New sticky For all Newbie videos

[icerat4]

Can some one here start a sticky for us new guys that can only do the basic stuff.Like get the heli up in the air,Hover,Maybe turn it...I will start with my 2 videos as a new rookie....




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCDsHP3JGQg



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vljvZM37c6o






I thought this would be a good idea.Instead of looking at guys that say 1st flight and there pros at this already..This will give us new guys like my self encourgement to continue on .The quest of being a pros like the rest of you guys that have those skills...

[nmanno]

You know it's easier to hover a heli tail-in first. Perfect your tail ins hovers, move to side-ins and finish with nose-in. Just a bit of advice.

[skunkworx]

Pretty ballsy if you ask me! 2nd hover and doing it nose in? Wow! All I can say is congrats bro, I wish I could've been that good when I first started out!

I do see a bit of irony here: Newbie flying a Pro heli. Does that strike anyone else as being kinda odd? lol

[icerat4]

Originally Posted by nmanno

You know it's easier to hover a heli tail-in first. Perfect your tail ins hovers, move to side-ins and finish with nose-in. Just a bit of advice.

Its really funny but i fly ok nose in...tail in is alot harder for me ...I hear alot of wow nose in frist hover..Well thats the way i fly nose in .Its way way eaiser for me.I guess i am backwards on this one...But serious this should be a sticky to help and show progress of us newbies....Just a thought Mods here...

[icerat4]

Originally Posted by skunkworx

Pretty ballsy if you ask me! 2nd hover and doing it nose in? Wow! All I can say is congrats bro, I wish I could've been that good when I first started out!

I do see a bit of irony here: Newbie flying a Pro heli. Does that strike anyone else as being kinda odd? lol

I did have a mcx blade and a cx2 .I was told the trex was my next step ..It was a toss between the blade 400 and this trex 450 pro ..I made the right decision on this one...O i do have a g4 sim to that really help me out which i still use...I am a newbie as i can hover and do a piorette only ..I consider that new status ...

[Bri]

Originally Posted by icerat4

I did have a mcx blade and a cx2 .I was told the trex was my next step ..It was a toss between the blade 400 and this trex 450 pro ..I made the right decision on this one...O i do have a g4 sim to that really help me out which i still use...I am a newbie as i can hover and do a piorette only ..I consider that new status ...

I agree with you on the sticky icerat4

I am also a newbie, and I am now at the limits of my Walkera ( ya I know ), and have decided to go with the 450 pro as well. Could you please post your setup? What you have on your Pro and also what Tx you are using and the settings for that as well? It would help me out as I am trying to decide on all the things that I am going to go with. Bare in mind that I will be starting from scratch so to say, as the Tx that came with my co-ax Walkera will not (cannot) be used for my next setup.

I have alot of sim time in and feel that the 450 Pro is my next heli.

Very nice, nose in hovers by the way.


B

[icerat4]

[QUOTE=bmrlvigil;1628286]I agree with you on the sticky icerat4

I am also a newbie, and I am now at the limits of my Walkera ( ya I know ), and have decided to go with the 450 pro as well. Could you please post your setup? What you have on your Pro and also what Tx you are using and the settings for that as well? It would help me out as I am trying to decide on all the things that I am going to go with. Bare in mind that I will be starting from scratch so to say, as the Tx that came with my co-ax Walkera will not (cannot) be used for my next setup.

I have alot of sim time in and feel that the 450 Pro is my next heli.

Very nice, nose in hovers by the way.






My trex 450 pro super combo is just that..Stock with a rx 6200 and a dx7 i use hyperion 2200 and zippys 2200 that work great and are cheap..Thats it plain jane stock...I was very nervous to buy this heli as i thought for sure it was way beond me..But as it turns out its very stable in hover as you can see and even with wind it still handle very well... So only stock for the newbie me..As i get better will change a few settings and see how it goes..Its so neat hearing that noise from the blades as you fly it....The mcx and cx2 help and so did the sim .That was a big help...Do those things and you will no problems getting this thing to hover...Hope this helps

[Bri]

Thats exactly the setup that I am thinking of going with. The 450 Pro with the DX7. The DX7 that I was looking at came with the AR6200 and DS285 servos. I just don't know wheather to get the Super Combo Kit, and use those electronics, or to get the Kit that comes without the electronics and build a system up from there. I have been doing quite a bit of research and it seems that most people are pretty satisfied with the "stock" components. Some of the Super Combo Kits differ a bit in which tail servo (DS420 vs DS520) they come with and also which motor (430SP vs 450M) they come with. Still researching which kit is better (ie. servo, motor).

