I Hate RC Helicopters or love or hate or love or hate or

[Hagar (Doug)]

Who started threads on Remote controlled helicopters. Thanks very much!!! Ebay and the local model shop think it's great.

It all started with a couple of small 3 channel toys that I could very easily fly around the lounge room. I did buy a big on with the intent of flying it outside, After eventually getting it to hover in the back yard I got brave and launched t into the air, launched is the operative word. The wind caught it and after a short tussel it sped off into the distance and up into the bush behind my place, never to be seen again. My missus almost wet herself when I told her.., No sympathy at all. Not even an offer to help me look for it. Well it's gone and with bigger things at the hobbie shop I decided after some sales pitch from the shop keeper, I would step up to a big 4 bladed 4 channel rig which would teach me hyow to fly better and maybe handle gentle breezes better than the other.
The ESKY big lama was great it could handle the breeze well but was much harder to fly. The simulator which came with it was nothing great so I followed the instructions on the previous thread and bought a good simulator. Now this was hard to fly. Eventually I had hovering down pat so out came the ESKY Helicopter again. FRantastic, I could do it, well at least I thought I could. A few great flies without incident and that was me, ready for the next step.
A big collective pitch, 6 channel 450 size helicopter. This should be easy as I could actually fly the others. Ha Ha what a joke, first flight was looking good util the crash. Orders placed for spare parts and now I have a parts list which is the envy of some shops. I am still waiting for a couple of bits so while I waited I bought a Double dragon 9104 fixed pitch helicopter. Now this is fun. I have also got a Walkera V200D01 fixed pitch 4 channel flybarless heli on it's way. Now this should be fun as well.

Anyone contemplating buying a toy for the lounge room, DON'T. If you get hooked like me it will cost you a small fortune and you will need another room for the heli's and all the spares you have to carry.
At least my wife has had a laught ou of it all. She wouldn't be laughing if she new the cost.
RC Heli's are just great fun so I think I will soon look at a RC buggie of some kind and see if I can reduce my spending on Helicopters and maybe end up with a car or two which hopefully won't be as expensive to feed with spare parts.

Any advice welcomed. which wayto go. Nitro or electric?

[TheDecepticon]

LOL!

Sounds like me and my nitro car!!

Still waiting for a new engine.

[TrevorW]

Should have purchased one of those self hovering four bladed ones with cameras that's controlled by an Ipod/Iphone/Ipad

My RC's gathering dust and I'll give it to a GC when I have one

[mozzie (Peter)]

bring them up next visit doug...you can show the kids how they break and they will stop pestering me for one
i bought a real small one it flew straight up straight down thousand bits threw the lot in the bin end of helicopters.........

[TrevorW]

Now you know why helicopter pilots are a special breed

[Hagar (Doug)]

Originally Posted by TheDecepticon

LOL!

Sounds like me and my nitro car!!

Still waiting for a new engine.

I have ordered everything from China, much cheaper but takes a while.

Originally Posted by TrevorW

Should have purchased one of those self hovering four bladed ones with cameras that's controlled by an Ipod/Iphone/Ipad

My RC's gathering dust and I'll give it to a GC when I have one

It would just be another one on the list Trevor.

Originally Posted by mozzie

bring them up next visit doug...you can show the kids how they break and they will stop pestering me for one
i bought a real small one it flew straight up straight down thousand bits threw the lot in the bin end of helicopters.........

Yes sure Pete, with all the trees at your place and at the park it wouldn't take long to end up bent.

Originally Posted by TrevorW

Now you know why helicopter pilots are a special breed

Special breed for sure but it would be easier to fly when sitting inside it.

I still wantto know about cars or buggies 2 wheel drive or 4X4, electric or nitro????

[keni (Ken)]

Well this is just great.....
Guess who is getting very interested in these little devils too....

At least I haven't bought one yet ...just the simulator prog.
But oh boy they look like fun...and you don't need clear skies to fly/crash them.

So Doug should I join you and others in this noble pursuit..???
Remember misery loves company...

Cheers,
Ken.

[Hagar (Doug)]

Originally Posted by keni

Well this is just great.....
Guess who is getting very interested in these little devils too....

At least I haven't bought one yet ...just the simulator prog.
But oh boy they look like fun...and you don't need clear skies to fly/crash them.

So Doug should I join you and others in this noble pursuit..???
Remember misery loves company...

Cheers,
Ken.

Ken, It really is greatfun but it's a bit like astronomy with appature fever. Bigger Helis fly faster (Crash better) and the bigger they get the more hey cost to repair but it is great fun. I bought the real flight simulator and it is fun but the helicopter gets awfully small very quickly. It does teach you quite a bit and is cheaper than spare parts here in Aus.
If you are going down this line, go big and be done with it. Better flying outside in something big than doing little laps of the lounge room.

[keni (Ken)]

Originally Posted by Hagar

Ken, It really is greatfun but it's a bit like astronomy with appature fever. Bigger Helis fly faster (Crash better) and the bigger they get the more hey cost to repair but it is great fun. I bought the real flight simulator and it is fun but the helicopter gets awfully small very quickly. It does teach you quite a bit and is cheaper than spare parts here in Aus.
If you are going down this line, go big and be done with it. Better flying outside in something big than doing little laps of the lounge room.

