:drowning:
I am 100% new at this whole Helicopter Hobby. (spur of the moment thing) I found a great deal on e-bay, so I thought, so I bought it. I think I have a Raptor 30 V.2 but I'm not sure. I'll send along a picture if it helps. It appears to have a TT PRO 36H Engine and I'm wondering if you have any suggestions for fuel types and battery packs for the servos? Are there some kind of Main Rotor Blades I can purchase to learn to fly with. I also got a SkySport 6H Raido with the chopper, any good? Thanks in advance for any help.

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I cant tell for sure but I dont think that is a V2. I dont think they sold the V2 with the 36 as a ARF. The radio will fly your heli. As far as fuel you can use most heli fuels with 15 to 30% nitro. You should use a heli fuel, they contain more oil for longer engine life.
As far as battery you should use as least 1100mah 4.8 volt.

Since you have Futaba radio, I would stick with futaba servos and definitely get a futaba gyro.

I would use futaba 9001 servos or 9202 servos, and you could get away with a futaba gy240 gyro, but you can find good deals on GY401 gyro with 9253 servo. Look in the classified section here and runryder.

Find someone in your area to help you with the initial setup and test flying your heli. I would advise seeking out help to show you how to put on training gear and how to progress. These things are hard enough to fly with help.

Good Luck,

Mike...

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of RealFlight simulator. It's about $200 but you can spend that on one crash. I learned on the sim and managed to teach myself how to fly a Raptor 30 thanks to the sim and the info on this site. I still use the sim to practice various maneuvers.

I was experienced with RC planes before I got into helis so the technology was familiar to me.

If you are totally new to this, GET HELP, or it will most likely be an exercise in frustration.

Here's a video of my second raptor flight after practicing on RF. (you need Windows Media Player version 9 to view this).

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jdevine718/raptor.wmv

Jason

Thats the V1 body. Still a good heli, the most popular 30 sized, so it is easy to get parts for. i have heard the engine is so so, but if it works, what the heck, enjoy. you are off to a good start. you can keep flying that same heli for a long time, there are upgrades to stuff up to an OS 50 into it (very nice and powerfull engine) bigger blades,,,, you might have that heli for a while, you did not waste your money on it.

The simulator is a must, helis are a chalange to fly. The good news is if you crash it is rare that it will cost more than 60$ to fix and takes only an hour or so to repair good as new.


best of luck!

cdy64, take the canopy off an post some closeup pictures of the insides and the tail rotor assembly. We'll be able to say for sure what it is. Also, you'll want to get the stock decals or some adhesive neon tape to put on the canopy. It will really help with visual orientation in flight.

Jason

As you can tell I'm still learning to use this site also...UGH ! I don't have very good pictures, but I'll do my best with what I have. Hey, Thanks guys for all your HELP and Info, I will take what I can get, and the price fits my budget...LOL

From the canopy pics, it looks like a V1. I have the V1 and really like it. Crashed it once due to dumb thumbs (still learning too), but is only cost about $40 and an hour to repair. If you bought it used and/or haven't seen it fly in action, most of us will advise that you find an experienced heli pilot to help you set it up. At the very least, go to www.raptortechnique.com for TONS of great info. You'll get lots of help here too!

IMO, If it's not set up already (you have not witnessed it flying perfectly), I would spend a couple nights tearing it down to make sure everything has loc-tite that is supposed to. The assembly and set up instructions on raptortechnique are great.

You'll hear everyone here tell you to get a simulator--great planes G2 is great but pricey. FMS is free but you need a cable/adapter to make it work. I bought one from a guy on line, but it didn't work, so I bought G2. SIM time means you will be able to hover within a few tanks of fuel.

If you can afford it, get the Futaba GY401 gyro. It is heading hold and will make learning much faster. I started out with a cheap gyro, got frustrated and sold it--life's better now.

Welcome to this addictive hobby!

