Helicopters!

[graham h]

Yes i know we should talk about bikes,but of late i really fancy having a go at flying a MODEL helicopter any body out there got any advise ie which brand,model,engine ie electric or petrol or were should i go for advice

thanks

 

[sn1p3r]

Man I would love to do it as well and I have done a lot of reading up about it. I used to race RC cars (electric ones) but I have been into RC Choppers since I was a kid, just couldn't ever afford it till now. The reason I stopped was because of the lack of indoor racing tracks near where I live and the fact that you can't race electric cars in wet weather. Moving to nitro cars was an option but they are noisy and dirty so its more effort and you can't do it in as many places.

From what I have seen the best way to start is you need to get in touch with a RC Flying club. It will take a long while to learn to fly these things and it can be a very expensive learning process so some clubs offer flying lessons (which are usually expensive themselves - in the region of 80quid\hour!!) but aparently it saves you a lot of money in the long run.

You really want to start with a basic model as you will break things. Also, be sure you are really into it as in the UK you will have a lot of potentially great flying days spoilt by bad weather and gaining experience will be affected by it so it will be easy to lose interest.

I might have told you a lot of stuff you already know and more than that I can't help but I would be keen to get more input from an experienced flyer as well.

 

[Cookson]

Now this is a subject I know a fair bit about, I have been flying heli's for about 8 years now, even started my own club a couple of years ago.

This is my honest educated opinion, obviously everybody has one & some will dispute it.

Best heli for learning/beginer = Raptor 30 or 50, cheap to buy & repair & you will need to repair it, trust me.

Best engine = OS 30 or 50 for ease of use & reliability, there are cheaper, but you do need a reliable engine

Best radio = Futaba, because that's all I know.

 

[Tarka]

I`d rather have one of these..............

 

[Mick_rw]

Dont.....

Yes i know we should talk about bikes,but of late i really fancy having a go at flying a MODEL helicopter any body out there got any advise ie which brand,model,engine ie electric or petrol or were should i go for advice

thanks

do it on your own, join a club and learn the correct way, I used to fly a Kalt Baron GS with a 22CC engine, petrol better than glow IMHO, as I was saying can be very expensive teaching yourself...but bloody great fun.

 

[Rob Farmer]

Must be a bit of a let down after the real thing though Mick?

 

[Mick_rw]

Not really...

Must be a bit of a let down after the real thing though Mick?

it's harder to fly the model than the real thing.....

 

[Droopy Dick]

it's harder to fly the model than the real thing.....

Quite possibly.

But you try flying across the landscape, even a desert, at 20' agl at night.

It's very character-forming.

 

[Mick_rw]

We did...

Quite possibly.

But you try flying across the landscape, even a desert, at 20' agl at night.

It's very character-forming.

on night anti armour sorties in all terrains and weather conditions....#

 

[boundless]

Quite possibly.

But you try flying across the landscape, even a desert, at 20' agl at night.

It's very character-forming.

Teaches you not to blink much, I guess. Like this poor guy.

 

[AndyT]

The Raptor 30 seems a very popular choice for begineers and imtermediates. I have been advised also that it is well worth buying one f the heli-flight simulators where you use you RC transmitter linked to you PC rather than a playstation control. You WILL crash alot at first and simulators cost nothing to repair.

AndyT

 

[ovenpaa]

As an alternative what about an indoor one? My son has a tiny little electric thing designed for indoor use only, it has contra rotating rotors so it is very stable (cheating I guess) but he seems to have great fun flying it around his house, and the rotors are only a quid a pair so crashes are a cheap affair, get one for Christmas have a play and then go for the real thing when the weather gets better next year, if nothing else it will teach you throttle control, and although it is only a couple of servos it still takes some time to trim and fly with any accuracy.

 

[graham h]

Thanks for all your comments i think my next move will be to go to a club and see how they fly them and take a few lessons THEN think about buying one........i think it's the safest/cheapest way forward

 

[Blue Sweeper]

You could do better than this guy

Helicopter Self Taught Flight

Flying a model helicopter was one of the hardest things that I have ever attepted. Imagine sitting in a rally car going at full race speed through a stage, holding a sheet of glass in front of you with a ball bearing on it and attempting to keep the ball on the glass. Thats what it's like.

But get it right and this is what the master can do

Master Model Stunt Helicopter Flight

I was particularly impressed with the upside down flying just off the ground.

 

[Mick_rw]

Excellent...

You could do better than this guy

Helicopter Self Taught Flight

Flying a model helicopter was one of the hardest things that I have ever attepted. Imagine sitting in a rally car going at full race speed through a stage, holding a sheet of glass in front of you with a ball bearing on it and attempting to keep the ball on the glass. Thats what it's like.

But get it right and this is what the master can do

Master Model Stunt Helicopter Flight

I was particularly impressed with the upside down flying just off the ground.

I pissed my self laughing with the first one, I know shouldn't laugh at others misfortunes, but the second one was brilliant bit of flying.....