Newbie rc opinion request

On Thu, 7 Dec 2006 21:25:07 -0500, wrote in :

There are some wonderful electric helis available nowadays.

Unfortunately, I don't own any of the newest models. I've got a Lite Machines electric, but it's several years old.

You might try rec.models.rc.heli.

You might go to your local hobby store (Hobbytown?) and talk with the staff. If they can fly one right before your eyes, that kind of proves that they work OK.

(The guys at Field's Hobbies generally learn to fly what they sell.)

I heard some good reviews of a Radio Shack heli, but I don't know any other details about it.

Some of the helis are meant to be flown indoors only. Others are a little larger and can handle a little breeze.

This looks like a nice package:

Having the flight simulator with the heli is very, very handy.

Marty

Are you looking for an indoor electric copter?? The Eflight models from Horizon Hobby work well.

John VB

snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net wrote:

It would be used outdoors only.

Thanks, Barb

Barb: Find your nearest hobby shop that handles Radio Controlled planes and Heli's. Talk to the owner or rep. Ask about Flying clubs. If they can tell you who to contact that is an important step. They will also know who is flying what. Then ask them about RC helicopters. If they are not just interested in sales they will prompt you to get your husband into an organization if he gets serious. Yes there are heli's that can fly indoors also and you can learn the basics. A good way is also a computer program on how to fly RC planes and helicopters without crashing before he heads out to the field. Doc Ferguson

Eflite Blade CX. The nice thing about it is that he can be reasonably assured of success the first time out. Comes with everything. It's an indoor heli, though.

Okay, I decided to get the Eflite Blade CX. Thanks for all the help! Can anyone offer suggestions on accessories that are worth having?

Thanks again, Barb

On Fri, 8 Dec 2006 11:43:47 -0500, wrote in :

Extra batteries?

Battery charger?

Flight simulator?

Decals?

Marty

| Okay, I decided to get the Eflite Blade CX. Thanks for all the help! Can | anyone offer suggestions on accessories that are worth having?

Extra battery pack. Spare parts. (Blades break the most often.)

The CX is an excellent choice. I'd suggest the CX2 as even better, if only because you don't have to worry about conflicts with other R/C fliers.

The CX (and CX2 and similar helicopters) are excellent at learing the orientation -- which is possibly the hardest part, and certainly the first part you need to learn. Do get a training gear, however -- about $10 more.

| > Eflite Blade CX. The nice thing about it is that he can be reasonably | > assured of success the first time out. Comes with everything. It's an | > indoor heli, though.

Warning: when he said indoor heli, he meant it! The CX will self-destruct if flown outside! I mean it!

To be more precise, if it hits any sort of turbulence at all, which

*will* happen outside, the blades will occasionally hit each other, which tends to break blades and even if not the helicopter tends to fall out of the sky and crash. Also, it is so slow that even a very small wind will tend to take it downwind, causing you to make it go at top speed, which makes the `blade clash' issue even more likely.

Extra batteries. You have to wait a while after flying to charge each battery. Also, to get maximum battery life, you can only use each one a couple times per day.

Find a book about LiPo battery care. They are tricky to manage, and can catch fire if abused.

parts, replacement parts. It;s no fun wating for parts to come in. I know a few guys with CXs, I'll ask what paarts. mk

| Also, to get maximum battery life, you can only use each one a | couple times per day.

Nah. Just let them cool down between flights -- an hour or so should do it. Apparantly it's not just about cooling -- so even if you can cool them down in 15 minutes with a fan, still give them an hour or two.

| Find a book about LiPo battery care. They are tricky to manage, and | can catch fire if abused.

I've never seen a book on LiPo battery care. I imagine that only the newest R/C books would even cover LiPo batteries at all.

In any event, everythin you need to know about LiPos is available online -- no need to buy a book.

| parts, replacement parts. It;s no fun wating for parts to come in. | I know a few guys with CXs, I'll ask what paarts.

