Which Heli?

[NitroDad]

Which Kit should I get? I have the radio system and engine, (OS .32). Its in anold heli I can't fix.

[PsychoZ]

Raptor!!!!! Century Hawks are cheaper in price, but I love my Raptor, check out www.onlyraptors.com good site and good people

[Loogies]

Hands down, go for the Raptor. You can't go wrong. I've been flying heli for 3 years now, and there are some new pilots at our local field that has the Raptor. The parts are consistantly cheaper than other heli, like Kyosho and Kalt, but wont suffer much in quality.
One thing to remember if you are absolutely new to heli : go to your local flying field and talk to a heli pilot who knows what they are doing. Ask them to help you set it up. Very critical ! A heli is a different creature than a car/airplane. EVERYTHING has to be just right or else, it'll be a mad heli, and it will tell you real quick! If you don't know anyone near to help you, and you must do it yourself then : read read read! Starting to fly and set up a heli from the total newb status is doable. Thats how I did it :D . I went searching for texts on the internet. Theres plenty of websites that will show you how to set up your heli, and what you should do for the first few flights. I can write you an email explaining the details on what to do. But what ever you decide to do, don't do it by yourself. You will definately crash. Either have someone help you do it, or read enough info so you can have an idea what to do. But never go out to the field and hoping for the best "see if this heli will fly and see what I can do with it" thinking. That wont work. Good luck with your heli. And welcome to the heli world. Very challenging, but the reward is none like any other RC you will ever do. If you become good at it, chances are you'll stick to heli for a good long while :D

[Prop Lover]

I wouldn't be so quick to jump the Raptor bandwagon. There are some very legitimate reason's to keep you costs low when getting in the heli game. One is to spend as much as possible on your radio system and cut corners on the heli. The machine will come and go but your radio equipment stays with you over the long haul. If you are on a budget it would be better to go for a reliable motor like the OS .32, quality gryo like the Futaba GY-401 or JR 500T, and good servos. A sweet electonics setup can make a piece of crap heli fly great. But, a $2000 heli with poor electronics will fly like a piece of crap. No lie.....

Almost EVERYONE that gets into helis starts out with a .30 and after about 50 flights they are looking to upgrade to a better or bigger heli. Why spend $280 on a .30 size heli your going to take a bath on if you try to sell it when you could go for a $160 heli like the Hawk Sport. Shoot, if you have an average crash on a .30 it's going to cost you ~$50 to repair. A bad crash can get up to a $100 - $150. At that price you can buy an entire new Hawk Sport and build up some great spares!

You can learn the basics(hover, forward flight, loops/rolls/stall turns) and when your proficient you can go get a 60 or 90 size and do it RIGHT! Heck, if you can afford it go for at least a 50 or 90 out of the gates. The larger the heli, the more stable and more confidence inspiring it will be.

Check out this site! Has some excellent advise on getting started in helis. There is a couple of good topics in the Beginner Forum.

www.rotorworks.net

[a1 dumper]

Prop Lover is very right about the Radio system being the most impotant part. But the Raptor is a very good beginner helicoptor. The 30v2 is a great place to start but I would spend just a little more and get the 50v2. Slightly larger ,better power to weight ratio, and about the same cost to repair. Also the 50v2 you won't outgrow for a long time because it is very 3d capable and is more stable in the air for the beginner. Here is one of the best sites I've ever seen for the person that wants to begin with the Raptor. www.raptortechnique.com Just don't forget that this is an expensive hobby. Good luck

[Prop Lover]

Just don't forget that this is an expensive hobby.
Only expensive getting started. If you fly 30s and don't go "upgrade" crazy I would venture to say that it's actually cheaper than RC Cars and RC Planes.

Having been in RC for 20 years with cars, boats, planes, and helicopters I would say without a doubt that I've had the most fun with helis. What makes them expensive is acquiring more.... :D

[a1 dumper]

You're right Prop lover, I've been in the trucks for years myself and they always require a boat load of upgrades just to make them worth fooling with where as the heli's generally are ready to go right out of the box. And they are without a doubt a WHOLE LOT OF FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

[NitroDad]

Thanks guys for everything, I have a JR 783 PCM radio, a futaba gyro, and a OS .32, as far as servos go I always buy new ones for a new model, I've had that crappie servo plage before, and yes it is hard to fly when the servos are loose or a little sloppy. I just bought a new plane, so I'm not real sure the wife will go for this right now but hey I'm still going look into.

[MikeWz]

That OS engine will be just fine. If you have an engine like that it'd probably be worth going for the Raptor 30V2 Kit. A GY401 gyro will do you just fine but I'm not familiar with that radio. It should do just fine as well. If you want more info you should check out

www.runryder.com

It's an ALL heli forum so they'll be able to better answer your questions.