So you want to learn to fly R/C helicopters

[oliverdots]

Thank you for posting all your kind comments. I'm pleased it has been of some help to you

[savu2day]

I'm trying to get this Honey Bee off the ground and having a hard time figuring out why the heli starts flying to the left very fast. check the swash plate to see its level, also set the trim on the transmitter. Wondering if you have any tips for me.

[Viet-Lama]

If the heli is drifting left while hovering "tail in" then you need to loosen the left servo link. This will raise the left side of the swash and force the heli to drift more right.
Center your aileron trim then Id start with 3 full turns (CCW) on the ball link.

[superfunhobby]

I have become addicted to reading forums..tips and advice as I e entually want to learn cp flying. So now that you cant buy the honeybee what do hou guys suggest other than a sim?I usea mac so a sim is not an option without buying windows....so no i am not willing to spend over 200 bucks just to have a piece of software.

All the forums and all the advice online says get a honeybee for a trainer.....well obviously that advice is no good since it seems esky dropped off the planet so whats a guy who only has flown coax do now?

[robbancs]

That's a very good question. I'd probably have a look at the Walkera shelf.

I used to think about the V200D01 but that's significantly more expensive than a Bee. I don't know about durability but flybarless means fewer parts to fix.

Is it possible that we are left without any 300 size fixed pitch heli for ~$100?

[superfunhobby]

I was hoping that this forum would provide a clue.Maybe it is a taboo subject...it sems no manufacturer is willing to fill this gap except maybe walkera....which from my reading on forums etc is not even in consideration for me personally for a variety of reasons quality being the first. Maybe I will jist get a hk clone for 30 bucks and crash it buy another and repeat until i learn to fly.

[TowPilot]

I don't know that you will find this helpful but I'd recommend a sim now since you will need or want one later.

Flying the sim now will help bridge the training gap between Co-axials and CP as well as when you are flying CP, the sim will save a great deal on parts and time spent rebuilding. The rebuild is not just replacing parts, it's also the time spent getting it set up to fly well and sorting out that new vibe that wasn't there before the crash.

Sims won't stop crashes, they just reduce the number so you can fly more and spend less time on the bench on sunny days

But you know that, I'm simply encouraging you to buy now to get the full bang for the sim dollar investment.

You nailed it, the most painful part is buying Windows. Windows 7 Home Premium is $120. Boot Camp is free so you could go that route. Or VMWare is $50 but I mostly just reboot into Windows through Boot Camp. I'm not usually simming and doing email

Then get a used sim, even an old Real Flight is the ticket. If you do want to sim with others online, OK, then buy a current version. I've not found simming online helpful. It is social though and some like that aspect, meeting regulars online to sim more often or make it more fun.


You've been flying so aren't a novice at the controls. Maybe someone local would let you try their mCPX.

It is a CP but with the electronic stabilization, it's not too hard for hovering practice. Circuits are a challenge due to the small visual size and it gets going fast if not under control.

Key is, getting the hovering down anyway at first. That will build familiarization with it when you start to do small circuits later on.

The best part is that crashing does not mean a head rebuild every time like a larger CP does.
A larger CP crash means usually a bent fly bar, broken main blades, a feathering shaft and the time spent setting it up again.

The mCPX, crashing from a hover usually means hitting throttle hold, looking it over, setting it back on the skids and flying again.

What I look for is a disconnected link, did the main gear slide down and is the tail boom pressed into the frame.

Since the mCPX can be flown repeatedly after losing control from a hover so easily and frequently, it's OK as a hover trainer as a first CP after flying a coaxial.

Or you might find a used Honeybee with parts.

Just some thoughts. Something that may or may not be of interest.

Mike

[Oldladypilot]

Originally Posted by superfunhobby

I have become addicted to reading forums..tips and advice as I e entually want to learn cp flying. So now that you cant buy the honeybee what do hou guys suggest other than a sim?I usea mac so a sim is not an option without buying windows....so no i am not willing to spend over 200 bucks just to have a piece of software.

All the forums and all the advice online says get a honeybee for a trainer.....well obviously that advice is no good since it seems esky dropped off the planet so whats a guy who only has flown coax do now?

Superfun,
Tried to send you a pm regarding a HoneyBee. Would not let me. PM me if you want the info.

[Viet-Lama]

Originally Posted by savu2day

I'm trying to get this Honey Bee off the ground and having a hard time figuring out why the heli starts flying to the left very fast. check the swash plate to see its level, also set the trim on the transmitter. Wondering if you have any tips for me.

Sav, what was the outcome?

[savu2day]

I think I did not make the adjustment properly, Will let you know when I can fly, the weather conditions not easy to fly the Bee. Thanks for the advice.

[Viet-Lama]

[Luke Warmwater]

Originally Posted by superfunhobby

I was hoping that this forum would provide a clue.Maybe it is a taboo subject...it sems no manufacturer is willing to fill this gap except maybe walkera....which from my reading on forums etc is not even in consideration for me personally for a variety of reasons quality being the first. Maybe I will jist get a hk clone for 30 bucks and crash it buy another and repeat until i learn to fly.

Loadsa HBFP V2s on Ebay.
In the UK, Kooltoyz is selling them new.

