| This hobby is alot of fun but in the beginning it can be very confusing and somewhat intimidating. Learning to fly RC Helicopters is hard and can take awhile. There is no short cut to learning to fly. Some ways of learning are easier then others and what worked for one person might not work for the next. Everyone learns at different speeds and in different ways. Don't get discouraged if learning to fly seems like an impossible task, Because its Not. Just know that when you first start learning to fly, You WILL crash, alot! But everyone does so don't get upset when it happens, plan for it. Buy lots of spares for your first helicopter because you will most likely destroy it a few times before you finally start to get the hang of hovering and basic forward flight. |
I really feel that the best way to get started in this
hobby is to get yourself a Flight Simulator. A Flight
Simulator, or sim for short, is a program that you
install on your computer. You then connect either a
real or specially designed transmitter to your
computer so that you can learn the basics of flying,
and do so without ever having to buy any
replacement parts or spend any time fixing your heli.
A few sim programs can be downloaded for free, but
to get the most out of a Flight Simulator you should
look into a high quality one (that you'll have to buy).
A quality sim can teach you more then could
imagine.
A few Flight Simulators to look into.
FMS - www.flying-model-simulator.com/
Clearview - rcflightsim.com/
Reflex XTR - www.modelrectifier.com
Phoenix R/C - www.phoenix-sim.com
Aerofly Pro - www.aerofly.com/
Realflight - www.realflight.com
Learning to fly really starts with learning what stick
on the transmitter does what. The easiest way to
"train your fingers" is through a sim.
hobby is to get yourself a Flight Simulator. A Flight
Simulator, or sim for short, is a program that you
install on your computer. You then connect either a
real or specially designed transmitter to your
computer so that you can learn the basics of flying,
and do so without ever having to buy any
replacement parts or spend any time fixing your heli.
A few sim programs can be downloaded for free, but
to get the most out of a Flight Simulator you should
look into a high quality one (that you'll have to buy).
A quality sim can teach you more then could
imagine.
A few Flight Simulators to look into.
FMS - www.flying-model-simulator.com/
Clearview - rcflightsim.com/
Reflex XTR - www.modelrectifier.com
Phoenix R/C - www.phoenix-sim.com
Aerofly Pro - www.aerofly.com/
Realflight - www.realflight.com
Learning to fly really starts with learning what stick
on the transmitter does what. The easiest way to
"train your fingers" is through a sim.
| Getting Started |
| Co-Axial Helicopters |
4ch Fixed Pitch Helicopters (FP's) are great beginner helis because they are very simple, durable and
require very little set-up. "Single Rotor" helis fly much differently from "CoAxial" helis and tend to be much
harder to control. Due to the complexity of 6ch Collective Pitch (CP's) Helicopters, high cost to repair and
lengthy set-up times, most choose to start on a FP because they cheap to buy, cheap to fix and very durable.
Learning on a FP can be a challenge but finding a large indoor area will really help you learn faster. FP's are
not good to try and learn on while outside. Rather until you learn how to fly you will be better off staying
indoors. Afterwards though, FP's can be alot of care-free fun.
There are a few misconceptions about Fixed Pitch helis . First being that they fly differently from a CP. This
is NOT true. The only thing a FP can't do is fly upside down. Other then that the flight characteristics of FP's
are the same as CP's. Another misconception is that you have to master flying a FP before moving to a CP.
Again this is NOT true, FP's are meant as trainers. Once you understand the basics then you should really
look into buying a bigger CP heli. The biggest misconception is that once someone buys a FP, they will
become bored of it quickly. Most of the time this is not true. Most people who buy a FP will keep it in their
fleet of helis because they are alot of fun to fly (once you learn how to fly).
require very little set-up. "Single Rotor" helis fly much differently from "CoAxial" helis and tend to be much
harder to control. Due to the complexity of 6ch Collective Pitch (CP's) Helicopters, high cost to repair and
lengthy set-up times, most choose to start on a FP because they cheap to buy, cheap to fix and very durable.
Learning on a FP can be a challenge but finding a large indoor area will really help you learn faster. FP's are
not good to try and learn on while outside. Rather until you learn how to fly you will be better off staying
indoors. Afterwards though, FP's can be alot of care-free fun.
There are a few misconceptions about Fixed Pitch helis . First being that they fly differently from a CP. This
is NOT true. The only thing a FP can't do is fly upside down. Other then that the flight characteristics of FP's
are the same as CP's. Another misconception is that you have to master flying a FP before moving to a CP.
