hi from a new 500 owner

[one life fly it]

Hi , I'm Alex and live in the UK . I'm currently building my first 500 align . Its just the base model but hey you gotta start somewhere. I admit I am a plank flyer coming to the dark side and know very little about heli's but I've got to say what a help Bobs videos have been.

Hope you guys will be able to help with my first question. What's the first things you would upgrade and why ?

Also I'm not into 3d and would like to go scale once I have mastered it but think air wolf has been done to death. What else is available?

Thanks for reading.

Alex

[islrcr1]

Hi, Alex my name is Joel and I live on the other side of the world. Heli's aren't the dark side they are the light. I would not upgrade anything at first. Let the heli and your flying style let you know what to upgrade... follow the light.....

[Excalibur3]

I've asked the same question many times and aside from converting it to FL. They say nothing " run what ya brung" I'm in the process of running the electronics right now and it's taking longer than I expected to hide everything. But it will be worth it in the end. I love this Heli so far. 500e


HK250SR,Blade 450 3D,Blade 450 X,DX6I, Phoenix V4,Nano CPX, ( Newborn baby Trex 500)

[KSHeli]

Welcome to the 500 class, The T-500E FB is what I started with back April of this year, but I hadn't flown anything since a high wing cub back in 1988. This heli is an excellent intro as it handles the wind fairly well.

I've spent the last week converting mine FBL and programming the Helicommand HC3sX controller. I wish I had known about this controller sooner, several users say it makes the helicopter a real life Sim not that it will rebuild it for you, but it should allow me to push the envelope and get me out of unfamiliar situations if needed. The price of the unit is pricey at $499 US, but is quickly recovered if it saves you from a couple of crashes. The HC3sX will also work on a flybar helicopter as well taking the place of your native gyro but still gives you the self level and bail out features of the HC3sX unit, wish I had known that perviously could have saved some money on parts.

I've had to do like many and learn it all on my own and my head has just about been in a continous spin. There are no other fliers for about 50 miles, at times I just wanted to throw in the towel, but now I'm starting to have a lot of fun. Find a mentor that will hold you to a program of development and take your time and learn all orientations, coming from planks hopefully nose-in will be a quicker learning curve for you. Flying helis is a blast and I find it can really get my heart pumping.

Well that's enough blabbering for now. Just take you time and really learn to control the heli and force yourself to abstain from trying to perform acts that you aren't ready for, unless you like repairing. A good mentor will push you on when they feel you are ready.

Have a blast
Jim

[Larry227]

Welcome to the 500 club Alex.

[flybar_mike]

G'day Alex. Not sure whether you've gone flybarless or not but it doesn't really matter. Get the basics down and get comfortable with it. You need to be confident in the machine, and changing stuff (upgrading) will possibly hinder you. It did hinder me. Upgrades can mean much tweaking and playing around when what you really need is to be flying!

Converting to flybarless is a worthwhile idea not too far down the track. Otherwise just enjoy.

[one life fly it]

Thanks for the replies guys

I will keep it basic until the inevitable happens

Any of you guys got some pics of tidy wiring ? I have a friends 500 that I'm using for reference but his wires look a bit messy! As I said this is my first heli build and my other 2 , mcpx and 130 x came out a box ready to go..


Alex

[senoj]

Hi Alex and hello to all the 500 forum subscribers as well. Like you I have just bought my first 500 ESP so I'm also new to this forum. I have been lurking around here for a few weeks trying to absorb the issues and tricks with the 500. I mostly fly the TRex 450 pro and the Blade 130X. I couldn't resist putting some of the KDE bling on my 500, battery tray, receiver tray and bottom bracket. I bought it second hand from a guy in our club so it came with a KDE anti rotation bracket and needed a new bottom bracket anyway. Does yours have a tail belt drive or TT? Where in the UK are you?
Trev

[wanderer56]

Originally Posted by one life fly it

Thanks for the replies guys

I will keep it basic until the inevitable happens

Any of you guys got some pics of tidy wiring ? I have a friends 500 that I'm using for reference but his wires look a bit messy! As I said this is my first heli build and my other 2 , mcpx and 130 x came out a box ready to go..


Alex

Exactly which model 500 do you have? It will help a lot to know which model. 500E, ESP, PRO? Assuming it's a flybarred model, the only thing I might change right out of the box is the flybar paddles. I'd get some KBDD's and just save your money for spare parts. Blades, shafts, gears, flubars, etc. Your going to need them!


Since I can't repost the same pics, click on my heli pic and take a look in my album for some wiring ideas.

[Excalibur3]

I wish I could watch these legendary bob videos. and I'm not kidding. It's almost time for me to start adjusting my head and I would love to learn it right. Is there any other set up videos I can use from my iPhone? I don't have access to a computer other than my iPad 3


HK250SR,Blade 450 3D,Blade 450 X,DX6I, Phoenix V4,Nano CPX, ( Newborn baby Trex 500)

[bstanley72]

Originally Posted by one life fly it

Thanks for the replies guys

I will keep it basic until the inevitable happens

Any of you guys got some pics of tidy wiring ? I have a friends 500 that I'm using for reference but his wires look a bit messy! As I said this is my first heli build and my other 2 , mcpx and 130 x came out a box ready to go..


