First heli

[SpasticBobble]

Hello all,

I've been lurking here in the HoneyBee side of things for a few days now. After flying my fathers little mall copter I got him for Christmas a bunch of times, I've decided to take it to the next level. I've got a few years of rc nitro/electric cars but this will be my first heli.

Before I make the purchase I've got a couple of questions. I remember reading in a post somewhere that E-Sky was about to go under, How are things now? Also if this is too much helicopter for a first, any other recommendations for FP heli's around this size? The other close runner for my choice is the Blade 120SR. Also, does anyone know where I may find them instock other than ebay? I've tried finding them but have been unsuccesful.

I have to say that so far not only have I read good things about the Honeybee but, the amount of information you guys have compiled here is amazing!

Thanks a bunch!

[JettaManDan]

Originally Posted by SpasticBobble

Hello all,

I've been lurking here in the HoneyBee side of things for a few days now. After flying my fathers little mall copter I got him for Christmas a bunch of times, I've decided to take it to the next level. I've got a few years of rc nitro/electric cars but this will be my first heli.

Before I make the purchase I've got a couple of questions. I remember reading in a post somewhere that E-Sky was about to go under, How are things now? Also if this is too much helicopter for a first, any other recommendations for FP heli's around this size? The other close runner for my choice is the Blade 120SR. Also, does anyone know where I may find them instock other than ebay? I've tried finding them but have been unsuccesful.

I have to say that so far not only have I read good things about the Honeybee but, the amount of information you guys have compiled here is amazing!

Thanks a bunch!

what heli you get 1st really depends on what you have flown before..and what you are comfortable with....i'll give the answer most will give..a simulator is a good 1st purchase..something as simple as the $20 esky sim with fake transmitter is what taught me basic heli controls and operation..without it i may have had more trouble....the HoneyBee is a great heli...and can be a good one for a beginner..i started with a co-axial heli for indoors and stability. It helped get my orientation down and get me used to a 4 channel control. Once i had it mastered i moved onto another Fixed Pitch heli similar to the HoneyBee...and then went on from there.

here is the link for the sim..

http://www.hobbypartz.com/e4chflsitrki.html

comes with software and the transmitter for the sim. If you have a Vista computer or a windows 7 computer it needs some patches to work.

But yes the Honey Bee is a good heli...i just might suggest with starting on something smaller and easier to fly..the 120sr is cool..but a bit pricey in my opinion...my indoor heli is a MCX2..older skool...smaller..but fun as heck..but it is too stable to really teach you anything..but a fun heli to get the controls down...

hope this helps a little!

Dan

[robbancs]

I started with the Honeybee, and I can recommend it. Looking back, I think a coax or a 45deg flybarred one would have become boring too soon.

Every now and again there are various news about Esky. I'm not worried about it. There are so many Bees flying all over the world now, selling parts must be a good business.

[oliverdots]

If you watch the youtube video's, flying a heli looks quite easy. It is harder than it looks but by no means impossible. Flying on a sim is a big help but your brain and thumbs are still in for a shock when it comes to the real thing. An ideal heli to learn on would be....

a: not too hard to fly but hard enough to keep you coming back for more and really teach you about heli flying.

b: forgiving in a crash

c: easy and cheap to repair

d: something you won't grow out of within a fortnight

e: have many mods available so you can tweak that bird to look and fly how you want it to. Oh, and have something to do on rainy/windy days

The Bee ticks all those boxes in my opinion. If you buy a Bee, you won't go far wrong.

OMG I forgot F !!!

f: you get to spend time in this fantastic forum

[SpasticBobble]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I found one on ebay new rtf for $89. It's from a top rated seller but is the price too good to be true? *disregard $56 economy shipping costs*

There is another for $109 with $20 shipping. Think I may dive in

[robbancs]

I'm not sure about prices over there. It looks about good compared to what you can get here in the UK.

[Oldladypilot]

Originally Posted by SpasticBobble

Thanks everyone for the advice! I found one on ebay new rtf for $89. It's from a top rated seller but is the price too good to be true? *disregard $56 economy shipping costs*

There is another for $109 with $20 shipping. Think I may dive in

$56 is "economy shipping costs"? Are they crazy?

I'd go with the $109 one. None of the usual places I shop even has them in stock....including Esky.
They must have sold a lot of Honey Bees for Christmas!

[Steemo]

Originally Posted by oliverdots

OMG I forgot F !!!

f: you get to spend time in this fantastic forum

Don't forget SB if you come into the HBFP forums and ask what's the best heli you might just get told to buy a HBFP not saying I don't agree. I'm just pointing that out

[SpasticBobble]

Yea the price was a little ridiculous to say the least.

I bought the other one, it'll be here Friday!

Good point Steemo I was looking for a little biased opinion to finish swaying my decision

Have a safe and happy New Years!

[Bugster]

Originally Posted by Oldladypilot

I'd go with the $109 one. None of the usual places I shop even has them in stock....including Esky.
They must have sold a lot of Honey Bees for Christmas!

