recommendation to beginners

[dsolz]

Hi all,
I am intending to start on rc heli as a hobby.

What would be a good heli to start with?

I was looking at kds 450qs and algin trex 450.

What else do I need other then a heli and a simulator?

Thanks for all the advise in advance!

[timgoh0]

May also be worth considering starting off with a small quad that supports a rate mode. The nano-qx is a low-cost ready to fly option. Also, there's the whole bunch of small collective-pitched helis that are cheaper to maintain when you crash them.

In any event, try and get yourself one of those v911 fixed pitch "toy" grade helis if you haven't got any stick time. Although they don't behave like the larger collective pitch helis, they still teach you stick coordination, and are very crash-resistant.

[ah_liang]

I agree fully to a small quad to learn basic orientations as they are very stable.
You need a simulator but not definitely a heli at this time.

[feudallordcult]

No need to think... Get a goblin. Wahaha!

[Redtwilight]

+1 on the V911. It was my first proper 4ch heli and is amazingly still in 1 piece today. Try to get a 'toy-grade' heli with a TX that has Throttle Hold. Making it a habit to hit TH before a crash will help save a lot of money when you move up.

[dsolz]

Actually v911 is quite a good idea.
Where is a good place to get it?

Online order from over seas?

Or should I buy from a shop in SG?

[timgoh0]

Not sure where you would get it locally. The Blade MSRX is also another option, but it is trickier to fly than the v911, because it has no mechanical flybar stabilization. That might be your next step up. Then after that, the MCPX or the Nano QX.

What you should focus on is the ability to hover in a stable fashion on any of those, then conduct stable nose-out flight, perhaps in the classic T or box patterns. Then concentrate on flying in multiple orientations, smoothly.

Where are you located? I've got some of the smaller birds here with me and if you're in the North, I'd be happy to show you how they work and what to expect.

[perfect1]

Go for bigger heli, 550 size and above. If u can afford, go for 700 size. Easy to learn and no need to upgrade in future. If u start with 450 now, i am quite sure u will buy bigger heli in the future and end of the day, u spend a lot more. Just my 2 cents.

[timgoh0]

Go for bigger heli, 550 size and above. If u can afford, go for 700 size. Easy to learn and no need to upgrade in future. If u start with 450 now, i am quite sure u will buy bigger heli in the future and end of the day, u spend a lot more. Just my 2 cents.

Aren't the repair costs for larger helis more expensive? I assume that sooner or later there will be a crash.

Also, with a smaller heli, one can practice anywhere, even in your room. Orientation and normal flight are very fundamental skills. It's probably harder on a smaller heli because they tend to be twitchier.

[timgoh0]

Also, bonus increased energy with larger helis. I had a 700-sized gas turbine blade strike, crack, and eject the blade because of metal fatigue of the blade grip and feathering shaft. The blade wound up embedded half-way in the ground, and the heli went up in flames, and left a decent sized impact crater. During pre-flight no metal fatigue was visible, and none was observed in the routine stripdown. We believe the root cause was increased loading due to improper handling (AKA someone decided to do 3D off that thing).

The proposed fix was to include periodic parts replacement before MTTF, and periodic x-ray inspection for parts that didn't have specified MTTF. This is probably doable by a university flying the thing off someone's research budget, but not likely by an individual.

[yhchoong]

In addition to the advices given by others above, if you are serious in this hobby and already know you will stay long term, here are a list of equipment to consider in order of decreasing priority.

Highest Priority:
1. Your TX/RX (this is your one and only link to your model when flying. If this fails, that's a total loss of control right there. So buy the best you can afford, and whichever feels the most comfortable to you).

2. Tools (As a beginner you will no doubt be crashing a lot. Therefore you will spend quite a bit of time wrenching and hopefully learning more about heli mechanics. A good set of tools goes a long way here and the list is endless but I would first begin with a good set of hex drivers. I personally use MIP Thorp. I bet there are more than a few of us here who have stripped a bolt with some no brand allen key and have to discard the entire assembly away)

3. Your Lipo charging setup. To a certain point, the more you spend, the faster and safer you can get your battery packs filled up. I'm quite partial to Revolectrix brand, due to their great support and equipment reliability. Also, the brand has its roots and office here in Singapore so it's always good to support something local.

4. Your electronics. Airframes and kits may change, but servos, FBLs, ESCs, BECs can always be reused. Some FBLs even have rescue modes where if you get into trouble with the heli, simply flip a switch and the heli will correct itself. Currently, there is a newly released FBL called Spirit. It licenses the rescue mode of the HeliCommand/Bavarian Demon 3SX (BD3SX) but with its own set of improvements and at half the cost of the BD3SX. Read up a little more online on this, it may very well help save you from a few expensive crashes.

5. Finally, the kit itself. If you think about it, this is often one of the least expensive components in the hobby and should be treated as such. You are going to crash, upgrade, downgrade, whatever so the kit itself is simply in a way, temporary. As a beginner, choose something that our LHS carry plenty of spares for. Any FBL heli these days can generally be as tame or as aggressive as you want it to be. The current hot 450s are the Gaui X3, Warp 360, KDS Chase 360 and upcoming Goblin 380.