I am about 99% sure, that is the road I am going to take (450 Pro DX7). I now need to find the best place to order it from. There seems to be quite a bit of difference in price at various sites. Thank you for the info.

B

[icerat4]

Originally Posted by bmrlvigil

Thats exactly the setup that I am thinking of going with. The 450 Pro with the DX7. The DX7 that I was looking at came with the AR6200 and DS285 servos. I just don't know wheather to get the Super Combo Kit, and use those electronics, or to get the Kit that comes without the electronics and build a system up from there. I have been doing quite a bit of research and it seems that most people are pretty satisfied with the "stock" components. Some of the Super Combo Kits differ a bit in which tail servo (DS420 vs DS520) they come with and also which motor (430SP vs 450M) they come with. Still researching which kit is better (ie. servo, motor).

I am about 99% sure, that is the road I am going to take (450 Pro DX7). I now need to find the best place to order it from. There seems to be quite a bit of difference in price at various sites. Thank you for the info.

B

Heres were i bought mine from with another 5 percent off and free shipping 475 out the door ...
http://www.flyhelirus.com/servlet/th...450-Pro/Detail

[Bri]

I just realized that I hijacked your thread and wanted to apologize. Sorry about that.

Back to the "subject" I think this should be a sticky...


B

[terrabit]

Good idea! A couple thoughts:

I hovered my spanking new T450 in my garage when I was first getting started. I got to buy some new parts and rebuild it the same day. I didn't try to hover in the garage any more after that.

Seriously, give yourself a bit more room if you can. And save yourself some money - fly the Align 335mm woodies for a while with a little extra weight on the flybar. If/when you crash woodies will do less damage to your heli than carbon blades will. I'd be happy to elaborate on that if you like.

Also, high headspeed and pitch values are less forgiving. Keep your headspeed, and cyclic/collective/rudder pitch on the low side for a while. One more thing, everybody crashes. Don't beat yourself up when you do. Take the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the mechanics of your heli.

[skunkworx]

Originally Posted by bmrlvigil

The DX7 that I was looking at came with the AR6200 and DS285 servos. I just don't know wheather to get the Super Combo Kit, and use those electronics, or to get the Kit that comes without the electronics and build a system up from there.

You've decided on the perfect setup! Although those DS285 servos are pure crap man. Not worth a warm bucket of spit compared to the servos that come in the super combo.

I fly mine EXTREMELY hard on 100% stock setup (servos, gyro, blades, motor, and esc) so buy with complete confidence. Now setup is going to be the only thing keeping oyur heli from being totally badass right out of the gates.

I posted up some tips in another thread, but I'll repeat them here for you guys.
The DO's and DON'Ts for the setup on a Pro:

