Which helicopter?

Which helicopter?

Globally, there are lots of good helicopters to choose from. It all depends on mainly how much you want to spend, but also what type of flying you want to do now and in the future.

When you're looking to buy a helicopter, you've got to take into account a number of things. Some of these are:

How much it costs.
Obviously important in any purchasing decision.
What support exists for it.
Who is the dealer for this particular model? What's their reputation like?
How much do the parts cost?
Eventually you're gonna crash. How much is it gonna cost to put the machine together again? How quickly are the parts available?
Local knowledge.
It's always a good idea to get a helicopter that others at your field are familiar with. That way when you have problems, they'll be able to assist you.
Build quality.
What's this helicopter's reputation? Does it fit with the kind of flying style you see yourself doing in the future?
There are different sizes of helicopter too. The size relates to the size of the engine in the helicopter. We'll discuss these now:


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30 size
These are the little helicopters. They're nice and small which makes them cheap to buy and cheap to run. These are the recommended machines to start learning on because when you crash, they're not too costly to repair. Having said that, they'll do a all manner of aerobatics! Most people have a 30 or 46 for learning new stuff and simply cause they fun to bash round cause they're so nimble and cheap to run.


Popular 30 size machines in NZ are: Other popular 30 size machines:
JR Ergo 30

Kyosho Concept 30
Thunder Tiger Raptor
Kyosho Nexus 30 Hirobo Shuttle
TSK 30
Kalt Baron
Century Hawk
Century Falcon
Xcell 30



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46 size
46 size helicopters are a step up from 30 size. They've got more powerful engines in them. Many 30 size helicopters can accomodate a 46 size engine, helicopters like the JR Ergo and Thunder Tiger Raptor are often upgraded in this way. However, true 46 size helicopters are often slightly larger than their 30 size cousins. They often have slightly larger rotor blades as well.
Popular 46 size machines in NZ are: Other popular 46 size machines:
TSK MyStar 46
JR Ergo 46

Kyosho Concept 46 Bergen Intrepid 46
Xcell
Hirobo GPH
Century Falcon 46


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50 size
In the last year or so, 50 size helicopters have become popular. Mainly due to the increase in good quality 50 size engines from makers such as OS. Like 30's upgraded to 46's, many 46's will accomodate 50 size powerplants. Lately however, true 50 size helicopters such as the JR Voyager 50 and Xcell Fury 50 have started appearing on the market designed from the outset for 50 size engines. Popular 50 size machines in NZ are: Other popular 50 size machines:
TSK MyStar 46 (upgraded with 50 engine)
JR Ergo 46 (upgraded with 50 engine)

JR Voyager
Xcell Fury
Robbe


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60 size
These are the larger size helicopters. Until recently the engine size limit for competitions was 0.6 of a cubic inch which meant that was about as high as engine capacity went. Now that this limit has been revised, engine makers such as OS and YS have started bringing out much larger engines in the 80 and 90 size. Many people have started putting these power plants in their 60 size machines.
60 size machines are popular in competitions and for people doing lots of aerobatics. However, when you crash them, they cost more than the smaller machines to fix, so people often buy the 60's once they are confident fliers. They have the brute horsepower needed for some of the aerobatics people do. Popular 60 size machines in NZ are: Other popular 60 size machines:
TSK MyStar 60
TSK Acrostar 60
Xcell
Kyosho Concept 60
Kyosho Caliber 60
JR Ergo 60
Hirobo Tsrugi
Robbe
Xcell Fury etc
Hirobo Eagle/Fury
JR Vigor


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Gassers
Gassers are basically 60 size machines with petrol engines in them. The most popular petrol engine for helicopters is the Zenoah G23. Which is basically a chainsaw or weedeater engine. The benefits of these machines is that they cost so little to run in comparison to a glow helicopter. They'll often run for about 30-40 mins on a tank of gas. However, they are a bit heavier than glow helis and don't do aerobatics so well and they're expensive to buy. Repairs cost about the same as a 60 size helicopter. Popular 60 size machines in NZ are: Other popular 60 size machines:
JR Z230
Xcell Gasser
Robbe Gasser
Hirobo Eagle GS

Of small electrics my general impression is that Hummingbird owners seem to be the happiest

[motions]

Now that the E-flight Blade CP is out, this seems to be the most popular and well liked electric today.

[deputy865]

Just out of curiosity (sp?) how big is the Dragon fly you listed above...

J/w scince I'M BUYING IT!!!

Can't wait to crash it lol.j/k....

Shane

[thecheat]

the body is 1.5-2ft long, the blades will make it a bit longer, but that's the basic point. a RTF kit is usually 2.6Kg so just remember that when you think of shipping!

[deputy865]

Yea i know the shipping was like $30.00 for regular and $33.00 or exspress...
Heck, just pay the extra $3 to get it hear faster!

Shane

Hi has anyone had a problem taking off with the honey bee cp2 when carrying the larger battery pack .i cant get off the ground unless i put the slim battery pack in
cheers

[dct]

I have two of them ((honey bee cp2 ))and I use 1300 mAh Li-poly battery's in them...
They fly great!!! are your battery's full charged???? is your blade tracking setup like it show in the book??? Are you running the right pitch on your blades ???on and on we can go....
PS: all helicopter need to be worked on ((ALL THE TIME )) LOL