Information Overload! Guidance required.

[MooSey]

Hello chaps.

Due to poor weather, work, young family etc etc I haven't been able to get my fix of slope soaring since November. I've been doing some thinking and in order to get maximum fix with minimum disruption that means flying at work

Luckily I work in a hanger. Even luckier I work on full size heli's!

So I have decided to dip my toe into the world of RC choppers. Something that was inevitable but I thought rather expensive for my present situation.

I've been researching now since xmas and found indeed it's far more affordable for electric heli's than I thought. Annoyingly I given away all my RCME back issues that featured the 'Give it a whirl' series of articles. I have found some forums overloaded with beginners questions. Some a little quiet so hopefully here I can get some sensible advice.

 

So situation.

Requirement for a first heli. To be flown indoors (hanger size but not empty) and outdoors in the evenings.

I've never flown a heli except a PicooZ. I do fly slopers. 3m to 60" mouldies and EPP racing planks.

I do have a heli sim that I've been practising on. Can do tail/nose in hovering. The sim physics make circuits harder as the perception of range and boundaries is not very good. I can even do loops, rolls and inverted but it's easy when there's no financial consequence!!

 

I've been researching an ideal first model which is hard. Most leccy starter outfits come with a tranny. Fair enough but I'd rather not pay for a rubbish tranny. I ve a MPX  Profi 3030 for my slope use but it's 35MHz and I don't know if it's set up for throttle curves on an electric motor. A Spectrum DX6i looks to be the perfect electric heli tranny that will see me up to the bigger outdoor models.

However im jumping the gun!

I accept that a tranny will be part of a deal for a first model which is ok as it means it's programmed.

So do I want a contra first or proper mini ccpm?

Most of the contras appear to be toys. The ones that are'nt are titchy!

I've found a Century Uk Razor CX 25" contra but have found no info on it.

The CCPM outfits for beginners are a minefield. I think I have found a good model in the JP Twister gold outfit. (sadly not 2.4 though).

I've looked into the E-flite Blade 400 package which has enormous amounts of  advice. I think I would like to build a kit of that size and learn to rig it myself for a 2nd model if the bug bites!

The new E-flite Blade SR looks good but under the hype it's only available with the supplied Tx and it's beginner friendly stability looks like nothing more than Tx induced settings.

 

So if you had to start again what route and model would you choose to lead you up to a 450 size ccpm leccy?  I am trying to look at the bigger picture wrt spares, fun to fly and learn on and it's future when I've upgraded? Money is an issue so I'd like to start heli's properly but with an eye on a budget.

 

Many thanks

 

              Mike

 

(im sure I've got a million other questions but have to go to work now!)

 

p.s

 

There is a club where I work but it's on weekends and I have a long commute.

I am looking to join it to fly larger models outdoors if I really like flying model heli's.

[ken anderson.]

hello mooSey.......i'm a f/w man myself---and i've had a fair few of the contra heli's...really they are toy's(clever ones).......and a load of fun...but if you are serious and have loads of dosh and an understanding co-pilot(wife)...i would say go for a collective pitch heli....which one is up to how much you want to spend etc............buy a £30.00 contra..have a go around the house..the new perkins mini twister will give you a taste for heli's..........then get some sound advice from existing heli lads and take the plunge.....good luck and have fun..........

 

          ken anderson.............

[Andy Gates]

I have done very similar to what you are about to do.

 

I fly electric planes from 30" to 84" wingspan, one glow 54" machine and one 100" thermal glider.

 

I have a couple of sims and I too can hover OK but find bounderies very poor to judge.

 

I went with a Twister CP Gold since it stated it could fly from beginner to 3D.

I bought mine without the Tx so I had to program my own transmitter from the start.

 

From personal experience, whatever you get, make sure spares are very readily available, quite cheap and that you know your model shop well.

 

In less than 6 months, I have gone through 3 pairs of wooden blades, 1 pair of CF blades, 1 tail boom, 1 mainshaft, 1 head interlink, 2 sets of skids, one battery tray member and 1 GF upright tail fin.

 

However I have been trying to fly it in an area that is really too small but it does have nice soft grass to crash (land??) in.

 

I wish you the best of luck. 

[Allan Bennett]

After 25+ years of fixed-wing glow and electric-powered flying, I was persuaded into helis by my local model shop owner who sold me a Twister Bell 47.  I spent about 2 years on that, practicing the hover indoors, and then got a T-Rex 500 for outdoor flying.

 

The Twister Bell is well supported at my local shop, but I haven't needed many spares.  In my view it's ideal for getting your eye/brain/hand coordination conditioned for heli flying because the controls are the same as for larger models.

 

I think the Twister Bell 47 is discontinued, but they do a medevac version now in either army or navy colours.  I bought one to take on holiday with me last year, and I flew it outdoors in calm evening breezes.

 

I would advise you not to go for the Twister Coastguard model as a first one, as its undercarriage is much more fragile than the Bell's.

Edited By Allan Bennett on 20/01/2010 14:21:55

[Jonathan Lewzey]

two of my clubmates have gone different ways with their first heli's. one has bought a blade 400 and is currently having problems setting it up. He is also not able to fly it on windy days.

