FastTimmy

Hello all,

My Name is Tim Serviss and I have been a lurker for the last few months here on RC Universe. First let me say that you guys are great and are a tremendous wealth of info. However, as much as I have tried I can’t decide on what should be my first helicopter.
I could sure use some insight on a first heli. I have never flown a heli myself however I was very heavy into planes and cars about ten years ago. In the past year I have been blown away at the advances of electric flight and its technology. For that past 6 months I have gotten back into flying with electrics and must say I am thoroughly impressed. I like to think I am pretty savvy and mechanical however still very much a novice when it comes to heli’s.
In my hanger now I have a Futaba 9c, lipo chargers and the basics for electric flight but I am not sure witch way to go. Should I buy a RTF kit to get started knowing that I will through most of it away one day or should I piece something together? Should I use a simulator and start with something nicer? Can any one recommend a good simulator? I am generally a seat of the pants, learn as I go from my own mistakes kind of guy but in this case that could get expensive.
I shouldn’t say that money is no abject but I am not tied to a specific dollar amount. I would just like to be wise with my hard earned dollars. I am aslo not scared of a collective pitch. Basically I just want to hover and play outside the house and grow from there.
Feel free to fire off your thought or experiences.
I am thinking of the walkera # 35, 45 and the T-rex, any suggestions on models or options would be great….

Thanks
Timmy

FastTimmy

Going home for the night. Hope to see some info in the morning from you guys.

Thanks again
Timmy

jh4db536

My Feedback: (2)

if you have the slightest uncertainty on how much you want to commit into heli:

buy the XTR reflex simulator. i think it's the most realistic thing out there. hopefully your computer can handle it as it has some pretty crazy graphics. resale on it is good too.

now if you are in for the real deal. the best micro class electric heli are going to be the trex XL or x400. it's probably going to cost around USD$600-800 to get everything (Tx*, Rx, gyro, Heli, Battery/Charger, motor, servos).

keep in mind micro heli are difficult to learn on in GENERAL compared to the large nitros. Going cheap on a heli this size is going to make learning difficult if not impossible.

i see that youre in whittier...that's local. i could help you set it up if you get one.

rcalex

I would hardly say that it's impossible to learn on a micro heli / trex. My first heli was a Trex and it went smooth to learn on, I think the difference is a lot bigger if you are coming from a bigger heli and getting a micro heli.

I would definately recommend the T-rex, very nice machine, and performs incredibly good, no problem with advanced manuevers etc, and if you're going for a bigger but electric powered helicopter I would go for a Mikado Logo 10, the quality of those machines is just amazing, but that's just my opinion !

oops

Consider the Dragonfly 4.. (Walkera).

They are cheap and nasty, and come with a proprietary controller, but are economical to repair and tolerant of bad piloting.

All up for $100, then after you learn to fly one, get something bigger.

They are hard to fly, but you will learn a lot of skill very quickly.

David

VinceHerman

Hi Tim,
The sim is the right place to start. jh4db536 above recommends the Reflec XTR, which is great. I have used it and like it a lot. At a very similar level, the Realflight G3 (which I own) is great. G2 might be available for less money, and it is also very good. Any one of these three would get you started.
I have flown a lot of different small electric helis (Piccolo ECO, Hirobo XRB, Hummingbird, Esky 4ch) and my T-Rex. If you already have a heli capable transmitter (9C is awesome) and you work with a sim, I think that the T-rex (or x400) would be a very good place to start. My T-Rex crashes average under $20.
Vince

jh4db536

My Feedback: (2)

you shouldnt have to crash in order to learn how to fly (except mechanical/electrical failure). you might get an occassional mishap blade or boom strike. once it 'snapped' for me, that has never happened. my first and only crash was due to the swashplate seperating in flight (my fault for not checking it).

if you have an instructor or someone to help you during first spool up this process will go by really fast. having someone test fly your first build up and get the whole thing trimmed out is very valuable to a beginner.

you want a good heli so itll fly like it was designed to do. kind of like the perfect mechanical conditions in the simulator. you have enough to worry about as a beginner.

i recommend the trex and x400 for the following reasons:

theyre high quality for the price (theyre medium priced when considering all in micro class) trex XL is like $200 // x400 is a lot less for $130
[dont even get me started on trex vs x400] i think the x400 is a better bang for the buck especially now that they are getting popular *it's relatively new heli*
created by the man who designed the trex. theyre very similar anyhow and can swap many parts.

they have insane amount of aftermarket and parts support and good repair prices
largest most stable micro in the class
long tested and have most flaws worked out through revisions or DIY
since theyre a kit that means you have the ability to choose your electronics

FastTimmy

You guys rule...


VinceHerman
Thanks for the feed back, I will check out those SIMS and get one coming. I have always wanted one any way...


jh4db536
Thanks for all the info and you are so right on the point of having someone with experience pre flight and trim out a new model. I have had it done when I was starting in planes and I payed it forward over the years to others myself. Once I get something going I will hit you up about a doing a first flight test..


Are they any must have parts for the Trex or the x400?

