if you never flew heli's before,,get the training gear,,, for a couple extra bucks they could and probably will save you from tipping over at take off or from a crash.. why spend money on parts if the training gear could help to avoid it?. some say the heli is a little bit more unstable using them.. but once you get to the point where you can lift off without tipping over then take them off.. save them for your next heli:}

here is an inexpensive set of training gear from the same place to buy the heli.. they make a bigger better set but for a fp heli these are all that you will need.. this 4 dollar purchase will save you a lot more then that.'

[link=http://ka-planes.com/inc/sdetail/481]http://ka-planes.com/inc/sdetail/481[/link]


p.s. here is a picture of how they should go on. this is a pic i got off of the net.. just make sure to put the balls closer to the ends of the rods...jake

wow thanx thats a great deal i think ill get that so when i buy my heli i should get...
training gear
sim cord
fly bar 2
tail rotar
main rotar
center hub
landing skids
do i need those little blades at the end of the fly bar or does that come with it?
does that list sound good oh yeah and a tail motor.

Take a look at Honybee FP (Honeybee #4 is the newest version) here: http://www.xheli.com/juinye20esho.html When you order, use the coupon code cjfree2 & you get free shipping - the code is good for any order over $50.

Eventually you can do some upgrades to the Honeybee, like adding a higher capacity LiPO battery, a set of SuperSkids that are much more durable than the scrawny (but tough) stock landing gear.

The main rotor blades are tough, but can chip if they hit hard objects (concrete or asphalt). An extra tail blade isn't a bad idea, even though I haven't broken mine (yet). Get a couple of extra rotor heads ($1.50 each). They are the first & about the only thing I've broken.

Also get the Main & tail motor heat sinks to prolong your motor life. Don't get too many spare parts to begin with - you'll want to be able to get enough later to qualify for the free shipping

They say it's ready to fly right outta the box. >>> BUT <<< take a good look around once you unpack your heli. Others can post more details, but the first thing to do is adjust the center of gravity - outta da box it's notoriously tail heavy. Move the battery as far forward as you can. I've installed a LiPO battery along with the SuperSkids kit. In the pic, you can't even see the battery, since it's so far forward. Nevertheless, it still needed 2 185 grains by weight lead slugs stuck to the nose to get it balanced. Look at the length of each end of the flybar - mine needed to be moved a little to even up the length , since right from the factory, one side was longer than the other. You can eyeball the paddels to be sure they are set at zero pitch. Also be sure the swashplate is level - outta da box, mine needed considerable adjustment.

I agree that the training gear can save you a lot of repair time & money. So will time spent on the flight SIM.

then I wouldn't worry about the gear just yet, even if you decide you want one, you can always make one out of dowel rods and ping-pong balls, but 2 bays is plenty of room, as long as theres no cars in them

I would take a different approach. Two of us are newbe's just past your stage and feel we wasted some money. I recomend buying realflight simulator first. Its more than your budget, but you will soon learn that you are going to buy it anyway or something like it. Skip the coax machine. Then when you get more cash, buy a collective pitch machine.

if you want a good sim, send me a pm, and I'll tell you how to use Aerofly Pro Deluxe with your stock HBFP Tx. $0

thanx guys wat about the sim that comes withit where u hook up the cord to the computer is that good enough cuz when ive looked at realflights they are like $200

I can honestly say, i never checked this as i ....... almost nievly took it for granted that this was all setup from getting it out the box, ill check tomorrow, i just took it for granted...........lesson learnt !

OK my question to the HB lovers is. If I follow Radd's school to the t ( slready read it 2x) and practice on a sim. Should I still start with the HBFP or go straight to a CP copter. I don't care if I ever get inverted but how aggressive can a 4 channel really be. Thanks I plan on purchasing something this weekend. Thanks

Start with the HBFP. Parts are fewer & cheaper to replace. I've got more fly time with my HB than with the Eagle 50, simply because I'm still pretty rough with it & the HB survives my flying sessions much better than the Eagle 50 initially did & parts are not nearly as pricey. Once you get more proficient with flying the HB, you can better decide what you will want next, whether it be an Eagle 50, Falcon 40, or go directly to a bigger Belt CP.

