Is a bigger heli more dangerous to a noob?

[TTMR]

My luck at learning to fly has improved every time I took a step down in size. I'm down to a Nano CP X and actually starting to hover and dispite having crashed into walls, furniture, FS aircraft (parked ) and myself the only damage has been to the heli and a chipped finger nail.
Still a newbie but my .02

[rdlohr]

Originally Posted by TTMR

My luck at learning to fly has improved every time I took a step down in size. I'm down to a Nano CP X and actually starting to hover and dispite having crashed into walls, furniture, FS aircraft (parked ) and myself the only damage has been to the heli and a chipped finger nail.
Still a newbie but my .02

Cool. Learn on the little guys then take that knowledge to the big heli. Good luck!
Rick

[jbrandt]

Originally Posted by TTMR

My luck at learning to fly has improved every time I took a step down in size. I'm down to a Nano CP X and actually starting to hover and dispite having crashed into walls, furniture, FS aircraft (parked ) and myself the only damage has been to the heli and a chipped finger nail.
Still a newbie but my .02

I did something similar. Started on a small coax then "up" to Blade 120 SR, then "down" to a Nano CPx. After "mastering" (lol) that, I stepped it back up to a 450x.

I've tagged myself a few times with my nano, also tagged trees, badminton nets, the ground etc.. numerous times with it. Great little bird.

I love the people who say things like "I learned on a 500 and did just fine, micros suck. Yeah, well that was 20 years ago...

There are several advantages to learning on the small helis (mCPx, nano, etc...)

1) Cheap. You can get a ready to fly high quality (relative term) aerobatic heli for $100.
2) Durable. Not because of strength, but because of inertia. It's so light it doesn't have any.
3) Much less intimidating, not only because of 1 and 2, but just because it's lightweight with flexible blades, so if (I mean when) it does hit you or other objects, it's won't do much if any damage. Also, it doesn't have that low pitch buzzing sound that comes from the bigger helis spinning carbon blades at 3000+ rpm. The first time my 450 spooled up and I heard that noise, I puckered a bit...

[Jnewburry]

i have flown a mcx2 along time i thought it was time to step up . I looked on ebay and asked a couple questions the guy told me yeah this 600 nitro is good for begginers so i bought it . Wrong so i bought a 450 dominator 6s . Then a150 i think the 150 will be a good transition before messing with the big ones. Or is that gonna give me false confidence

[StarMaker]

I guess im going to have to start with a small heli then great info

[komis3]

you must be careful with 450 size heli too!

[Dutchdrifting]

A lot of people consider a 450 a small helicopter. I consider it a large helicopter. An mcpx is a small helicopter in my opinion. So to answer the question asked by the op, a small helicopter is safer than a big one. Not even considering if the pilot is a beginner or proffesional. The weight of a mcpx compared to a 700 says enough.

I have been hit by the blades of my mcpx bl in idle up and only received a bruise on the finger from it. Yes it wil sting you, but a 700 will eat you up.

Regarding the discussion raised on wich heli is best to learn on. There are no correct answers and most of you are right.
It all depends on a couple of factors like budget, feeling, time, assistance etc.

I have learned my orientations on an msrx. Horrible fbl fp micro. But due to all his flaws it turned out to be a nice little trainer. After that I stepped up to a mcpx and mcpx bl with 20 lipo's. I learned collective management on them. Learned my inverted orientations and some 3d like tictocs and half piro flips on these.
At this point I have spent around 400 dollars on the hobby, bought some stuff second hand, and made over a 1000 flights on the micro's.
After learning Mild 3d I bought a trex 500 and loved it. I was able to do stall turns and loopings on the first lipo I flew on it and was doing the same mild 3d on the 10th lipo.

why I chose this route? Limited budget, The inpopularity of heli's on the flying clubs around here (hardly any support if your not planking) the steep learning curve ( I like to be challenged) and the fact that I am a xbox player and have some feeling for two sticks.

If I would have had some more assistance at a local club and had a higher budget, I would probably have started with a 500 or 600 size and probably done as well as with the route I chose.

