Is 500E Flybarless too much?

[matthewcornell]

Welcome to the hobby! I agree that the jump from sim to a 500 is significant, but maybe with the local support you mention it will be ok. The mcpx is a good "real life sim," and they can be had used here cheap. A 450 is good due to crash costs bring relatively low ($40 per in my case) but they can be twitchy. D/r and expo can help, as can flybarless. I bought a 500efl pro after flying a 450 sport for a year, and it is a LOT of helicopter. Very powerful and not a little dangerous. Plus, more like $100/crash. And yes, the TT is easy to strip. But it is sweet. So maybe go ahead with the 500, but prepare yourself for surprises. You may end up having to back step to something else... Let us know.

[WillJames]

If y ou have good eyesight, you may want to skip the 450 and just get a 130X. It is a better real life sim IMHO than the mCPX. As long as you are fast on hold they hold up well. What keeps this hobby/sport interesting is all the choices you have available to you. That coupled with how hard it is to learn to fly well makes it very addicting!!

[DaFedMan]

I have to disagree about going FB instead of FBL. To me it's less parts to set up correctly and less parts to have to replace in crashes. If the heli is built correctly and you bought quality, there shouldn't be vibes to deal with. The VBAR is complicated, bought with all of the support and videos on youtube it is no problem to set up. At least that was my thought process when I purchased it, and I had not problems setting it up on my own.

[josecr]

Hi everyone!

Thanks for the support!

To me it's less parts to set up correctly and less parts to have to replace in crashes.

I am there with you. It does seem to me that the more parts you got, the more you have to worry about in a crash, after-crash set up and maintenance.

What keeps this hobby/sport interesting is all the choices you have available to you. That coupled with how hard it is to learn to fly well makes it very addicting!!

Right on! I feel you...sometimes it is overwhelming but I enjoy doing my homework.

You may end up having to back step to something else...

I know what you mean. One has to be humble enough to recognize that something is beyond the level of skill and nothing is written in stone. So, that might just be a possibility and there is nothing wrong with it. If that was the case, then the bigger heli would be there ready as I get ready for it and be more successful with it later.

Have fun:

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=356755

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=362441

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=402226

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=424509

Thanks for all the resources. Sweet reads!


I just want to thank you all guys for your support again!

Jo.

[tomd27858]

Wow. Sounds like you are getting together your thoughts on your first heli. This is a fun time. Choices...choices...choices. I am going to pass on the advice that has suited the pilots I have helped pretty well.

1. Get a simulator. You can relax on the couch and practice orientations and build muscle memory. No risk flying at it's best.

2. Pick up a MCPX. Let this be the test bed for the skills you have learned on the simulator before applying them to a larger bird. The MCPX costs about what a good 500 crash will set you back so in my mind it is a good investment. Crash costs for the MCPX are minimal when flying over grass. Most of the time you simply push up the main gear and go again. Very little risk flying.

3. Buy the nicest charger set up you can afford. You are already thinking correctly regarding looking for a charger you can grow into instead of one that suits your immediate needs.

4. Pick up the BeastX as your FBL controller. The manual takes you through the set up in laymen's terms that are easy to follow. It will help you succeed. Nothing wrong with VBar or an SK540....really love the SK540 but the instructions are more technical and may be a little overwhelming.

5. With patience, reading, and perseverance you will enjoy applying your skills to a flybarless 500 of your choice. I love my EFL's....have two in the hangar. Crashes are $100 a pop though. Keep that in mind. Hence the reason to sim, mcpx what you learned, and take it slow with the 500 applying the sim - mcpx skills.

Taking the learning process in a slow methodical approach will greatly increase your chances of success and keep your wallet happy.

Feel free to PM me if you need a hand....Wolfpackin is a good one to keep on your list of friends as well. He helped me along the way as I was trying to get my hands around the hobby.

[tomd27858]

Missed Will's post about the 130X. I don't have any experience with it but his recommendation carries a lot of weight. Sounds like he is enjoying his.

[josecr]

Hi guys

As always, first things first: I must say thanks to all of you

I wanted to share I just bought a 450 Pro DFC. My criteria for the decision was basically:

Initial cost of the kit itself
Cost of repairs,
I wanted it FBL from the beginning
Less movable pieces on the DFC head would mean less stuff to worry about for repairs/maintenance
I have a patient instructor to teach me
I have built up my confidence on the sim


And the most important one: Watching a video of Alan Szabo Jr, entitled "how it all started for Alan Szabo Jr" made me realize that, in this hobby, as in with any other thing in life, having a humble start can be the foundation of a satisfying and rewarding trip.

I appreciate all the input on the 500 discussion and all of your suggestions have been noted in my little notebook and when it is the right time, I will refer back to those. At the moment, after a lot of consideration, going one size smaller seemed to make more sense (again, b/c of the vid).

Also, getting a 450 size bird now, and building it with the stock stuff only, doesn't mean I will not want to upgrade down the road and you suggestions, again, will come in handy, for example the beastX flybar controller and the TT among other things you guys mentioned.

I just have words of thanks to all of you and your efforts in helping me. It all has been worth it.

Now, when I get the kit, any questions will go to the respective subforum.

One last thing, I hope some day, I can help new people just the same way you have helped me!

Regards

Jose
Costa Rica

[tomd27858]

You made a great choice and I look forward to your posts about your progress.

[josecr]

Thanks!

I am really looking forward to start the build!

Jo.

[wocka_wocka]

Don't forget your training undercarriage. Try and get the sort where the legs point down a little, rather than straight out at 90 deg. to the main shaft. This will give you a little cushioning if you come down square but a little hot.

It isn't a bad tip to epoxy the legs in however. I had an incident while learning where a fast-than-expected landing caused one of the legs to dislodge and fall out....

[josecr]

hi there

Thanks for the tips on the training gear and the epoxing of the legs! Godd stuff

Jo.

[celltech]

I went from a blade 450 to a Trex 600efl pro. Its amazing how stable the bigger bird is. If you don't mind spending some money a good charger, go big!

[lazygit]

If you have never flown any sort of heli, start at the beginning and pick up a coaxial first. You may be able to do things on a sim, but I had a coaxial, then a fixed pitch, (mSR) then a CP.
Before I tried the CP, I played with the sim for hours.

You will get a surprise if you try going from a sim to a CP heli without the other steps. Three dimensional real life is different from the 2D screen, and considerably more expensive. Even though I'd plodded through the stages, it was still an eye opener getting to grips with the real thing.

The thing that will hit you is orientation, just try it with a coaxial and it will tell you a lot.