Yep happens every year

And the bonus for us here in the forum is we get to make a lot of new friends about now

[SpasticBobble]

Here come some more questions, before the bird gets here on friday, I want to get another battery pack or two. Any recommendations? Also, is the stock charger that comes with it really horrible and, if so, any recommendations for a moderatly priced charger?

I plan on working through Radd's School of Rotary Flight and figure it will be rough with only one battery pack.

[Zeke1000]

When I graduated from cx to fp helis my first thought was to get an rtf in the micro size. I figured that they would be the cheapest and easiest path. I was right about the 'cheapest' (initially at least), but they are anything but easy to learn on. It seems the smaller the heli the more thy flit about like a hummingbird on crack.

You have to snap them off the ground to keep them from tipping over or 'left-drifting' into the next county. Once in the air, you can throw your thumbs out of joint trying to keep up with their antics. I started with a skyartec wasp (got stung) then moved to an msr. The msr was definitely the better of the two but still a mittful for a newbie like me. Fortunately I like fixing things.

It wasn't until I bought an SR120 that I felt that I could have some input in this thing called flying. The 120 is enough smoother and milder on the controls that it allowed me time to learn about things like trimming and control lag. And it taught me that bigger can be better.

With that in mind I bought a BlitzWorks Air Hawk from Bananna Hobby. Being a machinist, I was intrigued by the shaft drive and vairiable pitch of the tail rotor. Also I thought it's size would make it more stable in a light breeze. And, having flown it for a couple of months now, I can say that I am very pleased with my choice. This is a sweet flying bird. Very stable,smooth and large enough to see if it gets a ways from you. Its braced tailboom configuration makes it much easier to keep track of orientation.

I would suggest to others new to the hobby that micros are more of a step up in challenge rather than a first step.

[Oldladypilot]

Originally Posted by SpasticBobble

Here come some more questions, before the bird gets here on friday, I want to get another battery pack or two. Any recommendations? Also, is the stock charger that comes with it really horrible and, if so, any recommendations for a moderatly priced charger?

I plan on working through Radd's School of Rotary Flight and figure it will be rough with only one battery pack.

I've been using these; http://www.valuehobby.com/power-syst...connector.html
They've worked good for me.
I also have Nano Tech batteries from Hobby King but had to change the connector to a JST. If I remember correctly, they didn't have them with JST connectors.

Watch carefully when you order batteries.....make sure they have JST connectors that fit the ones on the Bee.

The stock charger is okay for just a basic charger. Mine quit working after a few months though. Typical Esky electronics.

If you intend to advance in this hobby and buy more helis and different batteries then it's best to get a good balancing charger like the Thunder A/C 6. It does everything you would need and is pretty easy to use.

Watch this to learn more about lipo batteries: https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=161670

[robbancs]

Originally Posted by SpasticBobble

Here come some more questions, before the bird gets here on friday, I want to get another battery pack or two. Any recommendations? Also, is the stock charger that comes with it really horrible and, if so, any recommendations for a moderatly priced charger?

I plan on working through Radd's School of Rotary Flight and figure it will be rough with only one battery pack.

I agree with OLP on the charger. I used the stock charger for a couple of months, and it was fine, not horrible at all. So it's not something you must replace right now.

Later, when you'll know you'll stick with this hobby, you'll want a better charger. I went for the imax b6, it looked like the cheapest computerised charger, quite popular for a reason. I've been using it for a year now, and happy with it.

[Luke Warmwater]

Originally Posted by robbancs

Later, when you'll know you'll stick with this hobby, you'll want a better charger. I went for the imax b6, it looked like the cheapest computerised charger, quite popular for a reason. I've been using it for a year now, and happy with it.

+1. I use the Turnigy Accucell-6, which is pretty much the sme charger as the I-Max B6, but with a fan. Most of these style chargers are essentially the same charger in a different case.

[SpasticBobble]

Thanks guys for the awesome help! I went with two of the batteries OLP and following yall's advice I'm holding off on a new charger for now. How long can I expect the charge times to be? I'm already going crazy waiting for my bee to get here.


Sorry for late reply, I was out celebrating and mostly recovering today. Started Friday, ended this morning around 1am. Hard to say no when it's not only New Years Eve but my birthday as well. One day I'll learn though. Tomorrow is going to be a rough day at work !

[boykintom]

Originally Posted by Luke Warmwater

+1. I use the Turnigy Accucell-6, which is pretty much the sme charger as the I-Max B6, but with a fan. Most of these style chargers are essentially the same charger in a different case.

I love my Accucel 6. So far it has been spot on, with nary a glitch. I have 4 different batteries programmed in it, and I can charge any with the touch of a few buttons. Don't know how they can make it for $20 bucks or so.

[robbancs]

A good charger would charge and balance a battery in 40-50 minutes. As far as I remember, the Esky charger did it in 60-70 in the beginning.