Heli for a novice

kifi

I am interested in buying my first rc heli and have read many reports highlighting the difficulty of piloting them. Many people have recommended (especially in the US) Trex helis - 450, 500 & 600. Would it be a bad decision to buy a heli like this? Can they be setup for beginners? Of course I would practise on a sim before going near the heli itself and then add a training kit.

The reason I dont fancy a buying a beginners heli is that many people tend to upgrade not long after buying them and also wouldn't a larger size heli be a better idea in Ireland where more often we don't get calm wind conditions.

Thanks

T-Maxx

Chaz has a 450 going for €1250.

Edit: Buy a "beginners heli" to start off with - you'll have crashed it to pieces long before your skills have made it obsolete.

syl77

hi,

Chaz has a trex 600 electric, its a good setup and a very good price.
When learning how to fly, its best to trade off the cost of repairs to the performance of the heli. The smaller the heli like the gaui 200(more for indoor) or trex 450 the cheaper the parts are for repair. As you get bigger in scale like the raptor 50 nitro\trex 600 (nitro or electric) or even the bigger 90 size helis, the more expensive the parts become for repair and they are more stable in flight.
Have a look at chaz's heli,
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055265143
I think he started off flying it, its a nice setup at a great price.
Also, you can cut down learning time (and crash time :mad:)alot by getting a good flight sim.

Chaz

Irrespective of what heli you buy, get a SIM. Helps with a lot including confidence and getting your thumbs / fingers used to what the heli will do (to some extent). A bit like riding a bike - you get better at it and then you should put what you learn on the SIM into practice.

sparky11

Hi,
As sad as it sounds I Chickened out ...bought a RAPTOR 30 V2 after doing extensive research for first nitro Heli and from what i hear i made the right choice ...perfect for novice but great for when you get more experience and wanna try 3D .
Got all the carbon upgrades etc and best of gear but then bottled it !!
Paid over a hefty 830 euro and another 95 to get it built left it in the shed whilst i practiced on SIM (phoenix) then decided to buy a small elec (Align) to get used to before plunging myself into the world of NITRO powered.
Doing great with lipo powered Heli and hovering after 2 weeks , on week 4 decided to do some circuits but paniced and basically went inverted and done around 150 euro damage (heli worth 235euro so guessi its write off).
So aint gonna risk a Heli worth almost 1000euro when i have lost all confidence.:eek:

So i am sticking to the planes and NITRO heli is up for sale on M.A.C.I
HERE...
http://www.maci.ie/for_sale.htm

syl77

You should try not to let one crash blow you confidence away, I know easier said than done, but you can't make a few omelettes with out breaking a few eggs. What kind of damage was done to the t-rex to cause 150 euro to fix, usually 450 models are relatively cheap to fix (that’s if you don’t do in motor, esc or frames).
I learn't to fly helis on a sim and old raptor 30 v1, I put it in a number of times each costing me the basic parts - blades, boom, main shaft etc.
If you think it will be to costly for you and you want to stick to planes, well an'good, but think about it, the more you fly the better you get and your confidence will return. think about replacing the carbon upgrades with the basic parts so if you do put it in during the learning stages your cost will be minimal and you will have the carbon parts for when your better and will notice the difference they make.