Again this is NOT true, FP's are meant as trainers. Once you understand the basics then you should really
look into buying a bigger CP heli. The biggest misconception is that once someone buys a FP, they will
become bored of it quickly. Most of the time this is not true. Most people who buy a FP will keep it in their
fleet of helis because they are alot of fun to fly (once you learn how to fly).
| Fixed Pitch Helicopters |
CP's are really not meant for beginners. Not only are they much more dangerous then Co-axial
and FP helis, they are more expensive to crash and take a fair bit of set up time to make them fly right. CP's
come in sizes from micro indoor ones all the way to really, really big outdoor ones. A few CP's are sold as
RTF Kits (Ready-to-fly) but most are sold as ARTF Kits (Almost-ready-to-fly).
RTF's come with everything you need to start flying in one box.
ARTF's come with just the basic heli kit, they usually need assembly, no electronics are included.
There are advantages to both kits but one thing to know bout RTF Helis is that they will still need to be
checked and set-up prior to flight. Often you will find yourself replacing components on RTF kits with higher
quality parts. Because of this it often makes more sense to buy an ARTF kit, purchase the electronics you
wish to use and build the heli yourself.
and FP helis, they are more expensive to crash and take a fair bit of set up time to make them fly right. CP's
come in sizes from micro indoor ones all the way to really, really big outdoor ones. A few CP's are sold as
RTF Kits (Ready-to-fly) but most are sold as ARTF Kits (Almost-ready-to-fly).
RTF's come with everything you need to start flying in one box.
ARTF's come with just the basic heli kit, they usually need assembly, no electronics are included.
There are advantages to both kits but one thing to know bout RTF Helis is that they will still need to be
checked and set-up prior to flight. Often you will find yourself replacing components on RTF kits with higher
quality parts. Because of this it often makes more sense to buy an ARTF kit, purchase the electronics you
wish to use and build the heli yourself.
| Collective Pitch Helicopters |
Choose your Heli. This is where it can get
complicated. If you're reading this then most likely
you are new to r/c helis. So Here are my tips for
choosing your first heli, following these steps
should help make your choice easier.
- Where are you gonna be flying?
You need to consider this first for various reasons.
You can't fly a nitro heli inside (most can't and
don't want too) Also you can't fly a 600 class heli
(a rotor span bigger then 4ft) in a garage. While
generally you want the largest heli you have
space for, the
bigger the heli the more stable it will be, but
bigger = more
money to fix when you crash.
- How much money do you have to invest in this
hobby?
There are now helis available in all price ranges.
Fly
what you can afford to crash/fix.
- Nitro or Electric
This is really a matter of personal opinion. Both
have pro's
and cons. I like electric because of its simplicity
and that
I can fly anywhere without making anyone mad
because of
the noise. Since I went with electric, most of my
tips are
for choosing an electric heli.
- Co-Axial or Single Rotor Heli
A co-axial heli is easier to fly, mainly meant for
inside
but can be flown outside on calm days. However
a co-axial
flys completely different from a single rotor, so
most
skills gained by learning on a co-axial will not have
anything to do with a single rotor heli, they fly
completely different from each other. So if you
want to be
able to really fly, go straight for a single rotor heli.
- 4 Channel Fixed Pitch (FP) vs 6 Channel
Collective Pitch (CP)
Single Rotor FP helis and CP helis fly exactly
the same -
EXCEPT the FP's won't fly upside down!
This is an age old debate.Most who learned to fly
on a FP
will recommend it to other beginners because of
their
simplicity, ability to withstand most crashes with
no damage,
require almost no set-up time, cheapest type of
heli to buy,
fly and repair. CP helis are generally not
recommended to
beginners due to their complexity. They must be
properly set
up to fly right, they also need to be re-adjusted
anytime you
take it apart, that can mean lots of time spent
repairing and
tweaking if you crash alot. They also cost more to
fix, but
after you get better at flying and stop crashing the
cost of
repair parts becomes irrelevant. It is possible to
learn on a
CP with out any problems, it can just take longer
and more
money.
- Other tips
Buy Lots of batteries, this is good for 2 reasons.
The first
being the obvious that more batteries will equal
more flight
time, the second reason is that by having extra
batteries you
will be putting less stress on the batteries making
them last
longer.
Buy a nice battery charger. You will want a nice
LiPo Balance
charger. LiPo batteries with more then 1 cell need
to be
balanced. Buy a charger that can accurately
charge and
balance. Or use a seperate balancer, but still buy
a quality
battery charger.