For the people who say they improved enormously after stepping up to a larger heli. You learned on a twitchy small heli, struggling to keep control of it. After that a 600 size heli feels gentle and easy. But don't forget you owe a lot to the small heli.

[Incognitjo]

A heli of a lot more expensive.

[Felix the cat]

Guess it shares the same rationale as:

Can high-power lines fry you ?

[minatrix]

Is a 500hp car more dangerous for a beginner driver?

If I want to juggle, is it ok to start with chainsaws?

Can my first sky dive be in a wing suit?

[Mark.a]

So I started flying in late oct/early nov 2014 with a wal mart coaxial. It was entertaining for a very brief period of time until it was to the point that the only time I crashed was because it was so slow and responsive to change directions because it didn't have a swashplate like some of the hobby store coaxials.

I started doing research because I wanted something with a normal tail rotor and a single blade and that's when I learned about fixed pitch and collective pitch.

I really like pushing myself and I wanted what I considered to be the most complex and something that wouldn't feel like it was outgrown right away so I got a Nano cpx. That helicopter took a beating like no other in the beginning because even though I knew a sim was a good start I figured a cheap little heli would be more fun haha which it was. I learned how to hover in all orientations and even learned some very slow rudder turns.

I got a 450x a couple weeks after the nano and it was incredibly stable flying it but was very scary due to the fear of crashing haha. then for a early xmas present my girlfriend got me a mcpx bl and that's where I started momentum turns and getting figure eights down well. But after some stupid crashes trying to learn flips and inverted I decided I should get a sim.

I probably spend a ridiculous amount of time flying/messing with the sim. Like 10+ hours a week maybe more. But my skill has increased very rapidly with the sim. Inverted flight is no longer a worry, flips go great, half piro flips are smooth. The sim has been invaluable, but I still am very glade I started out crashing my nano. Learning on such a small twitchy bird made me much much better when I started going to larger sizes and I definitely think a smaller size would make it much less frustrating for a beginner especially if they don't have anyone to learn from like I didn't.

[longhammer]

Even though I've been in the hobby for almost four years now, I'm only on my second year flying cp. My skill level is greatly improved, but am still a noob compared to most of you guys on here. I used to crash my micros on a daily basis, and had one bad crash with a 300x due to dumb thumbing it into my house. So far the only two helis I haven't crashed are my new 180cfx and 450x. Out of those two, the 450 is so much relaxing to fly, and the size makes it much easier to see. I don't belong to a club (yet) and prefer to fly alone. I've had friends want to hang out and watch, but I tell them that for their safety (and my sanity) it would be better if they didn't . Hopefully one day, my skill level will greatly increase, and I will be able to fly in the presence of other pilots and people. Until then, it's solo all the way. I do plan on moving up to a 500 or 600 class bird, and the thought of people being around is the only thing that would worry me.
As an OSHA certified professional in my field of work, I am all about safety, which is why I practice common sense, and never try to fly beyond my abilities.

[James Recard]

Your less likely to crash a larger heli into yourself, but the consequences are much higher if you do.

[bobbygz]

I didn't get into this hobby unfortunately until I was 43. I'm 46 now, and although I gave it alot of thought about going bigger than my biggest heli, 450, I probably won't. Holy crap, a canopy for a 600 size runs 50+ bucks! They all crash eventually whether pilot error or parts failure if you fly them long enough. I think a 450 could kill ya if it hit you in the neck like that poor guy in NYC, and the flight instructor in Texas. These are serious peices of hardware that have to be flown seriously. People are going to do what they want, and we've all done stupid things, but a big heli has literally no business in the hands of an inexperienced pilot. The only exception is if you have your own land and there's no one else around, including pets, and you decide that risking your life at worst, damaging the heli at best comes in second to experiencing flying a big flying lawnmower without progressing your skills beforehand. After 3 years of flying, I still have trouble with tail in inverted so I can't do any technical smack whatsoever. The younger you are getting into this hobby, the better you'll be but you still should go through the responsibility and maturity to fly safely, if not for yourself, for your wife, kids or mama!