DO's
1. Tear it all the way down and re-loktite EVERYTHING that is metal to metal (even the balls and frame connectors). You will be very happy you did this because it cuts your chance of a flight failure by more than 50%. Make sure you grease up the thrust bearings and lube up the shafts every 6-10 flights when possible to keep everything loose and operating correctly.
2. Grease your servos before installing them!!! Many people have said theirs came bone-dry (mine and my buddy's included, along with several that a friend builds at the shop he works at) so this should help keep them working smooth and prevent failures.
3. Pin the tail boom at the tail block. Because it's a TT design, it'll throw itself on a good fast piro because the block doesn't have much tensile grip on the boom. A simple, small, self-tapping screw will work just fine. Screw it in enough to just touch the boom and then give it another 1/2 turn to set it, but not bend the boom and rub the TT.
4. Mounting your electronics will be a huge challenge. There are two or three main ways to do so: #1-ESC under the batt tray, RX inside the rear frame. #2-RX under the tray, ESC on the side of the frame, remote antenna on the other side. #3-RX under tray again, but ESC inside the frames. (#2 seems to be my favorite by a long shot!) I will post up pics so you can see exactly where I put mine as it ended up being the most flexible and sensible way to mount them.
5. Center your servos BEFORE you install them. You can do this after, but they won't be nearly as easy to do, nor will it be as accurate. Mark your servos with a silver sharpie so you know which goes where for easy RX hook-up as well (I mark the side of the servo as well as the leads themselves on the black plastic connectors. P for pitch, A for aileron, and E for elevator)
6. Sand the edges of your frames--especially anywhere the wires will be in contact with any of the edges. I typically do this with an Xacto knife of a small flat file (Harbor Freight carries them for dirt cheap). Also, you can pad up the edges with tape or foamy stuff to extra protect your wires and battery.You can do the sleeving stuff too, but that's up to you.
7. Pick up a swash-leveler. It'll make your setup a lot easier (although it's quite easy already!). You can't use one from an older Trex version because they have totally different size swash's on them, so make sure you get the one for the Pro, not a V1 or V2.

DON'Ts
1. Don't fly the stock pinion. As a newb, I'd swap out the pinion and get an 11t or 12t. It comes with a 14t which will be way too much to deal with at first I think. Having a lower headspeed will reduce the damage associated with the growing pains of a new pilot as well. Make sure you get pinions specifically for the Pro motor though. A standard 3.25mm won't fit on the Pro's 3.50mm shaft of the M motor unless you were to swap out to an aftermarket motor like a Scorpion. Then you would have to get stuff according to the manufacturer.
2. I would not use the CF blades it comes with as they are both expensive to replace and too darn nice to smash up learning how to hover! Get some woodies from Helidirect. 3 sets for $18 ($6 bucks a set!). When you start to get good, you can take out the CF's and let 'em rip!
3. Absolutely do NOT skip "DO" #1! If you just put it in the air in it's pre-assembled state. You run a fairly good risk of something not being properly put together at the factory and you are stuck with the bill, so better safe than sorry!
4. Don't get Pro parts mixed up with X, SA, SE, SE-V2 versions of the Trex. Almost none of the parts are compatible and if you order a bunch of stuff for the wrong heli, you're going to be pretty miffed at the fact!
5. Don't get the Black landng gear! Buddy of mine just picked up two sets of gear; one black which he gave to me, and one yellow, but you can't see the black to save your life! I got so used to my white ones so the black ones are killing me. They do look damn sexy on the heli while it's sitting static though!

Well, that's about enough lecturing for now. I'm sure I have a few more add-ons I could do to the list, but if it becomes a sticky, I hope that most newb can read it and take some of the tips and put some good use to them! As always, if you guys have any more ??'s, feel free to ask! Good luck with your helis too. You're going to absolutely love 'em!!!!

[icerat4]

Originally Posted by skunkworx

You've decided on the perfect setup! Although those DS285 servos are pure crap man. Not worth a warm bucket of spit compared to the servos that come in the super combo.

I fly mine EXTREMELY hard on 100% stock setup (servos, gyro, blades, motor, and esc) so buy with complete confidence. Now setup is going to be the only thing keeping oyur heli from being totally badass right out of the gates.

I posted up some tips in another thread, but I'll repeat them here for you guys.
The DO's and DON'Ts for the setup on a Pro:

