quadcopters vs helis?

[Thalios]

I fly my multirotors in Arenas all the time. Try that with a 450+ class heli. I tried once with my Mini Prôtos and quickly decided against it.

Multis are much safer.

[jolyboy]

I agree, nothing scarier than a heli blazing towards you with the jaws theme going "DUNDUN DUNDUN DUNDUN!!!!!"

This weekend I got loiter (GPS hold) and RTL working on my 450. FPV Safety has improved about 100 points because you can whack it into loiter, take off the goggles, look around for your heli, then land LoS. Better yet, you can hit RTL and play the waiting game..

In altitude hold, its virtually impossible to hit the ground unless your battery runs out. I even tried to make it lose alt, but it only makes blade farts instead

[spinzer]

You guys are making it difficult to decide if i should give up my turnigy talon 2 Quad: https://www.helifreak.com/showthread...04#post4892504 And to amp things up, i have been offered a 450 fbl as well for it What should i do what should i dooooOOOO ?????

[jolyboy]

The grass is always greener on the other side buddy.... Which is why I just bought a quad lol. The heli is my pride and joy though, even though flights are short and crashes are horrific..

[hga77]

The other thing about heli fpv is it can get very time consuming and frustrating to set things up right. And yes, you gotta watch out for those blades. You MUST be careful when you fpv with a helicopter!

I'll say this, if you're happy fpv'ing with a multi and it does everything for you, then really you should not go into heli fpv. Unless ofcourse you're a helifreak (I mean dream about helis some nights lol) like me, I do heli fpv because I LOVE helis. Multi don't do it for me... not sure why... Maybe cos I haven't tried one! I just don't like the idea of having my machine doing a random flip on me and loosing complete control... At least with a heli you can auto... But again you can argue that a heli when crashed will most probably make more damage to the machine, and even others if being careless in where you fly. And repairs are more expensive and more time consuming.

I really think it's a personal choice. Both have there ups and downs and will perform great as fpv fun platforms, but in the right hands. So if multis do it for you, why go into helis? Unless you love helis and want to fpv with one for the sake of being a heli freak like me

[spinzer]

Originally Posted by jolyboy

The grass is always greener on the other side buddy.... Which is why I just bought a quad lol. The heli is my pride and joy though, even though flights are short and crashes are horrific..

lol... i had a flybarred 500 before so i sort of know what to expect of a heli in this size class, and
i tell you it's still difficult to decide I love the quad for it's easier to fly in small spaces, slower headspeeds (well... motor speeds with smaller props) or at least that's how it sounds.
The othe great thing is you just pop it in and out of the boot and go fly, no need to unfold blades
and add and remove a canopy, on the other hand the 500 is mor lively due to it's high headspeed, more dangerous, exciting and it's a heli....

[whiplashWho]

In addition to all the other things mentioned, quads add in the dimension of portability. My entire setup can be carried on my back (quad included). The only thing I carry in my hands is my tripod ground station, which is only necessary sometimes as my Attitudes have built in VRx.

[jolyboy]

Maidened my f450 quad (10x4.5 carbon props, simonk fw etc) on the Saturday -- It's the first quad i've flown. Compared to a heli it's got a similar climb rate, but the throttle had that tiny bit of lag that makes it so much less fun than any ccpm heli. By comparison the heli feels like it's attached to my hand. Maybe I'll get used to the quad?

It might be just that I'm used to the sharp feel of cyclic, but I way prefer my heli to fly.

[Sailingeric]

Originally Posted by jolyboy

Maidened my f450 quad (10x4.5 carbon props, simonk fw etc) on the Saturday -- It's the first quad i've flown. Compared to a heli it's got a similar climb rate, but the throttle had that tiny bit of lag that makes it so much less fun than any ccpm heli. By comparison the heli feels like it's attached to my hand. Maybe I'll get used to the quad?

It might be just that I'm used to the sharp feel of cyclic, but I way prefer my heli to fly.

The biggest heli I have flown is my 130x. After flying my F450 for awhile and then picking up the 130x, the 130x is way more twitchy and quicker reacting than I remembered it.

[Tukmol]

Quads are better for FPV flying. Helis are better for LOS

[aaronredbaron]

Originally Posted by Tukmol

Quads are better for FPV flying. Helis are better for LOS

I have to disagree with your blanket statement. I just posted this the other day in the thread about using a 300X for FPV, but I think it belongs here too...