[Obijuan Kenobe]

Originally Posted by Mark.a

I probably spend a ridiculous amount of time flying/messing with the sim. Like 10+ hours a week maybe more.

In the present company (HF), I think you'll find 10 hours per week might be just considered a light SIM practice schedule.



For me, I wish I could maintain 7 hours per week. But I am lucky if I manage 3.5 hours per week.



obi

[HohnGenerator]

The way I see it is like this. if you get hit with a larger and more powerful helicopter the accident is going to be far less forgiving than if you get hit with a small mini or micro sized helicopter. That said, if you are a beginner and you are going to learn on a large helicopter you have to do all that much more to prevent an accident from happening.That may include getting hold of a mentor or a teacher to assure that you have things set up correctly and that you go as far as possible to reduce the risk of an accident, Helicopters can be replaced. Eyes, limbs, bones, brains, internal organs, etc. cannot, Do everything possible to avoid an accident. The hobby is meant to be enjoyed and not suffered through,

[BobHyatt]

Old thread, but a couple of gripes.

I've flown R/C for 50 years no. I was "chief flight instructor" at our local club for years. We certified those that could pass a flight test under me, which was really several flights demonstrating the skills necessary to train newbies.

So good instructors were an important requirement. Everyone qualified had a gold "propeller" on their hat. Once a beginner was qualified for solo flight, he got a silver propeller. If he was pre-silver, only way he could solo was when he was at the field by himself.

We had a couple of rules that I wish all helicopter flyers would follow.

(1) the centerline of the runway is a barrier. Pilots are NEVER to fly on the flight-line side of that centerline except on landing. Flying behind the flight line was not allowed and would result in suspension of privileges. Just makes good sense.

(2) flying toward the flight line was frowned on. Fly in the direction of the runway centerline. IE not directly at the pilots/spectators. We also enforced this. I flew some pretty fast aircraft, including one turbine-powered F18 (I did the test pilot duties for most members as well). You do NOT want something like that flying toward humans. Too many things to go wrong, from pilot error to equipment failure.

If you watch some of the helicopter videos, you see all sorts of flying that I would throw you off our field for. IE it is cute to see a heli come straight down tail first, then level off 3' from the ground going backward. But if it is coming down where you see the full rotor disc, and you pull it out, it will be flying directly toward pilots and spectators. Seems to me all flying ought to be parallel to the flight line except for turn-arounds.

I'll try to find a photo I saved from one of our quickee-500 races. Pilot let a 4+ pound airplane flying about 150mph or so get away from him. Into the parking lot. Engine was found inside the car (it went through the sheet metal of the door). E = M * V^2 is a killer.

Oh yes, helis have that big V component when sitting still. I'm not quite sure about all the cavalier flying I see. even quad-copters come with risk, yet I see people flying them within 10' of someone taking a video of that person doing something interesting. Hope "interesting" never means getting out of the quad's way.

I was afraid the drone gloat was going to cause problems with too many nuts loose behind the sticks. Came to pass. It is easy to wreck a hobby with a little carelessness... And that usually involves wrecking someone physically as well, which we want to avoid.

I like the rules presented above. But would wish for the parallel to runway rule for safety.

[CleanPowerSolar]

I never hit myself with any of my helis until my 3rd year with my SAB700.

I started with a Blade Mini, to 230S,to 450L, 600XN, RAW700 ....

I was so scared spooling the 230S up for the first time. Even after a year and getting decent, it took 3 tries to get the balls to spool my 600XN to hover at first.

It wasn't until I was just hovering in the yard, doing a few rushed test settings in the heli, that a linkage arm pulled out of the threads (main blades) hovering 20ft high about 20ft away and it shot right at me.

I hit TH and ran and it still hit the side of my leg and ankle, first blade strike bruised badly my thigh and the second hit my ankle which drew blood. This was at 300-400RPM, it was spooled way down. But man. I still shudder. NEVER did that again. 2000RPM and id have been doneeeeeeeeeee.