DO's
1. Tear it all the way down and re-loktite EVERYTHING that is metal to metal (even the balls and frame connectors). You will be very happy you did this because it cuts your chance of a flight failure by more than 50%. Make sure you grease up the thrust bearings and lube up the shafts every 6-10 flights when possible to keep everything loose and operating correctly.
2. Grease your servos before installing them!!! Many people have said theirs came bone-dry (mine and my buddy's included, along with several that a friend builds at the shop he works at) so this should help keep them working smooth and prevent failures.
3. Pin the tail boom at the tail block. Because it's a TT design, it'll throw itself on a good fast piro because the block doesn't have much tensile grip on the boom. A simple, small, self-tapping screw will work just fine. Screw it in enough to just touch the boom and then give it another 1/2 turn to set it, but not bend the boom and rub the TT.
4. Mounting your electronics will be a huge challenge. There are two or three main ways to do so: #1-ESC under the batt tray, RX inside the rear frame. #2-RX under the tray, ESC on the side of the frame, remote antenna on the other side. #3-RX under tray again, but ESC inside the frames. (#2 seems to be my favorite by a long shot!) I will post up pics so you can see exactly where I put mine as it ended up being the most flexible and sensible way to mount them.
5. Center your servos BEFORE you install them. You can do this after, but they won't be nearly as easy to do, nor will it be as accurate. Mark your servos with a silver sharpie so you know which goes where for easy RX hook-up as well (I mark the side of the servo as well as the leads themselves on the black plastic connectors. P for pitch, A for aileron, and E for elevator)
6. Sand the edges of your frames--especially anywhere the wires will be in contact with any of the edges. I typically do this with an Xacto knife of a small flat file (Harbor Freight carries them for dirt cheap). Also, you can pad up the edges with tape or foamy stuff to extra protect your wires and battery.You can do the sleeving stuff too, but that's up to you.
7. Pick up a swash-leveler. It'll make your setup a lot easier (although it's quite easy already!). You can't use one from an older Trex version because they have totally different size swash's on them, so make sure you get the one for the Pro, not a V1 or V2.

DON'Ts
1. Don't fly the stock pinion. As a newb, I'd swap out the pinion and get an 11t or 12t. It comes with a 14t which will be way too much to deal with at first I think. Having a lower headspeed will reduce the damage associated with the growing pains of a new pilot as well. Make sure you get pinions specifically for the Pro motor though. A standard 3.25mm won't fit on the Pro's 3.50mm shaft of the M motor unless you were to swap out to an aftermarket motor like a Scorpion. Then you would have to get stuff according to the manufacturer.
2. I would not use the CF blades it comes with as they are both expensive to replace and too darn nice to smash up learning how to hover! Get some woodies from Helidirect. 3 sets for $18 ($6 bucks a set!). When you start to get good, you can take out the CF's and let 'em rip!
3. Absolutely do NOT skip "DO" #1! If you just put it in the air in it's pre-assembled state. You run a fairly good risk of something not being properly put together at the factory and you are stuck with the bill, so better safe than sorry!
4. Don't get Pro parts mixed up with X, SA, SE, SE-V2 versions of the Trex. Almost none of the parts are compatible and if you order a bunch of stuff for the wrong heli, you're going to be pretty miffed at the fact!
5. Don't get the Black landng gear! Buddy of mine just picked up two sets of gear; one black which he gave to me, and one yellow, but you can't see the black to save your life! I got so used to my white ones so the black ones are killing me. They do look damn sexy on the heli while it's sitting static though!

Well, that's about enough lecturing for now. I'm sure I have a few more add-ons I could do to the list, but if it becomes a sticky, I hope that most newb can read it and take some of the tips and put some good use to them! As always, if you guys have any more ??'s, feel free to ask! Good luck with your helis too. You're going to absolutely love 'em!!!!

Wow great add to this Maybe Sticky for new guys ,,I do realize there is a newbie section But not newbie vids and Comments On a 450 pro. ...Hope this gets A sticky for us New guys..

[Bri]

skunkworx,

What is your recommendation as far as fly bar weights for newbies? Do they really make that much of a difference?

Also, how 'bout all those newbie 450 Pro videos guys? I know I will post mine when I get my Pro. If I can figure out how to post the vid. ha ha

B

[lex7919]

Good write up, id add that you will want to change out the Align Dampners as there just junk! for beginning they will be ok but after that swap them, possible go true blood reds first then progres to the green depending how you like it to fly by then, hell id even say just go to the reds now! or you will be spending a fortune on align blacks.

[744drv]

Originally Posted by terrabit

Good idea! A couple thoughts:

I hovered my spanking new T450 in my garage when I was first getting started. I got to buy some new parts and rebuild it the same day. I didn't try to hover in the garage any more after that.

Seriously, give yourself a bit more room if you can. And save yourself some money - fly the Align 335mm woodies for a while with a little extra weight on the flybar. If/when you crash woodies will do less damage to your heli than carbon blades will. I'd be happy to elaborate on that if you like.

