Thinking about My first heli

[Hollow]

I have always wanted to own and fly those remote control helis. I know nothing about them though just like I didn't know anything about motorcycles or how to ride. I just found this RC section and it has hyped my interest into looking more into it. What can you guys suggest as my first purchase. Also any advice. Thanks.

[jsw4178]

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[tasop7]

I got into RC helicopters pretty heavily a couple years ago. I would also check out Hobby Lobby's RC Catalog of Radio Control Models, RC Airplanes, RC Helicopters, RC Boats!. I have bought several items from them and have been very happy.

When you go to the site, click on the helicopter link at the top. Since this will be your first, I would definitely stick with one under the beginner section. A lot of them have videos showing them in flight. There are 2 types under the beginner category. I have bought 1 of each kind... I have the Co-Co Lama and the Honey Bee Mk 3.

The Co-Co Lama has 2 propellers on top which spin opposite of each other.
-Pro: Very easy to fly and learn on. Can fly it indoors and in very small spaces. It's much harder to crash as long as you stay away from obstacles. I have gotten it where it's hovering and I've actually put the transmitter on the ground for a couple seconds.
-Con: Can really only fly it outside if there is no wind. Even the slightest wind can cause it to be difficult to fly. Not as much control as the other type (when you try to move it around, it's a little slower to respond and doesn't make real fast moves).

The Honey Bee Mk 3 has one propeller on top and another on the tail.
-Pro: You have much more control in light wind conditions (even though they still recommend you fly any of them in no wind conditions because it makes it much easier). It is much more responsive and can make real quick moves to the left, right, front and back.
-Con: Definitely harder to fly if this will be your first one. Since it is more responsive, it's much easier to crash. If it starts tilting a certain direction and you don't counter it, it will crash.

They just came out with a new version of the Lama (the Lama V4). If I were to buy one, that's the one it would be (this one comes with a charger you can plug into any outlet to charge the battery... mine only comes with a connector that you have to hook up to a 12 volt power supply or car battery).

If you do get one, I would recommend starting off with the heli in front of you, facing away from you. Practice bringing it off the ground and moving it forward, back, left, and right. Keep it relatively close to the ground in case you need to land it quickly. Until you get comfortable with just doing this, don't let it spin around and be facing you. When a helicopter is facing you, the controls flip around and moving it forward, back, left, and right all work in reverse. As I mentioned above, any helicopter with 2 propellers on top are much more forgiving and will make this learning process a lot easier and faster.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask if you have any questions.

-Taso

[sportrider]

my vote is for a eFlight Blade CX2. it's an indoor heli that on a REALLY calm day (no wind) can be flown outside. it's easy to control, if you get a Heli with a tail rotor the difficulty increases 10X (don't ask me how I know )

[jsteinb95]

Originally Posted by sportrider

my vote is for a eFlight Blade CX2. it's an indoor heli that on a REALLY calm day (no wind) can be flown outside. it's easy to control, if you get a Heli with a tail rotor the difficulty increases 10X (don't ask me how I know )

2nd that....even I can "fly" it.

[Scorphonic]

following on from what tasop7 said. I got the Twister Army RTF Co-Axial helicopter the other week. I've never flown before and this thing was grand to get going and into the air. It apparently doesn't handle wind too well but i've yet to test this out.

I would recommend this to anyone!

[autobahn70]

I fly r/c airplanes but there are lots of members of my flying club that do helis. Might be a good idea to go talk to the guys at your local hobby shop. They'll most likely tell you your best bet for getting started. Good choice in hobbies btw