[feudallordcult]

In addition to the advices given by others above, if you are serious in this hobby and already know you will stay long term, here are a list of equipment to consider in order of decreasing priority.

Highest Priority:
1. Your TX/RX (this is your one and only link to your model when flying. If this fails, that's a total loss of control right there. So buy the best you can afford, and whichever feels the most comfortable to you).

2. Tools (As a beginner you will no doubt be crashing a lot. Therefore you will spend quite a bit of time wrenching and hopefully learning more about heli mechanics. A good set of tools goes a long way here and the list is endless but I would first begin with a good set of hex drivers. I personally use MIP Thorp. I bet there are more than a few of us here who have stripped a bolt with some no brand allen key and have to discard the entire assembly away)

3. Your Lipo charging setup. To a certain point, the more you spend, the faster and safer you can get your battery packs filled up. I'm quite partial to Revolectrix brand, due to their great support and equipment reliability. Also, the brand has its roots and office here in Singapore so it's always good to support something local.

4. Your electronics. Airframes and kits may change, but servos, FBLs, ESCs, BECs can always be reused. Some FBLs even have rescue modes where if you get into trouble with the heli, simply flip a switch and the heli will correct itself. Currently, there is a newly released FBL called Spirit. It licenses the rescue mode of the HeliCommand/Bavarian Demon 3SX (BD3SX) but with its own set of improvements and at half the cost of the BD3SX. Read up a little more online on this, it may very well help save you from a few expensive crashes.

5. Finally, the kit itself. If you think about it, this is often one of the least expensive components in the hobby and should be treated as such. You are going to crash, upgrade, downgrade, whatever so the kit itself is simply in a way, temporary. As a beginner, choose something that our LHS carry plenty of spares for. Any FBL heli these days can generally be as tame or as aggressive as you want it to be. The current hot 450s are the Gaui X3, Warp 360, KDS Chase 360 and upcoming Goblin 380.

excellent post.

[timgoh0]

To add to yhchoong's post, there other nice thing about the Blade micro/mini helis is that they work with the same Spektrum radios which you can later use to fly larger helis. I'd rather not start a flamewar about the merits of either radio (I don't even use a spektrum official radio myself), but will note that this is one upgrade path.

[MicroHeli-Nut]

Been there, done that. Start off with as big a heli you can with your budget (without skimping on proper radio, i.e. At least a 7-8 channel radio middle class as a benchmar), with at least 4-5 packs, to learn, + a simulator

reasons:

1. You don't build up bad habits while flying. (over compensating, if the heli is too small,)
2. Bigger is easier to see
3. You won't waste your trip to the flying field if the wind starts to pick up by a bit.

Total cost on average is a lot cheaper in the long run.... I started from micros then moved up each size.... looking back, while micros helped me build up skill, since it was a lot more crash resistant, I picked up a lot of bad flying habits, and wasted a lot of trips to the flying field when it got too wind. of course, crashing was a non-issue with micros- you dont break too many things so badly.

The simulator helps the most in getting confident in all the basic upright orientations.

A workhorse heli with locally available spares would help.

[dsolz]

In addition to the advices given by others above, if you are serious in this hobby and already know you will stay long term, here are a list of equipment to consider in order of decreasing priority.

Highest Priority:
1. Your TX/RX (this is your one and only link to your model when flying. If this fails, that's a total loss of control right there. So buy the best you can afford, and whichever feels the most comfortable to you).

2. Tools (As a beginner you will no doubt be crashing a lot. Therefore you will spend quite a bit of time wrenching and hopefully learning more about heli mechanics. A good set of tools goes a long way here and the list is endless but I would first begin with a good set of hex drivers. I personally use MIP Thorp. I bet there are more than a few of us here who have stripped a bolt with some no brand allen key and have to discard the entire assembly away)

3. Your Lipo charging setup. To a certain point, the more you spend, the faster and safer you can get your battery packs filled up. I'm quite partial to Revolectrix brand, due to their great support and equipment reliability. Also, the brand has its roots and office here in Singapore so it's always good to support something local.

4. Your electronics. Airframes and kits may change, but servos, FBLs, ESCs, BECs can always be reused. Some FBLs even have rescue modes where if you get into trouble with the heli, simply flip a switch and the heli will correct itself. Currently, there is a newly released FBL called Spirit. It licenses the rescue mode of the HeliCommand/Bavarian Demon 3SX (BD3SX) but with its own set of improvements and at half the cost of the BD3SX. Read up a little more online on this, it may very well help save you from a few expensive crashes.

5. Finally, the kit itself. If you think about it, this is often one of the least expensive components in the hobby and should be treated as such. You are going to crash, upgrade, downgrade, whatever so the kit itself is simply in a way, temporary. As a beginner, choose something that our LHS carry plenty of spares for. Any FBL heli these days can generally be as tame or as aggressive as you want it to be. The current hot 450s are the Gaui X3, Warp 360, KDS Chase 360 and upcoming Goblin 380.

Thanks for the advise. I will take note