Also, high headspeed and pitch values are less forgiving. Keep your headspeed, and cyclic/collective/rudder pitch on the low side for a while. One more thing, everybody crashes. Don't beat yourself up when you do. Take the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the mechanics of your heli.

I've seen advice elsewhere saying high headspeeds give better stability. I presume us newbies have a level of moderation to strike here. Not too high a headspeed lest we cause untold damage to our heli when we crash; but keep the headspeed up for better stability and maybe not crash??!!

[terrabit]

You don't want your headspeed to be too low under any circumstances. Your heli will tend to wobble and bob. The tail may jut to one side or the other on collective inputs. But you don't want it to be high either - mostly because when combined with anything but moderate cyclic inputs you get lots of motion very quickly. And when you are learning orientation that can put you in unfamiliar territory under less than advantageous circumstances. A combination of high headspeed and pitch values will significantly reduce your margin of error.

As far as damage goes, fly woodies if you want to reduce the inpact of a crash. I've said this over and over but it is worth saying again. The vast majority of your model's kinetic energy is stored in the rotating blades. Woodies will splinter into pices on impact therby transfering "most" of that energy away from you heli. CF blades will mostly stay in one piece therby transfering "most" of that energy into the various parts of you heli. It also helps to hit throttle hold as soon as you're pretty sure she's goin in so the motor does not continue to drive those parts once the collision becomes inelastic.

I really don't know what a good low headspeed would be but I should think it would be below 3000, maybe 2800. A lower headspeed will also give you more stick time per charge which is what every noob really needs.

[terrabit]

Originally Posted by bmrlvigil

What is your recommendation as far as fly bar weights for newbies? Do they really make that much of a difference?
B

Flybar weights absolutely do make a difference. But you can judge for yourself. Add one flybar weight to each side and bring your heli into a hover. Move it around a little bit. Then remove the weights and do it again. My guess is you'll feel it. The disc will be slightly more resistant to tipping. It effectively increases the gyroscopic effect caused by rotating mass. (Ever grab a bicycle wheel by one side of the axle and give it a spin?)

[skunkworx]

Originally Posted by bmrlvigil

skunkworx,

What is your recommendation as far as fly bar weights for newbies? Do they really make that much of a difference?

THey can make a very profound difference, even if you run high headspeeds. ll they are doing is mking more resistance to change in the rotor disc. This does rob you of a little power or punch in some circumstances, but as a newb, you want this to be at a minimum anyways. I am addressing someone else's comment on this later as well. read on...

Originally Posted by lex7919

. . .id add that you will want to change out the Align Dampners as there just junk!. . . .

I have to actually disagree with this statement. Maybe it was very true on the older V1/V2, but with the Pro, they seem to be holding up extremely well. Now, I don't doubt that aftermarket sets will work even better, but it will be a long time before you have to change out the stock sets (unless you crash that is!). If you crash a lot, then I do agree the Truebloods would be a wise choice to go with instead of the stock sets. I have about 77 flights on mine and they feel just the same as they did the day I first put it in the air.

Originally Posted by 744drv

I've seen advice elsewhere saying high headspeeds give better stability. I presume us newbies have a level of moderation to strike here. Not too high a headspeed lest we cause untold damage to our heli when we crash; but keep the headspeed up for better stability and maybe not crash??!!

Yes, to an extent. You actually want to be 'just right' in this area. Too fast and you'll easily get out of control much to easily and it will feel unstable in your hands (but might feel cozy in a more experienced pilot's grip). On the flip side, the bummer about the Pro is that it was never intended for new pilots. The dampening is set up for hard twists and flips, not really for sport flying unless done so at very high head speeds (AKA-FAI type flying). With how stiff the head is, you get lots of bobbling or bumpy flying which many mistake as a problem or fault with the heli (which it is not). I believe Terrabit mentioned this somewhere?
The Sport is a little more durable than the Pro (She has nasty tendancy of bending up head parts) and is set up in a more docile manner. But if you've already taken the plunge, it's just what you have to deal with. If you haven't bought one yet, there's still time to consider the sport instead.

