New Heli pilot....possibly?

[curlyjay]

Alright so my uncle is big into RC helicopters and after trying his simulator for a LONG time I wanted to finally purchase my own. The thing is that I don't want to spend tons and tons of money on a helicopter just to spend more on parts. I am looking for a good heli that will provide me with the full range of motion and control that my uncles $1200 dollar electric will give (or close too) but at a price more around the 200 to 300 mark. I went to my local RC store and to be honest they were kind of jerks. They looked at me and told me to practice by getting this junk 50 dollar crap helicopter. After I told them I wanted one with full range of motion and one I could fly indoor and outdoor he just kind of laughed at me. So I told him I looked at an E-sky CP and He said that it did not fly good at all. He recommended just forking out another 200 bux for a trexx. I really didn't want to spend that much but if its worth it then i will.

I guess long story short. What is a good heli that will meet my needs as a "new" heli pilot that doesnt want a helicopter he can master in like a week. I want something that will continue to challenge me. Any advice?

(Sorry for the long story...just needed to let you know my backstory I guess )

[hawkman]

Blade 400 could be the one for you, maybe the Belt CP could be ok too.

Be aware of the rubbish thats out there, the fixed pitch ones are not that great; though the counter rotating ones like the CX2 are worth it..they fly really well.

The Trex series are VERY good helis, they cope well with a breeze and parts are a sensible price...upgrades are plenty as well if thats what you like doing.

The thing with the 450 size Rex is that its a 'real' rc heli...small yes...but it sure punches well above its weight.

Good site... www.trextuning.com

Get a decent radio, in fact the Trex comes in 'deals' with many shops...make sure to get a deal with a 2.4ghz radio. Why? because 2.4ghz deals with interference much better than the older FM stuff.

Rob

[curlyjay]

Thanks! That helps out a lot! I was leaning toward a Belt CP but I figured I could dish out the extra money and get a TREX. My only concern I guess is that if I crash will I be out for weeks? I'm very new to the whole fixing of RC vehicles and to be honest have little no clue about a lot of it.

I guess that brings up another question. Should I go about building this myself with a kit or just buy the RTF? I would like to buy the kit but I'm afraid i'll get it and have no idea what to do. So then I would be stuck with a bunch of helicopter peices but no helicopter to have fun with and enjoy...

Thanks again for your response! It helped a lot!

[hawkman]

I bought a 450 XL HDE version of the Trex. it was partly assembled.

Its good to build from a kit, you get a better idea of how it all works then.

The hardest thing is setting up the servos and radio gear, it better to find a club in your area to help out...its not impossible on your own, I managed well enough.

Be patient with the build, and be patient with learning to fly. Rc helis are hard to get used to but also very rewarding once you get the hang of things.

Parts are widely available for the Trex, its a popular machine. Once you crash a few times you get the idea of the most common parts to get busted or bent.

The biggest temptation with learning to fly on the smaller helis, is that you tend to flatten the battery pack out trying to get air time....not a good idea.

To be honest the larger nitro type helis are better to learn on, Align do make a nitro version of the 600. Could be a good choice? I dont mean to confuse you at all, its just based on my own experience.

Check out the other makes of heli too, Century make some good helis. I used to have a Hawk Sport that flew pretty good.

Rob

[BABY HUEY]

Hawkman is correct in that the Trex is a very good heli but the key is getting a good radio and the only rtf that does that is the Blade 400 or one of the Trex package deals. The Blade comes with a Spectrum radio and that's 2.4ghz and programable. Don't waste your money on one of the cheap radios that come from Esky or Walkera as they're limited junk.
The bad news is that the art of flying helis comes secondary to the art of working on them so you might as well resign yourself to learning to repair and setup helis!

[hawkman]

Too true! if only helis would instantly fix themselves after a crash like they do on a Simulator

Its the art of tinkering that you need to be keen on, with all those moving parts you have to keep a check on them...because something will come undone and make the hard job of learning to fly even harder.

Too right about the radio issue, a good radio will last a very long time. The entry level serious radios are all (so it seems) computer type, which offer a lot of potential and with several model 'memorys' you can use it on several models...planes included.

Rob

[curlyjay]

Thanks for the advice guys! I'm super nervous about getting a top end heli, crashing it, then getting frustrated when I can't fix it. I'm not one of those people that get a heli and just fly it high and crazy. When I fly, I keep it close to the ground and work more on my control. I think this would tend to keep my heli in good shape, but I might crash and get frustrated...And then thats 500 ish dollars down the drain. Maybe I'm just mumbling and not making any sense...

I guess another question would be is what is a good remote that won't cost me an arm and a leg? and where are these Trex packages with good remotes?

[BABY HUEY]

The blade 400 comes with a Spectrum 2.4 ghz radio and for the Trex check out heliproz. I don't know of any other but am sure that there is more.