[oliverdots]

I am sooo out the loop. Why did esky stop the V2? Have the company folded? What the hell do I suggest a new flier buy? I know some would say the Trex 700

[Bugster]

Yes Luke's right - plenty here

http://www.kooltoyz.co.uk/honey-24ghz-p-836.html

and here but not as cheap

http://www.buzzflyer.co.uk/RC-Helico...FSEntAodqV13dw

If you remember, HBFP sales before Xmas always empty the shelves here in UK. Then with Chinese new year (plus another January/February holiday I believe this year?) new stock tends not to arrive here much before March/April.

[LeftKoast]

I'm new to this site and love all the blogs.....so much great info. I've been flying FP heli's on my sim for about 2 months. I broke down and bought a micro heli and did ok with it. Still learning the orientation when flying back towards me. I'm looking to purchase the Honey Bee V2 and was wondering if that would be my best choice to progress to. I've seen you tube vids and tutorials and most agree that would be the next step for me.
Any suggestions as to other beginner to intermediate type heli that would be a good choice. Thank you in advance for any input.

[ericdrob67]

Ive been in RC cars/trucks for nearly 20 years now. Decided I wanted to try out Heli's. I started with two weeks of "research" with budget in mind. Decided all the gear i wanted and started ordering. I decided on a HK 450gt (Trex 450 clone), Turnigy 9x, Solar D654 cyclic servos, Turnigy 306 tail servo, Turnigy typhoon 2215 motor, Detrum 40a esc, Detrum gy48v gyro, turnigy 2200 30-40c packs... all in all A good starter package for about $300....

Some things im noticing right off the bat.... HK main rotor head has fair bit of slack/play in it, im guessing due to low quality/tolerance bearings. Ive read several times that main shaft and feathering shaft are softer/more subject to wear also. Tail setup is a bit loose too. Frame and everything else is fine. So now im looking at replacing main rotor and tail pretty soon with Tarot/Trex parts. SO in the end my budget build will equal what it would have cost if I just got the Tarot/Trex to start off with.

Advice for anyone else just starting out like me... SPEND $$ on the quality kit/parts to start off with. Youll end up spending more if you go budget then have to upgrade.

Spend extra time on set up/build, mistakes here will cost even more after a crash if you didnt double/triple check everything.

Spend more $$ on good servos too... im already looking at replacing <$10 that failed after 5 min with $20+ servos.

For folks that are thinking of getting into Heli's like me.... Consider how steep the learning curve is and how much its going to cost in maintenance/repairs.

Before you spend any $$ on a Heli & gear, get a simulator and spend as much time as you can on it, the more time you spend on simulator and proper setup the lower your repairs are going to be.

[GooberRC]

Thanks a lot for this thread. It has given me reason to rethink how to get started as it conflicts with some advice I was reading elsewhere ( rchelicopterfun.com ). The advice from that site was to start with a CP heli in the 400/450 size range. The reasoning offered was that a larger ship will be more stable and more responsive. Add to that the better altitude control that comes with CP and potentially using electronics systems such as the Align 3GX, something like a Trex 450 could be setup as a beginner ship and then progress with you as you learn. The major caveat that came with that advice was that a beginner starting with a CP heli needs to be prepared to spend a lot of time focussed on correct setup, and learning how to fly one very small step at a time.

So....after reading this thread I wonder if that advice is wrong, or have the new flight controllers such as the 3GX changed the picture for ideal beginner helis?

I recently got back into flying aircraft after a hiatus of several years and when visiting a local field I saw someone flying a nice quad-copter, which got me thinking expensive thoughts Any advice you guys can offer would be much appreciated.

[boykintom]

My advice is to start with a Honey Bee fixed pitch V2 or something similar. We all crash a lot at first, and the HBFPV2 is cheap and easy to fix compared to a CP helicopter of any size. There are a few very good mods to be found on this section of the forum, but not much is needed to make this heli fly well. And, as many have said, if you learn to fly the Bee, you can fly just about anything. The quad's are lot of fun, and could be a could next step between the Bee and a CP heli. They are very good at helping you learn nose-in flight, especially.

[GooberRC]

Originally Posted by boykintom

My advice is to start with a Honey Bee fixed pitch V2 or something similar. We all crash a lot at first, and the HBFPV2 is cheap and easy to fix compared to a CP helicopter of any size. There are a few very good mods to be found on this section of the forum, but not much is needed to make this heli fly well. And, as many have said, if you learn to fly the Bee, you can fly just about anything. The quad's are lot of fun, and could be a could next step between the Bee and a CP heli. They are very good at helping you learn nose-in flight, especially.

Thanks for the reply. Cost aside - do you think the Honey Bee is more stable than something like a Trex 450? I could always go with a HK450 to keep the cost down I guess, although I generally prefer to avoid clones, especially when there are potential safety risks involved.

[boykintom]

No, the Bee is not more stable than the Trex 450, but it is much cheaper and easier to fix than any 450 cp heli. It makes a great learner platform, because it is relatively hard to fly, so you really have to learn some skills to fly it, which come in very handy with larger helicopters. It is also durable enough, especially with a couple of simple mods, that normal crashes don't result in much down time.