[hawkman]

The shuttle is your first heli ever? I started with a Kyosho Nexus 30 which was a great heli....I got 16 hrs out of it (flight time) and got totally hooked! I loved that little heli....

I used FMS which is a free sim (look for it on the net) I had a special cable and a radio set so got learning....I used another sim called 'Easyfly' which is about the same as FMS...very basic but with some nice graphics.....the biggest trouble with such sims is that you cant adjust many things.....like blade pitch...weights of the helis etc etc.

I broke the nexus badly during a botched auto....I was relying on the throttle hold....I switched it and descended nicely but then realised my blades were too slow....I was pushing my limits and missed the switched....poor nexus landed good and hard....should have flaired it out...might have broken less!

Got myself a Century Hawk....very nice heli....cheap to buy and cheap to fix....most things can be straightened out on this heli....within reason. I got loads of time with this heli and did a few autos with it.

Now flying a Century Predator with a petrol engine....I would have stuck with a glo engined heli but fuel is a pain to get hold of here in the Islands...so opted for petrol.....the Predator is a beast!!! nice and smooth to fly....check out the photos section on this site...look for Hawkman...and you should find it.


If the Shuttle is your first heli I would concentrate on doing plenty of airtime.....get those sessions in....nothing else will give you experience....buy loads of fuel and find yourself plenty of spare parts....you will have a couple of crunches for sure...but never give up. Take things easy and push your limits little by little.

Once you can fly circuits easily....and hold a good steady hover....and land with confidence...THEN I would look at doing autos...DO invest in a simulator....one of the cheapest is 'Phoenix' but do check the socket on your radio...and make sure you get the right adaptor...when I bought my copy the lead was included but the adaptors were extra? A bit strange.

Phoenix will give you a real edge....once you try it out you wont be without it....your learning curve will be reduced for sure...and you can auto all day long as well as master the basics.

Rob