From FP to CP
04-19-2012, 03:07 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Silver Creek, GA
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From FP to CP
Ihave a small hobby shop and have been racing RC off-road and on-road for about 5 years now. More recently Istarted flying heli's for somthing to do in the shop to gather intrest from people walking by the windows, and to kill time durring my normally slow hours. I've been flying FP heli's for a bit now and am thinking about going to a larger scale outdoor heli to play with at home. I'm thinking the Heli-max Axe 400 CP RxR But I'm having doubts about my ability to learn the differences between the CPand the FPheli's. So Ihave 2 questions.
Does anybody know of a larger outdoor sized FP heli?
and
Is there somewhere Ican go to read about CPheli's, what the differences are between CPand FP, and the way changing the pitch works and what it does.
Ijust dont want to accidentally flip the wrong switch and send my copter straight to the ground and look like a complete newb in front of my neighbors
Does anybody know of a larger outdoor sized FP heli?
and
Is there somewhere Ican go to read about CPheli's, what the differences are between CPand FP, and the way changing the pitch works and what it does.
Ijust dont want to accidentally flip the wrong switch and send my copter straight to the ground and look like a complete newb in front of my neighbors
04-19-2012, 04:35 PM
#2
Senior Member
My Feedback: (1)
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Lawrence,
KS
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: From FP to CP
I can vouch for the Axe 400.
"How RC Helicopters Work: Fixed Pitch and Collective Pitch"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf5iG299hzk&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I can't think of any specific forum threads of the top of my head, but you can check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf5iG299hzk&feature=youtube_gdata_player
It's a quick overview of the mechanical differences between the two types.
Different controls may vary by transmitter, but generally, idle-up is on the left switch, and throttle hold is on the right switch. One major difference in flight characteristics I've noticed is that, in forward flight, with FP helis, I have to hold down the direction I want to pitch in; with CP helis, they tend to hold their attitude, so holding the direction for too long would have you wind up in a funky loop or faceplant.
Another thing is responsiveness. CP helis are pretty agile, so be ready for that. A nice thing about some radios is that you can adjust the responsiveness. The Axe 400 comes with the Futaba 6EX which allows you to do that.
04-20-2012, 08:35 AM
#3
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Silver Creek, GA
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: From FP to CP
Iwas actually thinking that Iwould get the ARF so Ican continue using Airtronics radios like Ialways have.. Idont really like the 6EX.. if Iwent futaba Iwas thinking the cheaper 6JH even though it would end up being a little more expensive than just getting the RTF
04-20-2012, 08:51 AM
#4
Senior Member
My Feedback: (1)
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Lawrence,
KS
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: From FP to CP
Sorry for the formatting discrepancies in my previous post; I wrote it on my phone, and I guess that came out weirdly.
I talked about the 6EX because it's what I have, but any comparable or better radio will do the trick. Going with what you like and are comfortable with is also a plus. As long as you have a radio that allows you to adjust dead zones and servo extension limits as well as servo rates, then you should be fine. I started learning heli flight with a CP heli that did not have those features (axe CP - RTF), and that turned out to be very very costly (but fun
). Given that you already know how to fly helis, you may not need most of those features to adjust to CP helis. I would think that the transition from FP to CP shouldn't be too difficult.
I don't know if you use a flight sim or, if you do, which one, but checking out a few CP helis on a sim may be helpful in giving you a basic understanding of the differences in flight characteristics between the two types.
I talked about the 6EX because it's what I have, but any comparable or better radio will do the trick. Going with what you like and are comfortable with is also a plus. As long as you have a radio that allows you to adjust dead zones and servo extension limits as well as servo rates, then you should be fine. I started learning heli flight with a CP heli that did not have those features (axe CP - RTF), and that turned out to be very very costly (but fun
). Given that you already know how to fly helis, you may not need most of those features to adjust to CP helis. I would think that the transition from FP to CP shouldn't be too difficult. I don't know if you use a flight sim or, if you do, which one, but checking out a few CP helis on a sim may be helpful in giving you a basic understanding of the differences in flight characteristics between the two types.
