compwizkid

Hey, I was thinking of getting my first helicopter. I am getting an electric to start with. Are they really hard to fly? What should i look/lookout for?
Thanks

Druss

Yes, helicopters are hard. I see you run cars, I'm sure you've crashed one before, you'll crash you're heli 10 times as much (that's conservative).

Before you start getting flooded with suggestions, tell us some information.

Are you just interested in trying or has it been a life long dream to get into helis?
What's your budget?
Do you have a spot to fly?

simmo8

very hard expencive and you will crash far more than you will crash cars. also they are take far more setting up than cars every time you crash.but dont let this put you of because if you love to fly you will love to work on your heli and get it flying again
i would recomend a very simple heli first up such as a E-Flite CX2 which is simple to fly and the parts are cheep then i would recomend jumping up to an E-Flite blade400 when you get the hang of the CX2.the blade 400 IS NOT a beginer heli it is a fully aerobatic helicopter and will probley take about 3 years to get half decent at sport flying if you fly every day.
good luck and happy flying

simmo

jerrymac

My Feedback: (2)

This might sound like a strange suggestion, but it is how I got started into rc Helis. I bought one of the lower priced rc simulators called Clearview , for $39.99 and tried flying on it first. It has a wide variaty of helis from coaxials to large 90 size nitros. Although the sim helis don't fly exactly like the real thing it will give you a good idea of them. after flying different ones for a couple weeks I actually decided on a 450 sized heli as my first one and contiued to practice with one on the sim for a couple more weeks before my first real flight. Well, as it turned out the sim practice was a big help, cause so far I haven't crashed the real one yet, although I am taking it slow in my learning process and still sit down for an hour at night and continue with my sim practice. You can add a little wind and see how it affects the heli flight so you get an idea before that unexpected breeze blows up outta nowhere outside. There are better and much more expensive sims also, but for a newbie like me this one has helped me alot. Many people learn to fly without using a sim to practice on but I think it has probably saved me more than the $40 I spent on it in parts so far. That is not to say that I won't crash someday just like everybody does at some point, but at least I didn't get discouraged with a crash on my first flight and give up like many other people do also.

simmo8

i also find sims great i have real flight g4 and find that the helies on there are far easier to fly than in real life. sims are great and help alot with orientation and teaching you the controls ect..ect..

Druss

I that you guys have to realize that the sims are actually fairly accurate for a perfectly set up heli. Since very few new fliers have a perfectly set up heli, there's obviously going to be a different in flight characteristics.

Also, theres the psychological factor, in the sim if you crash you have nothing to lose, just press a button and restart. In real flight you're scared to death of crashing your brand new toy.

I'm not saying that flight sims are perfect but they do approximate flight very well. The models they use are also fairly good ones. If you're flying the larger gas helis in the sim then they are VERY easy, try the helimax axe cp and throw some wind in...

augerin2

I agree with simmo8 get a Cx2 and get used to that. Also pick up a decent SIM then go on to the Blade 400. It comes with a decent radio that you can grow with

compwizkid

Ok. Thanks. I'm going to get an electric heli becuase i dont wanna mess with nitro on my first heli. Do they break easy? On a scale of 1-10 nitro cars being a 5 and 10 the worst, what would they rank at on difficulty. and im only wanting to spend about 10-150 bucks

Druss

LOL, if you make nitro cars a 5 then I'll rank helicopters as a 50. Seriously, they are the most expensive and most difficult RC to get into.

Try this experiment at home. Put a marble in the middle of a flat plate or something (a dinner plate would probably work) now try to keep it in the center while moving up and down with your knees...

jerrymac

My Feedback: (2)

Hey Druss, I like the dinner plate idea. A friend of mine actually had me do that with a 8" diamater piece of glass and I got tired of pickin that damn marble up off the floor.

UTM

I have to agree with Druss here. Helis are very difficult to learn. They are also very fragile. With somthing like the Blade 400 even a hard set sown on the skids can cause some damage. If you go full lawn dart Damage can exceed $100. Not to mention hours of reapair time. In your price range you may think about the Eflight MCX. Its small and an indoor flyer but are very stable and relativaly easy to fly. It would probably be enough to let you get a feel for if you really want to take on helis or not.

Uri

compwizkid

yea that one was the one i was looking at. Im thinking of getting it. I have to start somewhere

qoisdhc oqina

My Feedback: (-1)

yeah the guys at my hobby shop got a nice shipment, and they demo htem all the time.except to show hoiw stable they are they hover it in the middle of the shop and set the controller down. it's the funniest thing.it'll just sit there moving around a little.VERY stable,like i said they can just set the controller on the counter for like 15 econds or more.amazing little heli

Druss

The mcx is a good entry into helis and with the winter coming up you'll get lots of practice time. The major things it will help with is throttle control and orientation so use it to learn how to hover tail in, side in (both sides) and nose in.

If you can afford it I'd also suggest a simulator, they are great learning tools and will help you beyond the hovering phase into 3D.

ben45750

I bought a AXE CP couple weeks ago, it was my first Heli. I have sure learned a LOT!!!! I've learned how to rebuild heads and replace about every part but the biggest lesson was if the heli gets close to you SHUT IT OFF and get it down. I caught my knee with the rotors and my hand (nothing to serious, more damage to the heli than me). It's been worth every penny so far and having a blast with it. I gave up on going outside and flying it, I just keep it in the middle of the garage and hover and maybe in a couple months I'll be good enough to take it outside.

noobflyer01

good to hear about your progress. if you can fly your axe cp than you can fly anything. i heard those things were twitchy little b@stards. i had the honeybee king2 and it was one twitchy b@stard but man when i got a decent 450 size heli it was so much easier to fly.

compwizkid

yea im getting a nitro rustler for my b-day in a few weeks then maybe heli for christmas....id love to learn to fly a heli....

matt1965

don't be fooled by people who say ,your pick it up in no time, it will take practice,practice,practice oh yeah and more practice

compwizkid

heh