I have no experiance with the fp, but just from the way it works, it is less complicated, and less settings to muck up, so is harder to get wrong ( but not that hard ! ) and cheaper to fix as there are less parts to break.

I just figured i would get cp and learn to fly like an fp ( Radds battery 1 - 10 are for basic or fp ) then after i have done that and are confident with my skills, start changing settings and really start the steep learning curve of inversted flight ( expense lol)

my batteries gave out before my HBFP did 1 battery is dead, my other one is about 40%, but I'm ordering more soon. But this heli is tank, you won't be able to appreciate what we're saying till you get one and have a few crashes, not much too these

I can fly mine pretty aggresive, high speed baked corners, getting really good at them, but as your fist heli you won't be disappointed with the performance of it.

[link=http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?s=89ead4847140dd8c198da12f4e5162d1& t=618997]Watch This Video[/link]

Depending on what you buy and who you buy it from (and how good somebody packaged your heli where it was made), you don't need to waste $10 on a sim chord, it SHOULD come with one. I bought my Honey Bee FP from KA Planes N Kopters and it came with a chord. Nuttcaze did the same thing and it did not come with one (?).

ok is there anyway i can garrentee getting a cord with it im probably ordering from kaplanes

just call them, the chances of not getting one is prob 1 in 20, and even if you don't, a quick call to them will get it taken care of.

If you are going to purchase the FP from Ka-planes, you can call or email and have them verify the simulator cable is in the box before they ship. I got my FP from them and the cable was in the box along with a CD with the simulator software. I don't know how good the sim is (I have RealFlight, so I never loaded the Esky stuff). I really like the FP though. It flys well for me and when I do crash it usually doesn't break, and even when it does, the parts are not expensive. I was so impressrd with the fixed pitch that I bought a BlackHawk 450 SE Pro from the same store. I can tell you the Collective pitch BlackHawk does not seem any harder to fly than the FP, but it sure does get your attention. Head speed is really fast and when I do crash it (And it is bound to happen), It will take a lot more labor and money to fix than the FP. FWIW, I'm just a beginner, but I have a Lama 4, and the FP and Blackhawk. The FP is what I fly (well at this point its more like hover practice) 90% of the time.

Hope this helps and good luck in your decision,

Bob

Hey Nuttcaze. That video is just what I wanted to see. And Thanks for posting all the videos of your learning curve for the rest of us noobs.

I think I got an old RC car traded for a new blade CP. IF that happens I will order a HBFP in a week or so with extra parts for the Blade CP. But you guys talked me into the HB. Seems like there is no other alternative to a great durable starter heli. But what about the Falcon40? same price and looks better.. especially the TX

Thanks for spending my money

Yeah that was the video that sold me on the HBFP, and until I can fly like that I'm not moving up from a FP to a CP , getting closer to understanding how its done, I know my HBFP does, it's hit more walls from me trying to learn that then ever before, haven't broken anything since my last crash either, this things like a honda, runs forever

Nuttcaze's videos aren't something you can expect to do in a couple of hours. He works in a gym where he can practice for hours at a time when nobody is there. You live in a cold area like me and won't be getting outside for a long time, so, you need a big indoor area right now to learn in. I'm still waiting for warmer weather to try to learn to hover - and I've had mine since the beginning of January!!!! FP's don't require a lot of set up. Anything with a collective pitch does. Don't think that just because you can do something on a sim that it duplicates the real thing. In my short amount of experience, trying to fly a heli is intense. You never stop working the right stick.

for space i think i cna get a couple of nights a week at my school gym that has a nice sealing height and a lot of space if the bleechers are pushed in.

should i buy the hbfb number 4 or which one

[link=http://www.ka-planes.com/inc/sdetail/2577]This one - Yellow[/link]

or

[link=http://www.ka-planes.com/inc/sdetail/2576]This one - White[/link]

you probably want 2 extra batteries. I have 3 batteries for a heli and usually it takes 3~4 hrs to charge one fully and flight time for each battery is less than 20 mins.

Ni-MH batteries should not be charged for more then 2 hrs ever, not sure what batteries you're using homeunt, but to mr. ilikehelp, remember that, and the regular Ni-MH battery chargers do not shut off [X(] so make sure to time your charges.

i have a charger for my boat/car battery if i buy an adaptor will it hook up to the heli battery this one beebs when its done and stops charging.