Somethng I picked up on here recently. Seems like a complete opposite. All these years on the airplane side, I notice when most of the new guys want to learn to fly, they show up on the forum and ask a hundred questions before they make a purchase and sort of ease on into it and do things the right way.

Being on the Heli forum is the complete opposite. "Many" of these new guys have no clue, show up after they made the purchase, nearly destroy the heli and then "oh, simulators?, training? Then disappear.

Interesting observation.

We do seem to get more of the "I bought this now what do I do with it", I get the same thing at the field, very few times do they come there first to see what they should purchase.

Totally agree. I think it's because heli's can pretty much be flown anywhere but with a plane to need a field to take off and land from. The smaller helis look a lot like toys as well and then there are things like the picco z and other tiny toy heli's that you can buy at walmart and ppl think "hey this is easy and fun, I'm going to go buy a bigger one", there are almost no remote battery operated planes in the same category that you can just pick up from walmart.

Maybe because they feel helis are not as difficult as planes and that is also the opposite. Also you can fly these anywhere with no regards to frequency control or any other area of responsibility. Seems with planes, we have a process the works overall. With these things, its like a flying skateboard to many of the youngsters. Just do whatever! Not everyone mind you but enough to stand out here.

Interesting observations. I think to the uninitiated, flying a heli looks easier than a plane.

Since I started helis last summer, I've sure noticed that they draw attention - even when I was plowing the earth with a Belt CP. Helis definitely seem to have a "way cool" factor that the planes don't. I've had a number of folks approach me and express an interest in R/C - and they want to start with a heli. I usually advise them to start with a trainer plane and get good at planes - but I wonder if that's really necessary with the available sims and all.

I'm curious if any heli pilots here began their R/C hobby with helis, or if, like me, everyone began by flying planks for years?

I really think the 450 electric class of helicopter is what changed everything. I can remember years ago being at the field some guy shows up with a nitro helicopter does some "voodoo" and it hovers (way to much going on there for me). 10 years down the road here comes the CX2 saw it fly seemed like fun bought it. Next thing I know I've got a 450V2 then a HB King II( now I'm looking at a 600 class). Its easier now than it was then these things are 90% ready out of the box and well engineered, all the online help has really made a difference ( you don't go it alone). I still think the "voodoo" thing fits in there somewhere. For me it was something new and a challenge. I'll never forget the first instructor I had in Fixed wing. I asked about helicopters and he said "Get a stick fasten some barbed wire on it and beat yourself its about the same as owning a helicopter" The gauntlet was thrown down. That's my take on the subject. Having a great time.

Thats funny, maybe they should name the next 450 to come out, the "Ka Ching 450 V1?"

Druss,

Your Walmart must not be up to par, all of them around here are piled full of the various air hogs airplanes. Seems every time I go, there is a different model that I haven't seen before. As far as they go, way more fun than any picco or havoc could ever be, you can actually control them as opposed to just turning them on and bouncing off the ceiling.

Maybe, or maybe that's just me and i've never noticed the planes. the big thing would still be that you can't fly the planes inside (or maybe you can?).

HaHaha,
I like that last one Druss. You can now fly fomie electric planes inside very successfully, search youtube for indoor flying, or something along those lines and have a look. It is really good fun, but not easy at first. I have flown planes for 18 years and am a fairly good pilot, I fly at public airshows, won local competitions etc. but the indoor stuff is a different game all together. My first attempt lasted about 6 seconds then a wall jumped out in front of my plane and thumped it. Definately not an easy way into planes, not impossible, but not easy either. []
I think sims have made a huge differance and we may see more of the heli type 'I bought this' guy in the furure than we have encountered in the past. A good point was made in relation to requiring a place to fly a plane, but again I think the small electric's will have an effect on this as they can be flown almost anywhere. (From the beginners point of view anyway)
Oh, to predict the future, and buy a lottory ticket.

I guess what I'm getting at is probably the public perception of what can and can't be done. I personally had enough trouble handling a co-axial heli in my house, never mind a plane.