 

the other bought a t-rex 500 which is a lovely bit of kit (with a bit stepper price tag) but he's passed his heli A certificate recently and is progressing quite fast. There are a couple of the larger t-rex copies around which are a lot better priced, but i'd say if you want to do outdoor helis properly and be able to fly them in all conditions, the 500 is probably the smallest to go for (the 600 has a good reputation) and both can be used as trainers right up to full blown 3D.

 

I've previously wasted my money on cheap 400 size helis that were underpowered and had poor gyros so i'd advise against doing that.

 

Be prepared to spend upwards of £300 to do it properly.

[MooSey]

Thanks for the advice chaps. Keep it coming!

 

With regards to coaxials are they still fun once you feel you have mastered them?

Are they purely a training aid or do they have a place once you've trained?  I'd hate to pay good money for something I'd only use for a short while then let it gather dust.

Equally if they remain fun and worthwhile I'd rather get a decent one with good spares backup and components that don't wear out in a few flying hours.

 

With an emphasis on making learning enjoyable and fun, is a small CCPM heli something I should or should not consider? Bearing in mind once I feel confident I would like to progress to a kit I can build myself and learn about the programming and rigging procedures.

 

My budget is up to £200 for a first heli.  The JP Twister Gold (ccpm) and CenturyUK Razor CX (contra) both fall into this at around £150. I would prefer what works out to be a better investment in money and potential fun.

[simon burch]

If you have a sim, and by the sounds of it you have been using it; then you will learn very little from the co-axial heli's (they are just too stable). Personally, I'd go down the CCPM route. The Blade 400 is a good package, and the DX6i is a nice piece of kit which you can progress with. Only one problem with CCPM and collective heli's in general, is you need someone to help you set it up. In some cases this can actually involve calming the things down to make them suitable to learn with.

 

My friend flies a Twister Storm, but his came on 35Mhz. Given the choice, I'd definitely aim for a package which comes with a 2.4Ghz radio. Well worth the extra investment on smaller heli's.

 

Cheers,

 

Simon

 

 

[MooSey]

I've read a lot about the Blade 400. It seems to divide opinion. I obviously cannot coment but despite it's desirable accompanying Tx it's a bit pricy for a first model.

 

[Allan Bennett]

Personally I feel that coax helis have a place even after you've progressed onto larger ccpm ones.  I still only go to the flying field once a week, and that's when I fly my T-Rex.  Most other days I fly my Twister Bell in the garage to keep my eye in.

 

As with fixed-wing models, smaller ccpm helis can be more of a handful than the larger ones.  So, apart from the higher cost, learning on a 500 may be easier than, say, a 250 size.

[Jonathan Lewzey]

£200 won't get you a 450 or 500 size outdoor job so if its burning a hole in your pocket i'd go for the neon blaze cp v2. good review and the tx is fairly capable albeit not useable with other 2.4 systems like DSM2. A sim should teach you as much as a coaxial and the neon blaze is meant to be quite pilot friendly.

[MooSey]

Bear in mind I plan to learn in a hanger with the option of playing outside when the sun is out and the wind is down.

 

I think like most choices it's easy to get confused trying to work out what you want on paper and through research.

I think a trip to the model shop is in order. I only hope im not overcome by bling as I am attracted to shiny things!

 

So far suggestions are:-  CCPM, contra, Blade 400, Neon Blaze and anything above 500 size!!

 

Going back to what I mentioned about cheapo supplied trannies. How good is a DX6i? Or should I say is it future proof for upgrading to larger heli's and even nitro if the bug takes?

 

[Jonathan Lewzey]

DX6i is a nice tx, but i've never flown a proper heli on it (only mCX). not sure i'd feel entirely comfortable flying, say a 90 size heli on one, but i'm sure it would work ok. mind you, by the time you get to 90 size helis you'll probably have upgraded your tx anyway. For a hanger, the neon blaze should be about right - still a challenge that will require plenty of sim time beforehand, but not too intimidating like the blade 400. my clubmate flew his blade 400 in a sports hall and it was very noisy.

[Garry Pollard]

Moosey, have PM ed you re the lack of mag articles. Thought I might be able to help

Garry

[MooSey]

Garry is kindly posting me a pile of RCME back issue  'Give it a Whirl' series and other reviews. Top bloke

In the meantime after a bit more internet research and sim time I reckon I'll go for a Century UK Neon Blaze V2.4.

It's a good size for indoors and out when conditions suit. It's a CCPM head. It's available at not much more than a Blade MSR. It's on 2.4GHz. Spares are plentyful and cheap. The vids and reviews I've seen commend it.

I think it should be a good intro to rotary RC without splashing out much moolah and finding out it does'nt light my fire.

If my fire is indeed lit then I think the best route then would be join a club and get a 2nd hand decent sized nitro.

Of course my mind may change like a chick on a shopping spree........

But Ill be sure to let you all know what I get and how I get on.

Ta very much for all your suggestions.

 

Mike

[Jonathan Lewzey]

a good move - just put tons and tons of time in on the sim, especially before flying a new maneouvre.