I have the chance to purchase a Freya 60 NIB for the same price as a Raptor 60 NIB. Which one, I'm just looking for a larger heli to fly, nothing more or less.

Mike

I have a Raptor 60 and I like it ,I've never flown a Freya 60 but I've head nothing but good things about it. If it were me I'd go with the Freya 60.

Between the two it's a crap-shoot. IMO you get a little more power out of a 60 motor in the Raptor versus the Freya. The Freya is a tad overweight.

If I were you I would buy what has the best local support. If that is not an issue and you are going to purchase from on-line shops then flip a coin!

Hey, for 670 plus shipping, get a Fury expert. Can't beat the smoothness of them xcells ! James

My 2 cents,

This topic (Freya vs Raptor60 vs Fury) has been beaten to death more times than I care to remember.

Here's some good criteria to base your decision;

1. Local parts support - unless you go mail order for parts.

2. Skill level - if you still have a "weak spot" like maybe nose-in inverted hover, skip the Fury first, even though it has the best value in terms of what you get, it won't help you get better since it still costs more to fix versus a plastic fantastic. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I have both. X-Cells aren't a slap-em-on type of heli, it requires time and patience to build and maintain versus the other entry level 60s out there.

3. I like the Freya, but if you plan to use a 60 engine, the Raptor has a edge, it's more nimble even on a 60 engine.

4. If you prefer hovering performance, the Freya beats all. The Fury is "crisper" on aerobatics, the Raptor inspires confidence due to the low crash cost so it's not intimidating.

Good luck, whatever you choose.

VERY well said!! vfr_rider2000, you had better seriously consider what ManillaHeli has highlighted here.

My first 60 was a Vigor CS. At the time I could only hover(all orientations) and perform FF. I thought that my little Raptor 30 was not good enough for me. Well, I learned my lesson. I sold that Vigor not to long after it was built.

So, I thought that if I could get a slightly cheaper heli I wouldn't be as intimidated. So, along comes a Fury 60 Expert. Man was I in love. But, I soon realized that I wasn't ready for it either. The crash costs keep me to scared to try anything new. Just the thought of replacing all that carbon fiber, fiberglass canopy, expensive blades, yada yada yada held me back.

So, I traded it for my Raptor 60 that is in my gallery. It came FULLY loaded with almost every TT upgrade available. I am not an upgrade freak but it does look killer. I figure I will fly it till I crash it and then put some of the standard equipment back on. It is much cheaper than the Fury stuff was. Well, 3 cases later it is still together just like I bought it. This year I have learned loops, rolls, stall turns, backwards flight, backwards loops & rolls, autorotations, inverted nose-in hover, and now working on inverted flight. This machine has made me more comfortable on the sticks which leads to better flight progression. I am no expert that's for sure. But, I think you might want to consider the Furys, Futuras/Milles, Vigor CS, etc. as good choices when you can already do the above maneuvers in you sleep. Then and then only will you appreciate a higher end machine.

Again, get a Raptor 60 or a Freya! Reward yourself with the Furys of the world when you can mow the lawn inverted!

I have to chime in on this one, if you have a chance to get the Freya, for the same price as a Raptor 60, by all means go with the Freya, the Raptor 60 can't touch the Freya in looks, reliability, service, and quality. Yes the Freya may be a tad heavier, I'm using a YS80 in mine and its just an awesome combo. If weight is an issue, Hirobo is coming out with a Xpec version of the Freya, and they will be selling a conversion kit to upgrade the basic Freya's to the Xpec version, this conversion will also make it lighter, and its gonna be soon for the conversion release. You wont regret the Freya, if you had them both sitting next to each other, and had a chance to see both fly , I'm 100% sure you would select the Freya. Daz...

I started out with an Ergo 60 Sport but since you didn't ask about the Ergo, I'd go with the Freya. The Raptor is a fine machine but I think it's not the heli a Freya is. I've seen them both fly and I like the Freya better in looks and performance.

Like it was said.
What is avable for parts.
Price, so on so forth.
Each Heli has its good and bad pionts.
So what would you like?

Lift,

My experience was a bit similar, I started with a ZXX and once I could hover I wanted a bigger one.. My mistake was I got the "best value" heli at the time which was the Vigor standard.