In order of decreasing importance:

Blades. Blades. Blades. Both upper and lower. Inner drive shaft + thing on top. (Get the upgrade version with metal up top at your first replacement.) Outer drive shaft Landing gear. Motors, if you can't turn the throttle off after crashes fast enough.

4-in-1 (alas, this is $50) The parts that hold the blades on, both upper and lower.

The canopy breaks often, but you can just tape it up until it gets really bad. The flybar bends in most crashes, but you can just bend it back.

Hopefully your local hobby shop stocks these things. But if you're looking for some parts to have around the house, get a few packs of blades, both upper and lower, and a spare outer drive shaft and the upgraded inner drive shaft.

Even being really careful, should we still plan to crash that much :-( ?

Can you recommend a high quality balancing charger? I saw one that was in the cx's recommended accessories on the website I bought from (Horizon Hobby) but I didn't know what it was for. What should a decent one cost?

Sorry for all the questions but I want him to be able to have fun without too many setbacks at startup.

Thanks again, Barb

all helicopters will crash at some stage during the learning process

On Sat, 9 Dec 2006 13:00:45 -0500, wrote in :

Yes, I think so.

If you're one of the rare few who never crash, do write us back and tell us how wrong we were. We'll all eat our words. :o)

But if we're right, then you'll be glad that you had a crash kit ready to go.

By me. Someone else should have a tip for you.

If it wasn't so @#$%*&+ hard to learn to fly helis, they wouldn't be as much fun as they are.

Marty

| Even being really careful, should we still plan to crash that much :-( ?

Absolutely. Fortunately, the blades are $1/each on the CX.

| Can you recommend a high quality balancing charger?

The CX comes with one that is perfectly adequate for the CX's batteries. (If you outgrow the CX, it won't take you far, but it's just fine for the batteries that come with the CX.)

---------------

I have a Honey Bee II ready-to-fly electric heli ($89.95 at Xheli.com) and a Raptor G2 ready to fly heli with collective pitch ($189.95 at Xheli.com). I used to build and mess with glow powered helis. Never again. These ready to fly helis are great and they are completely assembled when you buy them. I'll not be going back to glow or gas helis any longer.

I just putz around with helis. No serious aerobatics or high expectations. These little ones fly great and they come with the radio, batteries and charger ready to go. They can't be beat for the casual heli flyer.

If the husband has no experience at all in flying radio controlled models, consider buying him a ready to fly heli with two rotor blades on top and no tail rotor. Anyone can fly those right off the bat without a lot of experience.

Happy Holidays

Ed Cregger

wrote

Pilots of full sized planes usually have a very hard time flying RC planes, and at first usually crash, or have a crash saved by a trainer pilot... Given that full sized planes are generally considered hard to learn to fly, make your own conclusion about how hard it is to fly RC planes.

Most will tell you that it is nearly impossible to teach yourself to fly RC planes, unless the first plane is a very slow, stable, and tough airplane. There is a usual cycle of take-off, fly for 10-30 seconds, lose control, crash. Go home rebuild. Comeback, and get 10 seconds longer flight time..maybe! Crash rebuild, repeat. Get the idea? There is not enough time flying to learn what you are doing wrong. If you introduce a teacher, hooked to the plane through an extra transmitter (buddy box), then things progress much faster.

There are a group here that will disagree, but 79.6 percent of the people here mostly agree with what I have said. Where did I get that figure of 79.6%? I made it up! Figures lie, and liars figure, I always heard!

Now, from what you have learned about flying, or learning to fly RC, some people will tell you that a helicopter is 3 to 10 times harder to fly than planes. Did we mention that crashing is probable?

I don't remember back from the beginning.. Does he already fly RC planes? If not, you might want to start over and think in that direction. If so, then you might consider one of the flight simulator programs for learning the heli. Much cheaper to crash electrons!

MIKE ,

1. Blades - upper & lower

1. Inner shaft - I recommend the aluminum upgrade.

2. Landing gear

4.Lower rotor head

5.Extra battery

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: "Storm's Hamilton" To: "JAMES SMOLA" Subject: parts for Blade CX Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2006 21:35:27 -0600