Alex

I wouldn’t worry too much about the tidy wiring. You’ll want it so that it is easy to work on, not look pretty. After a crash or two it gets old wiring everything back the way you had it.

[KSHeli]

Get look at rchelicopterfun.com and view John's training videos, you can also find a lot of material on YouTube, just search rc helicopter flight training videos. He has them classified by days, but that's just the way the steps are divided up. Each one is just a step in progression, one may take you weeks to master, another may only take you a day to master. Just gives you a good organized progressive program to step through.
Good luck and have fun.

[senoj]

Originally Posted by Excalibur3

I wish I could watch these legendary bob videos. and I'm not kidding. It's almost time for me to start adjusting my head and I would love to learn it right. Is there any other set up videos I can use from my iPhone? I don't have access to a computer other than my iPad 3



HK250SR,Blade 450 3D,Blade 450 X,DX6I, Phoenix V4,Nano CPX, ( Newborn baby Trex 500)

I use the app 'Video DL Pro' on my iPad. It works well for me and I have Bobs videos downloaded and am able to watch them offline.

[Excalibur3]

Thanks I'm gonna try that


HK250SR,Blade 450 3D,Blade 450 X,DX6I, Phoenix V4,Nano CPX, ( Newborn baby Trex 500)

[one life fly it]

Originally Posted by senoj

Hi Alex and hello to all the 500 forum subscribers as well. Like you I have just bought my first 500 ESP so I'm also new to this forum. I have been lurking around here for a few weeks trying to absorb the issues and tricks with the 500. I mostly fly the TRex 450 pro and the Blade 130X. I couldn't resist putting some of the KDE bling on my 500, battery tray, receiver tray and bottom bracket. I bought it second hand from a guy in our club so it came with a KDE anti rotation bracket and needed a new bottom bracket anyway. Does yours have a tail belt drive or TT? Where in the UK are you?
Trev

Hi I live in Lincolnshire

[one life fly it]

Thanks again for replies , as for which model I have the instruction just say t Rex 500 so does the box . Its got a fly bar and a blue and white canopy and plastic blade grips . So it really is the basic ! But I'm happy as I didn't have to pay for it

[mhills51]

Sounds like the 500e a great entree to the 500 club. It's hard to keep from the upgrade mentality. I don't know if it comes from building RC Cars or maybe owning Eflite blade products lol! Needless to say it's hard to build it and fly it!

At the time I built and flew my 500e the only thing that kept me from upgrades was because I was putting it in a fuse and I had my 500pro to play with. Having said that I put at least 50 packs with it and only had a issue with a swash with a little bit of play. If you change anything I do like the tarot top links. They are none adjustable and easier to deal with. http://www.ac-rc.com/product_info.ph...30ds7qasnodah2

They come in black or orange.

[Blayd]

Welcome to the 500 class!!!
Yep, the great 'ol 500e model. You've done well to start with.
Upgrades..theres plenty of time for that later. Spend money on spare parts.
ALL my heli's.. ( 4 500's and a 700 ) are FB'd. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Got a sim? If no.. GET ONE! Its the best tool you'll own for learning. I'm not kidding here. Its not real life, but it is a learning tool. That wont cost you between $75 and $200 every time you make a mistake.
Tidy wiring.... I'm highly COD.. so all my heli's are wrapped up, sleeved, zip tied.. etc. Just do yourself a favor....
Lightly sand the edges.. ALL the edges of the frame....use zip ties to bind the wires so they don't move around from vibes...use some of the soft, fuzzy side of VELCRO, stuck onto the frame, in spots where the wires may run around, over or through the frame to protect them. If your really into the dressed up look, then by all means.. buy yourself some braided, coiled, wrap, and a bunch of shrink wrap. I personally like the way my heli's are wrapped up.. but as stated...it IS a pain to have to redo, or undo that stuff if and when you need to work on it.
Seriously... sim, sim, SIM. Welcome!!

[oy2503]

Congratulations on your 500. The 500E Super Combo is good value. If/when you break something,
you can upgrade. No real reason before that.

Words of advice:

1. Buy the Phoenix sim - it's a must. It's even British! Remember to get the cord that fits your transmitter.

2. Maybe put on undercarriage and tail fin from the 600E. That will save your tail blades.

3. Have fun - it's a great heli. My Beam 600 is better, but my 500ESP works fine.

I didn't have the stomach to start with the 500, so I used a 450. I'm chicken.

Cheers
Erik

[Blayd]

Originally Posted by oy2503

fits your transmitter.

Maybe put on undercarriage and tail fin from the 600E. That will save your tail blades.

+1

One of the only things I did that really helped me as far as a change to the bird was this.
I still fly 600/700 skids and pipes.. ( The 600 and 700 run basically the same skids.. some are slightly different in stance. but barely noticable )
And I still fly the 600 tail fin on 2 of my 500's, and the Lynx 700 tail fin on my HC500.
The 600/700 skids and pipes are wider so planting a landing is easy and stable, and it would take some real hard aileron to tip it over on a landing. I also happen to like it for doing baby-auto's from about 5 to 8 feet up.
The 600 tail fins keep the tail blades a long way away from anything.. you'd have to back into something to hit those tail blades. They help with rough landings, landing on uneven terrain, slightly tail down landings. AND.. I can see the darn things when the 500 is across the field in a FFF circuit.