I'm giving very serious thought to purchaseing an electric heli just as a summer-time distraction from my RC Touring Car. The local hobby shop demoed a Blade CX for me last week and it looked way cool so...now I guess I need a helicopter

The thing I'm struggling with the most is that I'll be flying almost exclusively outside, probably in my back yard and I question whether something as small as a Blade CX (or a Hummingbird) will be table outside if there is any wind at all (and there's almost always wind). Are Micros really viable as outdoor helis or do I need to buy something bigger in order to really have fun? I saw an LHM Corona for sale and wondered if something that size would be more appropriate but also wondered if that would be biting off to much as a starter heli.

As long as I'm posting, is the Blade CX a good place to start or will I just want to buy something better in a couple months after I get the hang of the Blade? Having always tried to remain as firmly planted on the ground as possible with my RC Car this whole RC flight thing is very foireign to me so I'm not at all sure how good I'll be at it or how deep into the hobby I'm going to want to jump.

Any advice would be appreciated.

i started with a blade cx and i am glad i did.i can fly pretty good now -after several crashes and repairs-never would have made it without learning on a cx type of chopper-(multi-rotor type)- these are the easiest to learn to hover etc.-i am now ready for a cp type-as far as flying in the wind-these small and light weight choppers do not handle the wind very well-you may need to get a larger and heavier chopper to fly outside?? also more expensive-why not learn on a cx then upgrade after you can fly without crashes??
any way you go-good luck and happy flying

Personally, I think the CX is a poor choice if "learning to fly" is what you want. They're simply too inherently stable. The most they'll teach you is orientation. The reflex skill you need to fly regular helicopters is totally different. If all you want is some quick cheap fun a CX is great, but I don't think it'll teach you the nescesary skills you need to pilot pod and boom helicopters.

Something like the corona makes a great starter heli as they're extremely durable since they're fixed pitch, and they're big (apporaching the size of a .30 size bird). It still won't fly aswell as a collective pitch helicopter will in the wind, but they make good beginner outdoor helis, and even better eventual scale conversions (seems alot of people like these helis for scale projects, probably because so many bodies are available for it). I rarely see anything bad posted about Coronas, so if you can snag a good deal on one, i'd say go for it. Otherwise they're a bit expensive brand new, especially if you consider you could get a nice CP heli for the same price roughly. If you'd just like to jump into collective pitch birds from the get go and don't want to spend $500+ then the blade CP seems to be a popular choice for newbies.

As it stands, you'd probably get bored of the CX after a short time. It can't fly outdoors except on the most dead of days, and it can't fly forward at anything apporaching moderately fast, or you'll demolish the helicopter head in flight. The CX is mostly restricted to hovering and slow circuits from what i've seen. Anything else and you'll need a proper pod and boom helicopter.

Heh. when it not too windy i take my blade CX for a roll!

good thing you said "Personally"

It took me a month to learn simple mechanics and i can do all the "tricks" It lists in the manual+more!
Im personaly OFFENDED![:@] TO ME THATS THE BEST TRAINER HELI EVER!
(By the way im in 7th grade, if it can teach someone as young as me, its bound to train most people...)
Inherently stable? Fly outside on light gusty days! THAT will teach you some REALLY good stability! Oh well, its up to him!

yes i take my cx outside too but only when it is really calm- the cx is the easiest to learn to fly and repairs are not too expensive-i still say it is a great little chopper to learn on-i am waiting for the cp pro to come out in a few weeks -after i learn to fly that i may go to a bigger chopper but they start at 400$ without a transmitter or motors or electronics-never mind repairs!!

I don't mean to step on anyones toes with my post . It is, as you said, just my humble opinion, as are all my posts. The Blade CX i'm sure is alot of fun to fly, but mechanically, it is very limited, that's just a simple fact.

I've said it in the past, and i'll repeat it here now. If learning to fly bigger nitro helicopters is your goal, the Blade CX (or any counter-rotational 2 bladed helicopter) makes a great trainer as the flight stability is very similar. If your goal is to go to something like the Blade CP, T-rex, or equivelent micro electric helicopter, you'll be in for a BIG surprise transitioning from the CX. I'm not saying it's not possible, since many people do it, but you'll find the going harder.

OK, thanks all for all the info. I found a friend of a friend who had an LHM Corona with everything included except the TX and bought that for $175. Hope that was a good price...seemed good to me. Now I need to buy a radio and figure out how to fly this thing.

I'm definitely considering buying a simulator (maybe buy a used version off ebay) but I'm sure I'll also be unwilling to wait and go ahead and try out my new "toy" for itself once I get a radio and go through the chopper to make sure everything is at least in reasonable condition.

Thanks again.

A simulator will be the best investment you make towards flying R/C helis hands down.

The CX will teach you orientation, but not much about actually flying an R/C heli. Don't even think about backwards figure 8's it will simply explode in the air as the main blades contact each other.

My 5 and 9 year old daughters are flying the CX in our garage. Once they have a good handle on that and on the G2 sim helis they can have a try at my Raptor 50.