Quads can't fly aerobatics with extended inverted (yet) and they cannot auto. While I enjoy flying quads, FPV helis have way more to offer if you want to get crazy with it. Plus, there is nothing quite like doing a nice smooth controlled decent with a heli, not something you can easily pull off with a quad. I guess it depends what kind of flying you want to do, for low and slow and through the trees, Quads all day. For ripping it up and doing aerobatics, helis can't be beat!

I'd like to see a quad get anywhere close to flying like this. (when CP quad are available I'll be willing to reconsider my stance...)

FPraVe 3D FPV heli (4 min 36 sec)

In the end, I want to recreate my flight in the Red Bull BO105, and a quad just ain't gonna do it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VadC...nJ9OnQ&index=6

[Tukmol]

Originally Posted by aaronredbaron

I have to disagree with your blanket statement. I just posted this the other day in the thread about using a 300X for FPV, but I think it belongs here too...

Quads can't fly aerobatics with extended inverted (yet) and they cannot auto. While I enjoy flying quads, FPV helis have way more to offer if you want to get crazy with it. Plus, there is nothing quite like doing a nice smooth controlled decent with a heli, not something you can easily pull off with a quad. I guess it depends what kind of flying you want to do, for low and slow and through the trees, Quads all day. For ripping it up and doing aerobatics, helis can't be beat!

I'd like to see a quad get anywhere close to flying like this. (when CP quad are available I'll be willing to reconsider my stance...)

FPraVe 3D FPV heli - YouTube



In the end, I want to recreate my flight in the Red Bull BO105, and a quad just ain't gonna do it!

going for a ride in the Red Bull Helicopter - YouTube

Yah its just my opinion on whats better, for me good FPV is flying almost anywhere i want and have a watchable video, i dont like watching inverted videos or sideways.

Quad FPV is so much fun, you can fly through doors,around trees or fly 1 foot off the ground in FFF without worries and just enjoying the flight, I can video people few meters away and not worried i might kill them, thats my discription of good FPV for high altitude flying, the planes got that spot. helis are for LOS for me.

[Titusx]

With helis you could fly low and smooth, and in tight places, but not trough a window. And also you could fly fast and open.

This are a couple of vids from my protos stretched.

It all depends if you enjoy flying helis or you only want a camera in the sky.

1º Protos Stretch FPV Flight - 04-03-2012 (Streets) (4 min 58 sec)

2º Protos Stretch FPV Flight - 04-03-2012 (Buildings) (4 min 56 sec)

[Tukmol]

Originally Posted by Titusx

With helis you could fly low and smooth, and in tight places, but not trough a window. And also you could fly fast and open.

This are a couple of vids from my protos stretched.

It all depends if you enjoy flying helis or you only want a camera in the sky.

1º Protos Stretch FPV Flight - 04-03-2012 (Streets) - YouTube
2º Protos Stretch FPV Flight - 04-03-2012 (Buildings) - YouTube

What flight cam are you using? it's very clear

[Titusx]

Originally Posted by Tukmol

What flight cam are you using? it's very clear

I am using one similar to this:
http://shop.vtq.de/product_info.php?...TQ-E23PUB.html

My camera is a previous model with less lines than that.

[JustStartingRC]

I'm joining late, and at the stage where I'm trying to figure out how much weight various helis can carry. Any guidelines? What total flying weight should I shoot for (or come in under) on a 300x? How about a 450?

[jolyboy]

My trex 450 stretch weighed in at 1300g all up and flew without much problem, just slow on turns. It cruises at 80kmh without a canopy and 113kmh is the highest speed it reached out of a dive without a tail wind. At that weight I was getting 9mins flight time with flips and high speed, I've since stripped the excess weight out for longer flight time.

Normally a 3d 450 should weigh in at less than 800g.

[JustStartingRC]

Originally Posted by jolyboy

My trex 450 stretch weighed in at 1300g all up and flew without much problem, just slow on turns. It cruises at 80kmh without a canopy and 113kmh is the highest speed it reached out of a dive without a tail wind. At that weight I was getting 9mins flight time with flips and high speed, I've since stripped the excess weight out for longer flight time.

Normally a 3d 450 should weigh in at less than 800g.

Where did you get the 800g figure from? The Blade 450 3D weighs 760g. Surely it can carry more than 40 more grams comfortably. Even a 300x should be able to manage a GoPro at about 80g, I would think.

[jolyboy]

Originally Posted by jolyboy

NORMALLY a 3d 450 should weigh in at LESS than 800g.

This

[JustStartingRC]

Originally Posted by jolyboy

This

This what?