into nitro helis first. But that is the most difficult and most expensive one to start with. Helis are much more complex to build, tune, setup, and keep running. You'll need a more expensive radio, servos, receiver, and a gyro for a heli. If you start with an ARF plane, it will be much easier to build, setup, and get running, and you can get away with much cheaper radio gear.

They are both fun and challenging... and it sounds like you may end up getting into both planes and helis in the end!

RE: Plane or Heli?
 

I learned on a NexStar and they are fine. You get a simulator with it and you can practice all through the long Canadian winter - and be ready to go come spring.

RE: Plane or Heli?
 

Actually, it wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead and just get a good simulator first, and try out both planes and helis... see which one you like best!
Especially if it's too cold and windy to fly during the winter up there. I have RealFlight G2, and it comes with several planes and helis. I hear Reflex is good too...

RE: Plane or Heli?
 

Thanks for the reply's. I am still undecided though. I do like the heli's, always facinated by them even as a kid. My first computer games were heli sims. But in reality I don't have the cash to get a glow powered heli, or a large electric one. I do have enough to spring for a Corona 120 which I understand can be flown outdoors. On the other hand I am equally as facinated with warplanes. I know I will not buy a warplane right off and need to go through a few "trainer" planes first. So this leaves me still up in the air so to speak about which road to take. [:o] I suppose I will decide when I walk into the hobby shop and see first hand. BTW can't you fly planes in the winter?

RE: Plane or Heli?
 

It's hard to fly when you can't feel your fingers... and landing in snow will require some skis for your landing gear. Here, with the cold usually comes some pretty strong winds, which can really whip around a .40 - .60 sized plane, and a heli... yikes! I'm still flying both down here, but it's getting colder and windier lately... can't imagine what it's like up your way!

RE: Plane or Heli?
 

Yeah I suppose. The local club has a heated building though. I am pretty sure they fly when the weather isn't too bad, a lot of the guys here are die hards.