I too was "intimidated" at the expense of maintaining it so all it did was figure-8s and I sold it since I was too afraid of crashing so I got a Freya (R60 wasn't available yet). Needless to say, after crashing the Freya on it's 2nd flight, I wasn't intimidated with the repair costs so it became my main bird of choice.

I sold the Vigor and once I could hover in ALL orientations, I treated myself to the Extreme since I know I won't be dumb-thumbing it anymore. I just took the Fury for it's maiden flights yesterday and it was as good as I expected it to be.

Now that I have 2 60s again, I will give the Freya a much deserved teardown, refurbish it so that all the wear and tear 300 flights have taken on it will be fixed. Also, I shoved the 60 back in it as now I think I'll be more daring and run the engine borderline lean to get as much power as I dare can out of it now that I'm no longer afraid of flame-outs or overheating compared to the earlier days when my auto skills where not 100% successful.b

Manillaheli,
Yup, it seems to be a common mistake. Once beginners get ANY amount of success under their belt they want another heli and it just HAS to be a 60. This can be good and bad. The thing that worries me is pilots experiencing burn-out. You know, getting to much of a machine and not being able to stay in it due to financial constraints or being plain old intimidated of it.

I think the 50 route is a great option. There is a world of difference between 550 and 680+. But, to go from 550 to 600 is more palatable and economic. I have been flying me Falcon SE V2 as my primary machine all summer. The big Rap was getting lonely. So, I fueled her up and have flown her 12 flights this week. Now, all I want to do is fly it.

Cool thing about having a 50 and 60 is if you get bored with one size you can switch back and forth. Although, I have been thinking of going all 60 lately. But, I don't have inverted stuff down pat yet and I am concerned about going thru that learning stage solely on a 60. Any tips??

Hmmm.. advice on learning with a 60...

I learned on a 60. And what I've learned is;

- a cheaper heli with the best AVIONICS (gyro/servos) will always be able to outfly a more expensive model with average flight gear. Plus, avionics fare better in a crash (most of the time).

- Stay away from exotic rotorblades that cost over $100 a set. Only get Fiberglass blades (cheapest) once you start learning aerobatics and use woodies when learning autos.

- Any upgrade that purports to "stiffen" the heli will just cause damage someplace else that it wasn't suppossed to.

- On the safe side, run a click or two rich so you don't have to worry about flame-outs at the expense of lower top-end responsiveness.

- When learning, it's the MIDRANGE that's more important than Top-end. If you have a 3 needle carb, tune the midrange as well. Only the top 1% can fly at full throttle ALL the time.

- While learning, it helps to "flatten" the pitch throttle curves from 1/4 to 3/4 stick so it's not jumpy.

- The addage "If you're not crashing, you're not learning" should say, if you're not getting excited, you're not learning anything. You should do more maneuvers that intimidate you than ones you're perfectly calm doing to make the fuel expense worthwhile.

- Keep that G2 handy for practicing inverted and autos. It's boring, but your credit card company will hate you later on.

- Those 60 blades spinning in front of you look dangerous, THEY ARE! Keep a safe distance and don't let it fly close to you. If you must, make sure at least hover above eye level.

ManillaHeli,
Some good tips again! I can appreciate a good flying setup. My building skills are WAY ahead of my flying skills and I agree that a lower end bird with TOP quality avionics will fly great. Basically, that has been my approach lately as I am flying a Falcon SE V2 and Raptor 60 instead of a Fury, Vigor, Mille.

I am working on inverted hover/flight. While I can do it on the sim pretty well I am having a difficult time translating it to live action. I can fly forward inverted figure-8s on the sim but when I try basic inverted circuits at the field it is pretty ugly. I think it is MAINLY because of orientation constraints in SEEING the heli upside down. I am flying higher than I ususally do because of the new maneuvers so my vision is challenged. That and I don't have total authority in the side on/tail-in inverted hover. I can bring my nose-in inverted hover down pretty low if I want but I am still a little uneasy with it. I guess most of this I will adapt to just like all the other stuff that you go through learning. You know, where it seems sooooo hard and intimidating but once you overcome it you look back and think "geez, that was nothing compared to this....."