Another-which heli question?

[Salla101]

Hello all, I am new to both the heli world and this forum.

I am looking to purchase either a Honey Bee FP or the Walkera 4#1. My question is, which is better and why? I understand they are both increadibly similar however I think I read somewhere that the Walkera has a better transmitter that can be used on other heli's? Maybe there are other factors I am unaware of?

Also, does anyone have any info on the Falcon 40. It is claimed to be the best selling 4 ch FP out there. I like the price but don't want to buy total junk my first go round.

Thanks for any and all advice!

[Aztek1701]

Hello Salla,

Welcome to the forum and the hobby

To my knowledge, the only ready to fly heli that has a transmitter that can handle other machines is the blade 400 3d which comes with a spektrum dx6i. (you need a Minimum of 5 channels and mixing to fly most helis and really 6 or more channels are required.)

As a first machine, have you considered the Blade CX. This is a little indoor 4 channel coaxial machine (one blade above the other) and it is very beginner friendly and doesnt cost a massive ammount to crash. Whilst it looks a bit strange it is much more stable than a "traditional" style heli with a tail rotor. The idea is when youve mastered this you move on to something with a tail rotor that costs a lot more.

If you want my advice, I wouldnt get a walkera as a first model since they can be a bit of a lottery on the electronics front (some are okay.. Most are not) and I have heard lots of bad things about walkera and not many good things. The best piece of advice I can give you is that in model helicopters. You get what you pay for and there are very few bargains out there. The problem with all these cheap machines (walkera included) is that they can get away with producing garbage because experienced flyers, the ones that could tell something is not right with them, wont touch them with a barge pole and inexperienced modelers cant tell whether its the model or their inexperience thats at fault.

Also you need to have a think about WHERE you want to fly because if you only want to fly outdoors.. ANYTHING that has fixed pitch will be a real handful so you need to be looking at a bird with collective. Of course, they are more expensive.

Hope this helps, feel free to ask more questions

Azzy

[Salla101]

Thanks Azzy.

I am looking for something that I can fly mostly outside (rarely inside). I live on an acre lot as do my neighbors so space is not an issue.

As far as the Blade CX, that looks similar to the Reflex by Air Hog. If it is similar in flight I would not like it. I had the Reflex for a few days and grew bored with it because it was so easy. I actually started with the little Havocs and had a blast with them due to their unpredictability.

I have read much about people saying start with this, then move up to this then to that etc. As this makes sense that a co-axial is easier to fly and learning to do so will save you lots of money is it really true? I mean my ultimate goal is to learn to fly the 3d heli's and if I have to purchase 3 different ones plus all the parts am I really saving all that much money? Plus, wont I have to learn to fly each one as they are all different in control and function? If this is the case it would seem to me that a person would be better off buying a inexpensive collective and spend the money on parts there and learn to fly once.

Maybe my head is all wrong on this thinking and that is exactly why I have come here and posted so I may get the advice of those that have already been down this road I am beginning.

Thanks!

[Salla101]

You know, the Honey Bee King 2 has a normal mode and a idle up mode. Would this be similar to a 2 in 1 option? Like owning a FP and a collective in one heli? Could save a guy lots of cash not having to buy 2 heli's.

Thanks again!

[carl]

hi idle up mode is wot you would use for 3d flying etc or for nitro powered helys i think. the honey bee king is still collective pitch.

is there no flyin clubs near you if so my best advice would be to go to one. when u do decide wot hely you want there will be plenty of experianced flyers there who can help u set it up properly i found getin taught hands on by some one is better than trying to learn just by reading threads and followin videos they do help alot but when your watchin somone set ur hely up and showin u how to fly in person i learnt alot faster

someone adviced me to get a good simulator wich can b expensive for a gud one but i imagine it wud save u money in crashes in the long run hope this helps gud luck

[Aztek1701]

Hi Salla,

Carl is correct, the idle up mode is to allow inverted flight but it applies to all CP helis not just nitros.

I looked up the air hog reflex and the havoc and Im pretty confident that the reflex is a 2 channel thing. I can tell you that the blade CX is a big jump from that (and a model with Collective pitch is fair jump from the CX)

Are you saving money by buying 3 machines that are stepped compared with just jumping in at the level you want to be at?. Well yes and no.

Yes because it isnt impossible to start with a bird thats more suited to an experienced pilot and it MIGHT be cheaper to only buy one helicopter and learn on that if you are a natural pilot.

No beacause going this way makes an already steep learning curve damn near vertical. because you are going to have to cope with everything at once. By everything I mean the inherent twitchyness, the complexity of the machine to set up (dont think for one second that ready to fly means that it will).

If I pose a slightly different question... Suppose you want to learn to drive.. Do you start learning in a Ferarri because thats going to save you buying 2 other cars or do you start in something smaller?. Obviously you start in something smaller because the price of a mistake is much less serious and by the time you get to your Ferrari, the chances of it killing you or you wrapping it round a tree are much reduced. The same thing applies in the model heli world but smaller.

Of course all this stuff doesnt really apply if you can find a club to join because they will help you enormously and you can then start with something like a Raptor 30. Again its big but compared to what they will be flying not as big. If there are no clubs around, Id still recommend getting a CX and learing to fly inside (maybe you garage) then once youve got your head round that... move to something with collective. The alternative to that is to get a sim and learn to fly a heli on that then move straight to collective. Bear in mind that the real thing IS different to the simulated one.

Good luck... Azzy

[Salla101]

Thank you all for your responses.
I will have to try and find a local RC heli club in my area and go have a closer look.

[Salla101]

I just purchased the Falcon 40 with training gear, extra battery, extra main and tail blades all for $110 shipped.
Hopefully I will not be disappointed.

Thanks for your advice guys. I had no luck on finding an RC club in my area, everything seems to have been forgotten about with websites having nothing updated in the last couple of years.