Hi Doug,
This is not what I wanted to hear (stop using that word fun) but I think I'm resigned to buying something.
Perhaps something small I can fly at work.
Nothing likes scaring the crap out of people while getting paid for it.

Cheers,
Ken.

[acropolite (Phil)]

LOL I started in reverse, with a small Hirobo fixed pitch (no collective) single rotor and 4 channel radio... flying wasn't too hard until the much used radio receiver I had failed and slowly my toy flew in to the fence. I still have a shuttle and 6 channel radio, but for now I'm happy dodging around the loungeroom. I do miss having "proper" controls though, might have to dust the old girl off and get the rotors burning and turning.

[kustard (Simon)]

When I first started work I also started a Christmas savings account so I could buy a nice shiny Korg M1 Music station. Well I got sidetracked by my nephew who was driving RC cars with his 4WD Avante and within a very short while I had spent all my savings on cars, batteries, controllers, chargers, tyres and pimped up motors. It was great fun but in the end I wish I had bought the M1 instead...

[TrevorW]

Anyone want to buy a RC Heli used twice crashed once !!!

[cventer]

Smaller Helis like 450 size are actualy much harder to fly.

T-rex 550 or 600 is a great size bird. Go flybarless. very stable in the wind and highly aerobatic once you get good enough.

I have a 90 size nitro Xcel Stratus a T-Rex 600 flybarless electric, Raptor 50 nitro and 2 small 4 channel gyro ones for the house. Addicitve, but my T-Rex 600 gets the most flying. Small enough not to freak out about crashing it like my 90 but stable enough to have fun.

[Jaybee (John)]

Sigh...I too have joined the ranks of the RC Heli Crowd.
My wife purchased me a 300 size CP heli for Xmas. Crashed after I plucked up enough courage to actually get airborne, made it to 5 feet before ploughing it into the ground A trip to the model shop saw spare parts, a coaxial 3 Ch heli and Simulator exchanged for $$$..Heli repaired, practice with the coaxial and simulator, skate around the CP on training gear..lift off..damn..another trip to the hobby shop for spares...oh wait, I can order online..how convenient. I now have enough spares to build another Heli!
This is going to be as expensive as Astronomy!!..well..maybe not quite

[marki]

The 450's are pretty stable in a hover Doug even if there is a gust of wind. I have a TREX 450S 3D which is super stable or mad, just depends on where you put the flight mode switch. I setup mode 0 for hover and general flying about so the pitch goes from 0 to about + 7 degrees with 0 -100% throttle. In mode 1 throttle is 90% -100% and the pitch is set on a V curve of +/- 11 degrees. Always have to be on your toes when flicking over to mode one as below centre stick is negative pitch and above centre is positive pitch, easy to get caught out. The most important thing to get them flying well is to make sure the blades are tracking perfectly then they behave andyou can set the trims properly for hands off hovering. A good trainer (read small and hard to control) is the Eflight Blade MSR. This is one of those tiny choppers but is a CCPM (or close to) single rotor. On low rates it is okay but on high rates it goes like a bat of of hell. I fly it around the gym at school sometimes and it is a lot of fun as long as you can keep up with it. Makes an excellent trainer for the bigger choppers as it operates in a similar fashion and you can slam it into walls or the floor without doing any major damage (read tough as nails due to low mass/inertia and the bits are really cheap to replace). I have actually had to over haul mine a few times as I wore it out (very rare for a chopper). The blade MSR is only for large indoor areas as you willhave lots of trouble inside the house or outdoors.

Mark

[mozzie (Peter)]

they have an aero club just up the road doug and fly there remotes every weekend...
every june long weekend the hold there australian titles at this aero club for helicopters and my family goes and watches unbelievable what the can do with helicopters-they had the best from the states there one year and wow his eye hand co-ordination is amazing.....you can go there doug for some tips and have a fly-i mean i'll have a laugh at the damage

are you still doing astronomy or is this your new path.!!!!!!

[SkyViking (Rolf)]

Originally Posted by Hagar

Anyone contemplating buying a toy for the lounge room, DON'T. If you get hooked like me it will cost you a small fortune and you will need another room for the heli's and all the spares you have to carry.

LOL, sounds like good advice!
How about one of those really cool RC jet fighters with real jet engines... They cost a fortune and when they crash they make an awesome mushroom cloud: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcuHOU0VnC8

[Hagar (Doug)]

I was amazed at how many people have become intereste in helicopters. While very difficult o fly they can be great fun.
The big thing seems to be coordination of your hands and your ability to comprehend the directions of movement required to change flight from head on to tail on as all controls become reversed.
I'm afraid my brain works a little to slow.

[erick (Eric)]

Originally Posted by SkyViking

......when they crash they make an awesome mushroom cloud: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcuHOU0VnC8

That's neat! Crash some more, guys!

[erick (Eric)]

Combine two hobbies?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW150U-RuTE