GeeBeer

Hi,

I've been kicking around the idea of getting a heli and am quite interested in it. I fly planes... and do quite well. I am coordinated & people usualy comment on how I am able to keep my orientation with no problem while doing wild manuvers that happen when one wiggles the sticks erracicaly!

First and foremost... what would be a good 30 size heli to start out with? I've heard the Raptor.. but Tower display's them as discontinued.

I plan on using my current radio, a futaba 6xa which has heli functions.

I don't necessarily need an ARF... as I like to build and would like to see how everything works. Are just normal hand tools used for assembly? If one purchases a kit... is there the normail running back & fourth to the hobby store for parts not included in the kit?

Is it really THAT hard to learn to fly one, or is it somewhat overrated? Difficulty does not shy me away... I'm just wondering so I could get an idea on how one could zip around from side to side in forward flight etc...

Your opinions grown from your personal experience will be greatly appreciated! Feel free to let me know things that I have not considered Not many heli fliers around here... just planes.

Culverson

My Feedback: (14)

Flying planes are a huge help as you have down a lot of basics of engine tuning and are familiar with planes.

The Raptor 30 V2 is the latest version of the Raptor out and should be available at Heliproz's-and other distributor's for Ace like Heli-World & others.

Building your heli yourself would give you experience with assembly and would help out later on maintenance & possible repairs later on.

Big word of advice, that is if you do not already own one possibly look into a good sim like the Real-flight G2-or G2 Lite even more affordable. A good Sim will go a long way for helis & plane orientation...

mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

It IS that difficult. I can hover and move the helicopeter around at will (slowly, tail in +/- 45 degrees) without training gear after 4 tanks. It is hard.

I have flown fixed wing for about 9 years, and the last 5 have been these kinds (see pic).

I am learning helis in order to fly turbine helicoters, they are cool.

Gotta give the heli guys the proper respect, it is much harder than fixed wing IMHO

ThBrtmn

NICE F4 YOU GOT THERE MATT

Lift

My Feedback: (1)

Matt,
Your one cool dude! Your the only turbine flyer I know that admits to the challenges of heli flight. We got alot of turbine pilots down here that think they are God's gift to the hobby. Only one of them has tried helis and he's a good heli pilot now. Not to mention how much his airplane flight skills have improved as a result of it.

I flew airplanes for 2 yrs and when I got into helis I realized real quick that my current flight skills were NOTHING compared to what it was going to take to become a skilled heli pilot. And, at the time I was flying the so-called "3D" routine that planes can do. There's just to much to get your brain accustomed to. I HIGHLY recommend 40 hrs on a good simulator before trying to fly a heli.

snaught,
You can do it! I did and MANY before me did and all it takes is dedication. Unless you got alot of available flight time it's difficult to continue flying planes and learning helis. Best bet is to put the planes on hold for a couple of months. If you get started you will want to anyhow! There is something about the heli hobby that is SOOOOOO addictive. ALL heli pilots experience the same thing. You become a heli nut! If you think I'm joking then be prepared for a shocker. Once I tried helis and actually took the training gear off I sold ALL my planes. That doesn't necessarily mean you will but be warned!

Get a simulator like Real Flight and spend the time learning how to hover. Keep the tail pointed at you and the heli within a 3' area. If you can do that with ease then turn the heli sideways. Now, practice on the other side. Eventually you will want to learn the nose-in hover. That's the most intimidating thing you will try untill you get into loops & rolls.

As for a heli just do a search. There are ALOT of good choices out there. I am partial to the Century line because it is a USA company, great pricing, low maintenance and problems, and long lasting. The flight performance is fantastic. When they got started they were'nt the greatest and there is still some bad vibe pilots out there. But people are realizing that Century is coming around and their helis have REALLY improved. Take a look at the Hawk Sport minimum and if you want to buy the next step up the Falcon 50 SE V2 or Raven 50 CCPM. But, you got a 6XAS right? Well, CCPM isn't an option then. So, the Hawk Sport or Falcon 50 SE V2. YOu can see all these at www.CenturyHeli.com or click on the "WWW" link below to see some pics of my Falcon SE V2. I just converted it to a Raven 50 CCPM but that's not pictured yet.

Spend your $ on good electronics. Don't worry about the heli. It's the LAST thing you get. You want a GOOD gyro, transmitter, and servos. The 6XHS won't get you much farther than forward flight. You can use it to get started but I would SERIOUSLY consider upgrading when/if the time is right.

Good luck!!!

Moxie

Try balencing a golf ball on a philphs head screw driver but not impossible

mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

Yes it is hard, and I know what is hard for me....