Outdoors is the same sort of thing. I can practice hovering my 300 or 450 size heli in the backyard but a plane is something else.

I also agree that the explosion of affordable electric helis have had a great impact on the hobby.

Monday i was at our local flying field and 2 men showed up both wanted to fly one of the men asked a fellow flyer if he could fly his plane which made me hit the ground laughing my but off as his planes are in the upper thousands ( the look he got was priceless ) then a NO D@#$# way came shortly after that then the second man came up to me and started talking to me ..you know the kind of guy that waits till your flying to come talk to you ?? i will be honest i dont remember just what he was saying up to the point of .... How about letting me try that... some people have no damn clue what these things cost or how they work all they see is air hogs and walmart also they have no clue as to how dangerous heli's are crap he was on the flight line with no regard to himself or others well i landed shut off my heli and escorted him behind the barricade where i then scolded them both in a polite way and expressed the dangers of this hobby buy the time they left each was going to the hobby shop and purchase themselves a helicopter to fly and that we where full of crap and nothing that size would hurt them and they were every bit as good if not better than us today i happen to by the hobby shop and would you believe that one of those guy's was there trying to get his money back from a completely totaled heli that was not even one day old. he claimed it was defective but the owner told him he would have to send it to the manufacturer for a refund and he wasn't responsible for nor could he fix stupid. .. let that be a lession never tell the owner of a hobby shop that has been flying airplanes and helicopters for 35 years he does'nt no anything. [X(] i think they should have bought a flight sim but thats just me

Im going to have to say that I learned to fly helis first, then the sim, and then finally my airplanes. I started out on a Blade CP Pro and after a 15 second first flight and numerous trips to the LHS,I got pretty good at it, so I bought the Blade CX, and a Helimax MX400. The MX400 never made it to the sky due to the battery being connected in the "Idle Up" posistion. I later bought G3.5 and now I have G4 and have several planes, mostly 3D. I have never had a buddy box and dont see why you would. I have been flying planes for 3 months now and can do almost anything with my Harrier 90. The guys at the field would never have believed it if they didnt see me fly for the first time, so now they can confirm everything.

Druss,

Some of the airhogs you could fly inside without too much trouble but the good ones are still better suited to a frontyard/backyard or driveway etc. I've got one of the aero aces, single winged one that looks kinda like an intruder. Two motors, a little lipo inside. All foam. Steers with differential thrust.

Its a blast, usually they have em in the same section as the little helis. If you can find one, (the biplane, grey one like I have with a "408" sticker on the wing, or the f-14 looking one) I would pick it up. Even if you don't much care for planes you will have a big grin on your face from this toy. I can honestly say, it is the best 30 dollars I have ever spent in my life on anything to do with rc. If I had gotten one of these as a little boy for xmas, I can't tell you how happy I would have been....really are that good.

Nothing like those junk havoc helis where you have no control, you fly this thing where you want it to go. I hotglued some little guillows wheels to it and do rog's from my driveway.

Now that I'm done hijacking the thread for air hogs

I started with two planks (an avistar 40 and pt-40), destroyed them both. One of them, while buddy boxing with an instructor. The avistar went down on its maiden, pissed me off because I didn't even crash it. The instructor did. After a couple minutes of flying, the engine stalled. He took control and then flew it into the only tree at the field. Took a break from all things rc after that, started with helis when I got back into it because I could hover in my driveway. I've since bought a plane and found that my heli skills have made flying a plank natural instinct.

i started in airplanes about 25 years or so ago and my first heli was in the late 70's early 80's when a poor man had a airplane radio 4 ch and thats all we didnt have gyros at that time and flying a heli was not much more than a uncontroled hover i cant say that flying was pritty but i did it right up to when it turned on me and chased me across the yard now thins are WAY BETTER but i will say that helicopter flying has made me a great airplane pilot as you have to use the left stick in heli's and that makes planes fly so much better and look smoother as well when i came back to rc ( i took a few years off ) i started with a helicopter this time because i could fly it in my yard.