Suggestions on a Decent Heli for a Begginer

[rucasmydog]

I'm looking to get into RC helis but can't decide on what to go with. Gas or Electric? I have the basic mini rc heli that you can fly indoors. Its basically a boring heli that only hovers. Good for starting out I guess. From what i've read in mags as well as online going the nitro way is quite a bit more expensive than electric. I'm looking at a price range of around $400.00 to $600.00. If someone could give me some advice on where and what to buy it would be very helpful. Thanks for any info you could provide for me.

[rcfan]

Wow, tough one. Don't be fooled, getting a good electric setup can be just as costly as (and probably more than) a nitro. Sure you can get a low-cost e-Heli, but in the end you'll end-up buying bigger and better motor/ESC ... AND there's tons of vendors/models to choose from (not easy, and everyone has their good/bad opinions). Nitro-wise, very few but well-proven selections (OS, YS, TT) are available. For beginner, I'd recommend looking at OS since they are relatively trivial to setup and get going once you know the basics (which are well covered in the manuals).

Fuel for nitro can be expensive, depending on what you get (brand, nitro-content, etc.); for starting, stick with 15% (I prefer Coolpower brand). Batteries for e-Heli ... LiPo's are the only way to go here; be prepared to pay big bucks for these things and get at least two.

A good starter 30-size nitro heli is Century's Hawk Sport (now Pro). T-Rex is probably the best starter eHeli, although Century's Swift (both seen in issue #2) is probably better to compare against a 30-size nitro.

[kiwipilot]

You'll get a whole heap pf different advice, depending who you speak to.

Find out what people in your area are flying as their assistance when setting up your heli will be vital.

I've personally gone with a Raptor, as have quite a few people I know, but alsy Kyosho Concept is popular too.

If you're serious about progressing then spend the majority of your funds on a good TX.

Also, think about getting a kit and building it from scratch. Cheaper than ARTF and also more rewarding for you - the knowledge you gain from building is helpful when you need to strip and repair after a crash - as they will happen.

[Ace]

I'm new to this hobby and I didn't want to spend to much on first heli so I bought a honeybee cp2 got the rtf package for under 300$ not being experienced enough I can't tell you it's the right one for you but the price is right and probably better in the states.

Ace

[tdswan]

Here's a good beginner heli. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4366070 For any other inquiry's why doesn't anyone get out and get into a club and ask some local people who can help you with it? Your learning curve is a lot faster when you have a teacher and also someone who can help you set things up. In the forums, you'll get a million different opinions and the best opinion is yours. There's pros & cons to all the different heli's AND setups out there. Also, fly what the guys in your club are flying, PROVIDED THEY ARE HAVING GOOD LUCK. If you see they're always working on tweaking it, maybe it's not a good beginner heli. The forums are packed with 1 bird wonders, too. I'll bet that a good share of the people in this forum, NOT ALL, have been flying one heli and will just give you the specs on their setup with no real life knowledge of any other products out there. Beginner forums all over the net, runryder, and rcuniverse, and most any others out there have hundreds of threads out there on beginner heli opinions. They'd keep a guy readng for a month straight.

I'm not trying to sound sour or like a jerk, it's just sooooo obvious that there's no one good bird out there for everyone.

This one should stir up some conversation!

later guys!

[USA RAPTOR 50]

Go with gas get a raptor 50 you will be very happy

[axis]

My first was a E-Flite Blade CP. At $220 you get everything you need except radio battery's!! I think its a steal at that price. Other than the price of the batteries invest in the training gear and have a blast. I highly reccomend it. Its also very very cheap to fix.

[midi0101]

Well, here are my $0.02....

I would stay away from small electric helicopter (the like of T-Rex and so on) for the simple fact that they are a kinda hard to fly for a beginner, and you'd just get frustrated with it
As electric helicopters in the 30 - 50 class are somewhat expensive (well, not the helicopter itself, but the speed controll, battery, charger, etc) I'd go with a good 30size or 50 size glow powered machine for the beginning (hawk, falcon, raptor, etc). I don't think that brand or whether it's a CCPM or mechanically mixed bird really matters for your first heli. What matters is that you have a stable platform to practice, and that spare parts are available.

Cheers,
Michael

[axis]

Along the same lines as what midi said, be sure that whatever you decide, you can get parts for it. Its always nice to have an LHS clase by that has good parts support. I went electric for my first heli because of a few reasons.
1.) Its quiet and my neighbors dont complain.
2.) I have access to gymnasiums and warehouses to fly in if the weather is bad, cant do that with nitro.
3.) Nitro engine tuning can be tough for a beginner, unlike electric which is almost always, plug and go.
4.)Initial cost may be the same but replacement parts are a ton cheaper. Especially for the T-Rex and the Blade CP.
5.) No nitro mess all the time, no fuel and glow plugs to buy either.

They all need training gear as well...

Nitro
Heli
Starter
Engine
Charger
Fuel
Glow Plugs
Radio
Gyro
Rx Batteries
Misc supplies

Electric (Blade Cp)
Blade CP Kit
Radio Batteries

Electric T-Rex
Heli (can be had with motor and esc for as little $240)
Motor
ESC
Radio
Gyro
Lipo
Charger


These are just a few of MY reasons. Not arguing over which is better. In my 20+ years in the hobby industry I have seen both sides of the field nitro/electric and have raced both (cars). I always find myself going back to electric for the ease of maintenance, cleanliness and the low maintenance costs.

Just some things to think about. Whatever you decide to do just be sure you can get local support and parts. Those 2 factors alone will make your experience much more fun and enjoyable in the long run.

[redout]

IMO, ask the store what parts the stock for a beginner bird. Im just starting out also, had a BCP for about 2 months now (Just getting the feel for tail in figure 8's now). Honestly I would say buy a RC sim. I know Im the new guy on the block, but they are worth the money. I dont know how many sets of struts and blades I bought before the sim, guessing about 5 sets of blades, and 3 sets of struts. Since the Sim though Ive bought 1 set of blades and no struts. My personal view after reading a billion forum threads and oodles of mags. Get a Sim, bird, and get on the sticks, its the only way to learn. Cause all the reading in the world isnt going to improve your hand/eye cordination. But what do i know Im the new guy on the block.

Crashing.....Not if but when.
Local Hobby Store (LHS) stock your parts?


Just my thoughts

[axis]

I couldn't agree more. I know my sim has helped me dial in my nose in technique and answered some questions I had about certain flight characteristics.

[Gage]

Well i had a BCX first then jumped to a BCP and well i like them both. There both beginner, but the BCX is good for learning, then the BCP does inverted flight and everything else i wanted to outside! They are both good.

[Dirtbrakes]

The Blade CP is a great way to enter the world of flight. I never regret getting it. I still fly it more than my T-Rex. At $200-$220 it will let you know if you have the patience to fly a heli(I AM VERY BORDERLINE!!!!!) I have never had to spend more than $30 to fix it. And the best part is that you can let your friends try it and not tweek the whole time. I do have trouble with the tail, it will not stay put. It spins clockwise no matter what I try. Any suggestions?