A true beginners need for help buying first Heli

[harebearva]

First of all, I'm glad I found a forum as involved and informative as this. You guys are saving people alot of heartache! LOL Anyway, Here's my situation. I've wanted to fly heli's forever. Now the problems.... I have a tight budget (with a 3 and 8 year old it's no wonder) so I have about $200 to play with. I'VE NEVER LAID HANDS ON ANYTHING R/C, the real big problem I'm sure. But I have read ALOT about styles and sizes and setups etc. I've chosen to start electric, something small in the mini range as this fits my budget. I know the larger kits can be as cheap but I can't afford the radio too. I've looked at 2 helis. Helimax Axe CP RTF and Venom Night Ranger CP 3D RTF. What I'm really looking to do is see if I even have an aptitude for this and to see if it's something I'd like to persue and move on to Much nicer gas Heli's. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Toro]

Hare,

Heres the deal. Helis are an addiction, and if you have a couple of hundred to play with it will go quick.
Lets think outside the box here. 200 bucks will buy you a simulator and will teach you "ALL" the basics you would need to be succesful in your first heli hops. This will ultimately save money in the long run. If you could this would be an optimal situation.

Now, if you already have a sim, and are somewhat adept at the sticks than it is time to move to a real chopper. The biggest things with helis, is parts ! Do they have them, can they get them, and how long will it take. Its not a matter of if, but when you will need parts. Make your descision based on a couple of things. Performance for a beginner, and the above mentioned parts availability. I dont know much about the 2 helis mentioned above, but I imagine helimax might have better parts availability than venom, and the blade CP would have better parts availability than the heli-max. Bottom line is get to the LHS, see what they have for parts, or find an online vendor that can turn a parts order around right quick to get you back in the air.

you cant go wrong with a CX either that will teach you orientation, and principles, but you will outgrow it quick .

[harebearva]

Thanks for the great advice. I was at the hobby shop today and played around with a simulator. It actually had the helimax axe cp I was looking at. I realized VERY quickly that helis are not at all easy to fly. The sim and the heli were actually the same price so I went with the real thing. This hobby shop does have all the parts in stock and has a guy there who is somewhat of a heli genius. I watched him put the sim through it's paces and it was amazing how easy he made it look. They also said they order from helimax 2 times a week so parts that are out of stock should come quickly. They are reasonably priced as well, as cheap or cheaper than anyone online. These guys seem to be the ones to see in this area as they are 2 miles from the local RC airport. And so my spiral into obsession and parts begins......

I'll be asking alot of questions over the next few months so I apologize now for my non-sensical stupidity! LOL

[catman3070]

	Quote: Originally Posted by harebearva
	First of all, I'm glad I found a forum as involved and informative as this. You guys are saving people alot of heartache! LOL Anyway, Here's my situation. I've wanted to fly heli's forever. Now the problems.... I have a tight budget (with a 3 and 8 year old it's no wonder) so I have about $200 to play with. I'VE NEVER LAID HANDS ON ANYTHING R/C, the real big problem I'm sure. But I have read ALOT about styles and sizes and setups etc. I've chosen to start electric, something small in the mini range as this fits my budget. I know the larger kits can be as cheap but I can't afford the radio too. I've looked at 2 helis. Helimax Axe CP RTF and Venom Night Ranger CP 3D RTF. What I'm really looking to do is see if I even have an aptitude for this and to see if it's something I'd like to persue and move on to Much nicer gas Heli's. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Here is a web site for you to check out. There is a lot of good information regarding heli's. http://www.runryder.com/

[catman3070]

By the way, welcome to the Hobby.

[Nitrohuffer]

If you want a simulator for under $20 you can download fsm http://www.geocities.com/victor55canada/ The sim is free. What I did was I picked up a Logic-tech game controller that has two analog sticks. It will not be anywhere near the reality of a $200 sim, but you can learn to fly with it. Check out www.raptortechnique.com under the sim section for more info. The price to fun factor is really high. Welcome aboard!

[fly4d]

Did you say you already purchased a heli.. If you didn't I would strongly recommend the blade cx 2, it is within your budget and is a great beginner heli. I also heard that the axe is a good heli but the only problem with that, is because you are a beginner the collective pitch and the orientation of a heli will be a lot more difficult to learn. Im not saying that it is impossible ,but after a few crashes with the axe cp you will know what im talking about.

[rockonmyfriend]

for a first heli you wouldnt want to go strait to a 3d!! you could use some of that $200 to buy a sim then after playing forever you should get a $100esky honeybee fixed pitch v2 helicopter.

either that or buy a blade cx2 or cx3 either those or if you want something only for indoors with a 7 inch blade you could get a blade mcx but wth that the slightest draft will screw with it

go find a local flying field or hobby shop and make some friends!!

[sweetpea]

Here you go, my 3cents from a Heli beginner myself.

I got the Blade CX (little yellow coax heli). Not really a good trainer. Its very easy to fly around. Doesn't have very good forward flight capabilities. I have G2 and have been using that. I'm sure you could find that sim dirt cheap.

Next for the actual Heli.............I got the HK450 electric (www.hobbyking.com) I outfitted it complete with all HK electronics and Spektrum AR6100 RX. I've got $150 total in it, including the prepainted canopy. (I can supply the part list)

All the parts on this Heli are the same as the Trex but cost almost nothing compared. When I bought my copter I did the 6 in a box option. I kept 2 (one for parts as I figured I'd crash) and sold the others.

My buddy who has flown copters already has one and did some mild 3-D with his and said that holding a steady hover is piece of cake.......All for $150

[ddierking]

Don't forget about www.helifreak.com as a good heli source

[djmisterpe]

is there a beginners heli within the Raptor stream?

[ExtPlt]

Yes. The Raptor 30 and 50. Dont get the SE untill you learn to fly.