I am new to the hobby of helicopters and would like to get in to it. I thought that a 30 size is a good starter. My hobby shop offers a raptor 30 or Kyosho nexus 30. Are either good, is there another model I should look at?

I just got into helis last year. I went with a 30 size due to cost of repair. I also chose the Raptor, partly for the cost of repair, but also because I saw one of the local flyer due some awesome 3D with the stock parts.

A couple of the guys were trying to talk me into a Baron 30, but it cost a bit more, and needed a bunch of upgrades to do 3D.

One thing to keep in mind, is what are the locals flying? If you would be the only one with a Raptor, and everyone else has a Nexus, then I would recommend the Nexus. This way there will be a lot more local help available, as well as a better source for replacement parts.

I would also recommend the Futaba 401 Gyro with the 9253 servo. They will run around $475 cdn. I was able to get one shipped (new in Box), for $330 cdn. So keep your eyes open.

Is this gyro a "heading hold" if that is what they call it winpattern? Also no one in the area has a heli, so I am on my own.

What kind control do you recomend? I've looked at the futaba super 8 and also a airtronics control. Also what kind of methods should I go about learning if I have no one on the field to supervise. I will be the first in the club to have one if I do this. Is there a good flight sim to learn off of?

The JR 652 only has three point curves. You can learn to fly with it up to basic aerobatics, but it would limit you beyond that. Not recommended if you can afford more.

For the radio, I would agree with Jason. Buy the best you can afford at the time. It will save you an upgrade later on. I fly the 9C and am loving it. I compared it to the features of the 9ZAW2, and yes the ZAW2 has a lot more features, but it is just about double the price. The 9C will get you through years of flying, and when you are ready to upgrade at that time, there should be something else better than the ZAW2.

After I setup my Raptor I had one of the locals check it out and take the first flight. After that I was on my own. I did do a lot of flying on the sim first, so the real thing wasn't that bad. I'm using G2 withe add-on #3 as it has a Raptor in it.

The first set of training gear I got was the for dowels with the balls on the end of them, but I had to get rid of them after only a couple of flights. The ends of the dowels aren't attached to anything, and the downwash from the main blades made them and the whole ship shake A LOT.

I switched over to a hulla hoop strapped onto a grid of dowels. The total price was about 6 bucks, about 3 times cheaper than the first set I got.

If you can, try and get someone else to check out the machine first. Maybe there is someone on this list from Brandon or Winnipeg that can give you a hand to start. After it is all setup, just keep everything really low to start, and if you get in trouble cut the throttle. The machine will drop to the ground, but the short fall shouldn't cause any damage.

There is nothing worse than trying to learn on a machine that isn't setup properly and all you do is fight it.

If you do get the Raptor, there is a pretty good video available for how to set it up.

Happy hovering

Dean

Thanks for the great info, this will really help me on my decision. I am going to the local hobby shop to find out some prices.