Need some advice

[Imzzaudae]

No need to be sorry Ron.
I am aware that I can seem gruff from time to time.
Usually it's intentional, in order to get someones attention.

If we lived a little closer together I'm sure that You, Archmage and I would be great flying buddies. Even good friends have differences of opinions from time to time.
Ron

[Ron_R]

Originally Posted by Imzzaudae

No need to be sorry Ron.
I am aware that I can seem gruff from time to time.
Usually it's intentional, in order to get someones attention.

If we lived a little closer together I'm sure that You, Archmage and I would be great flying buddies. Even good friends have differences of opinions from time to time.
Ron

[jbrandt]

OP:

I'll give you my personal experience and let you go form there.

A little background first, back in the 90's I flew quite a bit with airplanes, but never got up the gumption to fly helis (though I wanted to). Fast forward 15 (ahem, 20...) years, a wife, 2 houses, 2 kids and a few pounds, and I've gotten myself back into rc, first a few years back with rc rock crawlers, now with helis.

What worked fantastically for me was starting out with a Blade Scout (3 channel micro coaxial). That is what reminded me how much I enjoyed r/c, and made me want more. A week later I had a Blade 120SR, then soon after that I wanted something else to fly inside so I got a 4 channel coaxial (mCX2). A few months later I decided to buy a Blade Nano CPx. A fully aerobatic collective pitch heli. It was a handful to fly at first, but because of it's size, there was little to no danger in learning to fly it. I can attest to the fact that once you learn to fly one of these things, it makes moving up to larger helis MUCH easier. I got a 450 size a few weeks ago (my first heli that didn't fit in the palm of my hand), and I was hovering it in all orientations 1/2 way through my FIRST battery. By my 4th or 5th battery I was doing circuits and stall turns (I'm sure there's a better name for them...).

So. Here are the three main benefits to starting small:

1) Safety. I've tagged myself with my nano a few times on bare skin. It left a slight red mark. I picked it up and kept flying. I am 100% certain you cannot say that with a 450, 500, or even a 250 size.

2) Durability. I have post holed all of my helis into the ground at one time or another. I have replaced a set of skids and a couple canopies across ALL my helis.

3) Cost. My first heli, ready to fly cost $50 (Scout). My second cost $120 (transmitter included). My 3rd cost $60 and I could use my existing transmitter. Then I eventually upgraded to a better radio that I could use on all my helis ($140 new), and a $99 fully aerobatic helicopter.

Other tertiary benefits include the ability to fly micros almost anywhere. No real need to find wide open and unpopulated areas or AMA flying fields to learn to fly them. You can fly a Nano in your backyard or a park. I like the ability to put 2 or 3 packs in my nano before my wife or kids ever notice I'm even outside!

That said, nothing can really replace having the expertise of an experience heli pilot to help guide you through the learning process (with ANY sized heli) at an AMA field with a club. I don't have one close by, so that's not a real option for me, but I certainly took advantage of that during my plank days in the 90's. Keep in mind that I've read stories here of "experts" telling people they should buy a 600 as their first heli because they are more stable, so being an experienced pilot doesn't *necessarily* make you a good instructor.

[enrico]

SO here I go, let me tell you the other end of the story what happens when you start off big. Again, little background: I've been in the hobby for past 30 years, active all the time! Flown from pattern airplanes, to sailplanes and even taught myself to fly my first raptor 50. But here is the truth about helis. The bigger it gets, the more $$$ you have to dish out to maintain, fly and repair. To learn on a big bird is just a money pit not worth going that route.
I started with a raptor 50 and a sim. that was all I had available to me so I had to do. I was quite successful and learned my basics stuff and all. Two years later I moved back to the USA and decided I no longer had room to fly it, so I down sized to a 450. I still could fly it but it got hairy pretty pretty fast. and it cost me a lot to repair and maintain but I had a blast. Fast forward to two years ago, I got a rappy 30 and got back on the air again with minimal cost and damages (only a set of blades from stupidity). So I decided I could go bigger now and moved into the 90's (that's size not year ... lol) First Aurora 90 nitro fly bared. First try to fly caused 145 worth of damage. Second time it was 50, third time ... there was no third time, I just couldn't get it up in the air for the following month, all kinds of issues. Thought A FBL machine was the way to go and got a trex 700 nitro, flew it a couple of times in hover and full tank in Fast forwad flight but yet my inexperience cost me the best of it. So I figured is the machine ... Got a spare frame for the Aurora and invested all the $$$ to get it flying, then I crashed it after the second flight ... $$$ more and is parked in my hanger just waiting for the next attempt ... should I go for it?

As you can see, I jumped steps and hoops and was in and out of the RC Heli environment and wasn't constant. I should have restarted small and worked my way up and I am sure I would have been more successful. Now I am pretty much scared to try the FBL although my Fly bared aurora flies better than the FBL ones. At least to me, so go figure. What everyone else said is true. Big is true it is more stable, but that doesn't guarantee easier to fly.

Just trying to share my experience and frustrations, but once you hit the milestone it becomes very rewarding. Soo , make it very rewarding from the beginning so it doesn't drive you away :0
Just my 2 cents

Enrico

[newbheliusr]

All I can advise is: learn your orientations, period. There is not one person here who will tell you they look back and say, "I wish I hadn't spent so much time learning orientations"

I myself personally would not advise a 600 as a learning heli. A 500 is much more forgiving, and slightly less dangerous. But not by much. But in the end, a 500 is cheaper to repair after a crash. Belts are more forgiving in tail touches than a Torque tube tail.