Originally Posted by terrabit

As far as damage goes, fly woodies if you want to reduce the inpact of a crash. I've said this over and over but it is worth saying again. The vast majority of your model's kinetic energy is stored in the rotating blades. Woodies will splinter into pices on impact therby transfering "most" of that energy away from you heli. CF blades will mostly stay in one piece therby transfering "most" of that energy into the various parts of you heli. It also helps to hit throttle hold as soon as you're pretty sure she's goin in so the motor does not continue to drive those parts once the collision becomes inelastic.

I really don't know what a good low headspeed would be but I should think it would be below 3000, maybe 2800. A lower headspeed will also give you more stick time per charge which is what every noob really needs.

The woodies are still going to trash your heli pretty good because you have to maintain a pretty decent headspeed to keep it form being wobbly in the air, although Terrabit is correct in saying they will come apart easier and cause less secondary damage. CF's tend to transfer the damage to other parts, so that's why I recommend putting them away until you are ready to really get into aerobatics instead of hovering and orientations.

Originally Posted by terrabit

Flybar weights absolutely do make a difference. But you can judge for yourself. Add one flybar weight to each side and bring your heli into a hover. Move it around a little bit. Then remove the weights and do it again. My guess is you'll feel it. The disc will be slightly more resistant to tipping. It effectively increases the gyroscopic effect caused by rotating mass. (Ever grab a bicycle wheel by one side of the axle and give it a spin?)

So a more detailed look into the weights: In conjunction with using weights at all, I would try out the heavier Align paddles, use less cyclic throws, and use lots of EXPO. If you add all these together, they will essentially make your heli fly like it's stuck in mud, BUT it will be extremely controllable--even for soeone who's brand spanking new. Beyond this point in your progression already? Add it all on anyways, then slowly start reducing the stuff you have stacked on it, starting with the radio adjustments.

I would start out with 40% positive EXPO on your AILE and ELEV, 15% on the tail. Put the weights all the way out by the paddles, and use the short flybar (190mm instead of the 220mm). Set your swash mix to 30%-40% instead of the default 60%*. Also, go with the smallest pinion you can get ahold of.
Put it into a hover and see how mushy it feels. If it's simply too slow, land and increase your cyclic rates until it starts to feel ok. Fly out a couple packs before doing any more changes.
Once you're back up to normal throws, you can reduce your EXPO 5%* at a time. Hover for a bit, land, change and hover again until you get a good feeling for where it's at. Once you have your EXPO in a comfy spot, swap out to the stock paddles (you may need to add back in more EXPO to compensate for the faster rate of movement).
Next, you can start pushing the weights in closer to the rotor head. This will allow freer movement of the pitch changes and liven it up quite a bit. Remove once you are feeling confident in your abilities to control it.
Lastly, you can start upping your pinion sizes. Go up one tooth count at a time. You want to fly out SEVERAL pack btween pinion changes so you don't overwhelm yourself (I jumped from 11t to 13t on my original and it about hacked me in two!). Also, you may need to go put all your slow-down stuff back on there (EXPO, lower rates, and flybar weights) so that way you can regulate it back to where you are in good understandng. Nothing wrong with using the 'necessity blanket' idea. You're the one paying for parts, not us! The best thing you can do is have patience. Take it slow and have fun above all. Getting frustrated will knock you out of the game faster than anything, so watch out!

Oh, BTW, a good starting headspeed would be 2600-2800rpm's. I believe an 11t or 12t at 100% throttle will give you that, so hopefully you can get one of those or both. A 13t will give you about 5mins at 100% flat curves and roughly 3100rpm's. 14t will give you roughly 4:30 at 3400rpm's (all on a 2200 3S).*

*All figures approximate. Represents the rough differences between setups and configuration. Each heli will differ and radios will be configured according to the make and manufacturer. All my figures are using a DX7 and 100% stock Trex 450-Pro setup.

[skunkworx]

Sorry for the long post guys. I can give more specific information if anyone needs it (PM will be ok), I just wanted to put it all out there so you can start forming an idea about how you want to tackle getting into your helis. These tips work well for any heli out there, but like I said, each is different so you have to adjust accordingly. Good luck guys! Feel free to ask anything else. I've got most of this stuff down to a science.