Good day to all,
My name is Ken and I am new into the wonderful of Helicopters. I have been running rc boat from electric, nitro, and for the pass 9 years gas. But, I always want to fly helis.
So, I bought an Heli-max Axe CX Nano and also, the Novous 200 FP. I am getting the hang of the Axe CX Nano and was getting ready to step up to the Novous 200 FP, I was told by to different guys that I should try the E-Flite Blade 400 3D or the Align T-Rex 450 or 500 Pro DFC. Both their reasons was that they are larger and would not get tossed around by the wind that easily as well as certain functions they have. What do you Pro's suggest to be the next size helicopter to try? Any advance would be greatly appreciate. Thanks, Ken.

Get the biggest you can afford (within reason), the bigger they are the easier they are to fly as they are more stable and easier to see.

BH is right, but also remember the bigger they are, the more they cost to repair.

The 500 is a good size, quite a bit larger than the 450 or 400, but still reasonable price on parts for repairs. You can dial it down for beginners so it's easier to handle. But be prepared to shell out an average of $50 - $100 per minor crash. Normally in a crash the the blades, boom, main shaft, etc need to be replaced so when you're buying these items buy 2 at a time.

I don't want to scare or discourage you because helis are a heli-lot-o' fun. Just need to see the reality of what it could cost.

Have fun.

Thanks guys. Your advice is surely appreciated. And Goggles, I don't look at your information about crashes being costly as discouraging. It's is the type of information I am looking for. It let me know what I am up against in advance. I have my eyes on the T-Rex 500E. I noticed that that there are a few versions of the T-Rex 500E so, I have to do some research and asking around about which option might best suit me. I"m really excited. Thanks again BarracudaHockey and Goggles for you help.
Ken

I too am very green to this hobby, I bought a Hausler 450, it's a cheap Align 450 clone, I got mine for 150. So if I crash it, no big loss, and parts are cheap. I've had it three weeks now and haven't tried to fly it yet. I got it off Ebay, the guy I bought it from lives in my city and brought it to my home, he's new to CP 3D flight and gave me some great advise, (I saw the fresh healed scars on his chin and how many times he's already crashed his) so much so I've spent the last three weeks reading, researching, and watching video's. I've spooled mine up a couple of times to see it isn't set up right so I've purchased a pitch guage, swash plate leveler, two extra batt's, a tool kit, and a main gear, the one that came with the heli is off kilter, the bottom one wabbles up and down.

So once all this stuff comes in I'm going to balance the blades, confirm all the servos are correct, level the swash plate, make sure the gyro is correct. Another thing I just bought , (mainly because every thing I've read, every training vid I've seen highly recommends) a flight simulator, I just picked up a Real Flight 5.5. I plan on getting it to spool smooth as a baby's butt, and learn to fly it before I fly it. There's a tremendous amount of info available that will save heart ache and money, so I'm taking advantage of it.

Keep us posted.

A 450 size heli is usually the first size collective pitch heli that most start out with, there are also some smaller sizes but they can be a bit too fast for a novice. I had an E-flite 400 size heli but found that parts can be difficult to find. I currently have a Blade 450 and am happy with it, cost is reasonible and parts are readily available from a number of sources. Another concern is whether to go with a flybarless or flybarred heli. I like flybarred, from what I've been reading the flybarless are more complecated to set up. If you go with a Blade (E-flite) heli go with a RTF, they come with a Spektrum DX6i Transmitter that should be useful for quite a while.

I went the 450 route when I went from a Blade CP Pro 2. It did me fine and still have one. If I had known then what I know now, I would have bought a 500E instead. It is so stable for its size and visibility is much better than a 450. Parts cost is more, but quite manageable. I bought a 500 off a friend earlier this year and absolutely love it. Bigger than a 450, but less intimidating than a 600. I love my 450 and 600, but find myself flying the 500 more than the others now. I looked in the classifieds here earlier and found a 500 for $300 if memory serves me correctly.

I too am looking for my first full size heli. ( I am graduating from my Blade mCPx brushless). I also do a lot of simulator flying.
I was thinking of a 400-450 size Align or Blade, but I keep reading that a 500 or 550 is the way to go, being as its so much more stable (easier for a Novice?).
I am not ashamed to say that a 500 size heli scares me just a bit!.....The 400-450 are big enough to be a bit intimidating, but the 500's add another 10 inches to rotor diameter and are quite a bit larger overall when sitting next to a 450 at my LHS. Am I the only one who feels this way?

It might be different if I had a few Friends to help me along, but alas I do not. There is an established airfield/airplane club in my area, but I have yet to find any Organized Heli Clubs to assist in training. I have good mechanical skills and have no doubt that I could handle set up and radio programming for my Novice self. However, I find it difficult to imagine transityioning from a full collective Micro heli to a full sized 500 Bird, even with the help of a simulator.......

I went from a CP Pro 2 to the Blade 400 and found that a bit intimidating at first. I think that you will probably too, but I have spent a few years flying 450 size and now have a 500 and 600. I personally don't find the 500 intimidating at all. Now my 600, that is quite intimidating due to its size. Looking back, I wish I would gone the 500 route instead of the 450. It flies so nice, good power and quite stable. Visibility is so much better too. I started out with the 450 for a few years and then got the 600. I just got the 500 about 4 months ago. Between my 3 helis, I think my 500 has become my favorite.

Before You buy or attempt to fly a CCPM Heli Check out www.rchelicopterfun.com It could save you a lot of money. Using this web site and following Mr Salt's recommendations I tamed my Blade 450 3D to that of a coaxial and was successful at my 1st hover attempt. I now have 18 flights (hovering exercises) and still have my blade in one piece. He will also show you a systematic approach to advance the Blade's maneuverability as your skill level increases.

Thanks again guys for all your advice and suggestions. My big bro who is also into helicopters went and got me a T Rex 450 3D DFC heli from Align. This is on sweet little machine. So wish me luck and thanks again for all you help.
Ken.

If you are flying your Brushless MCPX confidently you will have no trouble stepping up to a 450 / 550 size Heli,

I had a Blade 400 and experienced a few quality issues (failing servos etc) and now mainly fly 450 clones - the Genuine Align Helis are excellent and you can't go wrong.

Moving up to a 550 size, yes they do become intimidating - I have two Gauis, a relatively tame Hurricane 550 and an X5 that is just awesome.

The 450 will seem a quantum leap in stability from the BL MCPX and a 550 the same again beyond the 450. Just remember the bigger ones can definitely kill you so always fly safe.

This is absolute, I purchased his beginners guide, Set up Tips for RC Heli's, and have watched his training video's. His web site is in my favorites list for quick reference.