first i would like to thank you guys who helped me choose my first ever rc helicopters.

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soloboss
rotarydoc
systemlord
j-michael
kruzer
gonwee
evdreamer

thanx fellas.


my heli's are the blade mcx, and the blade cx2.

when i first got these little birds, the first one i tried to fly was the mcx. i charged up the first pack, set it on the floor and started the rotors. my plan was to just scoot around for the first pack. the next 5 minutes convinced me that i would never be able to pilot a model heli. lateral control was a madman on the sticks.

rookies do not dispair

it was almost by accident when a little nudge on the throttle sent it upwards a good 4 feet, then, the little heli became a different machine with some space below it. i recall laughing and exclaiming to my brother "it looks like its hanging from a string!"

this was the stepping stone i needed. this is when i started feeling like i was in control.

so now i started working on little cyclic inputs to maintain my lateral positioning. i didnt worry with rudder much at this point. i figured i would just try to stay in the center of the room, halfway between the ceiling and floor. a couple packs later i was pretty much keeping it where i wanted it.

next came the left thumb.

for some reason, rudder and throttle came to me pretty easily. forward flight and tracking intended courses is really all left thumb. this little heli is confidence on skids. i can now just plant the right stick forward, and fly nose forward circles, squares, figure eights, and pretty much any course i want. i try to plan a course, using all controls, like an oval circuit, 3ft off the ground with a few chairs in the way. i fly my course, having to rise above the obstacles in the way, and drop back down as soon as they are cleared. big fun.

flying the cx2 has proven much more difficult, requiring quite a bit more ability than the little mcx, but ive gotten pretty comfortable with it, but not as much as the little bird.

im hooked.

heres a few picks of my helis, and if there any aspiring pilots out there wondering if they could fly one, i strongly suggest including the little mcx as a candidate.

i took the action pics WHILE FLYING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I planned at first to buy the mcx, but I knew I would venture outside for somemore freedom. I decided the CX2 was the better coax helicopter for outside use, couldn't help but notice your bullets in the background.

lol, ya, my loading area has become my loading/heliport.

for 22lr we use clark custom, shilen, volquartsen, and green mountain

for ar15's we shoot shilen, sabre defense, lewis, and bushmaster, depending on the range.

for m14's, and tactical boltguns, we use shilen, kreiger, and springfield.

for pistol (1911 only) we use kimber, colt, and les baer custom.


we reload everything obviously (except 22 lol) for components i like lapua, lake city, and pmc for brass (stuff lasts forever, and stands up to full length sizing for the autoguns well) for powders im hooked on all the hodgdon extreme powders, and for bullets i like nosler custom competition, and hornady amax and vmax.


a few of our long range toys:

My loading bench is also used for CX2 maintenance.

I too skipped the mCX choice and went for the CX2. Probably explains the need for maintenance! Ah the smell of fresh parts in the morning...

That's a really good post, Drake. Because so many of the hobby shops carry the E-Flight line and you are in the E-Flight forum you know it's gonna be read and the new fliers are just looking for the straight scoop - just like you gave them. I think the most disheartening thing about any new hobby is setting our personal expectations of our abilities too high.

From what I've read about the CX3, it sounds like you made a good choice in the CX2. You know that there will be carnage and the CX2 is just soooo much easier to repair. The good folks at E-Flight are taking notes I'm sure and they'll have the CX3 squared away soon, but the last thing a flier needs is a fragile and expensive body and hard to get at mechanicals. Nice work. And after looking at your other hobby, you are certainly detail oriented.

Soloboss

Nice writeup!

IMO, the MCX is the best heli to get to introduce yourself to this hobby. It gives you instant gratification and is tough as nails when you get out of control and crash. You can learn so much about flying from it. Orientation, air flow dynamics (ie ground effect, ceiling suction, attraction to walls / furniture), minor maintenance, etc. You can fly it year round in the smallest indoor places.

The drawback of the MCX is that it is so easy to fly, you can outgrow it pretty quickly.

The next step is a good quality Coax. The CX2 is a great example. It is much larger than the MCX and flies a bit differently. It takes more attention / skill to fly it. It will break if you crash it. This will introduce you to the second part of the hobby.... maintenance. You will need to learn how to fix and replace items on the heli. You will also need to learn how to adjust and setup the heli correctly for good flight. As you get better at flying and progress to faster flying and maneuvers, you will find the limits of the factory heli. At this point, you will either get frustrated by blade strikes and settling under power or you will learn the third part of this hobby... tinkering / modifications.

From this point, it is up to you if you are ready for the next step. The single rotor heli is not for everyone....

DRAKE-ULA ~

That's great your enjoying your heli's ! They'll both get you familiar with the sticks, orientation, and some of the other basics... Even though I've moved on from my CX2 to other heli's I still have it and like to fly it very much. I just took it out the other day, but its been so long since I've flown it that after the 3rd battery pack I ended up crashing and breaking two blades and put a small crack on the canopy... I've been used to flying my Trex's, and yet when I went to fly the CX2 I felt like a noob all over again ! A night and day diff...Lol... I used to be able to zip the CX2 all over the place like a madman, but I also was flying it everyday and now its hardly ever. But I'll never sell it, as I have a blast with it and its been a good trouble free heli.

Enjoy yours !

~ Jeff


Here's my crash with my CX2 the other day :


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clu68D2xU7M

Hey Drake,

Excellent!

Glad to hear that you are off to a great start, in a rewarding and fun hobby!

I'm glad myself and others have been of assistance to you, I know I really needed help when I first got started, and this forum has been priceless, not only from an advice standpoint, but I have met some great friends here in the process as well...great place to hang out and keep in touch with others in the hobby!

Hope you have many happy flights!

Glenn