You need to listen to people here about the real flight sim .. It will save you lots more than what it cost for your heli.. I have a v1 and I love it .. Does it all and cheap to repair.You do need good servos and a good gyro .. I love my Futaba 401/9253 combo.. I use Cool Power 15% fuel I also add 3 ozs of Klotz oil to every gallon .. Alot pf people say you wont need to do that tho.Another thing you need if you are just starting out is a good set of training gear . Roto Pod is what I used and I still have it around for some things .. You will love this hobby .. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress

Do yourself a BIG favor....DUMP that 6H radio..It will be more hassle than it is worth to setup a HH gyro like the 401 or 240 and to try and get any kind of decent pitch/throttle curves.
Get a 6 channel (minimum) computer radio for it. If you have a computer radio then switch it out. If not you can pick up an Airtronics 6 channel for a very good price and it is a VERY capable radio.
I worked with one of those 6H's once and I was confused trying to get it setup properly with the heli (been doing this for almost 3 years and on many helis).

The 401 gyro recommended is great. You might find that you want more radio. I am pretty sure that is a V1 heli, but it is a good heli. As stated, get the sim. Saves you the price of the sim many times over. Will pay for itself in the first day. You will like the heli. It is a good one.

Just so you folks know I have been reading these post and I do enjoy the tips and hints. Thanks for all the help....Keep the info coming.

I am not familiar with the futaba radio, but if it has 6 chanels and 3 point curves it is in fact more than enough. I use the JR X 378 (5 point curves, mixxes, bla bla bla) because of the heading hold gyro the mixes are out the window, nobody i know uses them, and after weeks of messing with curves i ended up just nulling out two of the points on each curve and i am running 3 point curves, nice and simple and works great. honestly for normal mode, i am not sure that i even need 3 points. I ve looked at example setups on Raptor technique, setups done by friends with the fancy radios, and guess what? most of them are running straight lines for everything, so the difference beween 2 points, 3 or 5 or 10 points is it is a PITA to adjust the fancy radio, and a breaze to use the simple one. try the radio you have. the manual that comes with it is not so great but there are afermarket books on set up if it is the radio i am thinking of.

here is my two cents for what it is worth.... I had a bunch of experience with gas cars and then made the jump to a heli (a Nexus 30 off of Ebay) and learned to fly pretty well. Read as much as you can and USE this forum as much as you can.

Your Raptor is a great bird and if you were shopping for a radio, I would say go for a computer 6 or 8, but the radio you have is the same one that I learned on and it is a great radio for beginners. Since you have it, keep it. You can always upgrade later (again....ebay).

I also back the call on the sim for your compter. I have a copy of FMS which is free. You can find a copy burned on a CD with a cord to fit your radio on Ebay for $20. It is a great way to go and you will learn a ton just by using this for a hour or so a day.

If there is someone around who knows helis, than see if they can help. If not, don't give up.... it can be done.

Read a lot, practice on the sim (there ain't no $20 crashes), double check EVERYTHING, and have FUN.

Hibbitz

I have to dissagree with spaceman spiff ..i love the 5 point or more pitch and throttle curve .. It makes the differece to me of driving a volkswagon bug to driving a caddie .. It is infintly more verasatle to have the more point puitch and throttle curves . I learned on a Helis with a JR 652 and a Futaba T6xas .. I was continually messing with the curves depending on the conditions and it was a nightmare to do that .. Here we have lots of wind and rain so it was a must .. I decided to get a Airtronics 6000super one time and then I put it in my heli and a couple of planks .. What a difference .. The heli was a new machine and was much easier to fly .. The main differece I noticed right off was in landing .. Once I had the pitch curve set with the 5 points .. There was no more bouncy landings right off .. I couldnt hardly believe it .. then I noticed the same in the air .. My heli seemed to fly much smoother .. I am not trying to sell you a Airtronics or anything ,but IMHO, I will never go back to mechanical radios again .. The digital is worth every penny and the digital trim is something I would have died for 30 yrs ago when I first started flying ...

No disrespect, but I had lots of trouble keeping steady settings on my rappy 39, constantly tweeking curves and needle settings till one day i decided to take the idle needle out and grind the tip down so the mid range and top end were less affected by the position of the idle needle. Ahhh now it is what it ought to be. is it worth 500$ or more to avoid fixing a simple mechanical problem and end up with an unstable running that constantly needs to be tweeked?