I'd like to get into mini RC helicopters, have some questions

[HDClown]

I'm looking to get into mini RC helicopters. I've seen at least 3 dozen plus models and I really have no clue what I'm looking for. I also see some are more like toys with cheapo remotes, and others use more universal transmitters and multi-channel remotes.

My first question relates to the remotes and transmitters. Do most of the decent helicopters require a multi-channel remote? If so, could I invest in a higher qualiy/many channel remote (say something $200-400 range) and use it as I expand into the RC helicopter world and possibly get into big electrics or nitro helicopters? Or, would I need a totally differnet level of remote and transmitters?

Next, what would be a good starter mini? I'd like to be able to use it outdoors and indoors, and be fairly inexpensive, so if I bust it up, I don't loose a ton of cash. Under $100 perhaps? Doesn't need to be crazy aerobatic or anything, since it's just for learning. I'm not looking for ultra-ultra small either since I'll use it outside. I want to be able to use it around my residential neighborhood.

What kind of run times do you get on min-electrics and what are the charge times like?
THanks in advance for help. If you need more information, I'll try and give as much as I can based on what limited knowledge I have!

[rocknbil]

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[rocknbil]

Yeah there is a LOT of junk out there. I'm no expert but am jazzed with this stuff, let me give you **my** take that should keep you from wasting a lot of money. Under $100 you are only going to find crap. Over $100 to $250 - that's a good place to start.

There are three **basic** helicopter types on the market right now that are worthy of your attention. There are more, but these are the most common ones:

Coaxial: These are the ones with two main blades and no tail rotor. Because the blades spin in opposite directions, there is no need for a tail rotor to compensate for the inertia of a spinning main motor. Also due to this setup they are EXTREMELY easy to fly, once you have them trimmed out and hovering they will just hang there on their own with hands off. The blades on these are fixed pitch, meaning the angle on the blades that gives them lift does not alter in any way, you can only gain or lose altitude by increasing or decreasing throttle. Because of this, what you can do with them is limited - they cannot do aerobatics, but are still hella fun and will teach you the control orientation you need for other helis. The down-side is it does not prepare you for some of the things you will encounter with bigger helis, and allows you to build some sloppy bad habits.

Good examples are the E-Flite Blade CX, about $189 ready to fly, and the (Esky?) Lama. Both are almost identical but I'm gathering the CX is preferred over the Lama - I've only flown the CX. Both of these helis require and come with a 4 channel TX and a 4-in-1 unit that includes a gyro, RX, and mixer.

Fixed Pitch: These have a single main rotor and a tail rotor to compensate for the inertia of the spinning main rotor. Ther are kind of "in between" the coaxials and the CP's because the blade pitch is fixed. For this reason they cannot do major aerobatics (see why with CP's.) Also they begin to be more difficult to fly because with only one main rotor they will want to "slip off" the hovering plane and require constant input to maintain a hover. I've no experience with these but a good example is the Hummingbird Elite.

Collective Pitch: OKAY let's rock and roll, these are the bad boys. :D A collective pitch heli has flat-bottomed or symmetrical blades; as the throttle increases, the pitch (angle) of the blades change with it to collectively add lift. Additionally, these have what's called "idle up" mode which allows for the negative pitch required for inverted flight. Idle up mode is controlled by a single switch at the top-right of the TX, it's on or it's off.

In idle up mode, 50% on the throttle stick is an RPM that is sufficient to hover with. Moving the throttle further up increases pitch but not RPM; moving the stick DOWN from 50% provides NEGATIVE pitch. Normally this would cause the heli to rocket toward the ground, but when it's inverted this is what keeps it airborne.

CP helis are the most agile but they are definately the most difficult to fly. When you lift off, the increasing headspeed of the rotors will cause it to veer left, you have to adjust for this; it requires constant input to keep them in a stable hover, one that's perfectly trimmed out will only hover for 2 or 3 seconds hands off before it slips off the plate and begins to move in one direction or the other. And when they move, they move FAST.

Take a steel ball and put it in the center of a 6" X 8" piece of glass. Now pinch the glass, thumb and forefingers, by the two corners closest to you and move around the room, keeping the ball in the center of the glass. You are flying a heli. If the ball slips off the glass, you crashed. :D This is a VERY good exercise to demonstrate what it's like flying a CP - as the ball begins to roll one way, it accelerates; you correct or overcorrect and it will accellerate in the opposite direction very fast. The result is your heli swings back and forth across the yard in big pendulum swings until the ground stops it. :D

Examples of good CP's are the E-Flite Blade CP, the Esky Honeybee, or the Holy Grail of electric CP's, the Align T-Rex. A BCP will run you about $219 (I think) and the T-Rex around $700. CP's require a 6-channel radio; the Blade CP and Honeybee come with a radio and a 4-in-1 unit already installed.

The things to think about with CP's: The smaller and lighter they are the harder they will be to learn and control, and the more the wind will toss them about. I learned on the Blade CP and can verify, it indeed is a "handful" but it can be learned; if you can learn to fly a BCP, you can fly any CP heli!

SO to answer your questions, the best starters will be one of these RTR's. With absolutely no flying experience, go with the CX to learn to fly a little, see if th heli hobby is really for you, then go to a CP. Yes this requires buying two helis . . . so what? :D

Or, start right off with a CP. Even if you never get into inverted flight, someday you just might want to, and flying a CP is as close to a real heli as you can get. It will well aquaint you with the concepts of flying, as well as what you need for larger helis (RX, TX, gyros, etc etc)

Flight times: For the Blade CX, a proprietary 2S lipo is all that fits, $26 each, and you get about 10 minutes per. When you move to a CP, there are lots of options: generally you go to a 3S lipo which can provide up to 25 minutes of run time - but there's a catch. Anything over a 10 minute flight tends to overheat the main motor, which can lead to some serious problems, such as an in-flight failure or spike that can burn out the 4-in-1. So I usually fly 10, rest 5, fly 10 on my 1250 mah packs.

There are also some safety precautions you need to understand with lipos, as they can catch fire if used improperly - more on this some other day. :D

[GoOgle]

Rocknbil, I love your spin on the hobby. I am new to RC helis and this is very informative. I have the Blade cx2. entry level, but a lot of fun. Two questions. One, I am constantly correcting rudder trim. Even messed with the proportional trimmer pot. I have taught myself to apply rudder while flying. Is this a bad habit that you are speaking of. Can this thing be trimmed out? Second question, the Bcx2 comes with a fifth channel. What could a person do with that. Book just indicates that it is unused and available for a number of options.

[singingperry]

numero uno:if you have a suitable computer get a flight simulater, thats what i wished i would have done. Then try a tail-rotorless design like a blade cx (coaxial main rotors). When starting out tail rotors are an ABSOLUTE BITCH!!! They snag and bang into anything. The palm sized helis ,about 30 bucks, are very satisfying for the money (if they could only improve that blasted tail rotor!)Don't forget an extra battery pack or two, charging times for li-po batteries, are at least an hour and a half.(except for the palm sized micro-micros,which are about twenty or thirty minutes) You Can't get extra batteries for the micro-micros, or spare parts for that matter, but for thirty bucks, get two helis . MosQuitos(Radio Shack) are even better. BUT if you want realistic heli response, start with a blade cx.