roger14

Hello, I am a beginner.I am very interested in choppers, but I have some questions. I just want to ask if theres anybody who could advice me , wich helicopter to get, what do I need to start learning, what do I have to buy with the chopper, etc? I hope that someone has enough patience to explain me that. Thanks

Spaceman Spiff

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there are several good choices for beginer helis.

A few of the favorets are: Raptor 30, Raptor 50, Century Hawk... it would be agood idea to check with your local hobby shops to see if they have parts for any of these helis. Having a supply of parts nearby is very nice.

HeliKing

Roger14,

I was exacly the same as you few months back.
Spaceman Spiff is correct, local hobby shop can be used as a source, but not all have the patient to entertain question from costumer.

Before you decide to choose which heli you want to buy, do a lot of research. There are tons and tons of information we can get from the net. Including this forum. Browse a lot !!.
2-3 month a go , I didn't know anything about r/c, I don't have (phisically) anybody around to help me. What I did after collecting this information from the net, I bought Rob Dickehuth Basic R/C heli training program, then the real flight simulator G2 (this is important otherwise you will crash you heli at the first flight), now I am in the first week of flying my raptor 30 V 2.

About what you need to have, go to www.raptortechnique.com . This is --as fas as my concern--, the best site you can get about heli.

Good Luck !!

roger14

Thank, that is a useful information. Could you recomend me a cheap radio system? And a web pages that has learning instruccion?
Thanks again.
P.D. sorry to bother, but could you explain me a little more about what I need to know about choppers?

Spaceman Spiff

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Have a look at the JR 6102.

www.heliproz.com

They also have some good info pages on getting started.

Hotshot Charlie

Good morning,

I know how money can be tight, it is here, but if you can put an extra $100 with the price of the 6102, you can get a JR8103. I don't see ever having to upgrade from the 8103 and you might outgrow a JR6102. I think a 6102 is about $279 and a 8103 is about $379, if they are still running a promotion on them.

This is not knocking the other suggestion at all, the JR6102 would be a GREAT choice. I decided if I was going to stay in this hobby, I might as well buy a radio that I wouldn't outgrow.

Also, you must figure whether you want to go FM or PCM. That is a completely different argument. Some folks say PCM, some say go with FM. I bought a FM JR8103 and put the FM receiver in a Ultra Stick, then I bought a PCM receiver and put it in my Raptor. Just the way I wanted to go. MORE DECISIONS....

Just some thought for the ole' brain and pocketbook.

roger14

Thanks, for the advice, but I had some other questions. Could you tell me the difference between glow and gas, and what is better?Thanks.

Temps

havent been doing this too long but ill try what ive learnt in the past year or so i was told when first enquering about helis was get sim join club wich i couldnt none around me but had good model shop who knew helis in/out his advice was first heli should be 30 size glow either kyosho/hirobo /century but before you buy look at spare parts for paticular brand of heli you want (see my posting under kyosho helicopters) you Will need spares trust me then a GOOD radio/servo choice reason being the better the radio the more itll advance with you and your radio will probably move to your next bigger heli with better functions so i got my heli and radio the man at my local modelshop then told me after i bought it bring it back and he would show me how to set it up ie trim pitch throttle curves this is a must !! setting up is just as important as learning to fly (cant set up you cant fly) after this i brought a good book called learning to fly model helicopters this is a bible to me and has taught me a lot. since then i now have 4 helis and i am completly hooked it is addictive the only other bits of advice i can give you is look at posts in rc universe and on the internet for model helis there are hundreds this is the best form of imformation of all or even if you have a local field near you go check it out they would be happy to talk/advice you anyhow goodluck this rc sport is exellent youll enjoy it very much

Hotshot Charlie

Most of us would love to have a gas bird, but they are definitely expensive to orginally purchase. The everyday operation of a gas bird is cheaper than glo because of fuel cost. Personally, I don't know much about gas heli's other than Bergen is probably one of the best. A low end Bergen will set you back around $1400 for heli and engine, nothing else.

For beginning, I would say to go with a glo heli, such as a Raptor 50 or what I have, a Raptor 30. I would love to have started with a Raptor 50, but I got a great deal on a used Raptor 30 from a flyer that just moved up to a 60 size bird. So, ecomonics played a vital role in what I am fly.

Maybe some other guys can relate more on the gas'ers.

FLYBOY

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roger14,

There is no such thing in helicopters as cheap.

Just out of curiosity, how old are you?

My suggestion would be to find a flying club near you, and see what the people there are flying. You need someone to help you set up a chopper so meeting them would be good. They can also help you with radios and helis. There may be used stuff around you could start with if you need to save money.

I would suggest getting Real flight G2 sim and practicing on that as well. It will teach you the basics and will save you the price of the sim many times over. Its a usefull tool.

As stated, raptors are nice. There are a few others. Gas is more expensive. As far as radios go, get the best one you can afford. The 9C will make setup and learning easier, but it isn't cheap. If you want to get in it and stay in it, get good equipt. If you just want to try it and don't mind crashing and spending more in the long run, get cheap stuff. It doesn't last long though.

You will need the heli, radio, engine, starter, gyro, field box, glow lighter and some misc stuff. Extra parts are always nice. It can get upwards of $1000 fast, and a crash can be as little as a set of blades or as much as the price of the heli real easy. You will crash them, so be ready for it.

Hope that helps some. Don't want to scare you off, but if you want to go into helis, go in with your eyes open.

heliproz.com is a great site for prices.