| When it comes to getting started in this hobby, it can be extremely confusing at first. There are alot of choices when it comes to choosing your first heli and there is also alot of information online that can easily overwhelm beginners and sometimes discourage them from getting into this hobby. But that is why I have made this site, to make it easier for anyone to join this hobby. There is no right or wrong way to learn to fly, but there are some things that you can do to help make your learning experience as painless as possible and that is what I will discuss here. |
Flight Simulator - A flight simulator
(sim) is, in my opinion, the best way
to get into this hobby. A sim is a
program you install on your
computer so that you can learn the
basic controls needed for RC helis
and Planes. Some sims are more
realistic then others but in general
they will all help to teach you the
basics.
(sim) is, in my opinion, the best way
to get into this hobby. A sim is a
program you install on your
computer so that you can learn the
basic controls needed for RC helis
and Planes. Some sims are more
realistic then others but in general
they will all help to teach you the
basics.
| 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 not meant for beginners. They are 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. They
are also sold as RTF (Ready-to-fly) or as ARTF Kits (Almost-ready-to-fly). Despite the RTF name, please
understand that NO 6ch Collective Pitch is really "Ready-To-Fly" right out of the box. They all need to be
checked to make sure they are set up right so that you can prevent any possible injuries.
them fly right. CP's come in sizes from micro indoor ones all the way to really, really big outdoor ones. They
are also sold as RTF (Ready-to-fly) or as ARTF Kits (Almost-ready-to-fly). Despite the RTF name, please
understand that NO 6ch Collective Pitch is really "Ready-To-Fly" right out of the box. They all need to be
checked to make sure they are set up right so that you can prevent any possible injuries.
| 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.
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.
The ESky Sim Kit (Above) is one of the best investments you
can make. Only $20 at xheli, nitroplanes and hobbypartz. It is
USB powered and can be used for many different flight sim
programs.
The ESky Sim Kit comes with a program called FMS or Flying
Model Simulator. It can be downloaded for FREE, go to the
FMS page for more info on this program.
can make. Only $20 at xheli, nitroplanes and hobbypartz. It is
USB powered and can be used for many different flight sim
programs.
The ESky Sim Kit comes with a program called FMS or Flying
Model Simulator. It can be downloaded for FREE, go to the
FMS page for more info on this program.
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.
| Some Thoughts on CP Helis |
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