First off, let me say hi, its my first post on the heli boards. i'm not new to RC by any stretch of the term, but I am new to modern helis. I have been running large Gasoline boats for a long time now, and back when i was a youngster i flew planes and tried my hands at a friends heli. A few weeks ago i bought a Blade CX2 and ever since i've been hooked. I know for sure that i want to proceed, however i'm torn by Nitro or electric, and i also dont know whether to go mechanical or CCPM (i dont know the differecne). I would really like to jump in head first and go Gasser because i'm already quite familiar with the zenoahs and gas models, but the kit/motor startup costs are really high for me, so i'm holding off on that for now. Initially i was totally going forward with getting a nitro bird, but this weekend i took my blade out in my yard and had a ball. Other than the fact that a slight breeze sends the blade in any direction, it was a hoot being able to fly around the yard and not piss off my neighbors with the noise and smoke of nitro. so now i'm back to looking at larger electrics. my biggest peeve is the difference between charging times and flight times on a pack. granted the blade is using tiny batteries, theres still a big difference. I mean, it takes an hour plus to charge a pair of 800-850's on my accucycle elite, and you get maybe 12 minutes of flight time per pack. thats why i wanted to go nitro, no cooling, no charging, just gas and go. but, the reduction in flying sites has me a little worried. then theres the plethora of models in both categories to choose from, its dizzying to say the least for the uneducated newbie. anyways, i've been reading the forums, getting all the heli mags i can find and doing my usual due-dilligence, but, i still need some advice.

First main question - whats the difference between mechanical and CCPM/eCCPM and how does it affect the beginner? Keep in mind that i'm not planning to get more than one bird this year, i want something that i can learn on and then move forward with.

second question - on the average, with a T-Rex 450 size or Mini-Titan, how long do you get to fly before the pack starts to deplete, assume a 2500mah pack...?

thanks all

For a beginner a non-CCPM or mCCPM machine is a little easier to set up because there will be no servo interaction with non-CCPM. Basically the difference it for pitch on the blades a tray moves in non-CCPM and 3 servos move at the same time in CCPM.

You will get 5-8 minutes for 200-300 cycles depending on the brand and charging you are doing.

I get a bit more time on my T-Rex 450 than DebianDog reports. 8-10 minutes. And this is on well-used 2100 packs. Mostly hovering, because it has all been indoors.

While I do agree that the mCCPM is easier to set up, and more mechanically pure in that there is little chance of interaction, I still highly recommend the T-Rex 450 SE (now SE V2). The higher quality of the head pieces means that this heli behaves better and wears better than the ones with plastic pieces.

As far as learning on and then moving forward, any of the T-Rex 450's would be great.

Vince

thanks for the reply. with regard to CCPM and mechanical mixing, are the flight characteristics the same or is one better than the other?

5-8 minutes is pretty lame, i was hoping for at least 10-15...now i'm really torn...

do you know if any of these CP micros that come fully setup with radios are at all suited to outdoors versus a larger T-rex style? i've read that the blades are really hard to fly, twitchy etc, but i haven tseen much on the others...night rangers etc..i guess maybe i should take an intermediate step before going nitro or gas to get thru the summer...decisions decisions

Battery life depends on head speed and flying type but 7 to 9 minutes is about it.

If setup correctly theres no real difference in flight characteristics, the CCPM setup is less complicated mechanically because there is less linkages and its cheaper to produce and lighter. The down side is radio setup and if you hit the blades you will be replacing one or more servo gear sets because of the direct swashplate linkages

MPM is less complicated to setup the radio but requires more parts in the control system.

I get close to the 10 minute mark on my T-Rex 450. But for me when that pack is done I am ready for a break. Especially when first starting to learn.
I have 3 battery packs and I keep 2 chargers going at a 1C rate. Along with my short breaks I can pretty much fly as much as I want. I got 12 flights in yesterday.
I have a Nitro Heli but haven't flown it yet but based on my nitro airplanes you won't get much longer flights from them either.

10 minutes what packs and what headspeed? Mostly hovering? How many Mah do you typically put back in the pack?

My headspeed was sort of low (I say was because I just put a new motor in and haven't measured it) around 2100 to 2200 RPM.
I have been using 1320 mah 12C dual sky packs but just recently started using Hyperion 2100 mah 16C packs.
Mostly just hovering.I can say the motor and ESC don't get hot, in fact only luke warm. My packs get to about 95 or so degrees.
I couldn't say off hand how many ma but my average voltage when I start charging is about 3.5 volts per cell

Get yourself a Raptor 50 Titan. That is what i started with. I am a newb and i have been hovering in the high winds we have had the past weekends. It is a very stable machine. I know the gas is louder but you can't beat the raptor for stability. We fly at kings park and out in coram. I live over in floral park. If you get the raptor you can get the g-force head for it and it performs almost as good as a ccpm set-up.

???

Have you flown a CCPM Raptor?

In truth its alot more about the pilot and proper setup than which type of control system is in use.

cool, thanks for the info, the raptor 50 was one of my choices...nice to hear from someone close by, maybe down the road i'll meet up with you and your group to see what they're like in person...

Definately go with the raptor 50 titan. You won't be sorry. It is a greet chopper. It is also really cheap to repair. If you go electric go with the trex or if you have the movey the e-raptor 620. My frien has the e-raptor and it is an awesome machine. Stay away from the mini titan...they aren't that good. My friends hobby shop got them in and the guys that bought them said they were horrible. They have alot of bugs to be worked out. Get the titan you'll love it.

Ah that explains it! A 2100'ish head speed.