Buy LOTS of spare parts. You can never have too
many spare
parts. And there's nothing worse then having to
wait for
replacement parts to arrive in the mail. When you
buy spare
parts always buy a few extras at the same time.
complicated. If you're reading this then most likely
you are new to r/c helis. So Here are my tips for
choosing your first heli, following these steps
should help make your choice easier.
- Where are you gonna be flying?
You need to consider this first for various reasons.
You can't fly a nitro heli inside (most can't and
don't want too) Also you can't fly a 600 class heli
(a rotor span bigger then 4ft) in a garage. While
generally you want the largest heli you have
space for, the
bigger the heli the more stable it will be, but
bigger = more
money to fix when you crash.
- How much money do you have to invest in this
hobby?
There are now helis available in all price ranges.
Fly
what you can afford to crash/fix.
- Nitro or Electric
This is really a matter of personal opinion. Both
have pro's
and cons. I like electric because of its simplicity
and that
I can fly anywhere without making anyone mad
because of
the noise. Since I went with electric, most of my
tips are
for choosing an electric heli.
- Co-Axial or Single Rotor Heli
A co-axial heli is easier to fly, mainly meant for
inside
but can be flown outside on calm days. However
a co-axial
flys completely different from a single rotor, so
most
skills gained by learning on a co-axial will not have
anything to do with a single rotor heli, they fly
completely different from each other. So if you
want to be
able to really fly, go straight for a single rotor heli.
- 4 Channel Fixed Pitch (FP) vs 6 Channel
Collective Pitch (CP)
Single Rotor FP helis and CP helis fly exactly
the same -
EXCEPT the FP's won't fly upside down!
This is an age old debate.Most who learned to fly
on a FP
will recommend it to other beginners because of
their
simplicity, ability to withstand most crashes with
no damage,
require almost no set-up time, cheapest type of
heli to buy,
fly and repair. CP helis are generally not
recommended to
beginners due to their complexity. They must be
properly set
up to fly right, they also need to be re-adjusted
anytime you
take it apart, that can mean lots of time spent
repairing and
tweaking if you crash alot. They also cost more to
fix, but
after you get better at flying and stop crashing the
cost of
repair parts becomes irrelevant. It is possible to
learn on a
CP with out any problems, it can just take longer
and more
money.
- Other tips
Buy Lots of batteries, this is good for 2 reasons.
The first
being the obvious that more batteries will equal
more flight
time, the second reason is that by having extra
batteries you
will be putting less stress on the batteries making
them last
longer.
Buy a nice battery charger. You will want a nice
LiPo Balance
charger. LiPo batteries with more then 1 cell need
to be
balanced. Buy a charger that can accurately
charge and
balance. Or use a seperate balancer, but still buy
a quality
battery charger.
Buy LOTS of spare parts. You can never have too
many spare
parts. And there's nothing worse then having to
wait for
replacement parts to arrive in the mail. When you
buy spare
parts always buy a few extras at the same time.
Co-Axial Helicopters are to easiest and most
stable helis available. When set up properly
they will hover all by themselves. They are
meane for indoors only but can be flown
outside when there is NO wind.
Learning to fly on a CoAxial Heli will be one of
the quickest ways to get into the air and start
flying. They are great beginner helis that
almost anyone can fly.
CoAxial Helis come in 2, 3, and 4 channel
versions but my recomendation is to only buy
4 channel versions, never 2 or 3 channel ones.
One big thing you need to know about CoAx's
is that they fly and handle much differently
then Single Rotor Helis. So once you master
flying a CoAx and want to move to single
rotor helis, you will basically have to re-learn
how to fly.
stable helis available. When set up properly
they will hover all by themselves. They are
meane for indoors only but can be flown
outside when there is NO wind.
Learning to fly on a CoAxial Heli will be one of
the quickest ways to get into the air and start
flying. They are great beginner helis that
almost anyone can fly.
CoAxial Helis come in 2, 3, and 4 channel
versions but my recomendation is to only buy
4 channel versions, never 2 or 3 channel ones.
One big thing you need to know about CoAx's
is that they fly and handle much differently
then Single Rotor Helis. So once you master
flying a CoAx and want to move to single
rotor helis, you will basically have to re-learn
how to fly.
| Have Questions and Need Answers Fast, Come sign up on my Forum and Join the Live Chat! |
| Copyright © 2008-2010 Nuttcaze, myrcguides.com and myrcguide.com All Rights Reserved. All original wording and photographs used on this website are the property of Nuttcaze, and may not be used without prior written consent. |
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ESky HoneyBee FP V2
Exceed RC Madhawk 300
