saotome

Hey ACC-HE you wanna get one?

I have a 4ch coaxial ultra micro chopper which I only flew a couple times. It's true 4-channel just like the bigger ones and this one is only at your palm's length. So you can fly in the living room. Lemme know if you are interested.

FYI I fly everything from FP and CP heli to 4' A380 electric jet

saotome

Here's the pic pm u the price

saotome

Intro to heli flying:

Please note that learning to fly a helicopter is a staging process, you need to go thru the following basics:
- Hover (tail facing yourself)
- Hover (sides facing yourself)
- Hover (nose-in)
- Forward flight
- Backward flight

It can be a very lengthy process so take your time, and you WILL crash a lot. It's best to do it in a simulator. Some people (like me) will find it too boring to complete the training only in simulator, so it's okay to pick a stable, durable heli to practice.

For complete newbie, I agree with BarF1 that they should start with coaxial heli. Coaxial helis have the natural ability to stabilize themselves when you don't give any input, which makes it perfect for inexperienced pilot.

to be continued

saotome

Almost virtually all coaxials in the market are fixed pitched and they are not designed to fly outdoor or in any environment with air current. Some wouldn't even handle the slightest breeze.

Eflight MCX is a nice little coaxial with precise controls and feel. It's operating with 2.4Ghz radio makes it very tolerant with interference. On the other hand it leaves a big bite in your wallet, while I think it's an overkill to have 2.4Ghz as the heli is mostly flying within 10' radius around the pilot in the living room.

IMHO, any real 4 channel (Elevator, Aileron, throttle and rudder) heli will do the job, regardless of the frequency it's operating in (IR, RF or 2.4Ghz digital). sub-Micro heli is preferrable because it's very light and it does not cause much damage when you crash.

to be continued

saotome

Once you are able to do the basic maneuvers; allow me to repeat again:
- Hover (tail facing yourself)
- Hover (sides facing yourself)
- Hover (nose-in)
- Forward flight
- Backward flight

You can then upgrade to a single rotor heli once you can do the above with ease. Be warned, I know you pilot-wannabes want to get cocky and go for those flashy sub-micro single rotor, fixed pitch heli such as the Walkera 4#3, and my advice to you is: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. They are in fact experts' toy and not for the faint of heart. They are super twitchy, super fast and you will end up with a super repair bill.

Single rotor heli does not "stabilize itself" as much, comparing to coaxial, when you give no input, thus you must be on top of it at almost all time. Bigger helis are more stable and easier to fly than smaller ones, and you should be looking at models with simpler structure, fewer moving parts such as the Walkera #4 or Compy FP. Walkera CB100 is good too but it has some metal parts and they tend to bend instead of breaking in crashes, which affect flying performance.

I strongly suggest to get yourself a good set of simulator before moving on. Again you should practice the above drills with your simulator or your newly acquired single rotor heli and make sure you can perform them comfortably.

to be continued

saotome

ACC-HE: Yes the MCX is the best choice if money is no object.

Let's backtrack a little; as I stated earlier, IR is okay for sub-micro coaxial that flies in the living room. Remember the idea of having a sub-micro heli is to train your reflex and finger muscle, while minimizing the cost of repair.

To get your started, I would suggest to get a cheapo IR heli with true 4 channel. and a battery charger like this:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12618

You want a dedicated, good charger because the one that comes with the remote (transmitter) tend to put too much current on the battery. And a good charger will continue serving you well as you move on from heli to heli.

I can talk about simulator and transmitter later if you just want to get airborn at this moment.

saotome

ACC-HE: I know exactly how you feel, because I was once in your shoes.

Of course you can blow all your budget on the MCX. However, please understand that heli flying is *NOT* a one-off thing but more like a staging process. The MCX is a good heli but you will grow out of it in very short time. So you should conserve your resources and get something cheap yet functional to start with, and something you will be using for a long time (e.g. good charger) regardless of the heli you will be switching to.

saotome

Don't waste your buying power on a coaxial, cuz you will want to blow your hard earned dolloars on something like this later on

saotome

You are more than welcome ACC-HE.
Yes the A380 will have her maiden flight (again, since the converting from the pusher prototype from last year) this weekend.

They are both fun and they are very different animal. Heli is good flying in smaller space in relative terms while planes can handle more wind. I mostly fly plane now because they look better in the air, they are cheaper to build, to maintain and to repair.

saotome

BarF1: ACC-HE is flying the Nine Eagle solo pro, which is a single rotor FP

ACC-HE: Enjoy the challenge

Guys, shall we have a LYK RC aircraft gathering soon?