Helicopter search

[BART]

I'm looking for a RC helicopter, not sure if I want gas or electric, not really sure of anything other than the fact that I want a heli. My main problem is that I know nothing about them. any suggestions for a beginner?

[taiwanesekid05]

Havoc Heli XD

I'm not sure how much beginner you're looking for, but that's a pretty good starting point.

[mycrors4]

i dont know much about them, but my cousin has an electric one and he's told me a lot about it and before he let me fly it, he bought this flight simulator(like the good ones not the crappy free ones), and trust me it helps A LOT not sure about the name though. all you do is plug in your controller and your a go! but the first 10-15 minutes i was crashing. he suggested start by floating.. then turn in circles while floating then you go on from there. he uses LiPo for his and it even came with a indicator linked to the remote and at 30% battery charge it a light on the remote turns red and at 25% it blinks, so that was a good feature to not kill you lipo pack

[BART]

We've had the havoc helis and I was not impressed, they flew fine but you could not hover, always had to be moving forward. I bought a bigger heli a while back off of a XMS member but it sucked (not his fault).

[TheB1GDude]

Like was mentioned above one of the ones with simulator software, there is a really nice one that allows you to link the heli controller to your PC via usb and train on the software that comes with it first, the name escapes me at the moment but they start around 200 and are electric, maybe the same as the one mentioned above..

[2wdpancar]

I flew an Eflite MS-R yesterday at my lhs and it is really stable. 2.4ghz technology. About 6 inches long, and ~$180.00 w/ transmitter.

[BART]

I think I want something bigger, stability definitely sounds like a plus though.

[Donziikid]

I apologize in advance for the long post, BART.

1. Go with a co-axial design helicopter first. No ifs-ans-or-buts about it, you will crash, you will break parts and you will have to do quite a bit of training and hour logging before you can even control a single rotor helicopter.
You lose control of a car it rolls to a stop and maybe hits a curb. You lose control of a helicopter.. it plummets thirty feet into the ground, hitting God-knows what on the way down and eventually concrete/grass/whatever you are flying over. It is not fun.

2. There are many good companies that offer very high quality products for a relatively inexpensive price. I would suggest you start with E-Sky. They offer a great product all across the board and their replacement parts are cheap to pick up and found at both local hobby shops as well as easily online (whether it's an e-store or Ebay).

Going with E-Sky, I would suggest any of their 4-Channel Co-Axial helicopters. For $89.00 MSRP you cannot beat it. Replacement blades are also really cheap at only $3-5 for four replacement blades. I actually found our E-Sky Robbins 22 on fleaBay for $55, including four replacement blades (which we quickly destroyed). Lol.

Most E-Sky products come standard with a 600-800mAh LiPo battery, LiPo AC/DC charger/balancer, 100% completed 4-Channel Co-Axial heli with Gyro, FM radio system and a training video. Plus the obvious instructions and replacement parts catalog. Lol.

3. Now, I don't mean to talk you out of it, but really the only way you will learn to fly these is a lot of training indoors. Any electric RC helicopter is very difficult to fly outdoors just because of their size. It can be done, but a beginner will have a very tough time (I still do, and I've been flying helicopters for about four years now). Any slight breeze will send them in a direction you will not want them to go in. If you don't really have the room to fly indoors and work on honing your "skillz," you really won't find this very cost friendly.

4. To save money even more, I would suggest you purchase Real Flight Deluxe (either G3 or G3.5 or the new G4.) Here you can crash helicopters all day long without having to worry about spending a whole bunch of money. I still log a bunch of hours on G4; especially after a long winter without flying. Plus, you can learn to fly planes, and if you really want to, you could get into that, too!

Cheers,
Kyle.

[BART]

I hate the look of the coaxial, but crashing sounds like it will suck. I take it I should forget about the .50 kyosho nitro heli's I'm looking at and start a little more basic. That site has them cheaper than eBay. I think I'll pick one up and if I jump on one of the nitros I can put it up till I'm ready. Thanks for everyones input.

[winner]

meh, stay away from nitro, bruhless is the way to go... a nitro engine only lasts for like 3-5 gallons of gas, (mind you gas is $35-$45 a gallon) and a new nitro engine is like $120... but brushless motors are just as fast (nor do they make you go death...) and every few months you need to replace the bearings ($7-$8 max) and they will last forever...

trust me, its a never ending money pit...

[Donziikid]

Originally Posted by BART

I hate the look of the coaxial, but crashing sounds like it will suck. I take it I should forget about the .50 kyosho nitro heli's I'm looking at and start a little more basic. That site has them cheaper than eBay. I think I'll pick one up and if I jump on one of the nitros I can put it up till I'm ready. Thanks for everyones input.

I hate the look of broken parts more.

Stick with small electrics for now. You jump into a T-Rex .50 Nitro and you'll about cut your head off; either with the blades or from that burning hole in your pocket..

[BART]

I bought the Douphin.

[winner]

any pics? maybe some pics of it in action?

[BART]

Originally Posted by winner

any pics? maybe some pics of it in action?

Might be able to get you a stock photo of a fedex truck thats bringing it from cali.

[BART]

OK Donzi, the "Nancycopter" is on it's way, now in my typical fashion, I want something better (assuming I can fly at all). What are your recommendations for a nice heli that I wont be embarrassed to have sitting on a shelf with all my other crap? (I also have a secret suspicion that my one son is quite gifted in the art of RC and will probably be a better pilot than me with ease).

[Donziikid]

A step up from the co-axial series with a more capable, but still not fully 3D, E-Sky Heli. Probably a 4-Channel Fixed Pitch.

If you're really feeling capable, and really want to skip the intermediate step, you can jump to a 6-Channel CCPM (Collective Pitch).

The intermediate will run you about $120 and the Advance (6-Ch) will run you about $200. Again, I suggest ESky. Great company, great products and great durability. At least from my experience.

Cheers,
Kyle.

[BART]

This beginners training video is what started this all..... I can do this.....right?

YouTube Video

[Donziikid]

Not if you can't embed properly..