I remember when learning to fly fixed wing, one of the most dangerous times is when you are just transitioning from that time when you are thinking about which way to push which stick as opposed to just doing it without thinking. That "thinking" always got me into trouble.

Now on the heli, I find that I do not think much about left-right cyclic, a little about fore-aft and alot about the tail rotor. All that thinking really has the timing off.

It is very challenging and very fun. I am encouraging my fixed wing friends to try it, but they look at me just like I looked at all of the heli guys a year ago :-(

bsumpter

Definately they are THAT hard. I've been flying fixed wing for over 12 years now, and am a pretty proficient flyer. Nowhere near the level of the turbine guys , but never had any issues and rarely ever crashed.

I got my first heli (LMH Corona) last summer, and I am still struggling with nose-in flight. Don't ask me why -- I can't explain why an airplane can come right towards me at 100 mph and I don't flinch, but point a heli towards me in a hover and I become Mr. Dumb Thumbs. I thought I'd lick this heli thing in no time with all my fixed wing experience, but it's taught me some humility over the last 6 months or so.

It takes patience and dedication to get to the level where you can really enjoy it. I remember when I could hover tail-in for the first time without really thinking about it -- I don't think I'll ever forget that feeling of accomplishment. I'm now working on getting nose-in just as automatic, and I'm slowly getting there.

Get ahold of a good sim and give the helis a whirl in the digital world. That will give you a good idea of what we're all talking about (minus the pucker factor of course).

Lift

My Feedback: (1)

Oh yes......the dreaded nose-in hover. Yeah I remember being scared silly to point that nose towards me. I had to put the training gear back on and learn it from the ground up. I would set the heli down facing me and lift off nose-in and try to keep it low in case of brain fade. It took some time but I got it.

The nose in time I spent has allowed me to become a pretty good pilot in backwards upright flight. I can fly around backwards as well as I can forwards. I am still working on backwards loops and rolls but I can do them all day long. A REAL eye pleaser to the pilot and spectators. The key.....NOSE-IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SigKavalier

I don't know, but from my limited simulator experience it's not to bad. I have a different way at looking at things though so once I managed to hover tail in I can hover any which way the heli is pointing. Although I do have some trouble controlling drift. Forward flight is a breeze pretty much like an airplane with slightly funny handling. Forward flight to hover took me about 3 minutes of trying to manage it. I think doing it all smoothly is hard though. Just managing isn't too bad. I'm using FMS with a control interface and a FP heli. Also seems I hover good everywhere except for eye level. When it's eye level for some reason it throws me off. Still drifting though my inputs are smooth. Doing piroette's, loops, and rolls too. Which I crashed about 20 times before figuring out how to make a FP heli loop, and roll. The sims probably not as hard as the real thing, but it gets me into "auto-response mode". Thus doing instead of thinking. It's amazing what a simulator can do for you though. I cranked an F-18 up on it so it was ballistic probaby well over 250mph. I was doing low passes, and crazy stuff including shooting up through the clouds etc. Went to the field to watch a guy fly his turbine jet. I was like hmm that doesn't look too difficult even on the high speed passes. Simulators are life savers for sure.
One big thing I've noticed that makes heli's harder than fixed wing is when in a hover you don't really get much time if you dumb thumb it. For example doing nose in, and it starts to falloff to the left if you accidentally give it left aileron it's going in. They're not very forgiving in the hover. Although the one thing I have gotten really good is the flying sideways. On the sim thats just awesome to me. You know it's hovering nose in at you, and then it kinda breaks left/right into forward flight, but it starts off going sideways first.

bsumpter

FMS is good to teach basic stick inputs, but it is nowhere near realistic on the heli simulations. I can make a heli really walk the walk in FMS (just call me Curtis), but the same is not true in real life. One big thing I noticed in FMS is that when the heli starts heading off, it leaves a lot of time to correct. When my real helis start heading off in any direction, they MOVE QUICKLY and leave little time to correct.

The same is true of nose-in flight. I can do it all day long in FMS and G2, but when its for real I struggle with it. I dont know if the heli is just handling that much differently, or if it's the money (read: pucker) factor that makes it so much harder.

Either way the sims are great teaching aids, and really help with stick inputs and orientation. Just don't think you can do everything in real life that you can do in the sim -- it just don't work that way.

SpaceCase

My Feedback: (4)

Odly I learnd to fly "planks" in mode 2. that ment I had to use both of my thumbs a lot of the time. I hope this will give me a head start as I embark on my heli experence. Im really excited. Cant wait actualy. Any one know any good books for beginers like myself? Thanks

Lift

My Feedback: (1)

Spacecase,
Get the Real Flight G2 sim, Ray's Authoritative Heli Manual and start reading and practicing. Or Curtis's "Book of Questions & Answers" is a good one too.