Can any one coment on the [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemId=129660]eco 8 for sale[/link]

thecheatscalc

ok for the Rex a must have is a brushless system. The rex line (as well as clones) are a bit under powered for their size, so get a ALIGN 420LF they're not THAT expensive (actually pretty cheap) and with a 25A-35A esc you'll be able to tackle just about any type of flying, which is excluding crashes of course. The rex is the best 3D micro because of it's relativly cheap parts for replacements. A pair of blades is usually 10-20 dollars which is the best anywhere. if you go the TRex route you MUST get the brushless system as well as a pair of abs blades and a pair of woodies. Abs blades are near invencible and will probably out last your helicopter. as for the woodies the're for when you get good so you can do 3D manuveres. My favorite place to go for the Trex parts (also the cheapest with the fastest shipping as all their stock is IN the us so you should get your order in 3-4 days

credence

My Feedback: (2)

That eco is a beauitiful machine there. Just all the aluminum upgrades by them selves are almost worth $400. I've already spent more than $700 on my eco and I don't have all those pretty upgrades!


With that power setup and those upgrades, that would be an extremely capable machine. You could even open it up more by spending $80 on the eco-8 to eco-16 conversion kit and really watch that baby smoke!

If you've got the money, that would be a great way to go. Bear in mind that crashing that helicopter will cost you more than say a t-rex or x-400 would. But becuase it's about twice the size of the previous mentioned helicopters, it's also much more stable and easier to learn on, and probably more capable in the 3D realm with a good LIPO pack.

jh4db536

My Feedback: (2)

keep in mind the eco8 is not a micro class heli. i think it's almost as big as a 30 size nitro. a GOOD lipo for that thing probably costs $200. i dont think i could ever pay that much for a battery. even sub C 10 cells are probably almost 100.

if youre gonna get a heli that size go for a logo10.

any heli i get larger than the ones i have now would probably be gas powered for economical reasons. the trex and x400 are already large enough for indoor flying. i can get away with $30 lipos on my x400 that's as far as i want to go for a battery that has a limited service life.

FastTimmy

OK Guys, what do you think of this package...[link=http://mivasecure.abac.com/toyhaus/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=chkx015020as c1&Category_Code=rceheli]T-REX 450XL(HDE) Combo 1 W/Tail Lock Gyro [/link]

It seems to me to be the most current parts and at a good price. I dont need to beat it by ten bucks but if it's way high someone shout....

Timmy

jh4db536

My Feedback: (2)

i would get a better gyro than that. i would stay away from those align/telebee gyros. i had an align500 and it sucked royally.

look into futaba gy240 or 401. used is fine. you can probably get one for under $100.
other options include the CSM 200 lightened version or other high end CSM.
this is CRITICAL.

a good gyro will make it MUCH easier to learn because you wont have to do ANY tail management (barely). it's almost like sim conditions in real life. the gyro will almost fly the tail for you as a beginner

check out this:
http://www.trextuning.com/buyersguide.htm
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motor choice should match your battery choice before even considering your flying style. if you dont want to buy $80 batteries then you need to consider a low amp motor. NEU motor is probably a safe choice (has super low amp draw and 3d power).

i would say either castle or hyperion ESC get the job done (i personally trust neither for BEC reliability) only the kontronik jazz

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i love the simplicity of the x400's ECCPM setup. the trex has still got that complex mess of linkages and arms unless you buy an aftermarket frame with direct swash control.

check out some x400 combos:

www.rc-toro.com

i would go for the base kit + CCPM upgrade and then buy components from there.

FastTimmy

Just a gyro or do I need to have a component set up like this [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemid=132346]servo and gyro combo[/link]

Here is a logo 10 as well [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemId=130470]logo 10[/link]

any thoughts..

You comented on batteries as well. That is onw place I am covered. I have a few 3c 11.1v lipo packs and atleast one 1800..

FastTimmy

I can't get any thing on rctoro. is it a typo or am I a idiot?

jh4db536

My Feedback: (2)

fixed the link typo sorry

that digital servo is too big for micro heli.

tail servo - hitec HS56 or hs50 // there's also a micro digital servo for $25 that www.allerc.com offers, which i heard is pretty good.

the lipos you currently have are perfect for either Trex or X400. What is the C rating on them? a logo or ec8 will require like a 5 or 6 cell lipo and that's $$$.

thecheatscalc

well in this cas look at Grand rc for this type of thing, they have quite low prices, actually you could get the same thing there for a but less... but that's the correct motor for this heli. also I have both the ESC and the motor and they work great, just get a 10C discharge batt and you'll fly fine.

bdavison

My Feedback: (1)

I agree with the above. The Futaba GY series gyros are definatly the way to go on a Trex. Ive flown my friends Trex 450CDE with the Futaba Gyro, and its locked in and it will NOT move. Its unreal how steady that gyro is, but you have to combine it with a high speed servo like the Hitec HS-56 or something to get the super smooth performance out of it.

I plan on getting a Trex for myself for Christmas, and a 9Z radio to go with it, I can tell you....the Futaba gyro is definatly going in mine. NO EXCEPTIONS.

credence

My Feedback: (2)

You'd be suprised. You can find dealers on ebay who sell sub-c cells for dirt cheap. They come matched, and rated for high discharge (30+ A discharge).

I got 20 3300 MAH matched SC cells for $35. Thats enough to make two battery packs for my eco, and equates to about 35 minutes of flying.

Sure, they arent gold label sanyo cells, but who cares? They're all rated and standardized. Hell, they're probably all made in the same factories. I've had extremely good results with them. I get alot of power and very long run times (15+ minutes) on my sub-c packs. I agree that LIPO is an expensive way to go, though. And if you want something higher in quality, the logo 10 is a great way to go, but it's also about twice the price of the eco, and needs a slightly stronger power setup, so cost is a factor in determining what you want. If you're starting out, i'd still suggest a smaller micro class helicopter though, they're just cheaper to repair.