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Matchless · 11-06-2008, 10:14 PM

Moose, you're going through what I just went through.

For me, after flying planks for 20+ years I decided to try shanks..... My first attempt with a heli similar to yours had much the same results....

Then, earlier this summer, I started flying helis on the sim a lot and eventually got a used T-Rex 450. I now have about 3 dozen flights on it and have progressed to inverted flight, basic aerobatics, some 3D, and really wanting to learn backwards and backwards inverted to build my fundamental skills.....

Here are some of the things I learned......

Buy something that your LHS stocks parts for. You'll break it often and it sucks to wait for parts, as well as making it cost much more because of shipping costs.

Avoid helis with a motor driven tail rotor.... that is part of the cause of your current problem.

A heli with tail driven off of the mains is much more responsive to fly and handles much better. Couple this with a heading hold gyro, good batts, and a good brushless motor and the problems you're having will go away!

For a small electric, get a good quality rcvr or go 2.4. I had constant radio hits until I took the 2.4 plunge.

Take the time to learn to set it up right. Learn from someone else if possible. Helis are much less tolerant of poor setup than planks....

Go as big as you can afford to go. Bigger is easier to see, and feels easier to fly. I know I could afford the 450 and would have loved to go with the 500 or the 600, but thats just not in the cards for me now....

My current setup gets me 4.5mins of hard flight. That is electric heli typical (IMO). Running my setup longer than that torches the batts and shortens their life substantially.

Small helis are designed to have 'sacrificial parts' so that breakage is cheaper. The plastic blade grips on a T-Rex are a good example.

Lock-tite is your friend. Don't fly your new heli without taking everything apart and locktiting it in place.

Heavy paddles make the heli more stable, as does higher headspeed.

You run exponential on your airplane, so why not on your heli? Its good stuff!

The parts are much cheaper in the sim than IRL (in real life). : )

Good luck.

11-06-2008, 10:14 PM	#9
Matchless GiantStyle Yapoleno Hucker! Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Cordova, TN USA Posts: 1,283	Re: Which Electric Heli ??? Moose, you're going through what I just went through. For me, after flying planks for 20+ years I decided to try shanks..... My first attempt with a heli similar to yours had much the same results.... Then, earlier this summer, I started flying helis on the sim a lot and eventually got a used T-Rex 450. I now have about 3 dozen flights on it and have progressed to inverted flight, basic aerobatics, some 3D, and really wanting to learn backwards and backwards inverted to build my fundamental skills..... Here are some of the things I learned...... Buy something that your LHS stocks parts for. You'll break it often and it sucks to wait for parts, as well as making it cost much more because of shipping costs. Avoid helis with a motor driven tail rotor.... that is part of the cause of your current problem. A heli with tail driven off of the mains is much more responsive to fly and handles much better. Couple this with a heading hold gyro, good batts, and a good brushless motor and the problems you're having will go away! For a small electric, get a good quality rcvr or go 2.4. I had constant radio hits until I took the 2.4 plunge. Take the time to learn to set it up right. Learn from someone else if possible. Helis are much less tolerant of poor setup than planks.... Go as big as you can afford to go. Bigger is easier to see, and feels easier to fly. I know I could afford the 450 and would have loved to go with the 500 or the 600, but thats just not in the cards for me now.... My current setup gets me 4.5mins of hard flight. That is electric heli typical (IMO). Running my setup longer than that torches the batts and shortens their life substantially. Small helis are designed to have 'sacrificial parts' so that breakage is cheaper. The plastic blade grips on a T-Rex are a good example. Lock-tite is your friend. Don't fly your new heli without taking everything apart and locktiting it in place. Heavy paddles make the heli more stable, as does higher headspeed. You run exponential on your airplane, so why not on your heli? Its good stuff! The parts are much cheaper in the sim than IRL (in real life). : ) Good luck.