I am looking into getting a RC Helicopter and had some questions.

First, I will be using the chopper for aerial photography and possibly video. Also, I want to incorporate a live video feed so i can fly by monitor instead of by sight of the heli.

What heli would you recommend, what radio will give me the best range (and what would the range be), what is the payload weight for the heli's.

First of all, it is unwise to buy something really fancy for a first heli. You will need to learn to fly without video, before you attempt to use video. The fastest way to learn to fly is to buy a computer simulator like the RealFlite G2. Once you have mastered the simulator, and it isn't easy or instant, then you should get a heli that you can afford to beat up while you get used to flying the real thing. By the time that you have completed all of that, you will already know the answers to the question you posed here.

that being said, what would you recommend as a first helicopter and radio?

Most radios will give you pretty close to the same range, which is a lot farther than you can see or fly any heli made.

I always recommend the Futaba 9C radios because they are awsome and I like the features. For the heli, to learn on, a raptor 30 works great after the sim, and you will use the sim a lot after you learn too. After you master flying the 30, when you start doing the photography work, you will either want to go with a larger gas model or a larger electric model. The reason for this is that the fuel the nitro heli spews gets all over the lense and makes it a real pain. Gas and electric don't do that. Unfortunately, the gas and electric ones are not great for learning.

There are a lot of steps involved, but when you get them all down, it will be a lot of fun and you will get some great vid and stills.

I'm still on my first heli and radio which are the Century Raven 30 and the Hitec Eclipse 7. These probably represent the most bounce for your buck. The usual advice for beginners is to get the most radio you can afford up front as you will probably live with it for a long time. The large majority of heli fliers seem to prefer a radio like the Futaba 9C. The main reason that I did not start with a heli like the Century Hawk is that I don't like the concept of mechanical CCPM. Nevertheless, I cannot reiterate strongly enough - Get a simulator first. You will never regret it.

Thanks and i will. I am looking into real flight now.

Hi Z1K0B4,
I agree 150% with flyboy and wisdom-seeker.
you should get a simulator. it is great for learning the hand-eye coordination without tearing up a real heli. Even after you have learned to fly, it is great for days when you can't fly, or want to try new maneuvers out, keep the fingers nimble, or just plain have fun.
As for your first heli, you will get different opinions, but they all have merit. The Raptor line is good. I have flown a Raptor 50 and it was very nice.
Me, for Xmas I received a Century Hawk Sport ($159- new). repair costs are very good (price wise), it flies very well and there are scale fuselages from Century for it (my interest).
Either way, you cannot go wrong.
Radio wise, I have always been a JR man. still have my old Century VII radio and it works great. I received a JR622 with my Sport, and while it is the bottom of the line, it does what I need very well. I will move up to a better JR radio in the future as I get more involved in flying.
go to the local flying field and see what everyone is flying, and do some research. asking on this forum is another great way to research, so you are off to a good start.
Good luck.

I don't believe anyone mentioned the actual range of the radio systems. With everything installed correctly it will be about a mile. Hope this is the number you were looking for.

Regards,

Mike