I quite fancy one after watchin a chap fly one on Dartmoor.
There's lots of types, one better than another?
Cheers
The RC helicopter and airplane hobby can be a money black hole.
The nitro (liquid fueled) types are the best as far as performance go, but are the largest and most expensive. The battery powered ones can be had quite cheap but flight time and performance aren't as good as the nitros.
Oh, and the first RC helicopter you fly will crash, possible several times before you can exhaust a fuel tank or battery. So if you do want to learn, don't start with the most expensive aircraft available.
Got one of those fifteen quid indoor jobbies for Christmas - it works and is a good laugh, crashes well too.
I imagine it's nothing like a proper RC 'copter though......
Had a fuel Spitfire when a kid-hard work. Fancy a 'copter but controls no go 4 one handed.
Paul
GOT...TO...KILL...CAPTAIN STUPID!
Get a 4ch Electric as your first... only really useable indoors, but a good way to learn the basics of flight. Gives about 10mins of flight time and costs about £100 for a good one.
Then progress to a 6ch electric which can be used outdoors if very little wind. These are more expensive, but are full control heli's.
Then up to Nitro powered.... I have one in the garage I have never flown as I know that I have not got good enough on the options above to have a reasonable chance of bringing it bak to earth !!
Best advice is when going to 5 or 6ch.. get lessons.
Jon
My brother-in-law has begun with a 6 channel until. The blades look like they'll take your legs off if you get close. Very difficult to control. He got a PC flight tutorial 'game' on which he's learning.
I looked into RC helicopters a few years back. While I didn't get one then, I did realize that I would start with one of the software simulators rather than attempt to fly the real thing first. Everyone says the first few will crash (as was my experience trying to fly RC planes many years ago - the first one managed to get totaled without even leaving the ground :-()
And while I imagine a helicopter would be fun to fly, I'm really thinking now of getting a RC plane with a pilot's view video system. Saw that somewhere a few weeks back and it looked amazing. It would be so much easier to fly if you have a pilot's view than looking at some spec in the distance and trying to remember if the plane if flying away from you or towards you.
I bought a cheap 4ch one to learn to fly...it isn't easy, and in the ~10 flying hours I've had it for, I've spent more on spare rotor blades than the damn thing itself! Also I crashed it and bent the mast over the weekend, so that's the end of that :P
The problem with the really small helis is breaking the ground effect on takeoff whilst maintaining neutral balance. Then trimming once you're in the air. I dread to think how difficult those 6ch aerobatic helis are to fly.
Ming
No, but I used to have a real one, and it was a bloody sight easier to fly than one of those RC thingumajigs.
A mate has one, big bloomin thing it is, 1/12 scale Bell Jetranger. I can't no matter how hard I try get the thing off the ground and established in a hover, then transit to level flight. He won't let me near it now, I've broken two sets of carbon blades, and bent the mast.
I do believe I still owe him for the last set of blades - I try and avoid him like the plague now :twisted:
Anyone who is bonkers enough to get through Auto Rotation training is a better man than I. Used to watch from a distance when learning to fly fixed wing and remember the instructor telling me the percentage of pupils who never went back to fly a Heli again :POriginally Posted by doug darter
Real Heli's always scared the crap out of me. A fixed wing is fundamentaly aerodynamic.... a Heli is fundamentaly a brick.
On the subject of breaking models though, a friend lost control of mine on the local playing field and it flew off over some houses. Was later found, skids down, in my father-in-laws drive 500yds from where we last saw it. Skids were broken mind, and the outer shaft was not quite true :-)
LOL! I always wanted one, too. When I was learning to fly they had a club for RC planes and copters on the old runway. Looked a hoot but was apparently more difficult than flying the real thing.
Talking of copters, a friend of mine has a fullsize jobby in South Sweden. Only problem is he doesn't have a license...He kind of taught himself (don't ask me...) and painted a huge cross on his front yard. :D Every so often he'll go up in it only to be hunted back down by the local cops in theirs and given a ticket and a good going over! He doesn't seem to care. Extroardinary bloke. He's a Swede but has turned half his house into an authentic English pub with ales on tap, spirits galore, a pool table, jukebox and I don't even know what else...He doesn't run it as a pub, though...it's just for him and the Mrs and any friends who drop by, who do quite often..:D
Auto rotation training is dead easy - you wind off the throttle, and then pull pitch, just as you would if you had power on. Everything tends to happen a bit faster, and your descent is somewhat steeper, but you have to remember that if you make a mistake, you've still got power if necessary.Anyone who is bonkers enough to get through Auto Rotation training is a better man than I. Used to watch from a distance when learning to fly fixed wing and remember the instructor telling me the percentage of pupils who never went back to fly a Heli again :P
Real Heli's always scared the crap out of me. A fixed wing is fundamentaly aerodynamic.... a Heli is fundamentaly a brick.
On the subject of breaking models though, a friend lost control of mine on the local playing field and it flew off over some houses. Was later found, skids down, in my father-in-laws drive 500yds from where we last saw it. Skids were broken mind, and the outer shaft was not quite true :-)
A deadstick autorotaion is somewhat different. I've never done one, and I don't know of anybody that has, though I do believe hearing once that in Vietnam (and Korea) deadstick autos resulted in some form of minor injury to pilot and crew in about 50% of landings, either broken legs or crush injuries to lower vertebrae. That's an awful lot better than ejection, or crash landing with a conventional aircraft. :D Speaking of which, what do you fly?? I learned on Chipmunks, before rotary wing training. I flew DH Beavers in Ulster for 6 months - great fun!! I've had part shares in a Moraine Rallye and an Harvard :D I've not flown professionally for many years now, but a friend owns a Moth Jackaroo in Worcestershire, and whilst I haven't flown regularly for a while, I used to keep my PPL (fixed wing) current using Moth hours.
I've just seen this for sale at another forum which I frequent. I don't know the seller, but he's well respected. Here's the pic, which you won't be able to access because it's members only.
Hi All,
For sale Blade CX2 RC Heli,
PICCY HERE
You-tube have loads of vids of this heli.
A really good intro to rotary winged flight, co-axle blades give very good stability in the hover without the constant yaw adjustment nessesary with rear rotors.
Uses the spectrum 2.4 ghz transmitter, you have a bonded connection so no bother from other RF. Has a 5th channel ready to go should you with to upgrade the heli with cameras, winch etc.
Full function, pitch, yaw, roll etc. Pretty fast when flown outside and very precise control.
Comes with everything in the box (Ready to fly) including a set of spare blades.
This cost me £135 a few months back so £70 seems fair, I would prefer Face to face so you can see what you are getting, but will consider postage at buyers expense.
Cheers
Jim
Btw, where it says 'coaxle', it should be, I think, co-axial.
Well, thats sounds an a lot of fun. Whats with how many channels its got? sounds complicated!
I recall my brother havin stuff with glowplug engines in years ago, is the same thing as 'Nitro'?
Never realized there are quite so many proper aviators in here! Always had a great respect for egg beater pilots (et al) after reading "Chicken Hawk" by Robert Mason. True story also.
I think that you need one channel for each function on the RC, ie one for throttle, one for left/right, one for up/down, one for forward/back. That's four, and a spare, as the seller suggests for accessories, such as a camera. Not complicated - I'd say 5 channels is a bare minimum.
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