Were to fly?

[Krasi_5000]

hi all,
i think i may one day want to get a nitro heli, i already have a onroad car so im not new to nitro BUT were do you fly these???
do you HAVE to fly at a airfield and stuff or can i just take it out on my school yard?? I'm 16 by the way, and im in ontario canada. I'm not sure how the rules and stuff are here?

[Dave Robelen]

Hi,
Unless the rules are very different in Canada, it is possible ( and often desirable) to fly a heli away from the airplane sites. The two types of machine are a poor mix in flight. Often it is possible to find a large building that will block most of the wind which is a big help as you get started. The main consideration here is that you stay far enough away from a model aircraft field to avoid either of you interfering with the other. A couple of miles is usually adequate.
Regards, Dave

[Krasi_5000]

ohhh so there are no problems with flying in public land? Cause i thought you HAVE to fly at airfield or else you are in big trouble.

[Dave Robelen]

Hi Krasi,
I am giving you an opinion based on conditions here in the colonies. Things may be different in Canada. There is a national orginazation there with the initials MAAC, if they have a website, it might give more information. Try a www.google.com search for MAAC
Regards, Dave

[Krasi_5000]

yeah i have found their site but it has nothing of this nature. Whatever i will find out when i am closer to getting one.

[MikeWz]

Krasi-Most fields let helicopters in. I know mine does. I had a raptor that I never got flying. It was just too much cash for me to get going. I'd like to get it eventually though it'd be pretty nice. I fly 1/2A at my high school field too. I'm sure that wouldn't be too bad. I recommend getting yourself to a field and finding somebody to help you out. Helis are pretty tough and, unlike cars, the set-up has to be dead on. With a car if the set-up isn't dead on,as you know, the only real problem will be that you're slow. With a bird you're likely gonna crash, especially being a beginner and now knowing how to fix it.

[arctic sailor]

My opinion is you should try and join with a club and also MAAC. The club will put you in touch with people who can help you with the flying and provide you with the advise on flying helos. My opinion is that MAAC is a must. The membership includes an insurance and if you ever loose it with one of those nitro machine...well damages to your machine and to others is a scenario that all pilots should always consider.

[Dave Robelen]

Hello Mike, Sailor,
Thanks for jumping in with the very helpful posts. Not only do I not live in Canada, it has been a very long time since I flew a heli.
Regards, Dave

[MikeWz]

And might I recommend AMA insurance. Every club I've been to requires AMA insurance. You can select different coverages levels (Helis, rockets, airplanes etc...)and for the coverage it really is fairly cheap and totally worth it. You can check it out here:

http://www.modelaircraft.org/templates/ama/

Good luck to all with flying. I've just decided to pick myself up a Raptor 60 V2. I have a buddy that can get me quite a discount so I opted to start up again with 60s. More stable and easier to fly (although maintinence is higher :o )

[Krasi_5000]

yeah looks like this is a r/c field that is too expensive lol and if i crash then DAMN am i screwed. I will just stick to cars for now lol

[MikeWz]

Krasi, maybe you should start with one of these:

http://www.heli-world.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=H&Product_Code=CN1010CMA

$450 gets you EVERYTHING you need to fly. And you can fly that little guy right in your living room. Just practise hovering...and watch out for othet stuff. If you break it they're really cheap and easy to fix too. It's a CP micro heli so it'll get you used to using a CP Nitro bird. If you can't afford that then I'd recommend Real Flight G2. You can check that out here:

http://www.realflight.com/

You can get it at tower. Good luck